Abstract
<jats:p>This article analyzes the origins of the biblical idea of social justice and its theological significance. Noting the extensive research of such theologians as John Goldingay, Christopher Wright, Walter Brueggemann, and others, who focus on analyzing key biblical concepts of social justice, the article focuses mainly on the Pentateuch as the origin of the biblical idea of social justice and shifts the focus from the classical analysis of individual concepts to the analysis of a key phrase (gendiadis), namely: “ṣəḏāqāh ū-mišpāṭ / mišpāṭ ū-ṣəḏāqāh”, which conveys the meaning of social justice in the biblical narrative. This approach is more in line with Moshe Weinfeld’s research emphases. Exploring the issue of social justice, mainly within the framework of the Pentateuch, the study is methodologically based on a narrative analysis of key texts of the Torah (primarily Gen. 18–19; Ex. 1–12), in which the idea of justice is first outlined. The article shows that the practice of social justice in the biblical context is inseparable from such concepts as mercy, covenant fidelity, care for the vulnerable, the formation of a community as an extended “family”, and the prevention of abuse of power by the political elite. In the theological dimension, social justice appears not only as an ethical imperative, but as a system-forming principle of community life, combining mercy and judgment, aimed not only at the just punishment of the oppressor, but also at the restoration of relationships, dignity, and the possibility of transformation for both the victim and the offender</jats:p>