Courts of Justice
100 passages listed in Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. Verse text: Berean Standard Bible; links open in your translation.
58 sections
- Both the Accusers and Accused Required to Appear Before
- Causes In, Were Opened by an Advocate
- Causes In, Were Opened by The Complainant
- Corruption and Bribery often Practised In
- False Witnesses in to Receive the Punishment of the Accused
- Generally Held in the Morning
- Have Authority from God
- Inferior Court in all Cities
- Inferior Court: All Minor Cases Decided By
- Inferior Court: All Transfers of Property Made Before
- Inferior Court: Held at the Gates
- Inferior Court: Judges of, Appointed by the Governor
- Judges of Called Elders
- Judges of Called Magistrates
- Judges of Conferred Together Before Giving Judgment
- Judges of Examined the Parties
- Judges of not to Take Bribes
- Judges of Pronounced the Judgment of the Court
- Judges of Rode often on White Asses
- Judges of Sat on the Judgment-Seat While Hearing Causes
- Judges of To Decide According to the Law
- Judges of To Investigate Every Case
- Judges of To Judge As for God
- Judges of To Judge Righteously
- Judges of To Judge Without Respect of Persons
- Judges of To Promote Peace
- Probably Derived from the Seventy Elders Appointed by Moses
- Provided With: Judges
- Provided With: Officers
- Provided With: Tormentors or Executioners
- Re-Established by Ezra
- Re-Established by Jehoshaphat
- Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Consisted of Chief Priest
- Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Mentioned in the Latter Part of Sacred History
- Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Presided Over by High Priest
- Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Sat in High Priest's Palace
- Sometimes Held in Synagogues
- Superior Court: Consisted Subsequently of Priests and Levites
- Superior Court: Decided on all Appeals and Difficult Cases
- Superior Court: Decisions of, Conclusive
- Superior Court: Held at the Seat of Government
- Superior Court: Held First by Moses Alone in the Wilderness
- Superior Court: Presided Over by the Governor or the High Priest
- The Accused: Examined on Oath
- The Accused: Exhorted to Confess
- The Accused: Might Have Advocates
- The Accused: Permitted to Plead Their own Cause
- The Accused: Sometimes Examined by Torture
- The Accused: Sometimes Treated with Insult
- The Accused: Stood Before the Judge
- The Accused: The Evidence of Two or More Witnesses Required In
- The Accused: Witnesses Sometimes Laid Their Hands on the Criminal's Head
- The Judgment of Allusions To
- The Judgment of Illustrative of the Last Judgment
- The Judgment of Immediately Executed
- The Judgment of not Given Till Accused Was Heard
- The Judgment of Recorded in Writing
- The Judgment of Witnesses First to Execute
Both the Accusers and Accused Required to Appear Before
- Deuteronomy 25:1 If there is a dispute between men, they are to go to court to be judged, so that the innocent may be acquitted and the guilty condemned.
- Acts 25:16 I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before he has had an opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.
Causes In, Were Opened by an Advocate
- Acts 24:1 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, who presented to the governor their case against Paul.
Causes In, Were Opened by The Complainant
- 1 Kings 3:17–21 One woman said, “Please, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth while she was in the house. …
- Acts 16:19–21 When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. …
Corruption and Bribery often Practised In
- Isaiah 10:1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
- Amos 5:12 For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
- Amos 8:6 Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”
False Witnesses in to Receive the Punishment of the Accused
- Deuteronomy 19:19 you must do to him as he intended to do to his brother. So you must purge the evil from among you.
Generally Held in the Morning
- Jeremiah 21:12 O house of David, this is what the LORD says: ‘Administer justice every morning, and rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor, or My wrath will go forth like fire and burn with no one to extinguish it because …
- Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
- Luke 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,
- Acts 5:21 At daybreak the apostles entered the temple courts as they had been told and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin— the full assembly of the elders of Israel— and …
Have Authority from God
- Romans 13:1–5 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God. …
Inferior Court in all Cities
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
- 2 Chronicles 19:5–7 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. …
Inferior Court: All Minor Cases Decided By
- Exodus 18:26 And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
- 2 Samuel 15:4 And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”
Inferior Court: All Transfers of Property Made Before
- Genesis 23:17–20 So Ephron’s field at Machpelah near Mamre, the cave that was in it, and all the trees within the boundaries of the field were deeded over …
- Ruth 4:1–2 Meanwhile, Boaz went to the gate and sat down there. Soon the kinsman-redeemer of whom he had spoken came along, and Boaz said, “Come over here, my friend, and sit down.” So he went over and sat down. …
Inferior Court: Held at the Gates
- Genesis 34:20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and addressed the men of their city:
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
- Deuteronomy 21:19 his father and mother are to lay hold of him and bring him to the elders of his city, to the gate of his hometown,
- Job 5:4 His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
Inferior Court: Judges of, Appointed by the Governor
- Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Exodus 18:25 So Moses chose capable men from all Israel and made them heads over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Deuteronomy 1:9–15 At that time I said to you, “I cannot carry the burden for you alone. …
- 2 Samuel 15:3 Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”
Judges of Called Elders
- Deuteronomy 25:7 But if the man does not want to marry his brother’s widow, she is to go to the elders at the city gate and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to preserve his brother’s name in Israel. He is not willing to perform the duty of a …
- 1 Samuel 16:4 So Samuel did what the LORD had said and went to Bethlehem. When the elders of the town met him, they trembled and asked, “Do you come in peace?”
Judges of Called Magistrates
- Luke 12:58 Make every effort to reconcile with your adversary while you are on your way to the magistrate. Otherwise, he may drag you off to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and the officer may throw you into prison.
Judges of Conferred Together Before Giving Judgment
- Acts 5:34–40 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a short time. …
- Acts 25:12 Then Festus conferred with his council and replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
- Acts 26:30–31 Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them. …
Judges of Examined the Parties
- Acts 24:8 By examining him yourself, you will be able to learn the truth about all our charges against him.”
Judges of not to Take Bribes
- Exodus 23:8 Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 16:19 Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
Judges of Pronounced the Judgment of the Court
- Matthew 26:65–66 At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. …
- Luke 23:24 So Pilate sentenced that their demand be met.
- Acts 5:40 At this, they yielded to Gamaliel. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them.
Judges of Rode often on White Asses
- Judges 5:10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
Judges of Sat on the Judgment-Seat While Hearing Causes
- Exodus 18:13 The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening.
- Judges 5:10 You who ride white donkeys, who sit on saddle blankets, and you who travel the road, ponder
- Isaiah 28:6 a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment, and a strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.
- Matthew 27:19 While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
Judges of To Decide According to the Law
- Ezekiel 44:24 In any dispute, they shall officiate as judges and judge according to My ordinances. They must keep My laws and statutes regarding all My appointed feasts, and they must keep My Sabbaths holy.
Judges of To Investigate Every Case
- Deuteronomy 19:18 The judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness is proven to be a liar who has falsely accused his brother,
Judges of To Judge As for God
- 2 Chronicles 19:6–7 Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment. …
- 2 Chronicles 19:9 He commanded them, saying, “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.
Judges of To Judge Righteously
- Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 1:6 The LORD our God said to us at Horeb: “You have stayed at this mountain long enough.
Judges of To Judge Without Respect of Persons
- Exodus 23:3 And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
- Exodus 23:6 You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
- Leviticus 19:15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 1:17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
- Proverbs 22:22 Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate,
Judges of To Promote Peace
- Zechariah 8:16 These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another, render true and sound judgments in your gates,
Probably Derived from the Seventy Elders Appointed by Moses
- Exodus 24:9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,
- Numbers 11:16–17 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. …
- Numbers 11:24–30 So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. …
Provided With: Judges
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
Provided With: Officers
- Deuteronomy 16:18 You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment.
- Matthew 5:25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Provided With: Tormentors or Executioners
- Matthew 18:34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.
Re-Established by Ezra
- Ezra 7:25 And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God, which you possess, are to appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people west of the Euphrates — all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach these laws to …
Re-Established by Jehoshaphat
- 2 Chronicles 19:5–10 He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. …
Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Consisted of Chief Priest
- Matthew 26:57 Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.
- Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Mentioned in the Latter Part of Sacred History
- Luke 22:66 At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and scribes, met together. They led Jesus into their Sanhedrin and said,
- John 11:47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.
- Acts 5:27 They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.
Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Presided Over by High Priest
- Matthew 26:62–66 So the high priest stood up and asked Him, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?” …
Sanhedrim or Court of the Seventy: Sat in High Priest's Palace
- Matthew 26:57–58 Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered. …
Sometimes Held in Synagogues
- Matthew 10:17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues.
- Acts 22:19 ‘Lord,’ I answered, ‘they know very well that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in You.
- Acts 26:11 I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.
- James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
Superior Court: Consisted Subsequently of Priests and Levites
- Deuteronomy 17:9 You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
- Malachi 2:7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.
Superior Court: Decided on all Appeals and Difficult Cases
- Exodus 18:26 And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
- Deuteronomy 1:17 Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
- Deuteronomy 17:8–9 If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose. …
Superior Court: Decisions of, Conclusive
- Deuteronomy 17:10–11 You must abide by the verdict they give you at the place the LORD will choose. Be careful to do everything they instruct you, …
Superior Court: Held at the Seat of Government
- Deuteronomy 17:8 If a case is too difficult for you to judge, whether the controversy within your gates is regarding bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults, you must go up to the place the LORD your God will choose.
Superior Court: Held First by Moses Alone in the Wilderness
- Exodus 18:13–20 The next day Moses took his seat to judge the people, and they stood around him from morning until evening. …
Superior Court: Presided Over by the Governor or the High Priest
- Deuteronomy 17:12 But the man who acts presumptuously, refusing to listen either to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, or to the judge, must be put to death. You must purge the evil from Israel.
- Judges 4:4–5 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. …
The Accused: Examined on Oath
- Leviticus 5:1 “If someone sins by failing to testify when he hears a public charge about something he has witnessed, whether he has seen it or learned of it, he shall bear the iniquity.
- Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him, “I charge You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God.”
The Accused: Exhorted to Confess
- Joshua 7:19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and make a confession to Him. I urge you to tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”
The Accused: Might Have Advocates
- Proverbs 31:8–9 Open your mouth for those with no voice, for the cause of all the dispossessed. …
- Isaiah 1:17 Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow.”
The Accused: Permitted to Plead Their own Cause
- 1 Kings 3:22 “No,” said the other woman, “the living one is my son and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman insisted, “No, the dead one is yours and the living one is mine.” So they argued before the king.
- Acts 24:10 When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he began his response: “Knowing that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I gladly make my defense.
- Acts 26:1 Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense:
The Accused: Sometimes Examined by Torture
- Acts 22:24 the commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He directed that Paul be flogged and interrogated to determine the reason for this outcry against him.
- Acts 22:29 At once those who were about to interrogate Paul stepped back, and the commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put a Roman citizen in chains.
The Accused: Sometimes Treated with Insult
- Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
- John 18:22–23 When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?” …
- Acts 23:2–3 At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. …
The Accused: Stood Before the Judge
- Numbers 35:12 You are to have these cities as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer will not die until he stands trial before the assembly.
- Matthew 27:11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
The Accused: The Evidence of Two or More Witnesses Required In
- Deuteronomy 17:6 On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but he shall not be executed on the testimony of a lone witness.
- Deuteronomy 19:15 A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
- John 8:17 Even in your own Law it is written that the testimony of two men is valid.
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
The Accused: Witnesses Sometimes Laid Their Hands on the Criminal's Head
- Leviticus 24:14 “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.
The Judgment of Allusions To
- Job 5:4 His sons are far from safety, crushed in court without a defender.
- Psalm 127:5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.
- Matthew 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
The Judgment of Illustrative of the Last Judgment
- Matthew 19:28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Romans 14:10 Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
- 1 Corinthians 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
The Judgment of Immediately Executed
- Deuteronomy 25:2 If the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall have him lie down and be flogged in his presence with the number of lashes his crime warrants.
- Joshua 7:25 “Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.
- Mark 15:15–20 And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. …
The Judgment of not Given Till Accused Was Heard
- John 7:51 “Does our law convict a man without first hearing from him to determine what he has done?”
The Judgment of Recorded in Writing
- Isaiah 10:1 Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
The Judgment of Witnesses First to Execute
- Deuteronomy 17:7 The hands of the witnesses shall be the first in putting him to death, and after that, the hands of all the people. So you must purge the evil from among you.
- Acts 7:58 They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Related topics
Courts of Justice of the Romans in JudeaCourtJudge
Topics: Nave’s Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook (1897), public domain, via the Berean Bible topical index.