📖 Biblical Definition
Biblical economic justice protects property while commanding generosity and care for the vulnerable. God forbids theft: "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15). He forbids oppression of the poor: "Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate" (Proverbs 22:22-23). He forbids dishonest weights: "A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight" (Proverbs 11:1). He forbids withholding wages: "the hire of the labourers... is of you kept back by fraud, crieth" (James 5:4). Mosaic Law included gleaning rights for the poor, the sabbatical debt-release, and the Jubilee land-restoration. The biblical model is neither socialism nor unrestrained capitalism — but covenant economics.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Not a standalone compound in Webster 1828.
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Webster defines JUSTICE as "giving to every one what is his due." Economic justice is the just management of material resources under God's law.
📖 Key Scripture
• Proverbs 11:1 — "A false balance is an abomination to the LORD."
• James 5:4 — "The wages of the laborers, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out."
• Proverbs 22:22-23 — "Do not rob the poor, for the LORD will plead their cause."
• Deuteronomy 24:14-15 — "You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Hijacked by both socialist redistribution and crony capitalist exploitation.
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The modern debate pits two unbiblical systems. Socialist frameworks redefine justice as government redistribution, violating commands against theft and coveting. Crony capitalism uses government to enrich the connected at workers' expense — the oppression prophets condemned. Biblical economic justice affirms private property, honest labor, voluntary generosity, and protection of the vulnerable.
Usage
• "Biblical economic justice condemns both the socialist who covets and the capitalist who defrauds."
• "James 5:4 is God's word to every employer who enriches himself by underpaying workers."