Rom 3:4 pure or victorious

*Romans 3:4 - Paul Wrote zaka (ܙܟܐ) for zakah (זָכָה) - Greek Had To Flatten It To nikao (νικάω)* Greek says Paul quoted LXX. He didn't. LXX quoted Hebrew, then Paul quoted Hebrew, then Greeks had to flatten Paul to make Greeks understand. *1. Paul Wrote In Aramaic To Jewish Messianic Leaders In Rome* Romans is not a Gentile letter. Romans is to Jewish assembly in Rome - *Rom 1:7 - le-kulhon dabe-Roma (ܠܟܠܗܘܢ ܕܒܪܘܡܐ)* - to all who are in Roma. Claudius expelled Jews - Acts 18:2 - Aquila and Priscilla. They return. Assembly split Jew/Gentile. Paul writes to leaders to settle it - *Rom 3:1-2 "What advantage hath the Jew? Much - to them were committed oracles of God"*. He writes *zaka (ܙܟܐ)* - not Greek. *Peshitta Rom 3:4:* > *d'tehwe kayen be-melayk wa-tezkhe kad daynin lakh (ܕܬܗܘܐ ܟܐܝܢ ܒܡܠܝܟ ܘܬܙܟܐ ܟܕ ܕܝܢܝܢ ܠܟ)* > "that You may be just in Your words, and be *zaka (ܙܟܐ)* when they judge You" Same root as Hebrew. *Ps 51:6 MT - Ps 51:4 Eng:* > *le-ma'an titsdaq be-davrekha tizkeh be-shaftekha (לְמַעַן תִּצְדַּק בְּדָבְרֶךָ תִּזְכֶּה בְשָׁפְטֶךָ)* > *zakah (זָכָה)* - to be translucent, clear, pure, no sediment, light passes through, no fault. Paul wrote *zaka (ܙܟܐ)* for *zakah (זָכָה)*. Same letter. Same meaning. *2. What zakah (זָכָה) / zaka (ܙܟܐ) Means - Not My Train, Hebrew/Aramaic Train - We Proved It* In Hebrew/Aramaic train innocence is not Greek innocence. Innocence is *pure, clean, translucent, no guilt*. Like wine clarified - dregs gone. Like glass with no flaw. Like water with no mud. We proved it from witnesses: *BDB H2135 - zakah (זָכָה)* - to be translucent, figuratively to be innocent, to be clear, clean, pure, count pure. *Job 15:14 - mah enosh ki yizkeh ve-khi yitsdaq yelud ishah (מָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּֽי־יִזְכֶּה וְכִֽי־יִצְדַּק יְלוּד אִשָּׁה)* What is man that he should be *yizkeh (יִזְכֶּה)* - be pure - and born of woman that he should be *yitsdaq (יִצְדַּק)* - be righteous? Forensic pair - pure + righteous. *Job 25:4 - u-mah yitsdaq enosh im El u-mah yizkeh yelud ishah (וּמַה־יִּצְדַּק אֱנוֹשׁ עִם־אֵל וּמַה־יִּזְכֶּה יְלוּד אִשָּׁה)* How can man be righteous before El, how can born of woman be *yizkeh (יִזְכֶּה)* - be pure? *Micah 6:11 - ha-ezkeh be-moznei resha (הַאֶזְכֶּה בְּמֹאזְנֵי רֶשַׁע)* Shall I be *ezkeh (אֶזְכֶּה)* - found innocent - with wicked scales? Courtroom. Weighing evidence. *Daniel 6:22 - Aramaic courtroom - on trial before lions:* > *qodamohi zakhu hishtakhat li (קָֽדָמֹהִי זָכוּ הִשְׁתְּכַחַת לִי)* > "before Him *zakhu (זָכוּ)* - innocence - was found in me" Verdict: *zakhu (זָכוּ)* - innocent. Therefore he lives. *zakhu hishtakhat (זָכוּ הִשְׁתְּכַחַת)* - innocence was found - acquitted. This is not my train. This is Hebrew/Aramaic train: *zakah (זָכָה) = translucent = pure = no fault in Him = therefore innocent in judgment.* *3. Greek Translator Had To Flatten It* LXX - 70 Jewish elders - translating for Gentile believers who think in Greek agon (ἀγών) - contest. Greek has no word where pure = wins. *nikao (νικάω)* - to conquer, to prevail, to win lawsuit - *nikan diken (νικᾶν δίκην)* - to win the lawsuit. You can be filthy and *nikao (νικάω)*. You can be pure and lose. Greek victory is power, not substance. So when they hit *tizkeh (תִּזְכֶּה)* - pure in judgment - they couldn't render "pure" and have Greek hear "victorious". So they flattened root to result: *Ps 50:6 LXX:* > *hopos an dikaiothes en tois logois sou kai nikeseis en to krinesthai se (ὅπως ἂν δικαιωθῇς ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου καὶ νικήσῃς ἐν τῷ κρίνεσθαί σε)* > "that You may be justified in Your words and mayest overcome when Thou art judged" They turned substance - pure, no fault - into outcome - overcomes. *Romans 3:4 Greek:* > *nikeseis (νικήσεις)* - mightest overcome when Thou art judged Same flattening. *4. Bauscher Understood Word In Context* Bauscher didn't copy LXX. He understood *zaka (ܙܟܐ)* in context. *kad daynin lakh (ܟܕ ܕܝܢܝܢ ܠܟ)* - when they judge You - *din (דִּין)* - judgment, trial, to go to law. In *din (דִּין)* - court - *zaka (ܙܟܐ)* is not just clean - it's acquitted, therefore wins. Murdock gave root: *"be found pure when they judge thee"* - moral. Bauscher gave outcome in context: *"triumph / overcome when Thou art judged"* - forensic result. Both inside *zaka (ܙܟܐ)*. Hebrew thinks: pure = therefore wins. Greek thinks: wins = maybe pure. *Conclusion* Paul wrote to Jewish Messianic leaders in Rome in Aramaic: *God is zaka (ܙܟܐ) - pure, translucent, no fault in Him - even when you put Him on trial.* Those Jewish leaders then gave Gentile believers the understanding in Greek they could hear: *He nikao (νικάω) - overcomes - when He is judged.* No fault in Him = He wins. That's why *Rom 3:4* says *Let God be true and every man liar - as it is written*. Even if you arraign God, bring Him to law, try to win case against Him - *tizkeh (תִּזְכֶּה)* - He will be found pure, no fault, translucent, and therefore He will overcome.