Yahuah Tsidkenu: Yahuah Our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)
Dishon Francis | Yasharun the Scribe
In a chapter that opens with failed shepherds, Yahuah makes a promise that is almost too good to rush past. He will raise unto David a righteous Branch. Judah will be saved. Israel will dwell safely. And the name of that hope is spoken out loud: Yahuah our righteousness.
This word study in our Names of Yahuah series looks at Jeremiah 23:5 to 6, the parallel in Jeremiah 33:16, and the Hebrew words tsedeq and tsidkenu. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version with the Name and titles restored as Yahuah and Elohim. If you learned this name as "Jehovah Tsidkenu," it is the same name. Our article on Jehovah names and Yahuah names explains why the same titles appear two ways.
Bad Shepherds, Then a Better Promise
Jeremiah 23 begins with grief. Pastors had scattered the flock. Yahuah said He would gather the remnant and set up shepherds who would feed them (Jeremiah 23:1 to 4). Then the promise rises higher than better leadership alone:
"Behold, the days come, saith Yahuah, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth." (Jeremiah 23:5)
A Branch from David. A King who reigns well. Judgment and justice in the earth. This is not a slogan. It is covenant hope spoken into a broken national moment.
The Name: Yahuah Our Righteousness
The next verse gives the name:
"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, YAHUAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jeremiah 23:6)
The King James margin notes the Hebrew as Jehovah-tsidkenu. In the sacred Name we confess, that is Yahuah Tsidkenu: Yahuah our righteousness. Notice what the name does. It does not say Judah finally produced enough righteousness to save itself. It says the righteousness is His, and it is given as "our" righteousness. Safety and salvation are tied to who He is for His people.
Jeremiah later repeats the same gift with a small shift of focus. Speaking of Jerusalem he writes:
"In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, Yahuah our righteousness." (Jeremiah 33:16)
The Branch promise appears again in Jeremiah 33:15. First the King is called by the name. Then the city is called by the name. What belongs to Him is shared with His people.
What Tsedeq and Tsidkenu Mean
Tsedeq (צֶדֶק) and related forms carry the sense of rightness, justice, and righteousness. Strong's concordance lists the root under H6664 and related entries for the family of words translated righteousness, just, and right. Tsidkenu is that word with the ending that means "our": our righteousness.
So Yahuah Tsidkenu is not a vague compliment. It is a confession: the righteousness we need is found in Him. David sang toward the same truth when he called on "O Elohim of my righteousness" (Psalms 4:1). Moses said of Yahuah, "just and right is he" (Deuteronomy 32:4). The psalmist added, "For the righteous Yahuah loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright" (Psalms 11:7).
Righteousness in Scripture is never only a courtroom word. Hosea ties it to seeking Him: "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek Yahuah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you" (Hosea 10:12). Isaiah says the work of righteousness shall be peace (Isaiah 32:17). When Yahuah calls Himself our righteousness, He is offering peace that grows from His own right character, not from our self repair.
Righteousness Counted and Clothed
Long before Jeremiah, Abram "believed in Yahuah; and he counted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Righteousness was already a gift received by trust, not a trophy of self made virtue.
Isaiah later used clothing language for the same mercy:
"I will greatly rejoice in Yahuah, my soul shall be joyful in my Elohim; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10)
And again: "Surely, shall one say, in Yahuah have I righteousness and strength" (Isaiah 45:24). The seed of Israel is justified in Yahuah and shall glory (Isaiah 45:25). Jeremiah's name Yahuah Tsidkenu stands in that same stream: righteousness is from Him, on us, for us.
The apostles carried the theme forward without softening it. Paul wrote that Elohim "hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Elohim in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Matthew records Yahusha teaching, "But seek ye first the kingdom of Elohim, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33). The name still teaches the household where to look: not first to our record, but to His.
What Yahuah Tsidkenu Means for a Household
A few ways to carry this name into daily life, without adding anything Scripture does not say:
- Read Jeremiah 23:5 to 6 slowly. Let the children hear that the Branch is righteous and that the name is "our righteousness."
- When failure feels loud, speak the name. Yahuah Tsidkenu answers shame with His character, not with pretend perfection.
- Practice justice and mercy as fruit, not as a ladder. Hosea 10:12 joins sowing righteousness with reaping mercy and seeking Yahuah.
- Keep the name beside the verse. A vellum insert over Jeremiah 23 turns a study night into a lasting reminder.
- Hold safety as His gift. Jeremiah says Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely in His days. Rest is part of the promise.
Keep the Name Close
Our Names of Yahuah Vellum Bible Inserts include Tsidkenu (Our Righteousness) in the Names of Belonging set, so you can lay the name right over Jeremiah 23 in your own Bible. If you learned these names as "Jehovah," the Jehovah Series insert cards carry eight compound names, including Tsidkenu, in that familiar form.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Yahuah Tsidkenu mean?
It means "Yahuah our righteousness." In Jeremiah 23:6 the righteous Branch is called by that name. The KJV margin notes the Hebrew as Jehovah-tsidkenu.
Where else does this name appear?
Jeremiah 33:16 uses the same confession of Yahuah our righteousness for Jerusalem in the days of the Branch of righteousness (Jeremiah 33:15 to 16). Spell the name Tsidkenu consistently in study notes so your household recognizes it across both passages.
Is this the same as Jehovah Tsidkenu?
Yes. It is the same compound name. We restore the sacred Name as Yahuah while keeping the Hebrew title Tsidkenu. See our article on Jehovah names and Yahuah names for the fuller explanation.
May your household rest in the name that still holds: Yahuah Tsidkenu, Yahuah our righteousness.