Comparing the Septuagint and the Masoretic Using Matthew 6-12 (Full Script)

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Septuagint or Masoretic – Matthew 6-12

Post-Apostolic Church

INTRO

Happy Septuagint Day!  Let’s continue comparing the Hebrew Masoretic with the Greek Septuagint by going through the New Testament and seeing which manuscript family the writers used when quoting from the Old Testament.  In this video, we will be looking at Matthew chapters 6 to 12.  The running count of verses will continue from the last video.

FESTIVAL OF THE SEPTUAGINT

But before diving back into the gospel of Matthew, there is another aspect of the Septuagint’s history that is worth mentioning.  As explained in previous videos in this series, the Septuagint was universally accepted by the Jews.  One of the ways the Septuagint was celebrated is seen in what Philo of Alexandria said about an annual festival which occurred in his hometown of Alexandria, the same town and exact location where the Septuagint was originally translated.  Philo was a Jewish philosopher from the early first century and wrote the following around AD 40 or before.

Even to this very day, there is every year a solemn assembly held and a festival celebrated on the island of Pharos, to which not only the Jews but a great number of persons of other nations sail across, giving reverence to the place in which the first light of interpretation shone forth, and thanking God for that ancient piece of beneficence which was always young and fresh.  And after the prayers and the giving of thanks some of them pitched their tents on the shore, and some of them lay down without any tents in the open air on the sand of the shore, and [they] feasted with their family and friends, thinking the shore [was] at that time a more beautiful abode than the furniture of the king's palace.  (Philo of Alexandria.  AD 40 or earlier.  Works of Philo Judaeus, Moses 2, VII, 41-42.)

(https://www.ccel.org/ccel/philo/works.iii.xxvi.html)

This annual festival occurred while Jesus walked the earth!

MATTHEW 8:17

Matthew 8:17 is about how Jesus would cure demon possession and the sick.  It reads,

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, “He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.”  (Matt 8:17 (ASV))

This is a quotation from Isaiah 53:4.  The Masoretic reads,

He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.  (Is 53:4 (ASV))

While Matthew speaks about infirmities, weaknesses, and diseases, Isaiah speaks about griefs and sorrows.

The Septuagint reads,

This one bore our sins, and with respect to us, was grieved.  (Is 53:4 (LXX literal))

The Septuagint is very different here.  First, it does not use the masculine pronoun but “this one.”  Second, it does not mention anything about infirmities, weaknesses, or diseases but specifically says that He will bear our sins.  This should perk the ears of every Christian.  The Messiah bearing the sins of the world is not new for the seasoned Christian.  How excellent it is for the Septuagint to explicitly say this!  However, it is different for how Matthew renders this verse.  Third, the Septuagint does not say that He would carry our diseases or sorrows, but it speaks of His grief because of us.  Now, as for the similarities, the Septuagint speaks about grief, which Matthew does but the Masoretic does not.

Which Old Testament family does Matthew follow?  His quotation is different from both the Masoretic and the Septuagint.  As discussed in earlier videos, this does not cause a serious problem.  But if one had to choose which of today’s Old Testament more closely matches Matthew’s quotation, it would be the Masoretic.

[Verses: 16.  Both: 7.  LXX: 4.  MT: 3.]

MATTHEW 9:13

Matthew 9:13 address a problem with the Pharisees when they rebuked Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners.  It reads,

Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice.  For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.  (Matt 9:13 (ASV))

This is a quotation from Hosea 6:6.  The Masoretic reads,

I desire goodness [literally: kindness], and not sacrifice.  (Hos 6:6 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

I desire mercy [literally: compassion], and not sacrifice.  (Hos 6:6 (literal))

With the Masoretic, is kindness the same as compassion?  Not in this case because the Hebrew word for kindness [chesed] is different from the Hebrew word for compassion [racham].  On the Greek side, Matthew uses the exact same word as the Septuagint [eleos].  In fact, Matthew’s quotation is letter for letter from the Septuagint.  He is following the Septuagint.

[Verses: 17.  Both: 7.  LXX: 5.  MT: 3.]

MATTHEW 10:35-36

Matthew 10:35-36 is when Jesus is teaching about how His coming to the earth will cause people to become enemies.  After all, the darkness hates the Light.  It reads,

I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.  (Matt 10:35-36 (ASV))

This is a quotation from Micah 7:6.  The Masoretic reads,

The son dishonors the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house.  (Mic 7:6 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

A son disgraces a father, a daughter rises up over her mother, a bride over her mother-in-law; a man’s adversaries are all the men in his house.  (Mic 7:6 (literal))

All manuscripts are in agreement except that the Septuagint adds “all.”  For that reason alone, we can say that Matthew follows the Masoretic here.

[Verses: 18.  Both: 7.  LXX: 5.  MT: 4.]

MATTHEW 11:10

Matthew 11:10 is Jesus talking about John the Baptist and the prophecy he fulfilled.  It reads,

Behold, I sent my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you.  (Matt 11:10 (ASV))

In the previous video, it was mentioned that Jesus combined or condensed various passages into one passage.  First, let’s look at the more well-known Old Testament passage, Malachi 3:1.  The Masoretic reads,

Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.  (Mal 3:1 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey [literally: prepare] the way before me.  (Mal 3:1 (Brenton))

As we see, the Masoretic and Septuagint perfectly agree.  So why does Matthew talk about “before your face” and speak in the second person rather than first person?  While the Israelites were receiving the Law from Moses at Mount Sinai, the Masoretic says at Exodus 23:20,

I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.  (Ex 23:20 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

Behold, I send out my messenger prior to your face, in order that he guards you in the way.  In that manner, he will introduce you into the very land which I prepare for you.  (Ex 23:20 (literal))

Let’s compare these two Old Testament verses and their languages to Matthew.  The first difference is Matthew’s mention of “face,” which is only found in the Septuagint’s Exodus 23:20.  The second difference is that this messenger will prepare the way.  This is not found in Exodus 23:20 but in both the Hebrew and Greek in Malachi 3:1.  So the Hebrew and Greek agree about the preparation when reading from Malachi.  Prepare for who?  Matthew speaks in the second person, which is not found in Malachi.  So the Hebrew and Greek agree when reading from Exodus.  The best explanation of what is happening here is that Jesus is combining and condensing two Old Testament prophecies, one from Exodus and one from Malachi.

But are there differences between the Hebrew and the Greek?  The only significant difference is the mention of “your face,” which only appears in Exodus 23:20 in the Septuagint.  If someone had to choose which manuscript family Matthew used, it would be the Septuagint.

[Verses: 19.  Both: 7.  LXX: 6.  MT: 4.]

MATTHEW 11:23

In Matthew 11:23, Jesus is condemning Chorazin and Capernaum for their unbelief.  He said,

You, Capernaum, shall you be exalted unto heaven?  You shall go down unto Hades.  (Matt 11:23 (ASV))

Jesus is combining and condensing Isaiah 14:13,15.  He doesn’t quote from verse 13 about being exalted unto heaven but obviously refers to it.  Jesus does quote verse 15.  The Masoretic reads,

You shall be brought down to Sheol.  (Is 14:15 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

You shall descend into Hades.  (Is 14:15 (literal))

The words for “be brought down” and “descend” are the same between the languages.  Same with Hades and Sheol.  All the readings agree.

[Verses: 20.  Both: 8.  LXX: 6.  MT: 4.]

We have looked at 20 verses thus far.  2 verses were found in neither.  8 verses were found in both.  6 verses agreed with the Septuagint.  4 verses agreed with the Masoretic.  What could we conclude at this point?  We see that, usually, the Masoretic and the Septuagint agree.  We see that the number of times they disagree is more than the number of times they agree.  But we haven’t learned anything conclusive on whether the Masoretic or Septuagint is the more reliable Old Testament.  So let’s continue.

MATTHEW 11:29

In Matthew 11:29, Jesus is saying that His way is easier than the way of the world and rejection of Him.  He said,

Take My yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls.  (Matt 11:29 (ASV))

Finding rest for your souls is a quotation from Jeremiah 6:16.  The Masoretic reads,

And you shall find rest for your souls.  (Jer 6:16 (ASV))

The Septuagint reads,

And you shall find purification for your souls.  (Jer 6:16 (Brenton))

The Septuagint has the exact same words as what Matthew records, except instead of “rest,” the Septuagint says “purification.”  For this reason, Jesus and Matthew follow the Masoretic.

[Verses: 21.  Both: 8.  LXX: 6.  MT: 5.]

MATTHEW 12:7

Matthew 12:7 is a time when Jesus put the Pharisees in their place.  He told them,

If you had known what this means, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless.  (Matt 12:7 (ASV))

This is a quotation from Hosea 6:6.

Matthew already quoted from Hosea 6:6 back in Matthew 9:13.  He is following the Septuagint.

[Verses: 22.  Both: 8.  LXX: 7.  MT: 5.]

MATTHEW 12:18-21

Matthew 12:18-21 is a direct prophecy from Isaiah.  It reads,

Behold, my servant whom I have chosen;

My beloved in whom my soul is well pleased:

I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall declare judgment to the Gentiles.

He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

And in his name shall the Gentiles hope.  (Matt 12:18-21 (ASV))

This is a prophecy from Isaiah 42:1-4.  The Masoretic reads,

Behold, my servant, whom I uphold;

my chosen, in whom my soul delights:

I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

He will not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor cause it to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed will he not break, and a dimly burning wick will he not quench: he will bring forth justice in truth.

…and the isles shall wait for his law.  (Is 42:1-4 (ASV))

Before moving on, let’s look at some differences.  Matthew says, “chosen” and “my beloved.”  The Masoretic says, “uphold” (or help) and “my chosen.”  Matthew says, “unto victory.”  The Masoretic says, “in truth.”  Matthew says, “In His name shall the Gentiles hope.”  The Masoretic says, “The isles shall wait for his law.”

The Septuagint reads,

Jacob is my servant, I will help him:

Israel is my chosen, my soul has accepted him;

I have put my Spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

He shall not cry, nor lift up his voice, nor shall his voice be heard without.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench; but he shall bring forth judgment to truth.

...and in his name shall the Gentiles trust.  (Is 42:1-4 (Brenton))

Let’s look at the differences between this and Matthew.  Matthew says, “Behold.”  The Septuagint says, “Jacob.”  Matthew says, “chosen” and “my beloved.”  The Septuagint says, “help” and “Israel is my chosen.”  (The Masoretic and Septuagint agree in “help” and “uphold.”)  Matthew says, “streets.”  The Septuagint says, “without,” meaning outside.  Matthew says, “unto victory.”  The Septuagint says, “to truth.”  (Which the Masoretic does also.)  Though Brenton’s translation says “Gentiles trust,” it is the exact same Greek word [elpizo] used in Matthew; Brenton should have translated it as “Gentiles hope.”

We sure have looked at a lot of differences here.  We are looking at a total of 4 verses.  When looking at the first 3 verses, it seems that the Matthew follows the Masoretic.  This is seen in the Septuagint’s “Jacob,” “Israel,” and “without/outside.”  And there are those places where the Masoretic and Septuagint disagree with Matthew.  These are: “uphold and help verses chosen,” “chosen verses beloved,” and “truth verses victory.”  In the first three verses, the Masoretic has more in-line with Matthew than the Septuagint.

By far, the most significant difference is the fourth verse.  Matthew and the Septuagint perfectly agree letter-for-letter (except where Matthew says “in” and the Septuagint says “upon”).  So regarding the fourth verse of this passage, the Masoretic doesn’t even come close.  Matthew certainly follows the Septuagint regarding the Gentiles hoping in Christ’s name.

Because of everything we have analyzed, we need to split this passage into two quotations, one for the first three verses and one for the fourth verse.  Matthew follows the Masoretic for the first part and the Septuagint for the second part.

[Verses: 24.  Both: 8.  LXX: 8.  MT: 6.]

CREDITS

That is enough for now.  But we will continue looking at New Testament quotations from the Old Testament next year.

Blessings and so forth.

Update - February 2019

There will be a new Septuagint video posted on Septuagint Day, which is Friday (Feb 8).  We will continue looking through Matthew in order to determine which verses more favor the Masoretic or the Septuagint.

Blessings and so forth!

Early Christianity on: The Omniscience of God the Father (Full Script)

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Early Christianity on: The Omniscience of God the Father

Post-Apostolic Church

INTRO

This is the ninth video in a series on what the Pre-Nicene Christians believed about the Divinity.  And this is the sixth video about God the Father.

To be omniscient means to be all-knowing.  A common belief in Christianity is that God is omniscient.  What have we heard people say about it?  Some might say, “God knows a lot, but there are a few things He does not know.”  Others might say, “God knows all present things, but He does not foreknow future things.”  Others might say, “God knows all things and foreknows all things.”  Others might say, “God may know a lot of things, but He doesn’t know me.”

PRE-NICENE CHRISTIANS: GOD KNOWS AND FOREKNOWS EVERYTHING—EVEN HEART AND SOUL

The early Christians believed that God the Father knows all things and He also foreknows all future things.  There is nothing that God does not know.  In a sermon from the second century, now called Second Clement, the preacher wrote,

He knows all things beforehand, and is acquainted with what is in our hearts.  (Second Clement.  Second Century.  ANF, vol 7, page 519.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.x.iii.html, 9)

Melito wrote,

There are persons who say:  It is for the honor of God that we make the image: that is, in order that we may worship the God who is concealed from our view.  But they are unaware that God is in every country, and in every place, and is never absent, and that there is not anything done and He does not know it.  (Melito.  AD 170.  ANF, vol 8, page 755.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf08.x.v.ii.html, “There are, however, persons…”)

Clement of Alexandria wrote,

For God knows all things—not those only which exist, but those also which shall be—and how each thing shall be.  And foreseeing the particular movements, “He surveys all things, and hears all things,” seeing the soul naked within, possessing from eternity the idea of each thing individually.  And what applies to theaters, and to the parts of each object, in looking at, looking round, and taking in the whole in one view, applies also to God.  For in one glance He views all things together, and each thing by itself; but not all things, by way of primary intent.  (Clement of Alexandria.  AD 195.  ANF, vol 2, page 517.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.vi.xvii.html, “Those, then, who assert…”)

Lactantius wrote,

[God is the] guardian of the world and ruler of the universe, who knows all things, from whose divine eyes nothing is concealed.  (Lactantius.  AD 310.  ANF, vol 7, page 65.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.iii.ii.ii.xvii.html, “For God, as I have shown…”)

From these quotes, we see that not only does God know all things in the present but also all things in the future.  And on top of that, God knows all things that are hidden—even the things within each person’s heart and soul.

SCRIPTURES: GOD SEES, KNOWS, AND FOREKNOWS EVERYTHING—EVEN HEART AND SOUL

What do the Scriptures say about God’s omniscience?  In an earlier video on God the Father, it talked about God’s timelessness.  Now, if God is both timeless and all-knowing, then He would have all foreknowledge as well.  About Christ’s crucifixion, Peter preached,

Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know.  Though He was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail Him to a cross and kill Him.  God raised Him up, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it.  (Acts 2:22-24)

Peter said that all of the things that happened to Jesus—His miracles, His death, and His resurrection were all foreknown and planned by God.  And if Jesus’ death was part of God’s foreknowledge and plan, then the church, purchased by Jesus’ blood, was also part of God’s foreknowledge and plan.  Peter later wrote,

To the temporary residents…, chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ.  (1Pet 1:1-2)

It seems that the belief that God both knows all things and foreknows all things is one of the more basic beliefs of Christianity.  And about God knowing even the things in our hearts and souls, the writer of Hebrews wrote,

No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.  (Heb 4:13)

God knows everything about us—all the things in our hearts and souls.  This includes the evil things, as the sons of Korah wrote,

If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god, wouldn’t God have found this out, since He knows the secrets of the heart?  (Ps 44:20-21)

But this also includes the good things, as John wrote,

Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.  This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence, even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things.  (1John 3:18-20)

CONCLUSION

And so, God is completely omniscient in every way.  Whether in relation to time or in relation to the hidden things in our hearts and souls, God knows it all.  There is nothing that He does not know!

But this belief might make people feel a little uncomfortable.  Does the idea of God knowing everything about what is in your heart and soul worry you?  If you have given your heart and soul over to God, it shouldn’t.  There is more to that quote from Second Clement which is worth considering.

He knows all things beforehand, and is acquainted with what is in our hearts. Let us therefore give Him praise, not with the mouth only, but also with the heart, that He may accept us as sons. For the Lord has said, “Those are My brethren who do the will of My Father.* ”  (Second Clement.  Second Century.  ANF, vol 7, page 519.)

* Matt 12:50.

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.x.iii.html, 9)

Blessings and so forth.

Update - January 2019

Wow, I have not given a monthly update since August.  I guess it is good to be back in time for 2019.

In 2018, I only posted 5 videos.  2018 has been a very, very rough one for me personally.  I hope that you will forgive my lack of attention to this channel.

In January, I will be posting a new video: The Omniscience of God the Father.

In February, I will continue the tradition of posting a new video on the Septuagint for Septuagint Day (Feb 8).

While 2018 will go down in history as a terrible year, I expect 2019 will be the best year this channel has ever seen... a new golden age.  I plan to release a lot more content in 2019!  I will finish the series on God the Father.  I plan to begin and finish the series on God the Son (7 or more videos).  And I hope to begin the series on God the Spirit (3 or more videos).

God bless!

Early Christianity on: The Perfect Goodness of God the Father (Full Script)

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Early Christianity on the Perfect Goodness of God the Father

Post-Apostolic Church

INTRO

This is the eighth video in a series on what the Pre-Nicene Christians believed about the Divinity.  And this is the fifth video about God the Father.

When something is good, it could also be called virtuous, morally right, and righteous.  What are some of the virtues that display goodness?  Good virtues include love, kindness, grace, mercy, patience, generosity, compassion.  Of course, good is the opposite of anything that is evil or bad.  A common belief in Christianity is that God is good by His nature.  And unlike mankind, God is perfectly good.

What have we heard about God’s goodness?  Some might say, “God is good all of the time.”  Others might say, “God is good only to those He loves.”  Others might say, “God is perfectly good because He Himself is the definition of goodness.”  Others, for various reasons, might say, “God is not or cannot be good.”  For example, some might say, “If God is perfectly just, then He cannot be perfectly good.”

PRE-NICENE CHRISTIANS: GOD IS GOOD AT ALL TIMES

The early Christians believed that God is so perfectly good that He takes no action that is not intended for good.  Ireaneus wrote,

For with God there is nothing without purpose or due significance.  (Irenaeus.  AD 180.  ANF, vol 1, page 493.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vi.xxii.html, 3)

They also believed that God is so perfectly good that there is no time when God is not doing good.  Referring to the seventh day of creation, Clement of Alexandria wrote,

God’s resting is not, then, as some conceive, that God ceased from doing.  For, being good, if He should ever cease from doing good, then would He cease from being God, which it is sacrilege even to say.  (Clement of Alexandria.  AD 195.  ANF, vol 2, page 513.)

(https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf02.vi.iv.vi.xvi.html, “Fourth Commandment”)

These are just a couple of statements that summarize what the Pre-Nicene Christians believed about God’s perfect goodness.

PRE-NICENE CHRISTIANS: GOD IS GOOD AND JUST

One of the reasons someone might believe that God is not perfectly good is because they question why a good God would allow suffering in the world or allow someone to go to hell.  The conversation about God being perfectly good and perfectly just will probably continue to the end of time.  For the early Christians, they understood that God can be perfectly good, like a good father, and perfectly just, like a good master.  They did not see these attributes of God as being opposed to each other but as going hand-in-hand.  Tertullian admirably wrote,

What, if He did not threaten?  Will you call this justice an evil, when it is all unfavorable to evil?  Will you deny it to be a good, when it has its eye towards good?  What sort of being would you to wish God to be?  Would it be right to prefer that He should be such, that sins might flourish under Him, and the devil make mockery at Him?  Would you suppose Him to be a good God, who should be able to make a man worse by [proposing] security in sin?  Who is the author of good, but He who also requires it?...  God is wholly good, because in all things He is on the side of good….  Thus far, then, justice is the very fullness of the Deity Himself, manifesting God as both a perfect father and a perfect master: a father in His mercy, a master in His discipline; a father in the mildness of His power, a master in its severity; a father who must be loved with dutiful affection, a master who must needs be feared; be loved, because He prefers mercy to sacrifice; be feared because He dislikes sin; be loved, because He prefers the sinner’s repentance to his death; be feared, because He dislikes the sinners who do not repent.  Accordingly, the divine law commands duties in respect of both these attributes: You shall love God, and You shall fear God.  (Tertullian.  AD 207.  ANF, vol 3, page 308.)

(https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf03.v.iv.iii.xiii.html)

Lactantius said a similar thing, writing,

Let no one, induced by the empty talking of the philosophers, train himself to the contempt of God, which is the greatest impiety.  We all are bound both to love Him, because He is our Father; and to revere Him, because He is our Lord: both to pay Him honor, because He is generous; and to fear Him, because He is severe: each character in Him is worthy of reverence.  (Lactantius.  AD 310.  ANF, vol 7, page 279.)

(http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf07.iii.iii.xxiii.html)

SCRIPTURES: GOD IS GOOD AT ALL TIMES

What do the Scriptures say about God’s perfect goodness?  Irenaeus said that every action of God is intended for good.  God said to the Jews in captivity, which is also true for everyone,

I will devise for you a device for peace, and not evil, to bestow upon you these good things.  And when you pray to Me, and I will hearken [listen] to you.  And when you earnestly seek Me, and you shall find Me.  For you shall seek me with your whole heart, and I will appear to you.  (Jeremiah 29:11-14 (Brenton) (LXX: Jeremiah 36:11-14))

Why would a perfectly good God want the best for us?  As the apostle John wrote,

God is love.  (1John 4:8)

How can God be anything less than perfectly good when He Himself is the definition and essence of love?

Clement of Alexandria said that God never rested from doing good, otherwise, He would cease being God.  When the Jews began persecuting Jesus because he worked on the Sabbath and did not rest from His work, Jesus told them,

My Father is still working, and I am working also.  (John 5:17)

There was never a day when God rested from working for the good of everyone and everything.

SCRIPTURES: GOD IS GOOD AND JUST

God is so perfectly good, this is actually the reason why God is also just, hating evil.  It is amazing how so many passages show God’s goodness while also connecting it to God’s justice.  As the following Scriptures will show, one cannot separate God’s perfect goodness from His justice.

His eye is too pure to behold evil doings, and to look upon grievous afflictions.  (Habbakkak 1:13 (Brenton))

When Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the stone tablets, God came down, stood with him, and passed in front of him.  What did God say about Himself in that moment?

The Lord God, pitiful [compassionate] and merciful, longsuffering and compassionate [full of mercy], and true, and keeping justice and mercy for thousands, taking away iniquity, and unrighteousness, and sins; and [but] He will not clear the guilty; bringing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and to the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.  (Exodus 34:6-7 (Brenton))

Moses also wrote,

As for God, His works are true, and all his ways are judgment [just]: God is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness in Him; just and holy is the Lord.  (Deuteronomy 32:4 (Brenton))

CONCLUSION

So which attribute of God is stronger?  His goodness or His justice?  This is really a silly question because it is impossible for these two attributes to be separated.  If God was not good, then He would have no sense of justice.  If God was not just, then He would not be perfectly good.  It is impossible to separate the two.  If someone understands God having one attribute without the other, then I would ask the same question as Tertullian: “What sort of being would YOU to wish God to be?”

And so if God is both good and just and we should imitate God, can we be both good and just?  Consider these Scriptures.

We have hated evil, and loved good: and restored judgment in the gates; that the Lord God Almighty may have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.  (Amos 5:15 (Brenton))

You give a tenth of mint, rue, and every kind of herb, [yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faith], and you bypass justice and love for God.  These things you should have done without neglecting the others.  (Luke 11:42 [and Matthew 23:23])

Has it not been told to you, O man, what is good? or what does the Lord require of you? but to do justice, and love mercy, and be ready to walk with the Lord your God.  (Micah 6:8 (Brenton))

Blessings and so forth.