mish.pat denotes the norms to be kept and the justice or decisions carried out under them.

The noun most often appears for prescribed norms or requirements, especially alongside commandments and statutes or in directions for worship and service. It also names justice administered for people and the judicial decision reached in a dispute or case; a few clauses use it for an established practice or customary procedure.

1. Prescribed norms and requirements · dominant

   Plural forms occur with commandments and statutes to be kept: in 1 Kings 2:3 the APB renders a list of "statutes, his commandments, his judgments, and his testimonies," and 2 Chronicles 33:8 similarly places the term within "the law, the statutes, and the judgments." Singular occurrences also mark a prescribed arrangement for offerings and sacred objects; in 1 Chronicles 23:31 the APB renders the offerings as made "according to the number prescribed for them," and in 2 Chronicles 35:13 the Passover is prepared "according to the regulation."

   1 Kings 2:32 Chronicles 33:81 Chronicles 23:312 Chronicles 35:131 Kings 9:42 Chronicles 7:17
2. Justice administered in public disputes · common

   The singular noun appears where rulers or judges are to secure a just outcome. In 2 Samuel 15:2 people with a dispute come to the king for justice, while 2 Samuel 15:4 describes giving justice to each person who comes. In Amos 5:15 justice is to be established "in the gate," and Deuteronomy 16:19 forbids perverting it through favoritism or a bribe.

   2 Samuel 15:22 Samuel 15:42 Samuel 8:15Amos 5:15Amos 5:24Deuteronomy 16:19
3. Judicial ruling or sentence · occasional

   In case-specific settings, the singular noun concerns the decision pronounced or rendered. In 1 Kings 3:28 the APB renders both the king's rendered "judgment" and his ability to render justice; in 1 Kings 20:40 the king responds, "So is your sentence." Deuteronomy 17:11 directs action according to the judgment rendered by the authorities.

   1 Kings 3:281 Kings 20:402 Kings 25:6Deuteronomy 17:112 Chronicles 19:6
4. Established practice or customary procedure · rare

   Several singular construct forms occur in clauses describing an established way of acting. In 1 Samuel 2:13 the APB introduces the priests' practice with "This was the justice of the priests with the people," and 1 Samuel 10:25 refers to "the justice of the kingship" written in a scroll. In 2 Kings 11:14 the king stands by the pillar "according to the custom."

   1 Samuel 2:131 Samuel 10:251 Samuel 30:252 Kings 11:141 Kings 18:28

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses the APB uses "judgments," "ordinances," "justice," "judgment," "sentence," "regulation," and "custom." Because its English is a whole-verse translation, these variations show the settings of the clauses rather than fixed English equivalents for the noun.