self-referencing pronoun for king or queen

In Malay, the pronoun beta for the royal “I” (or “my” or “me”) that is used by royals when speaking to people of lower rank, subordinates or commoners to refer to themselves in these verses. This reflects the “language of the court because the monarchy and sultanate in Malaysia are still alive and well. All oral and printed literature (including newspapers and magazines) preserve and glorify the language of the court. Considering that the language of the court is part of the Malaysian language, court language is used sparingly where appropriate, specifically with texts relating to palace life.” (Source: Daud Soesilo in The Bible Translator 2025, p. 263ff.)

righteous, righteousness

The Greek, Hebrew, and Latin terms that are translated in English mostly as “righteous” as an adjective or personified noun or “righteousness” (also as “upright(ness)” and “just(ice)”) are most commonly expressed with concept of “straightness,” though this may be expressed in a number of ways. (Click or tap here to see the details)

Following is a list of (back-) translations of various languages:

  • Bambara, Southern Bobo Madaré, Chokwe (ululi), Amganad Ifugao, Chol, Eastern Maninkakan, Toraja-Sa’dan, Pamona, Batak Toba, Bilua, Tiv: “be straight”
  • Laka: “follow the straight way” or “to straight-straight” (a reduplicated form for emphasis)
  • Sayula Popoluca: “walk straight”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl, Kekchí, Muna: “have a straight heart”
  • Kipsigis: “do the truth”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “do according to the truth”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “have truth”
  • Yine: “fulfill what one should do”
  • Indonesian: “be true”
  • Navajo (Dinė): “do just so”
  • Anuak: “do as it should be”
  • Mossi: “have a white stomach” (see also happiness / joy)
  • Paasaal: “white heart” (source: Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • (San Mateo del Mar Huave: “completely good” (the translation does not imply sinless perfection)
  • Nuer: “way of right” (“there is a complex concept of “right” vs. ‘left’ in Nuer where ‘right’ indicates that which is masculine, strong, good, and moral, and ‘left’ denotes what is feminine, weak, and sinful (a strictly masculine viewpoint!) The ‘way of right’ is therefore righteousness, but of course women may also attain this way, for the opposition is more classificatory than descriptive.”) (This and all above from Bratcher / Nida except for Bilua: Carl Gross; Tiv: Rob Koops; Muna: René van den Berg)
  • Central Subanen: “wise-good” (source: Robert Brichoux in OPTAT 1988/2, p. 80ff. )
  • Xicotepec De Juárez Totonac: “live well”
  • Mezquital Otomi: “goodness before the face of God” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl: “the result of heart-straightening” (source: Nida 1947, p. 224)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “entirely good” (when referred to God), “do good” or “not be a debtor as God sees one” (when referred to people)
  • Carib: “level”
  • Tzotzil: “straight-hearted”
  • Ojitlán Chinantec: “right and straight”
  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “walk straight” (source for this and four previous: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Makonde: “doing what God wants” (in a context of us doing) and “be good in God’s eyes” (in the context of being made righteous by God) (note that justify / justification is translated as “to be made good in the eyes of God.” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Aari: The Pauline word for “righteous” is generally rendered by “makes one without sin” in the Aari, sometimes “before God” is added for clarity. (Source: Loren Bliese)
  • North Alaskan Inupiatun: “having sin taken away” (Source: Nida 1952, p. 144)
  • Nyamwezi: wa lole: “just” or “someone who follows the law of God” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Venda: “nothing wrong, OK” (Source: J.A. van Roy in The Bible Translator 1972, p. 418ff. )
  • Ekari: maakodo bokouto or “enormous truth” (the same word that is also used for “truth“; bokouto — “enormous” — is being used as an attribute for abstract nouns to denote that they are of God [see also here]; source: Marion Doble in The Bible Translator 1963, p. 37ff. ).
  • Guhu-Samane: pobi or “right” (also: “right (side),” “(legal) right,” “straightness,” “correction,” “south,” “possession,” “pertinence,” “kingdom,” “fame,” “information,” or “speech” — “According to [Guhu-Samane] thinking there is a common core of meaning among all these glosses. Even from an English point of view the first five can be seen to be closely related, simply because of their similarity in English. However, from that point the nuances of meaning are not so apparent. They relate in some such a fashion as this: As one faces the morning sun, south lies to the right hand (as north lies to the left); then at one’s right hand are his possessions and whatever pertains to him; thus, a rich man’s many possessions and scope of power and influence is his kingdom; so, the rich and other important people encounter fame; and all of this spreads as information and forms most of the framework of the people’s speech.”) (Source: Ernest Richert in Notes on Translation 1964, p. 11ff.)
  • German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999): Gerechtheit, a neologism to differentiate it from the commonly-used Gerechtigkeit which can mean “righteousness” but is more often used in modern German as “fairness” (Berger / Nord especially use Gerechtheit in Letter to the Romans) or Gerechtestun, also a neologism, meaning “righteous deeds” (especially in Letter to the Ephesians)
  • “did what he should” (Eastern Highland Otomi)
  • “a clear man, good [man]” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), devout, and She is more in the right(eous) than I.

complete verse (2 Kings 10:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of 2 Kings 10:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “And the next morning it was seen that many people had gathered there by the gate. Then Jehu came out and talked to those people. He said to (them), ‘You (plur.) have seen what has happened. I am telling you, these events are not your fault, but I am the one who plotted against my master and killed (him). If/When you look at (it), who killed these people?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The next morning he went to the gate, and he stood before all the people who had gathered there, and said, "The guilt is not yours. I am the one who planned a conspiracy against King Joram and killed him. But who killed all these?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “In-the-morning, Jehu came-out and stood before/[lit. in front of] the people and said, ‘You (plur.) do- not -have sin. I am-the-one-who planned against my master and killed him. But who killed all of these?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The next morning he went out to the city gate and said to all the people, ‘I am the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him. You are not guilty of doing that. But it was Yahweh, not I who commanded that all these descendants of Ahab should be killed.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on 2 Kings 10:9

The Hebrew verbal transition meaning “And it happened” (King James Version “And it came to pass”) is found at the beginning of this verse, but it is omitted by most modern versions. Revised English Bible and Contemporary English Version, however, try to represent it by beginning a new paragraph at this point.

He went out: The pronoun he refers, of course, to Jehu, who went to the gate area where the heads of his enemies had been piled up during the previous day.

He stood: The verb stood adds little to the overall meaning of the passage and is omitted by certain modern versions. But the writer seems to want to emphasize the fact that Jehu “stopped” (New American Bible) or “stood before all the people” (New International Version) in a rather formal gathering. Contemporary English Version attempts to convey this idea by translating “stood where everyone could hear him.”

All the people refers to all those present in Jezreel at the assembly by the gate.

You are innocent is literally “You righteous.” The meaning seems to be an insistence that the people were not to blame for what happened to King Joram. However, since the context shows that the people are not completely innocent of all wrongdoing, it may be better to translate the intended meaning as follows: “It is not your fault that Joram is dead” (similarly Good News Translation). It is also possible to interpret the Hebrew to mean that Jehu is asking the people to decide who was really responsible for the deaths of the princes. Revised English Bible, for example, reads “You are fair-minded judges.” If this second interpretation is accepted, then Jehu seems to be saying that he is not responsible since this was an act of God (see verse 10).

It was I who conspired against …: The Hebrew text precedes these words with the focusing particle often rendered “behold” (King James Version), which is not reflected in Revised Standard Version. Also, the first person singular pronoun found here is emphatic. This emphasis should be retained in translation if at all possible. Jehu is taking full responsibility for the death of Joram and places himself in contrast with the people to whom he is speaking.

For conspired against, see the comments at 1 Kgs 15.27 and 2 Kgs 9.14, where the same expression is used.

My master: It may be better to state clearly in translation “King Joram” instead of this vague reference that may be misunderstood by readers. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “my master, the king.” The use of the word master may be particularly susceptible to misunderstanding in languages that use the same word for “master,” “chief,” and even “Lord.”

The Hebrew verb rendered slew in this verse is not the same as the stronger term translated by this archaic English word in verse 7. It is the more usual term for “kill” and should be so translated.

Who struck down all these?: This question does not have an answer. But the implication seems to be that it was God’s will. The verb struck down is another synonym for “kill” (see the comments at 1 Kgs 15.27). If the receptor language does not have adequate synonyms with this meaning, the same verb may be used.

Bible en français courant may provide a helpful model for Jehu’s words in this verse:

• As for you, you are innocent! I am the one responsible for having plotted against King Joram and for having killed him. But all these here, who has assassinated them?

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .