Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faithfulness the girdle of his loins: The new king will be “clothed” with two qualities. The metaphor of the girdle, which is a necessary piece of clothing, signifies he will always have the two qualities mentioned: Righteousness and faithfulness. These qualities should be his (Psa 72.2), especially since he is the one who must guarantee that Yahweh’s laws are upheld throughout Israel. Together with Righteousness, the word faithfulness is a key term in Isaiah. It describes a person who is true and reliable. Good News Translation has “integrity,” a word that is very appropriate in this context.

The term girdle and the parallel terms waist and loins (New American Bible “hips”) are metaphors for the way in which the two qualities mentioned are bound to the king. A girdle is similar to a “belt” (New International Version). The term is used in both halves of the verse, something that is a little unusual in parallel lines. Some scholars suggest that two different Hebrew terms were probably used originally, but there is no clear evidence for this. Translators may use different terms (both meaning “belt”) if the poetic style of their language demands it. In languages where the figure of the girdle is difficult to use, we offer the third example below.

For the translation of this verse we offer the following examples:

• True justice he will always wear like a belt; integrity will always clothe him.

• Like a belt he will wear true justice; like a loincloth he will wrap himself in integrity.

• True justice will always mark his decisions; integrity will always be seen in his actions.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .