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.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 10:24

“What the wicked dreads will come upon him”: The contrast in the lines of this verse is between the anticipation of the two kinds of people. “Dreads” means to fear intensely something that has not yet happened. The wicked person lives in fear that he will come to a bad end. In some languages this idea is best expressed, for example, “Wicked people fear something will happen to them and it does” or “What wicked people fear most is the thing that happens to them.”

“But the desire of the righteous will be granted”: “Desire” is used here in the good sense of wishing for or wanting something. “The righteous” is plural in this line, and “the wicked” is singular in the first line. But while these are contrasting parallels, they are not meant to contrast on the basis of number. “Will be granted” may be understood as impersonal (“someone gives”) or as meaning that the Lord is the one who gives. In some languages the person granting the desire must be expressed, for example, “But the Lord will give to the good the things they want.” In others the line can be expressed simply as “But good people will receive [get] what they desire.”

Good News Translation has reversed the order of the lines in this verse, so that the reward of “the righteous” comes first and then the bad end of “the wicked”. This may be a more natural progression of thought in some languages.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

complete verse (Proverbs 10:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:24:

  • Kupsabiny: “The wicked will meet what they fear,
    but what the righteous person wants (he) will find/get.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The wishes of the righteous will be fulfilled,
    The very thing the wicked fear,
    will happen to them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “As what something-being-feared of a wicked man will-happen to him, what being-desired of the righteous man he will-receive.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It-will-happen to those who are doing evil what they are-fearing, but what the righteous/just want will-be-given (to them).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Righteous people will get the good things that they want/desire,
    but what wicked people are afraid of is what will happen to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:24

10:24

The underlined parallel parts and the parts in bold print contrast in meaning. The parts in italics are similar in meaning.

24a What the wicked man dreads will overtake him ;

24b but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

The main contrast is between the verbs “dreads” and “desire.” The wicked get what they dread. The righteous get what they desire.

The proverb does not make explicit what wicked people fear or what righteous people desire.

10:24a

What the wicked man dreads will overtake him: In Hebrew, the phrase will overtake him is literally “will come to him.” This is a figure of speech (personification). It means that what the wicked person dreads or fears is going to happen to him. Some other ways to express the meaning are:

What evil people dread most will happen to them (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The fears of the wicked will all come true (New Living Translation (1996))

10:24b

but the desire of the righteous will be granted: In Hebrew, this line begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as but. Some versions like the New International Version make this word implicit. Express this contrast in a natural way in your language.

will be granted: This is a passive verb. If it is not natural to use a passive verb here, other ways to translate it are:

Use an active verb. For example:

but righteous people will get/receive what they want most

Use an active verb and supply “the LORD” as the subject. For example:

but ⌊the Lord ⌋ grants the desire of righteous people (God’s Word)

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