joy

The Greek, Latin and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

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 10:28

“The hope of the righteous ends in gladness”: The Hebrew is literally “The hope of the righteous [is] gladness.” “Hope” renders a word based on the verb meaning to wait and has here the sense of waiting with expectation and trust in God’s deliverance. Revised Standard Version has supplied “ends in”, which suggests the outcome of the hope held by the righteous. Good News Translation is the same with “leads to joy.” It is also possible to take “gladness” as the content of the expectation of the good person. In this sense these people have a positive or optimistic view of the future. We may, therefore, also translate “The hope of good people is their joy” or “Good people have hope and this gives them happiness.”

“But the expectation of the wicked comes to nought”: “Expectation” renders another word for hope. This word does not contrast with the “hope” (expectation with trust) in the first line. It is sometimes possible to say, for example, “But what the wicked look forward to. . .” or “But the things the wicked hope for. . ..” “Comes to nought” translates a verb meaning to perish or die. Bible en français courant says “the hopes of the wicked lead to nothing.” Some other translations say “What the wicked hope to receive never comes.” See also Good News Translation.

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 10:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “(A) righteous person gets happiness from/in what (he) hopes/trusts in,
    but (a) sinner does not get anything from/among/in what (he) hopes/trusts in.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The hopes of righteous people
    will not be disappointed.
    The hopes of the wicked ones are in vain.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The hope of the righteous can-give them happiness, but the hope of the wicked there-is- no -fulfillment.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Happiness is the fulfillment of the expectation of the righteous/just, but the expectation of one-who-is-doing evil, it has no fulfillment.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Righteous people confidently expect that good things will happen to them, and that causes them to be happy/joyful;
    but when wicked people confidently expect something good to happen, it does not happen.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:28

10:28

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

28a
The hope of the righteous is joy,

28b but the expectations of the wicked will perish.

The parallel lines imply that the righteous will receive what they hope for. By contrast, what the wicked hope for will not be fulfilled.

10:28a

The hope of the righteous is joy: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “The hope of the righteous joy.” It refers to what righteous people hope/long for in the future. There are two ways to interpret this sentence:

(1) What the righteous hope for leads to or results in joy. For example:

The hopes of the godly result in happiness (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) What the righteous hope for is joy. For example:

The hope of the upright is joy (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It is clear from other verses that righteous people hope for various things, including justice, peace, and the LORD’s blessings. When these hopes are fulfilled, the result is that the righteous will be joyful. Interpretation (1) also provides a better parallel to 10:28b.

10:28b

but the expectations of the wicked will perish: Some other ways to translate this clause are:

but an evil person can expect nothing (New Century Version)
-or-
but the expectation of the wicked will remain unfulfilled (NET Bible)

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