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 10:30

“The righteous will never be removed”: “Removed” renders a verb meaning “shake,” “overthrow,” or “dislodge.” The image is that of being permanent and secure in contrast to the losing of the promised land by the wicked. The construction is passive and must often be expressed as active in translation; for example, “No one will remove the righteous from his place” or stated positively, “Good people will stand firm” (Contemporary English Version).

“But the wicked will not dwell in the land”: The language is that of the promise of the land to Israel. See also 2.21-22. However, it is applied here to individuals rather than to Israel as a nation. For “dwell” see 1.33. “In the land” is a concrete parallel with the more general idea of not being removed or standing firm in the first line. Although “will not dwell in the land” has particular reference to the land of Israel, it is used metaphorically here in the sense of “will perish.” It is possible, therefore, to translate as New English Bible does: “shall not remain on earth.” In many parts of the world, however, people still think of security and well-being in terms of being in their own land or country; for such people the figure is meaningful and may be kept. Bible en français courant is one version that keeps the figure, and it renders the whole verse: “Nothing can ever cause a just person to fall, but evil people will not dwell in the land.”

Others translate, for example, “Straight people will live well forever in their own land, but bad people will not last long there.”

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 10:30)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:30:

  • Kupsabiny: “A righteous person can never be removed/uprooted,
    but a sinner will not remain in (the) land/world.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The righteous will never be uprooted,
    The wicked, however,
    will not remain in the land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The righteous will- not -be-driven-out of our (incl.) land, but the wicked will-be-driven-out.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The righteous/just will remain in the town/country, but those who are-doing evil will not stay-long in the town/country.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Righteous people will always be secure ,
    but wicked people will be removed from their land (OR, from this earth).” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:30

10:30

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

30a
The righteous will never be shaken,

30b but the wicked will not inhabit the land.

Together the parallel lines imply that righteous people will live securely in the land. Wicked people will be forcibly removed.

10:30a–b

The righteous…the wicked: In Hebrew, the word righteous is singular. The word wicked is plural. Both words refer to categories of people who share the same character. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

10:30a

The righteous: The word righteous refers to a person who obeys or conforms to God’s moral standard. The same word occurs in 10:31a and 10:32a.

will never be shaken: In Hebrew, this verb phrase means “will never be shaken, overthrown or moved from one’s place.” The parallel contrast in the second line implies here that righteous people will never be forcibly removed ⌊from the land⌋ . In English versions, “from the land” is left implicit. For example:

A righteous person will never be moved (God’s Word)

In some languages, it may be clearer to make this idea explicit in 10:30a. See the meaning lines in the Display.

Some versions also express the meaning positively. For example:

Righteous people will always have security (Good News Translation)

In languages which do not use passive verbs, another way to translate this line is:

No one will be able to remove a righteous person ⌊from his location

10:30b

but the wicked will not inhabit the land: The phrase the land may refer specifically to the land of Israel. It may also refer more generally to “the earth.” See the notes on 2:21a–b and 2:22a–b.

will not inhabit the land: This phrase may imply either that the wicked will be exiled from their own land or that they will die. If they die, they will no longer be in their own land or on the earth.

If possible, translate in a way that implies either exile or death. Some ways that English versions have translated this line are:

but the wicked will be removed from the land (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
but the wicked will not survive in the land (Good News Translation)
-or-
but wicked people will not continue to live in the land (God’s Word)

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