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 10:32

“The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable”: “The lips of the righteous” is again the speech of good people. It is not their speech that “knows” but rather the speakers themselves. This may be rendered, for example, “When good people speak they know. . ..” “What is acceptable” refers to words and thoughts that are good, favorable, and kind and so are acceptable to God or to others. In other words these people know how to choose their words; or, as Revised English Bible says, “The righteous suit words to the occasion.” In some languages there are idioms to describe talk that is “acceptable”; for example, “The words of a good person are sweet to the ears of the people.”

“But the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse”: that is, the speech or talk of evil people is false. “Perverse” is as in verse 31. We may render this verse: “Honest people know the right thing to say, but the wicked always tell lies.”

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 10:32)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:32:

  • Kupsabiny: “A righteous person speaks worthy words,
    but a sinner turns words/things upside down.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The mouths of the righteous
    know what is good,
    from the mouths of the wicked
    come only perverse matters.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A righteous man knows what is right to say, but a wicked man, what he only knows to say is wrong.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The righteous/just, he knows how to speak what is appropriate, but the one whose behavior is bad, he knows only how to speak lies and what is of no use.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Righteous people know what to say that is acceptable,
    but wicked people are constantly saying things that are not true.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:32

10:32

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

32a
The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,

32b but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.

There is an ellipsis in 10:32b. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word is. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 10:32a. For example:

32b but the mouth of the wicked ⌊knows what⌋ is perverse.

10:32a–b

The lips of the righteous…the mouth of the wicked: As in 10:31, The lips and the mouth are figures of speech. They represent a person who speaks in a certain way.

10:32a

The lips of the righteous know what is fitting: The word fitting refers here to what is pleasing or favorable. So this line means that righteous people know how to say things that are kind, helpful, or acceptable to others.

Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

If you obey the Lord, you will always know the right thing to say. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Righteous people know the kind thing to say (Good News Translation)

For the word fitting, see the note on 8:35b.

10:32b

but the mouth of the wicked is perverse: In contrast to righteous people, wicked people know how to say only deceitful things. Another way to translate this line is:

but evil people only tell lies (New Century Version)

For the word perverse, see the note on 10:31b.

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