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 11:19

“He who is steadfast in righteousness will live”: The first word of this line in the Hebrew text may be understood as introducing a consequence. In this context it is an adjective meaning “steadfast” that is derived from a verb meaning “to be firm.” To be “steadfast in righteousness” means to do the right thing, to decide to live an honest and upright life, or to determine to act justly. New Revised Standard Version avoids the Revised Standard Version “He who” and says “whoever is.” “Will live” continues the commonly expressed thought throughout the book of Proverbs that right living leads to a long and happy life. Here it contrasts with “die” in the second line.

“But he who pursues evil will die”: “Pursues” does not mean to chase or run after but is used generally in the sense of “follow in the way of” or “do the things evil people do.” “Die” means to come to the end of life, to cease to exist, and is not used here in a figurative sense.

For the whole verse Bible en français courant says “Whoever decides to be just will live, but the one who chooses evil will die.”

We may also say, for example, “If you will be firm in doing what is right, you will have a long life, but if you follow evil ways you will not live.”

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 11:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 11:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “A truly righteous person, receives life,
    but/and he who follows evil things, will meet death/disaster.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who do good work
    will survive forever,
    those who do evil work will quickly die.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A man who does right continues to live, but the one-who- does wicked (thing) will-die.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “If you (sing.) persist in doing what is right/proper, that is what will lead you (sing.) to your-life/living, but if you (sing.) insist (lit. force) to do what is evil, that is what will lead to your-death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who always do what is right will live a long/happy life,
    but those who insist on doing what is wrong will not live very long.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:19

11:19

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

19a
Genuine righteousness leads to life,

19b but the pursuit of evil brings death.

11:19a

Genuine righteousness leads to life: Scholars do not agree on the meaning of the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Genuine. Most versions understand the Hebrew text to mean that righteousness (emphasized in some way) leads to life. The word life probably implies a long and prosperous life, as it normally does in Proverbs. Some other ways to translate this line are:

Anyone who is determined to do right will live (Good News Translation)
-or-
The truly righteous man attains life (New International Version)
-or-
Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live (New Revised Standard Version)

11:19b

but the pursuit of evil brings death: In Hebrew, the phrase pursuit of evil means the “deliberate/persistent choice of evil behavior.” The phrase brings death indicates that when a person pursues evil, it results in ⌊a premature or unhappy⌋ death. Some other ways to translate this line are:

but to pursue evil leads to death (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
but anyone who insists on doing wrong will die (Good News Translation)

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