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 11:23

“The desire of the righteous ends only in good”: “Desire . . . righteous” is as used in 10.24. “Ends” is supplied by Revised Standard Version. The Hebrew has “Desire of the righteous only good.” Because there is no verb in this line, Revised English Bible understands it to mean “The righteous desire only what is good.” However, the parallelism of the second line makes the Revised Standard Version translation of the first line more certain. “The desire of the righteous” means “The things that good people wish for” or “What the upright desire.” See Good News Translation, which also supplies a verb phrase, “results in.” “Good” here is to be taken to mean “good outcome” or “good results.” In some languages we may say, for example, “The things that good people want most bring them what is good.”

“The expectation of the wicked in wrath”: This line is literally “[The] expectation [of the] wicked wrath.” “Expectation”, meaning “hope,” as in 10.28 and in verse 7, refers to all that the wicked plan or count on. As in line 1, there is no verb, but the relation of “expectation” to “wrath” is that of “ends in,” “results in,” or “leads to.” The two lines are fully parallel and contrasting. New English Bible/Revised English Bible have changed the vowels of the word rendered “wrath” to get “nothing” and translate “comes to nothing.” This change, however, is unnecessary. “Wrath” may be taken to refer to the anger of God, as in Isa 13.13, or to the anger of people, as in Gen 49.7. See Good News Translation text and footnote. In the first case we may say, for example, “The hope of the wicked ends in God’s anger.” In the second case we may say, for example, “The hope of . . . ends in the anger of others” or “The things the wicked hope for only cause people to become angry.”

A translation of the whole verse that emphasizes the parallelism says “When the plans of a righteous person come to pass, only good things come out of it, but when the plans of a bad person come to pass, that makes God angry.”

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 11:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 11:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “A righteous person waits for/expects good things,
    but the wicked, pain/suffering shall come to that one.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The desire of the righteous
    is always for the good,
    the wicked
    only pick quarrels and disputes.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The desires of the righteous can-make-good, but the desires of the wicked can-cause-anger.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Proper/Right is the outcome of the righteous/just, but those who are doing evil, punishment is their outcome.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “When the things that righteous people want happen, it brings good to them and to others,
    but when the wicked get what they want, it causes everyone else to become angry.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:23

11:23

The parallel words “desire” and “hope” are similar in meaning. The other parallel parts contrast in meaning.

23a
The desire of the righteous leads only to good,

23b but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.

11:23a–b

The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath: In Hebrew, this verse is literally “Desire of righteous ⌊people⌋ only good, hope of wicked ⌊people⌋ wrath.” There are two ways to interpret this verse:

(1) What righteous people desire results only in good. What wicked people hope for results only in wrath. For example:

23a What good people want always results in good (Good News Translation)
-or-
23b but the hope of wicked people ends only in fury (God’s Word)

(2) Righteous people desire to bring good to others. Wicked people plot to bring trouble to others. For example:

23a Those who do right only wish for good (New Century Version)

23b but troublemakers hope to stir up trouble (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars. Some reasons are:

(a) The words desire and hope are synonyms. Both refer to what a person desires, hopes for, or longs to have happen. It seems unlikely that the wicked hope to experience wrath. It is more likely that both the righteous and the wicked desire good results. The contrast is that the desires/hopes of the righteous are fulfilled, but those of the wicked are not fulfilled.

(b) Interpretation (1) is supported by similar statements in Proverbs 10:24, 10:28, and 11:7.

only: In Hebrew, this word occurs in 11:23a. It does not occur in 11:23b. Some versions, such as the New International Version, also make it explicit in 11:23b because they feel that it is implied by the parallelism. Other versions, such as the Berean Standard Bible, do not make it explicit. You may do whatever is natural in your language.

brings wrath: The word wrath implies a fierce, overwhelming anger that destroys its object. (Also see the note on 11:4a–b.) There are two ways to interpret the wrath that is referred to here:

(1) It refers to the wrath of the LORD. For example:

but the wicked can expect to be defeated by God’s anger (New Century Version)

(2) It refers to the wrath of people. For example:

when the wicked get what they want, everyone is angry (Good News Translation)

Most English versions do not specify the one whose wrath is referred to. If your language requires this to be made explicit, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. In most OT references where this word for wrath is used, it refers to divine wrath.

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