righteous, righteousness

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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 12:28

This saying uses the image of two contrasting paths. See also 2.18-19; 5.5-6.

“In the path of righteousness is life”: “The path of righteousness is life” may be taken as “The path that leads to right living is life” or “Righteousness is the path that leads to life.” It may also be translated more freely as in Bible en français courant: “Life is found wherever right living is practiced.” We may also say, for example, “The person who follows the way that is right will have life” or “Follow the right road that leads to long life,” a common theme in Proverbs.

“But the way of error leads to death”: This line is again unclear. See the Revised Standard Version footnote. It appears to say “But the way of path not death.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project says the Hebrew rendered literally as “the way of path” means a particular kind of way, that is, “a well-constructed road.” Also, “not death” means without death, that is, “where there is no death.”

Hebrew Old Testament Text Project goes on to suggest that the whole saying may be translated “Upon the way of righteousness there is life, indeed it is a well-constructed road without death.” We may reword this suggestion as “The path of righteousness leads to long life, it is a well-built road without death.”

Note that just as Revised Standard Version supplies “error”, Good News Translation supplies “wickedness” to obtain a contrast in the second line: “wickedness is the road to death.” The Good News Translation rendering may be reworded, for example, “If you want to live long, act fairly. If you want to die, act wrongly.”

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 12:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 12:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “Life exists on/in the way/path of righteousness,
    and it is the way/path of no disaster/death.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “On the way of righteousness there is life,
    it never leads to death.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) live rightly, you (sing.) will-continue to live, and you (sing.) will-be-saved from death.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There is life on the path of the righteous/just. That path, it does not lead toward death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who live righteously/continually do what is right are walking on the road to a long life;
    it is not a road to death/they will not die when they are still young.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 12:28

12:28

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

28a
There is life in the path of righteousness,

28b but another path leads to death.

12:28a

There is life in the path of righteousness: This clause means that righteous conduct results in life. As in similar verses in Proverbs, life probably implies a long and happy life. Another way to translate this clause is:

Doing what is right is the way to life (New Century Version)

12:28b

but another path leads to death: There are textual as well as interpretation issues in this line. They will be grouped according to the kind of parallelism that results:

(1) The Masoretic Text ends this line with the words “no-death.” The whole line is literally “and way of path no-death.” With this option, the parallel lines have a similar meaning. For example:

in walking its path there is no death (New Revised Standard Version)

(2) The ancient versions and more than 20 Hebrew manuscripts end this line with the words “to-death.” The whole line is literally “but way of path to-death.” There are two ways to interpret the meaning of the difficult phrase “way of path.” They are listed as bulleted options below. With both options, the parallel lines contrast in meaning :

• The phrase means: “way of error/wickedness.” For example:

but the way of error leads to death (Revised Standard Version)

• The phrase means: “there is another way.” For example:

but there is another way that leads to death (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) and that you put the two parts of option (2) in a footnote. Both options are well supported by the versions and scholars.

A suggestion for a footnote is:

This is the meaning of the Masoretic Text. Other Hebrew texts mean: (a) “but wicked people follow a path that leads to death” or (b) “but there is another path that leads to death.”

to death: The Berean Standard Bible translates is following ancient versions and some Hebrew manuscripts that read to death. As noted above, it is recommended that you follow the Masoretic Text, which reads “no-death.” One way to translate this is:

along that path is immortality (New International Version)

However, since “death” in Proverbs often refers to ⌊premature⌋ physical death, it is recommended that you use a more general term. (See the notes on “death” in 10:2b and 11:4a–b.) For example:

in walking its path there is no death (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
their path does not lead to death (New Living Translation (1996))

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