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 14:19

This saying pictures the evil person as being in an inferior relationship to the good person. Its two lines are parallel but not contrasting; the second line reinforces or emphasizes what the first line affirms.

“The evil bow down before the good”: The verb “bow down”, used here for the first time in Proverbs, is a gesture that may express submission, respect, or greeting. It involves bending the upper body forward and perhaps kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground in the presence of the other; an example is the behavior of Abraham in Gen 23.7, 12. In this context the gesture has the sense of acknowledging a superior, that is, it expresses submission or homage. In languages in which it is not clear what is meant by this gesture, it may be possible to say, for example, “Bad people will make a sign of submission to good people,” or if a local custom replaces “bow down”, the translation may say, for example, “Bad people will clasp their hands in the presence of good people.”

“The wicked at the gates of the righteous”: The verb “bow down” in line 1 serves also in line 2. “The wicked” is parallel with “The evil” while “the righteous” is parallel with “the good”. Bowing “at the gates” pictures the wicked waiting humbly at the gate, or entrance of the dwelling of the righteous, to beg or ask some favor. Note that Good News Translation has not kept “at the gates” here but has restructured the whole line to say “humbly beg their favor.” The phrase “at the gates” may be expressed as “[beg] at the door.” We may also say, for example, “The wicked have to wait for the righteous to help them” or “The wicked beg for something from good people.”

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 14:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 14:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “A sinner will bow/kneel before a good/generous person,
    and will come to stay (wait to be given something) at the door of the righteous.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Evil people [will have to bend down]
    before good people,
    and the wicked will have to bend down
    before the righteous.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The wicked will-bow-down and plead-for-mercy before the righteous.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Those-who-are-consistently-sinful will-humble-themselves (lit. cause-themselves-to-be-lowered) before the righteous/just.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Some day evil people will bow down in front of righteous people to show that they respect them;
    they will humbly stand at the gates of the houses of righteous people and request their help.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 14:19

14:19

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

19a
The evil bow before the good,

19b and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

In these two pairs of parallel terms, no distinction is intended between “The evil” and “the wicked.” Similarly, “the good” and “the righteous” both refer to the same group of people.

There is an ellipsis in 14:19b. In some languages, the missing verb will need to be supplied from 14:19a. For example:

19b and the wickedwill bow downat the gates of the righteous.

14:19a

bow before: This expression means to bow down in front of someone. That is an action that shows submission or respect. If the meaning of the action is not understood in your language, you have several options:

Make the meaning of the action explicit. For example:

Evil people will bow down to people who are good ⌊in order to show them respect

Translate the meaning of the action, but not the action itself. For example:

Evil people will show respect to good people

Use a different action that indicates respect in your culture. For example:

Evil people will clasp their hands in front of good people

Translate the action and add a footnote that gives the meaning.

14:19b

at the gates of: This phrase may have a more specific meaning than the parallel phrase in 14:19a. It may imply that someone bows down at the entrance of a wealthy person’s house to make a request or beg for his help. For example:

humbly beg their favor (Good News Translation)
-or-
Wicked people will ask righteous people to be kind to them. (Easy English Bible)

General Comment on 14:19a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the parallel parts. For example:

Evil people will have to bow down to the righteous and humbly beg their favor. (Good News Translation)

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