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 15:28

“The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer”: “Mind”, as in verse 14, is literally “heart.” “Ponders” renders a verb meaning “to meditate.” In this context it refers to thought or reflection. In many languages it is not “The mind” that thinks but rather the person possessing the mind, so we could translate, for example, “Good people think before giving someone an answer.”

“But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things”: See verse 2b, where the expression is the “mouths of fools.” Fools and the “wicked” are often equated in Proverbs. “Mouth” is parallel with “mind” or “heart” in the previous line. “Pours out” was used in verse 2 with “folly” as the object. See there for comments. “Pours out” means to speak hastily or without thinking, and contrasts with the deliberate pondering or reflecting before speaking in the previous line. “Evil things” means “bad words,” “accusations,” or “unkind words.”

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 15:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 15:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “Righteous people weigh/think carefully about their answers,
    but the mouths of the wicked throws/pours words of evil.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Good people think well before they speak.
    But evil people speak out recklessly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A righteous man thinks first before he speaks, but a wicked man rashly speaks evil.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The righteous/just-person, he thinks properly about what he will say, but the consistently-sinful-person, he speaks what is evil without thinking.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Righteous/Good people think carefully before they answer what others ask them;
    wicked people very quickly say what is evil.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 15:28

15:28

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

28a
The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,

28b but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.

15:28a

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer: For heart, see the note on 10:20b. The phrase ponders how to answer means that a righteous person carefully thinks or meditates about how to respond before he speaks. His answer is in contrast to the “evil” that the wicked person says. So it is implied that the righteous person will try to answer ⌊in a way that is helpful and appropriate⌋ . (See 15:23 for a similar idea). Some ways to translate this line are:

Keep the reference to the heart or mind. For example:

The heart of the upright reflects before answering (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
A righteous person carefully considers his answer in his heart/mind.

Express the meaning of The heart…ponders how to answer without referring to the heart or mind. For example:

Good people think before they answer. (Good News Translation)

Translate this line in a way that expresses the meaning clearly and naturally in your language.

15:28b

but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil: This line is the same as 15:2b, except that the words wicked and evil occur instead of “fools” and “folly.” The contrast with 15:28a also implies that the wicked person blurts out his words ⌊without thinking⌋ .

evil: This word can mean either morally bad or bad in the sense of causing harm. You may use either sense in your translation. Some ways to translate this line are:

but the wicked speak evil without ever thinking (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Evil people have a quick reply, but it causes trouble. (Good News Translation)

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