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 4:18

As the opening “But” indicates, verses 18 and 19 contrast the righteous person with the wicked.

“The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn”: “The path of the righteous” refers to the life of good people, the way of life of those who are good, or as Contemporary English Version says, “The lifestyle of good people.” “The light of dawn” is literally “light of brightness” and is understood by many to be as in Revised Standard Version or as in Contemporary English Version “sunlight at dawn” or Good News Translation “sunrise.” In this simile “the path of the righteous” is compared to the rising and increasing morning light. The sense may be that the way of the good person is clear and secure, not threatened with unseen dangers. Or it may describe the effect of a righteous life—as opposed to spreading violence, it sheds light.

“Which shines brighter and brighter until full day”: The Hebrew is literally “going and shining [meaning it shines more and more, or shines ever more brightly] until the day is established,” that is, until the sun is at its brightest. The whole verse is well expressed by Bible en français courant: “The conduct of the good [just] is like the light of dawn whose brightness increases until it is broad daylight.”

If a literal rendering of the figure is meaningless, the verse may be translated, for example, as “The life of the good person is safe and clear to the end.”

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 4:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 4:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “The life of righteous people is like when the sun rises. (It/they) slowly shine more until daylight.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The way of the righteous is like sunlight at dawn,
    As long as it is not yet evening it shines brighter and brighter.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The way-of-living of the righteous-ones is like the rising of the sun that shines even more until noon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Its becoming-lighter in the morning, that is the comparison of the path of the righteous. It becomes- continually -lighter (lit. becomes-lighter becomes-lighter) until the sun becomes-high.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 4:18

Paragraph 4:18–19

This paragraph gives a concluding contrast between the lives of righteous and wicked people. In Hebrew, it begins with a word that is often translated as “and” or “but.” A number of English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, place this word at the beginning of 4:19. Some versions leave it implied.

4:18

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning. Both the parallel parts compare the lives of righteous people to light.

18a The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

18b
shining brighter and brighter until midday.

4:18a–b

The path of the righteous: In this verse, the phrase path of the righteous probably refers to the things that righteous people experience during their lives. Here is another way to translate this:

The road the righteous travel (Good News Translation)

Another way to translate The path of the righteous is:

This is what people who do what is right will experience in their lives. Their lives will be like…

like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday: In these parallel comparisons, the second phrase clarifies and expands the thought of the first. The course of life of righteous people is compared to the light of the sun at dawn. The light gets steadily brighter until it reaches its full brightness.

until midday: The word translated midday probably refers to the bright light of the daytime in contrast to the dim light of early dawn. In the middle of the day the sun is shining at maximum brightness. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

broad day (Revised English Bible)
-or-
full light of day (New International Version)
-or-
full daylight (New Century Version)

Scholars do not agree on the figurative meaning of light in this context. Several think it refers primarily to safety. Others think that it describes increasing knowledge, happiness, or prosperity. Because there are several possible points of comparison, it is recommended that you not make one point of comparison explicit in the translation.

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