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 “justice”) 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)
  • 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: “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.)
  • 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)
  • 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.)

See also respectable, righteous, righteous (person), and She is more in the right(eous) than I.

Translation commentary on 2 Esdras 15:7 - 15:8

The conjunction Therefore may be left implied (so Contemporary English Version).

Says the Lord: Since the Lord has been identified as the speaker in 2Esdras 15.5 (see the comments there), it is not strictly necessary to do it again at this point. This clause or a similar one occurs again in verses 9, 20, 21, 24, 48, 52, and 56. In our second model below we omit this clause, but translators may wish to keep it since it emphasizes that the Lord is the speaker (so Good News Bible). Contemporary English Version keeps it by rendering verse 7 as “I, the Lord.”

I will be silent no longer concerning their ungodly deeds which they impiously commit: Be silent means “not acting.” This clause may be rendered “I must do something about [or, I will no longer ignore] the wickedness of these godless people [or, people who do not worship me].”

Neither will I tolerate their wicked practices: This clause is similar in the meaning to the previous one. It may be translated “I cannot tolerate their wickedness any longer.”

Behold, innocent and righteous blood cries out to me: This figurative expression means that innocent people who have been murdered are crying out for revenge or justice (compare Gen 4.10; Rev 6.9-10). For the word Behold, which highlights the following words, see 2 Esd 6.18. Innocent and righteous blood refers to the murder of the innocent people. The Latin text does not say what this blood cries out for, but some languages may need to make this explicit (so Good News Bible). A model of this clause that does this is “They have murdered innocent and righteous people, and their blood cries out to me for revenge.” Some languages may need to use a simile here for naturalness, for example, “They have murdered innocent and righteous people, and their blood is like a voice that cries out to me for revenge.”

And the souls of the righteous cry out continually is similar in meaning to the previous clause. The two clauses may be combined by saying “They have killed innocent good people, and the souls of these faithful people constantly cry out to me to avenge them.”

Here are our suggested models that combine verses 7-8:

• Therefore I, the Lord, must do something about the wickedness of these godless people. I can tolerate it no longer. Look, they have murdered innocent, righteous people, and their blood cries out to me. The souls of these righteous people cry out for vengeance.

• I must do something about the wickedness of these people who do not worship me. I cannot tolerate their evil any longer. They have murdered innocent and good people, and the souls of these people cry out to me to take revenge.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.