complete verse (Isaiah 33:15)

The back-translation of Isaiah 33:15 from Alur is as follows:

“The person who walks white, and that speaks straight; the person who hates deceitful exchange for personal gain, that snaps clean his hands from taking this world’s riches, who corks up his ears from hearing bloody (things), who closes his eyes from looking upon evil; He will abide up high”.

Source: F. G. Lasse in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 22ff.

bribe

The Hebrew that is translated into “(taking) bribes” in English is rendered as “receive punch underneath” in Upper Guinea Crioulo.

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 “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)
  • 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)

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

Translation commentary on Isaiah 33:15

In verses 15-16 the prophet assures the people that Yahweh will permit them to dwell in his sanctuary, provided they keep the Law’s requirements. Verse 15 has a series of six participles, each describing the person who is worthy to “dwell on the heights” (verse 16), which means to enter God’s Temple. The participles are rendered as active verbs in Revised Standard Version: walks, speaks, despises, shakes, stops, and shuts. The Hebrew forms of these participles are in the singular, but they describe all people who obey God. Translators can use plural forms if necessary.

He who walks righteously is the first requirement, just as in Psa 15.2. The verb walks is a common metaphor for a person’s manner of living (see 2.3, 5). To walk righteously means to live a life of obedience (see 1.21; 11.5).

And speaks uprightly is the second requirement, which is the third one in Psa 15.2. When people speak, they should always say what is correct. Uprightly is literally “straight” (see 26.7, where the Hebrew word here is rendered “level”). It may be rendered “honestly.”

Who despises the gain of oppressions is the third requirement. People should refuse to use oppressive means to gain something for themselves. They should not cheat others for personal gain. New Jerusalem Bible says “who scorns to get rich by extortion.” For despises see Isa 33.8 and 30.12.

The last three requirements refer to three body parts—hands, ears and eyes.

Who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe is literally “who shakes his hands from holding a bribe,” so it is parallel in form with the next two lines. This line describes people who refuse to accept bribes. Bribes may even be placed in their hands, but they immediately drop them. New Revised Standard Version says “who wave away a bribe instead of accepting it” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and Bible en français courant has “[who] pushes away those who try to buy him with presents.” For bribe see 1.23.

Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed: This does not simply mean refusing to listen about someone committing murder, but refusing to listen to plans involving murder (so New Jerusalem Bible). The Hebrew word for bloodshed usually refers to murder, as it does here (see the comments on 1.15, where the same word is translated “blood”). For the whole line Bible en français courant has “[who] closes his ears to those who suggest a murder to him.”

And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil: This does not mean turning a blind eye to evil (that is, ignoring evil), but refusing to participate in evil. Bible en français courant says “and who does not look on evil with any favor at all.”

Verses 15-16a are one long sentence in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation divides it into several shorter sentences, which may be helpful in other languages. Good News Translation also clearly links the response in verse 15 with the questions in verse 14. Verse 14 asked: “Can any of us survive…?” Verse 15 provides the answer using second person pronouns: “You can survive if….” The same question-answer structure underlies Revised Standard Version, but the link between verses 14 and 15 is not evident. Translators could keep the link between these two verses with short sentences in the third person plural by rendering verse 15 as follows: “People can survive if they walk righteously. They should speak uprightly. They….” Other translation examples for this verse are:

• They are those who are righteous,
who speak honestly,
who despise dishonest gain,
who refuse to accept a bribe,
who will not participate in violence,
and who reject evil.

• They are those who live according to justice,
whose speech is honest,
who despise taking advantage of others,
whose hands will not accept a bribe,
whose ears will not listen to plans of violence,
and whose eyes will not countenance [or, agree to doing] evil.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .