The meaning of Right in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
rit (yashar, mishpaT; dikaios, euthus): Many Hebrew words are translated "right," with different shades of meaning. Of these the two noted are the most important: yashar, with the sense of being straight, direct, as "right in the sight" of Yahweh (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 12:25, etc.), in one's own eyes (Judges 17:6), "right words" (Job 6:25 the King James Version, yosher), "right paths" (Proverbs 4:11 the King James Version); and mishpaT "judgment" "cause" etc., a forensic term, as "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Genesis 18:25). In Job 34:17, the Revised Version (British and American) has "justice" (Job 34:6, "right"), etc. The word tsedheq, tsedhaqah, ordinarily translated "righteousness," are in a few cases rendered "right" (II Samuel 19:28; Nehemiah 2:20; Psalms 9:4; Psalms 17:1; Psalms 119:75; Ezekiel 18:5, etc.). In the New Testament the chief word is dikaios, primarily "even," "equal" (Matthew 20:4; Luke 12:57, etc.); more generally the word is rendered "just" and "righteous." Euthus, used by Septuagint for yashar (I Samuel 12:23; Hosea 14:9), occurs a few times (Acts 8:21; Acts 13:10; II Peter 2:15); so orthos, "straight," "upright" (Luke 10:28).
"Right-hand" or "side" represents Hebrew yamin and kindred forms (Genesis 48:13-14, Genesis 48:17; Exodus 15:6, etc.); the Greek, in this sense, is dexios (Matthew 6:3; Matthew 20:21, etc.).
Revised Version, among other changes, has "right" for the King James Version "judgment" in Job 27:2; Job 34:5, and for "right" in the King James Version substitutes "straight" in Ezra 8:21, "skillful" in Ecclesiastes 4:4, margin "successful," etc. In John 1:12 the Revised Version (British and American) reads, "the right to become children of God" for the King James Version "the power" (exousia); in Matthew 20:7, Matthew 20:15 "right" is omitted, with the larger part of the verse. In II Timothy 2:15 "rightly dividing" (orthotomeo) is changed to "handling aright" with margin "holding a straight course in the word of truth. Or, rightly dividing the word of truth."
W. L. Walker
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