Bible Encyclopedias
Right

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

rı̄t ( ישׁר , yāshār , משׁפּט , mishpāṭ ; δικαιος , dı́kaios , εὐθύς , euthús ): Many Hebrew words are translated "right," with different shades of meaning. Of these the two noted are the most important: yāshār , 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, yōsher ), "right paths" (Proverbs 4:11 the King James Version); and mishpāṭ "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 cedheḳ , cedhāḳāh , ordinarily translated "righteousness," are in a few cases rendered "right" (2 Samuel 19:28; Nehemiah 2:20; Psalm 9:4; Psalm 17:1; Psalm 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 yāshār (1 Samuel 12:23; Hosea 14:9 ), occurs a few times (Acts 8:21; Acts 13:10; 2 Peter 2:15 ); so orthṓs , "straight," "upright" (Luke 10:28 ).

"Right-hand" or "side" represents Hebrew yāmı̄n and kindred forms ( Genesis 48:13 , Genesis 48:14 , Genesis 48:17; Exodus 15:6 , etc.); the Greek, in this sense, is dexiós (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" ( exousı́a ); in Matthew 20:7 , Matthew 20:15 "right" is omitted, with the larger part of the verse. In 2 Timothy 2:15 "rightly dividing" ( orthotoméō ) is changed to "handling aright" with margin "holding a straight course in the word of truth. Or , rightly dividing the word of truth."