Right

RIGHT [ISBE]

RIGHT - 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 (Ex 15:26; Dt 12:25, etc.), in one's own eyes (Jdg 17:6), "right words" (Job 6:25 the King James Version, yosher), "right paths" (Prov 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?" (Gen 18:25). In Job 34:17, the Revised Version (British and American) has "justice" (34:6, "right"), etc. The word tsedheq, tsedhaqah, ordinarily translated "righteousness," are in a few cases rendered "right" (2 Sam 19:28; Neh 2:20; Ps 9:4; 17:1; 119:75; Ezek 18:5, etc.). In the New Testament the chief word is dikaios, primarily "even," "equal" (Mt 20:4; Lk 12:57, etc.); more generally the word is rendered "just" and "righteous." Euthus, used by Septuagint for yashar (1 Sam 12:23; Hos 14:9), occurs a few times (Acts 8:21; 13:10; 2 Pet 2:15); so orthos, "straight," "upright" (Lk 10:28).

"Right-hand" or "side" represents Hebrew yamin and kindred forms (Gen 48:13,14,17; Ex 15:6, etc.); the Greek, in this sense, is dexios (Mt 6:3; 20:21, etc.).

Revised Version, among other changes, has "right" for the King James Version "judgment" in Job 27:2; 34:5, and for "right" in the King James Version substitutes "straight" in Ezr 8:21, "skillful" in Eccl 4:4, margin "successful," etc. In Jn 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 Mt 20:7,15 "right" is omitted, with the larger part of the verse. In 2 Tim 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