K-ʾ-N is the root of being upright. Kina describes a person who does what is right, and kinuta is right conduct. Where most translations say righteousness, the Qala says what is right, because the word describes conduct. Matthew 5:6 speaks of hungering and thirsting for it.
| Form | Pattern | Transliteration | Script | Standard | Qala rendering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective | long-vowel kīn- stem | kina (pl. kine) | כאנא ܟ݁ܺܐܢܳܐ | righteous, just | one who does what is right; righteous |
| Abstract noun | -uta ending | kinuta | כאנותא ܟܐܢܘܬܐ | righteousness | what is right |
| Adverb | -aʾit ending | kinaʾit | — | justly | we deserve it (Luke 23:41) |
In the Gospels this root appears as an adjective, kina, and a noun, kinuta, and once as the adverb kinaʾit, justly (Luke 23:41).
Choose one decision you made today and ask whether it was right, or whether you chose comfort, attention, or revenge instead. Then say kina and kinuta aloud.
The Hebrew cognate is ken (כֵּן), "right, honest." Joseph's brothers use it when they protest in Genesis 42:11, "we are honest men" (kenim), and it survives in modern Hebrew as ken, "yes, so it is." Among the 75 roots, this one goes with Q-Sh-Ṭ (straightness, truth, day 48). Kinuta is straightness of conduct, and qushta is straightness of speech. It also goes with D-K-Y (purity, tomorrow's root), its inward counterpart in the Beatitudes.