# "David was right to leave when he did"



## sawyeric1

Which is a better translation? - 

דוד צדק כשעזב

or

דוד צדק בכך שעזב

Thanks y'all


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## Amadé

Both are correct, the latter is slightly more formal.


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## sawyeric1

What does בכך mean in that sentence? How does it point to the time that he left?


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## slus

דוד צדק בכך שעזב is the better translation.
It shows a connection. It means that his act of leaving was justified.
דוד צדק כשעזב doesn't necessary show a connection between his being right and (at the same time) leaving.


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## sawyeric1

So Google Translate is right that בכך means "in so doing"?


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## slus

Yes. But of course it depends on the context.


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## Drink

Could you say דוד צדק שעזב or דוד צדק בשעזב?


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## slus

I suppose you can say דוד צדק שעזב.
בשעזב is a really weird and unnatural construct


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## shalom00

Neither translation really points to the time that he left, saying that he left at the right time as opposed to earlier or later.


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## sawyeric1

Thanks shalom00


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## Sprachenlerner

David was right to leave whenever he did = דוד צדק כשעזב מתי שעזב

or

David was right in leaving when he did = דוד צדק בזה שעזב מתי שעזב 
Literal translation: David was right in that, that he left when he left

Though I've gotta say that it doesn't roll of your tongue as well as it does in English.


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## utopia

דוד צדק שעזב כשעזב - but this is more like a translation 

דוד צדק שעזב בזמן - that would add a subjective view of the speaker - "at the right time"

דוד צדק שעזב אז / באותו רגע -  leaving back then / at that moment.

The last one seems to me as the best of the options in Hebrew.


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## slus

The simplest, most elegant way so say the same thing is דוד עזב בצדק.


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## shalom00

But that misses the emphasis that he left at the right time.


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