Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 2 Samuel
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, organized by doctrinal category. Terms marked REUSED carry over the exact rendering recorded in the Romans baseline translation_memory.json and must not be altered. Terms marked NEW are proposed additions requiring formal entry into translation memory before Phase 2 processing, with the same Critical/High/Medium/Low risk framework as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Category A: The Davidic Covenant and the Promise of an Eternal Throne
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| house (dynasty/temple) | בַּיִת | bayith | house, dwelling | بيت / بيت داود | High | 1, 7 (central), 13, 16 | NEW |
| kingdom | מַמְלָכָה | mamlakah | royal dominion | المملكة | High | 7:12-13,16; 8 | NEW |
| throne | כִּסֵּא | kisse | seat of authority | العرش | Critical | 7:13,16; 23:5 (echo) | NEW |
| forever/eternal | עוֹלָם | olam | long duration, eternity | إلى الأبد / أبديًا | High | 7:13,16; 23:5 | NEW |
| covenant | בְּרִית | berith | binding pledge, relational bond | العهد | High | 23:5 | REUSED (baseline “covenant”) |
| everlasting covenant | בְּרִית עוֹלָם | berit olam | eternal covenant | عهد أبدي | High | 23:5 | NEW (compound of reused terms) |
| established/made sure | נָכוֹן | nakhon | firm, confirmed | ثابت | Medium | 7:16 | NEW |
| the LORD makes a house | (idiom, v.11) | — | God builds a dynasty | (see bayith above) | High | 7:11 | NEW — hinge verse |
| seed/offspring | זֶרַע | zera | seed | نسل | Critical | 7:12 | NEW (pattern reuse of baseline “seed_of_david” نسل داود) |
Category B: David’s Sin and Repentance
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sin (general) | חָטָא / חַטָּאה | chata / chatta’ah | to miss the mark | الخطية | High | 11, 12:13 | REUSED (baseline “sin”) |
| iniquity | עָוֹן | avon | twistedness, guilt | الإثم | High | 7:14 | NEW — keep distinct from الخطية |
| confession formula | חָטָאתִי לַיהוָה | chatati la-YHWH | ”I have sinned against the LORD” | قد أخطأت إلى الرب | High | 12:13 | NEW |
| forgiveness (removal of sin) | הֶעֱבִיר | he’evir | he caused to pass over | قد رفع عنك خطيتك | High | 12:13 | NEW |
| euphemism for sexual sin | שָׁכַב עִם | shakab ‘im | to lie with | ودخل إليها / ضاجعها | Low-Medium | 11:4 | NEW (register, not doctrine) |
| disgraceful/vile deed | נְבָלָה | nevalah | senselessness, outrage | الفاحشة / العمل الشنيع | Medium | 13:12 | NEW |
| favor (relational) | חֵן | chen | favor, charm | الحظوة | High | 15:25 | NEW — distinct from النعمة |
Category C: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sword (judgment motif) | חֶרֶב | cherev | sword | السيف | Medium-High | 12:10; unfolds chs. 13-20 | NEW — structural throughline |
| rod (discipline) | שֵׁבֶט | shevet | rod, staff | العصا | Medium | 7:14 | NEW |
| plague (corporate consequence) | דֶּבֶר | dever | pestilence | الوباء | Medium | 24:15 | NEW |
| atonement | כִּפֵּר | kipper | to cover, atone | كفّر | Critical/High | 21:3 | NEW — collides with Islamic kaffārah |
| curse (verbal) | קָלַל | qalal | to curse | لعن | Low-Medium | 16:5-13 | NEW |
Category D: God’s Steadfast Love Despite Human Failure
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| steadfast love / covenant loyalty | חֶסֶד | hesed | loyal, covenant-bound love | الرحمة الثابتة | Critical | 7:15 (central); 9:1-7 | NEW — flag for TM addition |
| rest (God’s gift) | נוּח | nuach | to settle, cease conflict | الراحة | Low-Medium | 7:1,11 | NEW |
| counsel/providence | עֵצָה | ’etzah | counsel, plan | المشورة | Medium | 17:14 | NEW — cross-refs baseline “providence” |
| inheritance | נַחֲלָה | nachalah | inherited possession | الميراث | Medium | 20:19 | NEW — cross-refs baseline “adoption” |
| beloved of the LORD | יְדִידְיָה | Yedidyah | beloved of YHWH | يديديا / حبيب الرب | Low-Medium | 12:25 | NEW |
Category E: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| anointed (royal, indefinite) | מָשִׁיחַ / מָשַׁח | mashiach / mashach | anointed one / to anoint | مسيح الرب (never المسيح) | High | 1:14,16; 2:4; 22:51 | NEW — root shared with baseline “messiah” |
| father / son (adoption formula) | אָב / בֵּן | av / ben | father / son | أبًا / ابنًا (never الآب / ابن الله as titles) | Critical | 7:14 | NEW — direct precursor to baseline “father”/“son_of_god” |
| seed/offspring | זֶרַע | zera | seed | نسل | Critical | 7:12 | see Category A |
| name (Abrahamic echo) | שֵׁם | shem | name, renown | اسمًا عظيمًا | Low-Medium | 7:9 | NEW |
| shepherd (royal metaphor) | רָעָה | ra’ah | to pasture/tend | يرعى / الراعي | Medium-High | 7:7-8 | NEW |
| kinsman-redeemer/avenger | גֹּאֵל | go’el | one who redeems | ولي الدم / المخلّص | Medium | 14:11 | NEW — narrow sense here, broader canonical resonance |
| salvation/deliverance | יֵשַׁע / תְּשׁוּעָה | yesha’ / teshu’ah | deliverance | الخلاص | Critical | 22:3 | REUSED (baseline “salvation”) |
| rock (divine metaphor) | צוּר | tsur | rock, cliff | الصخرة | Low-Medium | 22:2-3 | NEW |
| everlasting covenant (echo) | בְּרִית עוֹלָם | berit olam | eternal covenant | عهد أبدي | High | 23:5 | see Category A |
Category F: Supporting Vocabulary (Kingship, Prophecy, Worship)
| Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Arabic Rendering | Risk | Chapter(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| king | מֶלֶךְ | melek | king | الملك | Medium | 2, 5, throughout | NEW |
| prince/ruler-designate | נָגִיד | nagid | one set out in front | رئيسًا | Medium | 7:8 | NEW |
| judge (Judges-era leader) | שֹׁפֵט | shophet | one who judges | قضاة | Medium | 7:7,11 | NEW |
| prophet | נָבִיא | navi | one called to speak | نبي | Low | 7:3-4,17 | REUSED (baseline “prophet”) |
| word of the LORD | דְּבַר־יְהוָה | devar YHWH | speech/matter of YHWH | كلمة الرب | High | 7:4-5 | NEW |
| vision | חִזָּיוֹן | chizzayon | prophetic sight | الرؤيا | Medium | 7:17 | NEW |
| servant | עֶבֶד | ebed | bondservant | عبد | Medium | 7:5,8 | NEW |
| LORD of hosts | יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת | YHWH Tseva’ot | YHWH of armies | رب الجنود | High | 5:10; 7:8 | NEW (compound; reuses baseline “lord” الرب) |
| ark (of God/covenant) | אֲרוֹן | aron | chest, box | تابوت العهد | Medium | 6; 7:2 | NEW (reuses baseline “covenant” العهد) |
| holy/holiness | קָדוֹשׁ / קֹדֶשׁ | qadosh/qodesh | set apart | مقدس | High | 6 | REUSED (baseline “holy”) |
| tent | אֹהֶל | ohel | tent | خيمة | Low | 7:2,6 | NEW |
| justice | מִשְׁפָּט | mishpat | judgment, judicial ruling | العدل | Medium | 8:15 | NEW |
| righteousness | צְדָקָה | tsedaqah | right conduct/standing | البر | Critical | 8:15 | REUSED (baseline “righteousness”) — nuance flag: royal-conduct sense here, not forensic |
| Zion | צִיּוֹן | Tsiyon | citadel; later theological Jerusalem | صهيون | Medium | 5:7 | NEW — political-sensitivity parallel to baseline “israel” |
| mighty man | גִּבּוֹר | gibbor | strong/mighty one | الأبطال | Low-Medium | 1, 21, 23 | NEW |
| ruler | מוֹשֵׁל | moshel | one who governs | حاكم | Low-Medium | 23:3 | NEW |
| altar | מִזְבֵּח | mizbeach | place of sacrifice | مذبح | Medium | 24:25 | NEW |
| burnt offering | עוֹלָה | ’olah | that which goes up in smoke | محرقة | Medium-High | 24:25 | NEW |
Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing (per baseline framework) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 7 (throne, father/son adoption formula, seed/offspring [x2 refs], atonement/kipper, hesed, righteousness [reused]) | Human theologian |
| High | 15 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 15 | Native speaker review |
| Low / Low-Medium | 8 | Native speaker or automated review |
Terms Requiring Formal Addition to translation_memory.json Before Phase 2
The following NEW terms have no existing baseline entry and must be added, with risk tier and notes, before any Phase 2 segment translation of 2 Samuel proceeds:
- hesed (חֶסֶד) → الرحمة الثابتة — Critical
- bayith / house (בַּיִת, dynastic-temple wordplay) → بيت — High
- kisse / throne (כִּסֵּא) → العرش — Critical
- father/son adoption formula (אָב/בֵּן, 7:14) → أبًا / ابنًا — Critical
- zera / seed (זֶרַע) → نسل — Critical (pattern extension of baseline نسل داود)
- olam / forever (עוֹלָם) → إلى الأبد / أبديًا — High
- mamlakah / kingdom (earthly-dynastic sense) → المملكة — High
- kipper / atonement (כִּפֵּר) → كفّر — Critical/High
- mashiach / mashach (royal-anointing sense, not the definite title) → مسيح الرب — High
- devar YHWH / word of the LORD → كلمة الرب — High
- All remaining Medium/Low terms listed in Category F.
This glossary must be loaded alongside the Romans baseline translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for all Phase 2 translation of 2 Samuel. See 07_semantic_analysis.md for full contextual justification of each entry.
Critical Risk Terms
Lord
Approved rendering: الرب
Transliteration: al-Rabb
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: السيد, المولى
Inherited from Romans package. In 2 Samuel this same Critical term is compounded as رب الجنود (‘LORD of hosts’, 5:10; 7:8) — see lord_of_hosts entry. Retain الرب exactly in every compound; never soften to السيد/المولى even in a military-title compound.
God
Approved rendering: الله
Transliteration: Allāh
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. No change in referent or risk profile for 2 Samuel; the book’s Trinitarian implications (father_son_formula, hesed) are downstream of this term’s established use.
Jesus
Approved rendering: يسوع
Transliteration: Yasū’
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: عيسى
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel never names Jesus directly, but every occurrence of seed/offspring (نسل), throne (العرش), and the father/son formula in teaching material must trace forward to Yasū’ by this exact established form, never عيسى.
Father
Approved rendering: الآب
Transliteration: al-Āb
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL CAUTION for 2 Samuel 7:14: the royal adoption formula (‘I will be to him a father’) must render indefinitely as أبًا, NEVER this definite Trinitarian title. See father_son_formula entry.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ابن الله
Transliteration: Ibn Allāh
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: الحبيب من الله, الكلمة من الله (بدون ‘ابن’)
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 7:14’s ‘he shall be to me a son’ is the OT adoptive-typological shadow (Solomon), directly cited of Christ in Hebrews 1:5. Must render indefinitely as ابنًا in 2 Samuel; this definite title is reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique eternal Sonship, never applied to Solomon or any Davidic king.
Messiah
Approved rendering: المسيح
Transliteration: al-Masīh
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel’s ‘the LORD’s anointed’ (1:14,16; 22:51) and the anointing verb (2:4) share this term’s root but must render as the indefinite مسيح الرب / مسحه (ملكًا) — never with the definite article. Reserve المسيح exclusively for its NT/Christological use.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: التجسد
Transliteration: al-tajassud
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: الحلول, الظهور
Inherited from Romans package. No incarnation vocabulary occurs directly in 2 Samuel, but 7:12’s ‘seed’ and 7:13’s ‘house for my name’ are OT background that the NT resolves through the incarnation (‘the Word became flesh,’ born ‘of the seed of David according to the flesh,’ Romans 1:3); teaching material must trace this trajectory explicitly rather than leave it assumed.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: القيامة
Transliteration: al-qiyāmah
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 13:34 cites Isaiah 55:3’s ‘sure mercies of David’ directly in connection with Christ’s resurrection as the guarantee of the Davidic promise’s fulfillment; 2 Samuel 7’s ‘forever’ throne promise depends on this resurrection reality for its ultimate vindication against the apparent historical falsification at the exile.
Adoption
Approved rendering: التبني
Transliteration: al-tabannī
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: الاستلحاق
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 7:14’s royal father-son formula is the OT conceptual precursor to this doctrine, but must never be rendered with this term’s full baseline weight (unconditional, full-inheritance sonship) applied directly to Solomon — the OT formula is conditional and disciplinable (7:14b). See father_son_formula and inheritance entries.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: البر
Transliteration: al-birr
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: الصلاح, العدل
Original: צְדָקָה
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 8:15 pairs البر with مشفط/mishpat (‘justice’) in the sense of David’s just royal governance/conduct — a distinct nuance from Romans’ forensic righteousness credited apart from works, though the same Arabic word is used for both by established convention. Teachers must flag which sense is active in which passage.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: البر المحسوب
Transliteration: al-birr al-mahsūb
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: البر المكتسب
Inherited from Romans package. Serves as the necessary doctrinal contrast term when teaching 2 Samuel 21:3’s atonement/kipper (كفّر), which is deeds-based and retributive, unlike this credited/forensic category.
Justification
Approved rendering: التبرير
Transliteration: al-tabrīr
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: التزكية, الحكم بالبراءة
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant background contrast for 2 Samuel 21’s atonement narrative (retributive bloodguilt satisfaction) and for David’s repentance (12:13) — God’s forgiving response is not a self-purification process (تزكية) but an immediate, total, unearned pardon.
Salvation
Approved rendering: الخلاص
Transliteration: al-khalāṣ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: النجاة, الفوز بالجنة
Original: יֵשַׁע / תְּשׁוּעָה
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 22:3 (‘the horn of my salvation’) uses this term for concrete, historical, this-worldly deliverance across David’s life; distinguish this immediate historical referent from the fuller eschatological weight the same word carries in Romans.
Throne
Approved rendering: العرش
Transliteration: al-‘arsh
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: الكرسي, السدة
Original: כִּסֵּא
Category: Covenant
New term. CRITICAL: al-‘Arsh is a major Islamic theological term for Allah’s own cosmic throne (Quran 7:54). Applying it to a human Davidic king’s dynasty (7:13,16) risks readers either prematurely importing full divine-throne connotations onto Solomon or underselling the promise’s permanence. Required scaffolding: 2 Samuel 7:13 in its immediate sense is a human royal throne; the NT (Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalm 45:6) directly identifies Christ’s throne with God’s own eternal throne — this progression must be taught explicitly, never assumed.
Seed Offspring
Approved rendering: نسل
Transliteration: nasl
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: أولاد
Original: זֶרַע
Category: Christology
New term (pattern extension of seed_of_david). The immediate referent of 7:12 is Solomon, but the singular ‘seed’ language echoes the Genesis promise-line (3:15, 22:18), resolved by the NT into a singular seed fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:16). Must never be flattened to the generic plural أولاد (‘children’), which would erase the singular-seed theological trajectory connecting the Davidic Covenant to the Messianic Hope across the whole canon.
Father Son Formula
Approved rendering: أبًا / ابنًا
Transliteration: aban / ibnan
Doctrine: Royal Adoption and the Father-Son Covenant Formula
Rejected alternatives: الآب / ابن الله (never as substitutes), الاستلحاق-style weaker affiliation language
Original: אָב / בֵּן
Category: Christology
New term. 2 Samuel 7:14: ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’ — a royal adoption formula paralleling Psalm 2:7 and Psalm 89:26-27, cited of Christ in Hebrews 1:5. Must be rendered INDEFINITE (أبًا / ابنًا), never the baseline’s definite Trinitarian titles الآب / ابن الله. Two directions of error must both be guarded against: (1) prematurely asserting full deity for Solomon by using the definite titles; (2) letting the Islamic reflex against begetting-language (Quran 112:3; 19:35) strip this passage’s real covenantal father-son/adoption language, which is the OT shadow whose substance is Christ’s unique eternal Sonship.
Atonement Kipper
Approved rendering: كفّر
Transliteration: kaffara
Doctrine: Atonement and Bloodguilt
Rejected alternatives: غفر (loses the ‘covering over bloodguilt’ sense), صفح (loses the ‘covering over bloodguilt’ sense)
Original: כִּפֵּר
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. ‘How shall I make atonement?’ (21:3) — national bloodguilt requiring atonement via retributive justice, not substitutionary sacrifice. CRITICAL: كفّر is the exact classical Islamic legal term for expiation (kaffārah, e.g. kaffārat al-yamīn). Every occurrence requires explicit doctrinal scaffolding distinguishing this text’s retributive-justice atonement from Christ’s once-for-all substitutionary atonement, lest readers assume biblical atonement is fundamentally a human deeds-based expiation system like kaffārah.
Hesed
Approved rendering: الرحمة الثابتة
Transliteration: al-raḥmah al-thābitah
Doctrine: God’s Steadfast Love despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: المحبة الأمينة, الوفاء, الإحسان
Original: חֶסֶד
Category: Steadfast Love
New term — no existing baseline entry; the single most theologically load-bearing new term in this curriculum. (1) Baseline’s caution on الرحمة (one of Allah’s 99 names, functioning as merit-responsive favor) applies exactly here — hesed must be reinforced as covenant-bound and rooted in God’s own unilateral promise, not earned or forfeitable by ordinary human failure. (2) False-friend alert: the transliterated sound of Hebrew ‘hesed’ closely resembles Arabic حسد (ḥasad, ‘envy’) — the opposite concept; never transliterate the Hebrew sound in running teaching text without an explicit warning. (3) Contrasted explicitly with Saul, from whom kingship/favor was entirely removed (1 Samuel 15, cf. 2 Samuel 7:15) — hesed guarantees dynastic endurance culminating in the Messiah, not a blanket personal-salvation guarantee for every descendant. (4) Must be rendered identically at every occurrence (7:15; 9:1-7; echoed 22-23) — consistency itself carries theological weight, since God’s hesed does not fluctuate.
High Risk Terms
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: نسل داود
Transliteration: nasl Dāwūd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Pattern extended within 2 Samuel to the standalone seed_offspring entry (זֶרַע, נasl) for the original promise itself (7:12). Both must render نسل consistently, never أولاد (‘children’), to preserve the singular messianic-line trajectory.
Grace
Approved rendering: النعمة
Transliteration: al-ni’mah
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: الفضل, الرحمة
Inherited from Romans package. Must remain lexically distinct from both hesed (الرحمة الثابتة, 7:15) and chen/favor (الحظوة, 15:25) — three theologically distinct OT/NT categories that must never bleed into one Arabic word. Never reuse النعمة for hesed or chen.
Election
Approved rendering: اختيار الله
Transliteration: ikhtiyār Allāh
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: القدر
Inherited from Romans package. Hesed’s guarantee of the Davidic dynasty’s endurance (7:15) is God’s specific covenant election of David’s line unto the Messianic promise, not generic qadar fatalism. Cross-reference the hesed entry.
Sin
Approved rendering: الخطية
Transliteration: al-khaṭīyah
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: الذنب, الإثم
Original: חָטָא / חַטָּאה
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 11-12 (David’s adultery/murder and confession, 12:13) is the book’s key OT narrative exemplar. Distinguish from עָוֹן/iniquity (الإثم), a related but distinct term in this book’s tripartite sin-vocabulary — see the new iniquity entry.
Holy
Approved rendering: مقدس
Transliteration: muqaddas
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: طاهر
Original: קָדוֹשׁ / קֹדֶשׁ
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 6 (Uzzah’s death near the Ark) is the key illustrative passage; retain the moral-relational, set-apart sense of God’s presence, not ritual-purity or magical-taboo framing.
Israel
Approved rendering: إسرائيل
Transliteration: Isrā’īl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to 2 Samuel’s political unification narrative (chapters 2-5), the census/plague of chapter 24, and the ‘inheritance’ language of 20:19; requires deliberate pastoral framing against contemporary political usage of ‘Isra’il’ throughout this book, not only in Romans 9-11 material.
House
Approved rendering: بيت
Transliteration: bayith
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: سلالة (as full replacement), الهيكل (as full replacement)
Original: בַּיִת
Category: Covenant
New term. Carries four active senses in this book: physical palace, household, dynasty/lineage, and temple (‘a house for my name’). Arabic بيت naturally shares Hebrew’s double sense (dwelling/lineage) — an asset — but the temple-sense must be reinforced with explicit context (بيت الرب/الهيكل) at each turn so readers do not lose track of which ‘house’ is meant. This wordplay IS the theological argument of the Davidic Covenant (7:1-13); flag every occurrence for translator review.
Kingdom
Approved rendering: المملكة
Transliteration: al-mamlakah
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: מַמְלָכָה
Category: Covenant
New term. The concrete, political, earthly Davidic dynasty’s kingdom (7:12-13,16; ch. 8) — the historical precursor of the fuller spiritual reign the NT calls the Kingdom of God (ملكوت الله). Translators must consistently distinguish مملكة داود (this passage) from ملكوت الله (the NT’s spiritual reign); using the wrong direction creates a doctrinal error.
Forever Olam
Approved rendering: إلى الأبد / أبديًا
Transliteration: ilā al-abad / abadiyyan
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: עוֹלָם
Category: Covenant
New term. Establishes the unconditional, unending nature of the covenant promise (7:13,16; 23:5). David’s political dynasty historically ended at the Babylonian exile (2 Kings 25); translators/teachers must supply the typological resolution explicitly — fulfilled ultimately and unbreakably in Christ’s unending reign (Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15) — so ‘forever’ is not read as falsified by the historical record.
Everlasting Covenant
Approved rendering: عهد أبدي
Transliteration: ‘ahd abadī
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: בְּרִית עוֹלָם
Category: Covenant
New term (compound of covenant + forever_olam). David’s own final testimony (23:5) explicitly names the chapter 7 oracle ‘an everlasting covenant,’ confirming from David’s own mouth that he understood it in eternal, unconditional terms. Render consistently with 7:13/16 so learners recognize the intentional inclusio.
Iniquity
Approved rendering: الإثم
Transliteration: al-ithm
Doctrine: David’s Sin and Repentance
Original: עָוֹן
Category: Sin
New term. ‘When he commits iniquity’ (7:14b) — twistedness/guilt, distinct in nuance from חָטָא/chata (‘sin,’ الخطية) and פֶּשַׁע/pesha (‘transgression’). Keep lexically distinct from الخطية to preserve the OT’s tripartite sin-vocabulary for careful exegetical teaching; a related but distinguishable term, not a synonym to flatten.
Confession Formula
Approved rendering: قد أخطأت إلى الرب
Transliteration: qad akhta’tu ilā al-Rabb
Doctrine: David’s Sin and Repentance
Original: חָטָאתִי לַיהוָה
Category: Repentance
New term. ‘I have sinned against the LORD’ (12:13) — David’s brief, unqualified confession, the model repentance-text of the book. Must be rendered with the full weight of genuine confession, not softened into a mere acknowledgment of a mistake; contrast with Islamic tawbah, typically taught as a structured multi-step process (istighfar, restitution, resolve) — this text’s directness and God’s immediate, unqualified forgiving response should be preserved, not read as an incomplete repentance by that structured standard.
Forgiveness Removal
Approved rendering: قد رفع عنك خطيتك
Transliteration: qad rafa’a ‘anka khaṭīyataka
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: הֶעֱבִיר + חַטָּאה
Category: Repentance
New term. ‘The LORD has taken away/removed your sin’ (12:13b). Must avoid conflating with the popular assumption (present across many pieties, including folk-Islamic devotional culture) that forgiveness necessarily erases all worldly consequence; the following verses (the child’s death, 12:14-18) teach otherwise, and this nuance must be actively taught, not smoothed over.
Favor Chen
Approved rendering: الحظوة
Transliteration: al-ḥuẕwah
Doctrine: David’s Sin and Repentance
Rejected alternatives: النعمة (rejected as substitute)
Original: חֵן
Category: Repentance
New term. ‘If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD’ (15:25) — relational favor/goodwill, distinct from hesed (covenant loyalty) and from النعمة (unmerited salvific grace). Do not reuse النعمة here; a distinct Arabic word preserves the OT’s relational-favor nuance while avoiding overloading a single Arabic word with two theologically distinct concepts.
Sword
Approved rendering: السيف
Transliteration: al-sayf
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: חֶרֶב
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. ‘The sword shall never depart from your house’ (12:10) — the literary hinge for the second half of the book: Amnon’s murder (13), Absalom’s rebellion and death (15-18), and Sheba’s revolt (20) are all the unfolding of this prophetic consequence. A structural throughline, not an isolated verse; must be taught across chapters 12-20 as a single fulfillment.
Anointed Lords Anointed
Approved rendering: مسيح الرب
Transliteration: masīḥ al-Rabb
Doctrine: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
Rejected alternatives: المسيح (never as substitute here)
Original: מְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה
Category: Christology
New term. ‘The LORD’s anointed’ (1:14,16; 22:51) — Saul’s (and David’s) status as a consecrated king. Must NOT be rendered with the definite article as المسيح, reserved exclusively as the NT title for Jesus. Every occurrence needs a note distinguishing this indefinite/titular royal-office sense from the baseline’s definite Christological term.
Anoint Verb
Approved rendering: مسحه (ملكًا)
Transliteration: masaḥahu (malikan)
Doctrine: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
Original: מָשַׁח
Category: Christology
New term. ‘They anointed David king’ (2:4). Shares the exact root of المسيح; keep the verb form indefinite/descriptive (‘anointed him as king’) and never let it read as conferring the definite Christological title.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: يرعى / الراعي
Transliteration: yar’ā / al-rā’ī
Doctrine: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
Original: רָעָה
Category: Kingship
New term. ‘Whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel’ (7:7-8) — a royal-leadership metaphor linking David’s former occupation to his role as shepherd-king, anticipating the Messianic Shepherd tradition (Ezekiel 34; John 10). A strong, positive cross-cultural bridge image; the messianic trajectory must be preserved in teaching notes so the metaphor is not left merely agricultural.
Word Of The Lord
Approved rendering: كلمة الرب
Transliteration: kalimat al-Rabb
Doctrine: Prophetic Revelation and the Word of the LORD
Original: דְּבַר־יְהוָה
Category: Prophecy
New term. The technical formula introducing Nathan’s oracle (7:4). Note two collision points: (1) the Quran applies ‘kalimatun minhu’ (a word from Him, 3:45) specifically to Jesus — clarify this OT formula denotes a prophetic communication event to Nathan, unrelated to that title; (2) Islamic wahy denotes verbatim dictation (the Quran’s own claimed revelatory mode) — biblical revelation moves the prophet to speak in his own idiom exactly what God intends, not automatic transcription.
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: رب الجنود
Transliteration: Rabb al-Junūd
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת
Category: God
New term (compound of baseline ‘lord’). ‘The LORD of hosts’ (5:10; 7:8) — emphasizes YHWH’s total sovereign command over every earthly and heavenly power. Compounds the baseline’s Critical الرب (never soften to السيد/المولى) with ‘hosts’ (الجنود).
Medium Risk Terms
Covenant
Approved rendering: العهد
Transliteration: al-‘ahd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: الميثاق
Original: בְּרִית
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central term for 2 Samuel 7 (the Davidic Covenant) and 23:5 (‘an everlasting covenant,’ عهد أبدي); also underlies تابوت العهد (Ark of the Covenant, chapters 6-7).
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ملكوت الله
Transliteration: malakūt Allāh
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: مملكة الله
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 7:12-13,16 uses المملكة (mamlakah) for David’s concrete, earthly political dynasty — the correct word for that distinct referent. Never substitute ملكوت الله for the earthly Davidic dynasty of this passage, nor مملكة for the NT’s inaugurated spiritual reign. See the new mamlakah entry.
Providence
Approved rendering: العناية الإلهية
Transliteration: al-‘ināyah al-ilāhiyyah
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: القدر
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 17:14 (Ahithophel’s counsel defeated) and chapter 24 (census/plague) are key OT exemplars; keep distinct from folk qadar fatalism — this is God’s personal, purposive governance directed at a specific covenant promise.
Peace
Approved rendering: السلام
Transliteration: al-salām
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: الأمان, الطمأنينة
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 7:1,11’s ‘rest’ (נוּח, رendered الراحة) is a distinct, circumstantial military-political sense and must NOT be substituted with السلام, which is reserved for the forensic/relational peace with God of Romans 5:1. See the new rest entry.
Disgraceful Thing
Approved rendering: الفاحشة / العمل الشنيع
Transliteration: al-fāḥishah / al-‘amal al-shanī’
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: נְבָלָה
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. A morally outrageous, disgraceful act (13:12, Tamar’s protest), named as a violation of covenant-community order. الفاحشة carries strong weight in Islamic legal-moral vocabulary (zina/sexual immorality, Quranic usage) — a genuine bridge of shared moral seriousness, but note the Arabic term imports a specific legal category the Hebrew text frames primarily in covenant-community and family-honor terms.
Rod
Approved rendering: العصا
Transliteration: al-‘aṣā
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: שֵׁבֶט
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. Shepherd’s staff/royal scepter as an instrument of paternal, corrective discipline (7:14b) — not destruction. Distinguishes God’s ongoing discipline of a true covenant son from God’s complete rejection of Saul (7:15).
Plague
Approved rendering: الوباء
Transliteration: al-wabā’
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: דֶּבֶר
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. Epidemic disease sent as divine judgment (24:15); David’s census sin brings a corporate consequence affecting the whole covenant community, broadening the family-scale consequence doctrine (chs. 12-20) to the national scale.
Counsel Etzah
Approved rendering: المشورة
Transliteration: al-mashūrah
Doctrine: Providence
Original: עֵצָה
Category: Steadfast Love
New term. ‘For the LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel’ (17:14); God’s sovereign providence steers events toward David’s preservation through ordinary means. Keep distinct from folk qadar fatalism per the baseline’s providence caution.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: الميراث
Transliteration: al-mīrāth
Doctrine: God’s Steadfast Love despite Human Failure
Original: נַחֲלָה
Category: Steadfast Love
New term. Israel as ‘an inheritance of the LORD’ (20:19); ensure the covenantal-theological sense (God’s people as His own treasured possession) is not confused with Islamic inheritance jurisprudence (farā’iḍ). Directly cross-references the baseline’s ‘adoption’ doctrine (full inheritance rights) — this OT term supplies part of its conceptual background.
Kinsman Redeemer
Approved rendering: ولي الدم / المخلّص
Transliteration: walī al-dam / al-mukhalliṣ
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: גֹּאֵל
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. 14:11’s blood-avenger sense (go’el ha-dam) — narrow legal/familial, not the salvific-redeemer sense the same root carries elsewhere (Isaiah, Job 19:25). Prefer ولي الدم here rather than المخلّص, which risks pulling in the fuller redemptive sense prematurely.
King Melek
Approved rendering: الملك
Transliteration: al-malik
Doctrine: Just and Righteous Kingship
Original: מֶלֶךְ
Category: Kingship
New term. Human monarch (formally established ch. 2, recurring throughout). Al-Malik (‘The Sovereign’) is one of Allah’s 99 names — broadly compatible and majestic vocabulary, but distinguish David’s human, historically-bounded kingship from divine kingship whenever the two could be conflated.
Prince Nagid
Approved rendering: رئيسًا
Transliteration: ra’īsan
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: أميرًا (imports Umayyad/Abbasid/contemporary ‘emir’ register)
Original: נָגִיד
Category: Kingship
New term. ‘That you should be prince over my people Israel’ (7:8) — emphasizes David’s divine appointment rather than self-made monarchy. Avoid أميرًا; رئيسًا (chief/leader) is safer.
Judge Shophet
Approved rendering: قضاة
Transliteration: quḍāh
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
New term. ‘Any of the judges of Israel’ (7:7,11) — contrasts the provisional Judges-era leadership with the now-permanent Davidic kingship. قضاة is the established Arabic Bible name for the book of Judges (سفر القضاة) and should be retained for consistency, but قاضٍ in everyday Arabic strongly denotes an Islamic sharia-court judge; supply context so the term reads as ‘tribal leader/deliverer,’ not ‘religious jurist.‘
Vision
Approved rendering: الرؤيا
Transliteration: al-ru’yā
Doctrine: Prophetic Revelation and the Word of the LORD
Original: חִזָּיוֹן
Category: Prophecy
New term. ‘In accordance with all this vision’ (7:17) — a near-synonym confirming ‘word of the LORD.’ الرؤيا doubles as the standard Arabic term for revelatory dream-visions in living Islamic practice; clarify this is a waking prophetic disclosure delivered through an authorized spokesman (cf. Numbers 12:6), not an equivalent epistemology.
Servant
Approved rendering: عبد
Transliteration: ‘abd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: עֶבֶד
Category: Covenant
New term. ‘My servant David’ (7:5,8) — a covenant-relational title of honor, not low status, threading toward the Isaianic Servant fulfilled in Christ. ‘Abd is standard Arabic/Islamic vocabulary for creaturely submission (e.g. ‘Abdullah) — broadly compatible, but retain the specific covenantal-honorific sense rather than flattening into generic submission language.
Ark
Approved rendering: تابوت العهد
Transliteration: tābūt al-‘ahd
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Holiness
Original: אֲרוֹן
Category: Worship
New term. The sacred chest containing the tablets of the covenant, the visible symbol of God’s covenant presence (ch. 6; 7:2). The Quran (2:248) references ‘al-tabut’ positively re: Saul/Talut — broadly compatible shared vocabulary — but the presence-of-God theology (not merely relic/sign status) must be taught explicitly, especially given Uzzah’s death.
Justice Mishpat
Approved rendering: العدل
Transliteration: al-‘adl
Doctrine: Just and Righteous Kingship
Original: מִשְׁפָּט
Category: Kingship
New term. ‘David administered justice and equity’ (8:15). Al-‘Adl (‘The Just’) is also one of Allah’s 99 names, and ‘qaḍā” is standard Islamic legal vocabulary; broadly compatible concept, but keep tied to the concrete, historical Davidic administration rather than an abstract cosmic-law principle.
Zion
Approved rendering: صهيون
Transliteration: Ṣahyūn
Doctrine: Israel’s Identity as God’s Covenant People
Original: צִיּוֹן
Category: Covenant
New term. The Jebusite stronghold David captures (5:7), becoming ‘the City of David.’ Parallel caution to the baseline’s ‘israel’ entry: ‘Ṣahyūn/Ṣahyūnī’ (Zionist) carries heavy contemporary political freight in spoken Arabic; the redemptive-historical use requires deliberate pastoral framing.
Altar
Approved rendering: مذبح
Transliteration: madhbah
Doctrine: National and Corporate Consequences of Sin
Original: מִזְבֵּח
Category: Worship
New term. The site David builds at Araunah’s threshing floor (24:25), which per 2 Chronicles 3:1 becomes the location of Solomon’s Temple. Shares root ذ-ب-ح with Islamic ritual slaughter vocabulary (qurbān/dhabīḥah) — a cultural bridge, but must avoid conflating OT sacrificial substitutionary/atoning theology with Islamic ritual slaughter, which does not carry the same significance.
Burnt Offering
Approved rendering: محرقة
Transliteration: muḥraqah
Doctrine: National and Corporate Consequences of Sin
Original: עוֹלָה
Category: Worship
New term. A whole burnt offering, wholly consumed (24:25), symbolizing total consecration/atonement — part of the sacrificial-system typology fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 10); must not be reduced to a merely generic ritual act.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: نبي
Transliteration: nabī
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: נָבִיא
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Nathan (2 Samuel 7, 12) is the book’s primary prophetic figure; pair with fuller context so his word is not read as superseded per Islamic khatam an-nabiyyin doctrine.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: نبوءة
Transliteration: nubū’ah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package. 2 Samuel 7’s oracle is quoted/echoed as fulfilled prophecy throughout the NT (Luke 1:32-33; Acts 13:34; Hebrews 1:5).
David
Approved rendering: داود
Transliteration: Dāwūd
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central figure of 2 Samuel; the Quranic Dawud carries less of the covenant-king typology pointing forward to a messianic heir, so this background must be supplied explicitly throughout.
Established Nakhon
Approved rendering: ثابت
Transliteration: thābit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: נָכוֹן
Category: Covenant
New term. ‘Made sure/established’ (7:16); reinforces the reliability of God’s own word/promise, not David’s or his successors’ merit. Standard vocabulary; low collision risk.
Euphemism Lie With
Approved rendering: ودخل إليها / ضاجعها
Transliteration: wa dakhala ilayhā / ḏāja’ahā
Doctrine: David’s Sin and Repentance
Original: שָׁכַב עִם
Category: Repentance
New term. Standard biblical Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations (11:4), used here of adultery. A register concern, not a doctrinal one; follow the established Van Dyck/NAV tradition euphemism exactly rather than either clinical or vulgar vocabulary.
Curse Qalal
Approved rendering: لعن
Transliteration: la’ana
Doctrine: Consequences of Sin within the Covenant Family
Original: קָלַל
Category: Consequences of Sin
New term. Shimei’s cursing of David (16:5-13); David’s refusal to silence Shimei models submitting the outworking of his own sin’s consequences to God’s sovereign hand rather than defending his honor by force.
Rest
Approved rendering: الراحة
Transliteration: al-rāḥah
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: السلام (reserved for Romans 5:1 peace with God)
Original: נוּח
Category: Providence
New term. ‘The LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies’ (7:1, 11) — circumstantial military-political rest, distinct from the forensic/relational peace with God. Do not substitute السلام.
Beloved Of The Lord
Approved rendering: يديديا / حبيب الرب
Transliteration: Yedidyah / ḥabīb al-Rabb
Doctrine: God’s Steadfast Love despite Human Failure
Original: יְדִידְיָה
Category: Steadfast Love
New term. Solomon’s alternate name (12:25), given immediately after the account of sin, death, and discipline — a vivid enactment of hesed continuing toward David’s house despite catastrophic failure. Transliterate the proper name with a gloss at first occurrence.
Name Shem
Approved rendering: اسمًا عظيمًا
Transliteration: isman ‘aẕīman
Doctrine: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
Original: שֵׁם
Category: Covenant
New term. ‘I will make for you a great name’ (7:9) — deliberately echoes Genesis 12:2, framing the Davidic Covenant as continuous with, not a replacement for, the Abrahamic promise. Primary requirement is a translator footnote surfacing the Abrahamic echo.
Rock Tsur
Approved rendering: الصخرة
Transliteration: al-ṣakhrah
Doctrine: The Messianic Hope Rooted in David’s Line
Original: צוּר
Category: Messianic Hope
New term. ‘The LORD is my rock’ (22:2-3) — metaphor for God’s stability, reliability, and protective strength. Broadly compatible metaphor; minor care to avoid inadvertent association with unrelated site-specific rock veneration.
Tent
Approved rendering: خيمة
Transliteration: khaymah
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Holiness
Original: אֹהֶל
Category: Worship
New term. God’s mobile pre-Temple dwelling (7:2,6), contrasted with David’s permanent cedar palace. Standard vocabulary; low collision risk.
Mighty Man
Approved rendering: الأبطال
Transliteration: al-abṭāl
Doctrine: Just and Righteous Kingship
Rejected alternatives: الجبار (singular; avoided due to resonance with Al-Jabbar, one of Allah’s 99 names)
Original: גִּבּוֹר
Category: Kingship
New term. A warrior, hero, or champion (1:19,25; 21; 23:8-39); a recurring technical term for David’s elite soldiers. Prefer plural الأبطال to avoid inadvertent divine-title resonance.
Ruler Moshel
Approved rendering: حاكم
Transliteration: ḥākim
Doctrine: Just and Righteous Kingship
Original: מוֹשֵׁל
Category: Kingship
New term. ‘He who rules justly over men’ (23:3); reinforces the just-kingship theme of chapter 8. Standard vocabulary; low collision risk.
Lament
Approved rendering: مرثاة
Transliteration: marthāh
Doctrine: Just and Righteous Kingship
Original: קִינָה
Category: Kingship
New term. David’s formal funeral dirge over Saul and Jonathan (1:17). Standard literary vocabulary; low collision risk.
Referenced passages