Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Joel
| Term (English) | Original (Hebrew / LXX Greek) | Transliteration | Arabic Rendering | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lord (YHWH) | יְהוָה / Κύριος | YHWH / Kyrios | الرب | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | Critical | Day of the Lord; Lordship of Christ | Same term applies to YHWH throughout Joel and to Christ in Romans 10:9-13, which directly quotes Joel 2:32. |
| God | אֱלֹהִים / θεός | Elohim / theos | الله | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | Critical | God | No viable alternative; content-level distinction (Trinity vs. tawhid) required, not word-level. |
| Holy Spirit / my Spirit | רוּחִי / πνεῦμά μου | ruchi / pneuma mou | الروح القدس | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | Critical | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Quranic identical phrase (2:87, 2:253) identifies this with the created angel Jibril; Joel 2:28 must be taught as the OT promise fulfilled at Pentecost with the same divine Person as Romans’ Holy Spirit. |
| Day of the LORD | יוֹם יְהוָה | Yom YHWH | يوم الرب | [NEW TERM] | Critical | The Day of the Lord | Central book-wide doctrine; risk of collapse into Islamic Yawm al-Qiyamah/Yawm al-Din’s deeds-weighing framework; must be anchored in God’s character and Christ’s finished work per Romans 10:9-13. |
| everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved | כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט / πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται | kol asher-yiqra ve-shem YHWH yimmalet | كل من يدعو باسم الرب يخلص | [NEW TERM — combines REUSED elements] | Critical | Salvation; Lordship of Christ | Verbatim source of Romans 10:13; must render identically to the Romans 10:13 segment across the whole curriculum per baseline consistency rule. |
| salvation / saved / escape | יִמָּלֵט / σωθήσεται | yimmalet / sōthēsetai | الخلاص / يخلص | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | Critical | Salvation | Full baseline notes apply: no assured salvation in mainstream Islamic soteriology; here, assured deliverance tied to calling on the Lord’s name. |
| Israel | יִשְׂרָאֵל | Yisra’el | إسرائيل | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | High | Unity/Restoration | Contemporary political sensitivity per baseline note; applies throughout Joel 2:27, 3:2, 3:16. |
| Mount Zion | הַר צִיּוֹן / ὄρος Σιών | Har Tsiyon | جبل صهيون | [NEW TERM] | High | Day of the Lord; Restoration | صهيون/الصهيونية carries acute contemporary political-ideological weight in Arabic discourse (arguably sharper than “Isra’il”); must be framed as biblical Temple-mount/covenant-presence site. |
| Jerusalem | יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם / Ἰερουσαλήμ | Yerushalayim | أورشليم | [NEW TERM] | High | Day of the Lord; Restoration | Use Van Dyck/NAV OT convention أورشليم, not القدس (which carries Islamic religious significance and acute political sensitivity). Retain consistently. |
| holy | קֹדֶשׁ / ἅγιος | qodesh | مقدس | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | High | Sanctification | Reused for “consecrate a fast” (1:14) and “my holy mountain” (3:17); avoid ritual-purity-only readings. |
| fast / fasting | צוֹם / νηστεία | tsom | صوم | [NEW TERM] | High | Repentance and Return | Identical to Sawm, the 4th Pillar of Islam; must be taught as a heart-posture of repentance flowing from God’s prior grace (2:13), not a meritorious ritual pillar-obligation. |
| return / repent | שׁוּב / ἐπιστρέφω | shuv | الرجوع (imperative: ارجعوا) / التوبة (noun) | [NEW TERM] | High | Repentance and Return to God | Overlaps with Islamic tawbah at the level of “turning,” but biblical repentance responds to a God already revealed as gracious (2:13) and, per the wider canon, is itself Spirit-enabled — not a self-sufficient act that independently earns restored standing. |
| gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love (chesed) | חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם, אֶרֶך אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד | channun ve-rachum, erekh apayim ve-rav-chesed | رؤوف ورحيم، بطيء الغضب وكثير الرحمة الثابتة/المحبة الأمينة | [NEW TERM] | High | Repentance and Return; Restoration | Overlaps with Quranic Ar-Rahman/Ar-Rahim and the Basmala; keep terminologically distinct from النعمة (Romans “grace,” unmerited apart from relationship) — chesed presumes an existing covenant relationship. |
| all flesh | כׇּל־בָּשָׂר / πᾶσα σάρξ | kol-basar | كل بشر | [NEW TERM] | High | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Must preserve full universal scope; parallels baseline’s High-risk “Universal Scope of the Gospel” doctrine. |
| prophesy (verb) | נִבָּא / προφητεύω | niba / prophēteuō | يتنبأ | [NEW TERM] | High | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit; Inspiration of Scripture | Risk of being read against khatam al-nabiyyin (seal of the prophets); teach as Spirit-given proclamation gifted broadly, not reopening of the closed prophetic office. |
| whom the LORD calls | קֹרֵא / κεκλημένοι | qore | المدعوون / الدعوة | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | High | Divine Calling | Direction of address is God summoning humanity, opposite of Islamic da’wah. |
| prophecy / prophet (general references) | נָבִיא / נבוءة | navi | نبي / نبوءة | [REUSED FROM BASELINE] | High / Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | Reused per baseline; “prophet” is High, “prophecy” (the abstract noun) is Low per baseline distinction. |
| wonders / signs | אוֹתוֹת / τέρατα | otot | آيات (paired: آيات وعجائب) | [NEW TERM] | High | The Day of the Lord | آيات collides with the Quranic term for scripture-verses; pair with عجائب and frame as cosmic apocalyptic signs, not recited text. |
| Judah/Jerusalem permanence | יְהוּדָה לְעוֹלָם תֵּשֵׁב | Yehudah le-olam teshev | يهوذا تسكن إلى الأبد | [NEW TERM] | High | Restoration and Blessing | Same political-sensitivity caution as Israel/Zion/Jerusalem entries; teach as redemptive-historical promise, not present-conflict commentary. |
| menservants and maidservants | עֲבָדִים / שְׁפָחוֹת | avadim / shefachot | العبيد والإماء | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Social-status leveling under the Spirit; avoid implying endorsement of the institution of slavery itself. |
| dream dreams / visions | חֲלוֹמוֹת / חֶזְיֹנוֹת | chalomot / chezyonot | أحلام / رؤى | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Distinguish from folk dream-interpretation tradition (ru’ya sadiqa); Spirit-initiated, not technique-based. |
| locusts (four terms) | גָּזָם, אַרְבֶּה, יֶלֶק, חָסִיל | gazam, arbeh, yeleq, chasil | الجراد (with descriptive qualifiers per house Bible text) | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Locust Plague as Divine Judgment | Doctrinal risk is interpretive frame (covenant judgment, Deut. 28:38) rather than entomological word choice; guard against default reading through impersonal qadar/fate. |
| rend your heart, not your garments | קִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְלֹא־בִגְדֵיכֶם | qir’u levavkhem ve-lo vigdeikhem | مزّقوا قلوبكم لا ثيابكم | [NEW TERM] | Medium-High | Repentance and Return to God | Genuine point of contact with Islamic niyyah (sincerity of intention); must not be read as condemning ritual observance as such. |
| trumpet / shofar | שׁוֹפָר / σάλπιγξ | shofar | البوق | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Day of the Lord | Possible bridge to Islamic Last-Hour trumpet (al-Sur/Israfil); clarify differing theological mechanics. |
| jealous (of God) | קִנֵּא / ζηλόω | qanne | غيور | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing | Covenant zeal, not petty human jealousy. |
| relents over disaster | נִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה | nicham al-ha-ra’ah | يرجع عن الشر | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Repentance and Return to God | Anthropopathic; not moral change in God nor fatalistic decree-reversal. |
| repay / restore (shalam) | שָׁלַם / ἀνταποδίδωμι | shalam | أعوّض / أردّ لكم | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Root-family relative of السلام (baseline “peace,” Medium) but a distinct restorative-compensation sense; God’s initiative, not repentance-as-wages. |
| not be ashamed | לֹא־תֵבֹשׁוּ | lo tevoshu | لن تخزوا | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Honor/shame reversal; flag for native-speaker cultural review. |
| grain offering and drink offering | מִנְחָה וָנֵסֶךְ | minchah va-nesekh | تقدمة وسكيبة | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Locust Plague as Divine Judgment | Avoid resonance with Islamic qurban; note OT-to-Christ typological fulfillment. |
| Shaddai / the Almighty | שַׁדַּי | Shaddai | القدير | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Day of the Lord | Broadly compatible with Al-Qadir; untranslatable Hebrew wordplay (shod/Shaddai) needs footnoting, not forced rendering. |
| nations (judgment context) | גּוֹיִם / ἔθνη | goyim | الأمم | [REUSED FROM BASELINE, recontextualized] | Medium | Restoration; contrast with Unity of Jews/Gentiles | Same word as baseline’s positive missional “Gentiles,” but here functions as objects of judgment; flag the contextual shift explicitly. |
| restore the fortunes | שׁוּב אֶת־שְׁבוּת | shuv et-shevut | أستعيد ازدهار | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Same root as “return/repent”; national-covenantal restoration sense. |
| Valley of Jehoshaphat | עֵמֶק יְהוֹשָׁפָט | Emeq Yehoshafat | وادي يهوشافاط | [NEW TERM] | Low-Medium | The Day of the Lord | Symbolic name (“YHWH judges”); no required modern geographic identification. |
| sickle / harvest ripe | מַגָּל / קָצִיר | maggal / qatsir | المنجل / الحصاد | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Day of the Lord | Echoed in Revelation 14:15. |
| winepress full | גַּת / יֶקֶב | gat / yeqev | المعصرة | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Day of the Lord | Echoed in Revelation 14:19-20. |
| refuge / stronghold | מָחְסֶה / מָעוֹז | machseh / ma’oz | ملجأ / حصن | [NEW TERM] | Low | Restoration and Blessing | Standard, low-collision vocabulary. |
| mountains drip sweet wine | יִטְּפוּ הֶהָרִים עָסִיס | yittefu he-harim asis | تقطر الجبال عصير العنب | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Loose bridge/contrast with Jannah abundance imagery; frame as covenantal, presence-based blessing. |
| fountain from the house of the LORD | מַעְיָן מִבֵּית יְהוָה | ma’yan mi-beit YHWH | عين ماء من بيت الرب | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Echoes Ezekiel 47 and Revelation 22; teach the canonical trajectory. |
| blood, fire, columns of smoke | דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן | dam va-esh ve-timrot ashan | دم ونار وأعمدة دخان | [NEW TERM] | Low | The Day of the Lord | Quoted in Acts 2:19; straightforward imagery, no collision. |
| sun to darkness, moon to blood | הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם | ha-shemesh yehafekh le-choshekh | تتحول الشمس إلى ظلام والقمر إلى دم | [NEW TERM] | Medium | The Day of the Lord | Point of contact with Islamic Last-Hour cosmic-sign imagery; clarify frameworks are not otherwise interchangeable. |
| escape / survivors / remnant | פְלֵיטָה / שְׂרִידִים | peletah / seridim | الناجون / البقية | [NEW TERM] | Medium-High | Restoration; connects to Election | Connects to baseline’s High-risk “election” and “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” doctrines; not ethnic privilege but God’s gracious preserving choice. |
| there is none else (monotheistic formula) | וְאֵין עוֹד | ve-ein od | ولا آخر | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Restoration and Blessing | Genuine tawhid point of contact; must be paired with explicit Trinitarian teaching. |
| pour out (the Spirit) | שָׁפַךְ / ἐκχέω | shaphak | أسكب | [NEW TERM] | Medium | Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Sovereign, abundant divine giving; avoid flattening to a generic “give.” |
Cross-Reference to Baseline Doctrine Risk Registry
The following Joel-specific doctrines extend (never contradict) the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json structure and should be added as new entries in that registry during the next Phase 1 step:
| Doctrine | Risk | Key Terms | Primary Passages | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Day of the Lord | Critical | يوم الرب, آيات وعجائب | Joel 1:15; 2:1-2, 10-11, 30-31; 3:14-16 | Human theologian |
| Outpouring of the Holy Spirit | Critical | الروح القدس, أسكب, كل بشر | Joel 2:28-29 | Human theologian |
| Repentance and Return to God | High | الرجوع, التوبة, صوم | Joel 1:13-14; 2:12-17 | Human theologian |
| The Locust Plague as Divine Judgment | Medium | الجراد, تقدمة وسكيبة | Joel 1:1-12; 2:1-11, 25 | Native speaker review |
| Restoration and Blessing after Repentance | Medium-High | أعوّض, البقية, تقطر الجبال عصير العنب | Joel 2:18-27; 3:17-21 | Human theologian (grace/merit boundary) |
Critical Risk Terms
Lord
Approved rendering: الرب
Transliteration: al-Rabb
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: السيد, المولى
Original: יְהוָה (LXX Κύριος)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. In Joel this renders the Hebrew יהוה (YHWH) throughout. Joel 2:32’s clause ‘everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved’ is the verbatim Old Testament source Paul quotes in Romans 10:13 and applies to Jesus in Romans 10:9 — the Arabic rendering must remain byte-for-byte identical between the two books. Baseline’s shirk-risk note (ascribing Allah’s own title to a human-born man) applies without qualification, compounded here because Joel supplies the actual OT antecedent clause.
God
Approved rendering: الله
Transliteration: Allāh
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: אֱלֹהִים (LXX θεός)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. No viable alternative exists. Content-level distinction between the Trinitarian conception this word denotes here and strictly unitarian tawhid must be taught explicitly, especially at Joel 2:27’s ‘I am the LORD your God, there is none else.‘
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: الروح القدس
Transliteration: al-Rūḥ al-Qudus
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: רוּחִי (LXX τὸ πνεῦμά μου)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Joel 2:28’s ‘my Spirit’ (רוּחִי) is this exact promise, identified by Peter in Acts 2:17-18 as fulfilled at Pentecost. Baseline’s Jibril-identification caution applies with full force: the identical Arabic phrase in Quran 2:87/2:253 names a different, created referent — every Joel 2:28-29 occurrence requires explicit teaching that this is the same co-equal divine Person affirmed throughout Romans.
Salvation
Approved rendering: الخلاص
Transliteration: al-khalāṣ
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: النجاة, الفوز بالجنة
Original: יִמָּלֵט (LXX σωθήσεται)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Joel 2:32’s יִמָּלֵט (‘shall be saved/escape’) is rendered يخلص; full baseline Critical notes on assured salvation versus the deeds-weighing mizan apply without modification.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: يوم الرب
Transliteration: Yawm al-Rabb
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: يوم القيامة, يوم الدين
Original: יוֹם יְהוָה הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא (LXX ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἡ μεγάλη καὶ ἐπιφανής)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. The book’s central organizing category (1:15; 2:1-2, 10-11, 30-31; 3:14-16). Must never be silently absorbed into يوم القيامة/يوم الدين’s deeds-weighing (mizan) mechanics; every occurrence requires the accompanying doctrinal note anchoring the outcome in God’s covenant character (2:13) and, per Romans 10:9-13’s direct citation of Joel 2:32, in Christ’s finished work.
Calls On The Name Of The Lord Shall Be Saved
Approved rendering: كل من يدعو باسم الرب يخلص
Transliteration: kullu man yad’ū bi-ismi al-Rabbi yakhlaṣ
Doctrine: Salvation Through Calling on the Name of the Lord
Original: כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהוָה יִמָּלֵט (LXX πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου σωθήσεται)
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (compound clause built from the reused elements الرب and الخلاص). Joel 2:32’s exact clause, quoted verbatim by Paul in Romans 10:13 and applied there to Jesus (Romans 10:9). MANDATORY: this Arabic wording must be verbatim-identical to the corresponding clause wherever Romans 10:13 is rendered, in this or any curriculum sharing this translation memory. Zero tolerance for wording drift.
High Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: مقدس
Transliteration: muqaddas
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: طاهر
Original: קֹדֶשׁ (LXX ἅγιος)
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Used in Joel for the consecrated fast (1:14) and for God’s own possession of Zion, ‘my holy mountain’ (3:17); retain the relational, set-apart-for-God sense, not a ritual-purity-only reading.
Israel
Approved rendering: إسرائيل
Transliteration: Isrā’īl
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Joel 2:27; 3:2, 16 require the same contemporary-political-sensitivity pastoral framing as the baseline note; Joel’s restoration promises must not be read as commentary on the present-day Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Called
Approved rendering: المدعوون
Transliteration: al-mad’uwwūn
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: المُنتخَبون
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Joel 2:32’s ‘those whom the LORD calls’ among the survivors uses this same sovereign-summons category; direction of address (God summoning humanity) is the opposite of Islamic da’wah.
Calling
Approved rendering: الدعوة
Transliteration: al-da’wah
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Retained to support the ‘called’ entry above for the Joel 2:32 remnant/election doctrine, even though the specific abstract noun form does not itself occur in the Joel text.
Prophet
Approved rendering: نبي
Transliteration: nabī
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: נָבִיא (LXX προφήτης)
Category: Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package exactly (baseline translation_memory.json risk: High). Joel is itself presented as prophetic speech (1:1). See the distinct new entry ‘prophesy_verb’ below for the separate High-risk verb form used of ‘sons and daughters’ in 2:28, which carries its own khatam al-nabiyyin collision risk not covered by this noun entry.
Election
Approved rendering: اختيار الله
Transliteration: ikhtiyār Allāh
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: القدر
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Connects directly to Joel 2:32’s remnant/survivors language (‘whom the LORD calls’), which must be taught as God’s gracious preserving choice, not ethnic/tribal privilege nor folk qadar fatalism.
Grace
Approved rendering: النعمة
Transliteration: al-ni’mah
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: الفضل, الرحمة
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Retained specifically as a CONTRAST anchor for Joel: Joel 2:13’s חֶסֶד (‘steadfast covenant love,’ see ‘covenant_character_chesed’ below) must be kept terminologically distinct from النعمة — chesed presupposes an existing covenant relationship, whereas النعمة (as in Romans) denotes unmerited favor apart from any prior relationship or merit. Never use النعمة to translate chesed.
Mount Zion
Approved rendering: جبل صهيون
Transliteration: Jabal Ṣihyawn
Doctrine: Restoration of Zion, Jerusalem, and the Land
Original: הַר צִיּוֹן (LXX ὄρος Σιών)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. صهيون/الصهيونية carries acute contemporary political-ideological weight in Arabic discourse, arguably sharper than ‘Isra’il’ (already flagged High in the baseline). Every occurrence must be framed explicitly as the biblical Temple-mount/covenant-presence site (Joel 2:32; 3:16-17), never the modern political movement.
Jerusalem
Approved rendering: أورشليم
Transliteration: Ūrshalīm
Doctrine: Restoration of Zion, Jerusalem, and the Land
Rejected alternatives: القدس
Original: יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם (LXX Ἰερουσαλήμ)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Use the established Van Dyck/NAV Old Testament form أورشليم consistently throughout; never القدس, which carries specific Islamic religious significance (Isra and Mi’raj, al-Aqsa) and the same acute contemporary political sensitivity flagged for Israel/Zion.
Holy Mountain
Approved rendering: جبلي المقدس
Transliteration: jabalī al-muqaddas
Doctrine: Restoration of Zion, Jerusalem, and the Land
Original: הַר קׇדְשִׁי (LXX τὸ ὄρος τὸ ἅγιόν μου)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Joel 3:17’s ‘my holy mountain,’ compounding the ‘holy’ note above with the political weight of صهيون; teach as covenant-presence language, never as commentary on the contested status of the modern city.
Fasting
Approved rendering: صوم
Transliteration: ṣawm
Doctrine: Fasting as a Practice of Repentance
Original: צוֹם (LXX νηστεία)
Category: Repentance
NEW TERM. Identical to Sawm, the fourth Pillar of Islam. Correct, standard, unavoidable Arabic Bible vocabulary (Joel 1:14; 2:12, 15); every occurrence requires explicit framing as a heart-posture response to a God already known as gracious (2:13), not a meritorious pillar-obligation that itself discharges religious duty.
Return Repent
Approved rendering: ارجعوا إلي / التوبة
Transliteration: irji’ū ilay / al-tawbah
Doctrine: Repentance and Return to God
Original: שׁוּב (LXX ἐπιστρέφω)
Category: Repentance
NEW TERM. The imperative ارجعوا إلي (‘return to me’) is the primary rendering of Joel’s own call (2:12-13); التوبة is permitted only as a supporting noun-form gloss and must always be paired with 2:13’s prior-grace ground clause. Overlaps with Islamic tawbah’s self-sufficient, mediator-free mechanics — do not let the Arabic imply the turning itself independently earns restored standing.
Covenant Character Chesed
Approved rendering: رؤوف ورحيم، بطيء الغضب وكثير الرحمة الثابتة
Transliteration: ra’ūf wa-raḥīm, baṭī’ al-ghaḍab wa-kathīr al-raḥmah al-thābitah
Doctrine: God’s Compassionate Covenant Character
Original: חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם אֶרֶך אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד (LXX ἐλεήμων καὶ οἰκτίρμων … μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος)
Category: God
NEW TERM. Joel 2:13’s fixed covenant-attribute formula (echoing Exodus 34:6). Overlaps with Quranic Ar-Rahman/Ar-Rahim and the Basmala — a genuine point of contact — but must be held together with Joel’s judgment themes (mercy is not leniency without judgment) and must be kept terminologically distinct from النعمة (see ‘grace’ entry above); chesed presumes an existing covenant relationship.
All Flesh
Approved rendering: كل بشر
Transliteration: kullu basharin
Doctrine: Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Original: כׇּל־בָּשָׂר (LXX πᾶσα σάρξ)
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. Joel 2:28’s כׇּל־בָּשָׂר. Must be preserved as fully inclusive — parallels the baseline’s High-risk ‘Universal Scope of the Gospel’ doctrine; do not let teaching or paraphrase quietly narrow this to an elite, priestly, or male-only group.
Prophesy Verb
Approved rendering: يتنبأ
Transliteration: yatanabba’
Doctrine: Inspiration and Prophetic Gifting
Original: נִבָּא (LXX προφητεύω)
Category: Prophecy
NEW TERM, distinct from the noun ‘prophet’ entry above. Joel 2:28’s ‘your sons and daughters shall prophesy’ risks collision with khatam al-nabiyyin (‘seal of the prophets’), which treats the prophetic office as closed and finalized in Muhammad. Must be taught explicitly as Spirit-given proclamation extended broadly to ordinary believers, not the reopening of the nabi office.
Wonders Signs
Approved rendering: آيات وعجائب
Transliteration: āyāt wa-‘ajā’ib
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Rejected alternatives: آيات (alone, unpaired)
Original: אוֹתוֹת (LXX τέρατα)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Joel 2:30’s אוֹתוֹת. آيات alone collides with the standard word for Quranic verses; always pair with عجائب (established Arabic Bible convention) and frame explicitly as cosmic apocalyptic portents, not recited scripture-text.
Judah Jerusalem Permanence
Approved rendering: يهوذا تسكن إلى الأبد
Transliteration: Yahūdhā taskun ilā al-abad
Doctrine: Restoration of Zion, Jerusalem, and the Land
Original: וִיהוּדָה לְעוֹלָם תֵּשֵׁב וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם לְדוֹר וָדוֹר
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 3:20’s climactic restoration promise. Shares the same contemporary-political-sensitivity caution as Israel/Zion/Jerusalem; must be taught in its redemptive-historical sense as covenant fulfillment, never as commentary on the present-day political conflict.
Remnant Survivors
Approved rendering: الناجون / البقية
Transliteration: al-nājūn / al-baqiyyah
Doctrine: Remnant and Election
Original: פְלֵיטָה / שְׂרִידִים (LXX ἀνασῳζόμενοι)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 2:32’s פְלֵיטָה/שְׂרִידִים. Connects directly to the baseline’s High-risk ‘election’ doctrine and ‘Unity of Jews and Gentiles’ doctrine; must not be read as ethnic/tribal privilege but as God’s gracious preserving choice, later extended in Romans 11:5 to Jew and Gentile alike.
Rend Your Heart Not Your Garments
Approved rendering: مزّقوا قلوبكم لا ثيابكم
Transliteration: mazziqū qulūbakum lā thiyābakum
Doctrine: Repentance and Return to God
Original: קִרְעוּ לְבַבְכֶם וְלֹא־בִגְדֵיכֶם (LXX διαρρήξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ μὴ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν)
Category: Repentance
NEW TERM. Joel 2:13. Genuine point of contact with Islamic niyyah (sincerity of intention over outward form); must not be overcorrected into implying that ritual observance itself (fasting, mourning customs) is condemned — the text targets empty/substitute ritual, and the same passage still calls for fasting (2:12, 15).
Medium Risk Terms
Gentiles
Approved rendering: الأمم
Transliteration: al-umam
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: الكفار
Inherited from Romans package exactly, but recontextualized in Joel: in the judgment-on-the-nations passages (3:2, 9, 11-12) الأمم functions as objects of God’s judgment for mistreatment of his people — a different rhetorical register from Romans’ positive missional-inclusion sense of the same word. See the separate ‘gentiles_nations_judgment_context’ entry below for segment-level flagging.
Peace
Approved rendering: السلام
Transliteration: al-salām
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: الأمان, الطمأنينة
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Retained as a root-family contrast reference for ‘repay_restore_shalam’ below — שָׁלַם/shalam shares a Hebrew root family with shalom/السلام but functions in Joel 2:25 as compensatory restoration language, distinct from the ‘peace with God’ justification doctrine.
Pour Out The Spirit
Approved rendering: أسكب
Transliteration: askub
Doctrine: Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Rejected alternatives: يعطي, يمنح
Original: שָׁפַךְ (LXX ἐκχέω)
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. Joel 2:28-29’s שָׁפַךְ. No direct vocabulary collision; the risk is ensuring the verb’s sense of sudden, sovereign, abundant divine self-giving is not flattened into a generic ‘give’ or ‘grant.‘
Menservants And Maidservants
Approved rendering: العبيد والإماء
Transliteration: al-‘abīd wa-al-imā’
Doctrine: Social Equality Under the Spirit’s Outpouring
Rejected alternatives: الخدم والخادمات
Original: הָעֲבָדִים / הַשְּׁפָחוֹת (LXX τοὺς δούλους / τὰς δούλας)
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM. Joel 2:29. No lexical collision; pastoral care is needed so the verse is not read as endorsing the institution of slavery itself — the point is the removal of social-rank barriers to the Spirit’s gift.
Dreams And Visions
Approved rendering: أحلام / رؤى
Transliteration: aḥlām / ru’ā
Doctrine: Inspiration and Prophetic Gifting
Original: חֲלוֹמוֹת / חֶזְיֹנוֹת (LXX ἐνύπνια / ὁράσεις)
Category: Prophecy
NEW TERM. Joel 2:28. Distinguish from the Arab/Islamic folk category of true dreams (ru’ya sadiqa) and dream-interpretation practice; these are Spirit-initiated revelatory events, not a technique of interpretation to be replicated.
Locusts
Approved rendering: الجراد
Transliteration: al-jarād
Doctrine: The Locust Plague as Divine Judgment
Original: גָּזָם, אַרְבֶּה, יֶלֶק, חָסִיל (LXX κάμπη, ἀκρίς, βροῦχος, ἐρυσίβη)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Joel 1:4’s four Hebrew terms (גָּזָם, אַרְבֶּה, יֶלֶק, חָסִיל), rendered generically as الجراد with descriptive qualifiers per the destination platform’s house Bible text. The doctrinal risk is the interpretive frame, not entomological vocabulary — teach as the outworking of the Deuteronomic covenant curse (Deut. 28:38), not generic qadar/fate.
Trumpet Shofar
Approved rendering: البوق
Transliteration: al-būq
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: שׁוֹפָר (LXX σάλπιγξ)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Joel 2:1. Possible bridge point to Islamic Last-Hour trumpet imagery (al-Sur/Israfil’s horn); note the underlying theological mechanics differ (see ‘day_of_the_lord’).
Jealous Covenant Zeal
Approved rendering: غيور
Transliteration: ghayūr
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: קִנֵּא (LXX ζηλόω)
Category: God
NEW TERM. Joel 2:18. Covenant zeal/protective love for God’s own people and land, not petty human jealousy or a capricious divine emotion.
Relents Over Disaster
Approved rendering: يرجع عن الشر
Transliteration: yarji’ ‘an al-sharr
Doctrine: Repentance and Return to God
Original: נִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה (LXX μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις)
Category: Repentance
NEW TERM. Joel 2:13. An anthropopathic expression of relational responsiveness to genuine repentance; not moral change in God’s character and not to be read as impersonal decree-reversal (qadar).
Repay Restore Shalam
Approved rendering: أعوّض / أردّ لكم
Transliteration: u’awwiḍ / aruddu lakum
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: שִׁלַּמְתִּי (LXX ἀνταποδώσω)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 2:25. Related to but distinct from السلام (see ‘peace’ entry above); functions here as compensatory restoration language flowing from God’s own initiative, not repentance functioning as wages that earn restoration.
Not Be Ashamed
Approved rendering: لن تخزوا
Transliteration: lan takhzū
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: לֹא־תֵבֹשׁוּ (LXX οὐ μὴ καταισχυνθῆτε)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 2:26-27. Honor/shame reversal evidencing restored covenant standing; flagged for native-speaker cultural review given strong honor/shame social dynamics in many Arab contexts.
Grain And Drink Offering
Approved rendering: تقدمة وسكيبة
Transliteration: taqdimah wa-sakībah
Doctrine: The Locust Plague as Divine Judgment
Original: מִנְחָה וָנֵסֶךְ (LXX θυσία καὶ σπονδή)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Joel 1:9, 13. Avoid resonance with the Islamic sacrificial practice of qurban; note the OT-to-Christ typological trajectory — these offerings are fulfilled in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice, not an ongoing necessity.
Shaddai The Almighty
Approved rendering: القدير
Transliteration: al-Qadīr
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: שַׁדַּי
Category: God
NEW TERM. Joel 1:15’s שַׁדַּי, in the wordplay keshod mi-Shaddai. Broadly compatible with Al-Qadir, one of the 99 names of Allah; the untranslatable Hebrew wordplay should be footnoted, not forced into Arabic.
Gentiles Nations Judgment Context
Approved rendering: الأمم
Transliteration: al-umam
Doctrine: Judgment on the Nations
Original: גּוֹיִם (LXX ἔθνη)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM entry recorded separately from the inherited baseline ‘gentiles’ entry to flag the specific Joel 3:2, 9, 11-12 judgment-context usage for Phase 2 segment-level flagging; same Arabic word as the baseline term, opposite rhetorical register from Romans’ positive missional-inclusion sense — must be flagged explicitly wherever it occurs in this register.
Restore The Fortunes
Approved rendering: أستعيد ازدهار
Transliteration: astaʻīdu izdihār
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: שׁוּב אֶת־שְׁבוּת (LXX ἐπιστρέψω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 3:1. National/covenantal restoration at the eschatological horizon, sharing a Hebrew root with the ‘return_repent’ entry above.
Valley Of Jehoshaphat
Approved rendering: وادي يهوشافاط
Transliteration: Wādī Yahūshāfāṭ
Doctrine: Judgment on the Nations
Original: עֵמֶק יְהוֹשָׁפָט (LXX ἡ κοιλὰς τοῦ Ἰωσαφάτ)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Joel 3:2, 12. Symbolically-named judgment site meaning ‘YHWH judges’; no modern geographic identification is required — footnote the name’s meaning rather than speculating on a location.
Sickle And Harvest
Approved rendering: المنجل / الحصاد
Transliteration: al-minjal / al-ḥaṣād
Doctrine: Judgment on the Nations
Original: מַגָּל / קָצִיר (LXX δρέπανον / τρύγητος)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Joel 3:13. Harvest-as-judgment imagery, directly echoed in Revelation 14:15.
Winepress Full
Approved rendering: المعصرة مملوءة
Transliteration: al-miʻṣarah mamlū’ah
Doctrine: Judgment on the Nations
Original: הַגַּת מָלֵאָה (LXX ἡ ληνὸς γέμει)
Category: Judgment
NEW TERM. Joel 3:13. Judgment imagery directly echoed in Revelation 14:19-20 (‘the great winepress of the wrath of God’).
Mountains Drip Sweet Wine
Approved rendering: تقطر الجبال عصير العنب
Transliteration: taqṭuru al-jibāl ‘aṣīr al-‘inab
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: יִטְּפוּ הֶהָרִים עָסִיס (LXX ἀποσταλάξει τὰ ὄρη γλυκασμόν)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 3:18. Loose bridge/contrast point with Islamic Jannah abundance imagery; frame as covenantal, presence-of-God-based blessing, not a generic deeds-merited reward.
Fountain From The House Of The Lord
Approved rendering: عين ماء من بيت الرب
Transliteration: ‘ayn mā’ min bayt al-Rabb
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: מַעְיָן מִבֵּית יְהוָה יֵצֵא (LXX πηγὴ ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Κυρίου)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 3:18. Echoes Ezekiel 47:1-12 and Revelation 22:1-2; note the canonical trajectory explicitly to avoid an isolated, merely local reading.
Sun To Darkness Moon To Blood
Approved rendering: تتحول الشمس إلى ظلام والقمر إلى دم
Transliteration: tataḥawwalu al-shams ilā ẕalām wa-al-qamar ilā dam
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵהָפֵךְ לְחֹשֶׁךְ וְהַיָּרֵחַ לְדָם (LXX ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Joel 2:31; 3:15. Genuine point of contact with Islamic ashrat al-sa’ah (signs of the Last Hour) cosmic-disturbance imagery; note the two eschatological frameworks are not otherwise interchangeable.
There Is None Else
Approved rendering: ولا آخر
Transliteration: wa-lā ākhar
Doctrine: Monotheism and God’s Uniqueness
Original: וְאֵין עוֹד
Category: God
NEW TERM. Joel 2:27. Genuine point of contact with Islamic tawhid; must always be paired with explicit teaching that this one God is triune and fully revealed in Christ, never left standing as a bare unitarian statement.
Low Risk Terms
Prophecy
Approved rendering: نبوءة
Transliteration: nubū’ah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: נְבוּאָה (LXX προφητεία)
Category: Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package exactly. The whole book of Joel functions as prophecy fulfilled and cited in Acts 2 and Romans 10; low independent risk.
Refuge And Stronghold
Approved rendering: ملجأ / حصن
Transliteration: malja’ / ḥiṣn
Doctrine: Restoration and Blessing after Repentance
Original: מָחְסֶה / מָעוֹז (LXX καταφυγή / ἰσχύς)
Category: Restoration
NEW TERM. Joel 3:16. Standard, low-collision vocabulary; straightforward rendering.
Blood Fire And Columns Of Smoke
Approved rendering: دم ونار وأعمدة دخان
Transliteration: dam wa-nār wa-a’midat dukhān
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord
Original: דָּם וָאֵשׁ וְתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן (LXX αἷμα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ἀτμὶς καπνοῦ)
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM. Joel 2:30, quoted in Acts 2:19. Straightforward, concrete apocalyptic/battlefield imagery; no doctrinal collision.
Mourning And Lament
Approved rendering: نوحوا / اندبوا
Transliteration: nūḥū / andubū
Doctrine: Mourning and Lament
Original: אֵבֶל / סְפְדוּ (LXX πενθεῖτε / κόπτεσθε)
Category: Repentance
NEW TERM. Joel 1:8-13. Communal grief as the appropriate first response to divine judgment, preceding the fuller call to repentance in chapter 2; standard vocabulary, no doctrinal collision.
Referenced passages