Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — 1 Corinthians (Koine Greek → English → Assamese)

Scope and Method

This document analyzes the entire book of 1 Corinthians (chapters 1–16) in the original Koine Greek. The core passage, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter is analyzed for its load-bearing theological vocabulary using the same fields. Where a term is already established in the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json), that exact Assamese rendering is reused without variation, per the hard rule that established terms MUST be reused exactly. New terms specific to 1 Corinthians are proposed here for inclusion in the extended translation memory (Phase 1 Step 3 will formalize this update).

Fields applied to every term:

Original (Greek word + transliteration)
Literal meaning
Semantic range
English variants (as rendered across major English versions)
Contextual theological meaning (as used in 1 Corinthians)
Assamese rendering and destination-language risk tier, with grounded reasoning

Risk tiers follow the baseline convention: Critical (destroys doctrine), High (creates syncretism/confusion), Medium (reduces clarity), Low (minor imprecision).

Assam-specific collision points recur through this analysis beyond those already flagged in the Romans baseline: the Ekasarana Dharma naam tradition (Sankardev), the Satra/Namghar institutional structure, and — newly load-bearing for 1 Corinthians — the strong Tantric/Shakta heritage centered on Kamakhya (mystery, secret knowledge, trance/possession phenomena such as deodhani dance), the jnana-marga (path of knowledge) strand of Vaishnavite-Hindu thought relevant to “wisdom” and “knowledge,” and image/murti worship relevant to “idol,” “idol food,” and the “temple” metaphor for the believer’s body.

PART A — Core Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (Verse-by-Verse)

1 Corinthians 15:1

Greek: Γνωρίζω δὲ ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοί, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὃ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν, ὃ καὶ παρελάβετε, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ἑστήκατε

gospel — Original: εὐαγγέλιον (euangelion). Literal: “good message.” Semantic range: an authoritative proclaimed announcement, technically the singular saving message of Christ crucified, buried, and risen. English variants: “gospel,” “good news.” Contextual meaning: Paul reminds the Corinthians of the specific apostolic message he first preached to them, the same message defined precisely in vv.3-5. Assamese: সুসমাচাৰ (xusomacar). Risk: High — established baseline term (translation_memory.json); reuse exactly. Must not be softened into generic “good news” (ভাল খবৰ), already rejected in baseline.
preached / made known — Original: εὐηγγελισάμην (euēngelisamēn, from εὐαγγελίζω), and Γνωρίζω (gnōrizō, “I make known”). Literal: “I gospeled/announced” and “I make known.” Semantic range: formal proclamation, not casual conversation. Contextual meaning: Paul is not introducing new material but restating the founding proclamation. Assamese: সুসমাচাৰ প্ৰচাৰ কৰা (reuse baseline “mission” phrase সুসমাচাৰ প্ৰচাৰ for the verbal act) / জানিবলৈ দিয়া for γνωρίζω. Risk: Medium — must retain the sense of authoritative re-proclamation, not casual reminder.
received — Original: παρελάβετε (parelabete, from παραλαμβάνω). Literal: “you received/took alongside.” Semantic range: technical term for receiving a formal tradition handed down (paired with παραδίδωμι, “hand down,” in v.3). Contextual meaning: the Corinthians received the gospel as a fixed, authoritative deposit, not a personal opinion they formed. Assamese: গ্ৰহণ কৰিছিল (grôhon kôriсhilô). Risk: High — must preserve the technical “received tradition” sense; a loose translation could make the gospel sound like one option among many the Corinthians happened to accept.
stand — Original: ἑστήκατε (hestēkate, perfect of ἵστημι). Literal: “you have stood and continue standing.” Semantic range: firm, settled position. Contextual meaning: the gospel is the ground on which their faith stands, present tense continuing state. Assamese: থিয় হৈ আছা (thiyô hoi asa). Risk: Low.

1 Corinthians 15:2

Greek: δι’ οὗ καὶ σῴζεσθε, τίνι λόγῳ εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν εἰ κατέχετε, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐπιστεύσατε.

being saved — Original: σῴζεσθε (sōzesthe, present passive of σῴζω). Literal: “you are being saved.” Semantic range: ongoing, passive reception of deliverance from God — not self-achieved. Contextual meaning: salvation is applied continually through holding fast to the gospel message; it is the same salvation defined throughout Romans. Assamese: পৰিত্ৰাণ পাই আছা (reuse baseline term পৰিত্ৰাণ, poritran). Risk: Critical — established baseline term; NEVER মুক্তি or মোক্ষ (rebirth-cycle liberation). The present-passive form must be rendered so it does not sound like a process of self-effort toward moksha.
hold fast — Original: κατέχετε (katechete). Literal: “you hold down/retain firmly.” Semantic range: to keep possession of, retain against loss. Contextual meaning: continuing belief in the gospel content, not a one-time past decision only. Assamese: দৃঢ়ভাবে ধরি ৰখা (dridhôbhabe dhôri rôkha). Risk: Medium.
believed in vain — Original: ἐπιστεύσατε (episteusate, from πιστεύω, “believe”), εἰκῇ (eikē, “vainly, without effect, groundlessly”). Literal: “you believed to no purpose.” Semantic range: faith that had no real object/content or produces no lasting fruit. Contextual meaning: Paul is not questioning true faith but warning that professed faith without belief in a real historical resurrection is empty. Assamese: বৃথাই বিশ্বাস কৰা (brithai biswax kôra) — বিশ্বাস reused from baseline (faith, High risk). Risk: High — must not suggest faith itself as a category is uncertain; the vanity in view is a faith detached from the historical fact of resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:3

Greek: παρέδωκα γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν πρώτοις, ὃ καὶ παρέλαβον, ὅτι Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν κατὰ τὰς γραφάς

delivered — Original: παρέδωκα (paredōka, from παραδίδωμι). Literal: “I handed over/traditioned.” Semantic range: the technical rabbinic-style term for transmitting a fixed authoritative tradition (paired with παραλαμβάνω, “receive,” used of Paul himself receiving it). Contextual meaning: Paul is not the originator of this message but a transmitter of an already-fixed apostolic creed, underscoring its historical reliability. Assamese: শিকাই দিছিলোঁ / হস্তান্তৰ কৰিছিলোঁ (xikai dichilô / hôstantôr kôrichilô). Risk: High — must convey formal transmission of a fixed apostolic deposit, not Paul’s personal opinion; this underlies the doctrine of the historicity and inspiration of the resurrection kerygma.
of first importance — Original: ἐν πρώτοις (en prōtois). Literal: “among first things.” Semantic range: primary rank, foundational priority (not merely chronological firstness). Contextual meaning: this is the non-negotiable core of the gospel. Assamese: আটাইতকৈ প্ৰধান কথা হিচাপে (ataitôkoi prôdhan kôtha hisape). Risk: Medium.
Christ — Original: Χριστός (Christos). Literal: “Anointed One” (Greek rendering of Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ, Messiah). Semantic range: title of the promised OT deliverer, here functioning nearly as a proper name for Jesus. Contextual meaning: identical to the “Messiah” doctrine already flagged Critical in the Romans baseline. Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্ট (established transliteration per baseline 12_ai document). Risk: Critical — must not be assimilated to Sankardev’s status as reformer/founder within Ekasarana Dharma, nor to Krishna as one of Vishnu’s avatars (see baseline “messiah” entry, reused here without modification).
died — Original: ἀπέθανεν (apethanen). Literal: “died.” Semantic range: actual, historical death (not metaphorical or illusory suffering). Contextual meaning: real bodily death, essential to the resurrection argument that follows. Assamese: মৰিছিল (môrichilô). Risk: Medium — must convey genuine, real death, not an illusory or temporary appearance of death as found in some Puranic narrative patterns of divine “descent and withdrawal.”
for our sins — Original: ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν (hyper tōn hamartiōn hēmōn). Literal: “on behalf of/for the sake of our sins.” Semantic range: substitutionary, benefit-conferring death. Contextual meaning: atoning, vicarious death — the same atonement doctrine flagged for escalation to human theologian review in the baseline 12_ai document (Romans 3:25 pattern). Assamese: আমাৰ পাপৰ কাৰণে (amar paapor karône) — পাপ reused from baseline (sin, High risk). Risk: Critical — must preserve substitutionary/vicarious sense, not a general association with sin’s consequence; escalate to theologian review per baseline atonement-language rule.
according to the Scriptures — Original: κατὰ τὰς γραφάς (kata tas graphas). Literal: “according to the writings.” Semantic range: the fixed, authoritative OT canon fulfilled precisely, not a loosely inspired devotional text. Contextual meaning: links directly to the baseline “fulfillment_of_prophecy” and “inspiration_of_scripture” doctrines. Assamese: শাস্ত্ৰৰ অনুসাৰে (xastror onusare). Risk: High — distinguish God-breathed Scripture from the Ekasarana tradition’s own near-canonical devotional text, the Assamese Bhagavata (per baseline “inspiration_of_scripture” doctrine note); a translator note is required at first occurrence in this book.

1 Corinthians 15:4

Greek: καὶ ὅτι ἐτάφη, καὶ ὅτι ἐγήγερται τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ κατὰ τὰς γραφάς

buried — Original: ἐτάφη (etaphē). Literal: “was buried.” Semantic range: real, physical entombment. Contextual meaning: confirms the reality of Christ’s death (against any docetic/illusory-death reading) and sets up the empty-tomb logic of resurrection. Assamese: মৈদাম দিছিল / শবস্থানত থোয়া হৈছিল (moidam dichilô). Risk: Medium.
raised — Original: ἐγήγερται (egēgertai, perfect passive of ἐγείρω). Literal: “has been raised (and remains raised).” Semantic range: passive voice — God is the acting agent; perfect tense — a completed act with ongoing present significance, not a repeatable cyclical event. Contextual meaning: this is the resurrection of Christ doctrine, Critical risk in the baseline. Assamese: পুনৰুত্থিত হ’ল (reuse root পুনৰুত্থান, punoruththan). Risk: Critical — NEVER পুনৰ্জন্ম (rebirth into সংসাৰ). A translator note distinguishing this once-for-all bodily resurrection from cyclical rebirth is mandatory at first occurrence, per baseline rule.
third day — Original: τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ (tē hēmera tē tritē). Literal: “on the third day.” Semantic range: a specific, historically anchored time reference, itself understood as fulfilling Scripture (cf. Hosea 6:2, Jonah’s sign). Contextual meaning: anchors the resurrection in real, dated history, not mythic timelessness. Assamese: তৃতীয় দিনা (tritiyô dina). Risk: Low.

1 Corinthians 15:5

Greek: καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ, εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα·

appeared — Original: ὤφθη (ōphthē, aorist passive of ὁράω, “see”). Literal: “he was seen / he appeared/showed himself.” Semantic range: a real, objective visual encounter with a physically present person, not a subjective vision, dream, or spiritual impression only. Contextual meaning: foundational to the doctrine of bodily resurrection — Christ was seen by named, checkable witnesses. Assamese: দৰ্শন দিলে (dôrxôn dile). Risk: Critical — must not be rendered with a term suggesting a mere vision, dream, or spiritual sense-impression (which would concede ground to a “spiritual only” resurrection reading); must convey a real, embodied appearing to witnesses.
Cephas — Original: Κηφᾷ (Kēpha, Aramaic transliterated). Proper name for Peter. Assamese: কৈফা (established proper-name transliteration; may gloss “পিতৰ” [Peter] on first use). Risk: Low.
the twelve — Original: τοῖς δώδεκα (tois dōdeka). Literal: “the twelve.” Semantic range: a fixed title for Jesus’s inner circle of authorized witnesses, distinct from “all the apostles” in v.7 (a broader group). Contextual meaning: emphasizes an identifiable, bounded group of eyewitnesses. Assamese: বাৰজন (শিষ্য) (barojon [xiсhyô]). Risk: Low.

1 Corinthians 15:6

Greek: ἔπειτα ὤφθη ἐπάνω πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ, ἐξ ὧν οἱ πλείονες μένουσιν ἕως ἄρτι, τινὲς δὲ ἐκοιμήθησαν·

five hundred brothers at one time — Original: πεντακοσίοις ἀδελφοῖς ἐφάπαξ (pentakosiois adelphois ephapax). Literal: “five hundred brothers, once-for-all/at one occasion.” Semantic range: ἐφάπαξ stresses a single, simultaneous, verifiable mass sighting. Contextual meaning: Paul offers a checkable eyewitness claim — most of the 500 were still living and could be asked. This is an apologetic historical argument, not devotional legend. Assamese: এবাৰতে পাঁচ শ ভাই (ebarôte pas xô bhai). Risk: Medium — preserve the historical-verifiability force; do not soften into vague “many people.”
fallen asleep — Original: ἐκοιμήθησαν (ekoimēthēsan, from κοιμάομαι, “sleep”). Literal: “have fallen asleep.” Semantic range: a common NT euphemism for the death of believers, implying a temporary state pending resurrection — NOT a claim about an intermediate soul-transmigration state. Contextual meaning: death is not annihilation nor an entry into a new rebirth but a “sleep” awaiting the resurrection described later in the chapter. Assamese: নিদ্ৰিত হৈছিল (nidritô hoichilô) or মৃত্যুক প্ৰাপ্ত হৈছিল with note. Risk: Medium — a translator note should clarify this is a resurrection-hope euphemism, not a statement implying an intermediate rebirth state consistent with সংসাৰ.

1 Corinthians 15:7

Greek: ἔπειτα ὤφθη Ἰακώβῳ, εἶτα τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν·

James — Original: Ἰακώβῳ (Iakōbō). Proper name (the Lord’s brother, later leader of the Jerusalem church). Assamese: যাকোব (established transliteration). Risk: Low.
all the apostles — Original: τοῖς ἀποστόλοις πᾶσιν (tois apostolois pasin). Semantic range: the wider circle of authorized, sent witnesses beyond the Twelve. Assamese: প্ৰেৰিত সকল (reuse baseline প্ৰেৰিত, prerito, Medium risk). Risk: Medium — reuse baseline term exactly; must not be rendered গুৰু (guru), which would collapse apostolic authority into the Ekasarana Satradhikar guru-succession role (per baseline “apostleship” doctrine note).

1 Corinthians 15:8

Greek: ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων ὡσπερεὶ τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί.

last of all — Original: ἔσχατον πάντων (eschaton pantōn). Literal: “last of all [these appearances].” Semantic range: temporal finality within the list of resurrection-appearance witnesses; also carries a note of unworthiness/lateness. Assamese: আটাইৰে শেষত (ataire xexôtô). Risk: Low.
untimely born — Original: τῷ ἐκτρώματι (tō ektrōmati, “miscarried/stillborn child,” a rare and startling self-description). Literal: “as to one born out of due time / an untimely birth.” Semantic range: a violent, self-deprecating image of unexpected, undeserved, out-of-sequence birth. Contextual meaning: Paul underscores that his apostleship was unearned and abrupt, received by grace despite being unqualified by normal timing (he did not walk with the earthly Jesus like the others). Assamese: অকালতে জন্ম হোৱা এজন লৰাৰ নিচিনা (okalôte jônmô howa ejôn lôrar nisina), with translator note explaining the self-deprecating force. Risk: Medium — an overly clinical translation could lose the humility/grace emphasis Paul intends.

1 Corinthians 15:9

Greek: οὐ γάρ εἰμι ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος, διότι ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ.

least of the apostles / not worthy to be called — Original: οὐ … ἱκανὸς καλεῖσθαι ἀπόστολος (ouk hikanos kaleisthai apostolos). Literal: “not sufficient/fit to be called an apostle.” Semantic range: ἱκανός = adequate, qualified. καλεῖσθαι reuses the baseline “called” verb (κλητός family) but here in a disqualifying sense — Paul says he is unfit to bear the title, even though God’s calling (v.10, “grace”) made him one anyway. Assamese: প্ৰেৰিত বুলি মতা হ’বলৈ যোগ্য নহয় — মতা reused from baseline (called, High risk). Risk: High — must not blur God’s sovereign call (which stands regardless of human worthiness) with a suggestion that Paul earned or was denied apostleship on his own merit; the doctrinal point is that grace calls the unworthy.
persecuted the church of God — Original: ἐδίωξα τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ θεοῦ (ediōxa tēn ekklēsian tou theou). Literal: “I persecuted the church/assembly of God.” ἐκκλησία reused from baseline (church, Medium risk, রূপ মণ্ডলী). Contextual meaning: Paul’s pre-conversion identity as a persecutor magnifies the grace that transformed him. Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ মণ্ডলীক তাড়না কৰিছিলোঁ (Iswôror môndoli tarona kôrichilô). Risk: Medium — মণ্ডলী must be used, never নামঘৰ (per baseline forbidden-substitution rule).

1 Corinthians 15:10

Greek: χάριτι δὲ θεοῦ εἰμι ὅ εἰμι, καὶ ἡ χάρις αὐτοῦ ἡ εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη, ἀλλὰ περισσότερον αὐτῶν πάντων ἐκοπίασα, οὐκ ἐγὼ δὲ ἀλλὰ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σὺν ἐμοί.

grace — Original: χάρις (charis), occurring three times in this single verse. Literal: “favor, gift.” Semantic range: unmerited divine favor — the same term as the baseline Romans “grace” entry. Contextual meaning: Paul’s entire identity and ministry are attributed to unearned favor, directly following his self-description as unworthy in v.9 — a textbook grace-versus-merit contrast. Assamese: অনুগ্ৰহ (reuse baseline exactly, anugrôh). Risk: High — this verse is a prime candidate for the baseline’s mandatory grace-merit contrast preservation rule; must not be rendered with any term suggesting a boon (বৰ) earned through devotion or effort, since the entire verse’s rhetorical force depends on the opposite being true.
not in vain — Original: οὐ κενὴ ἐγενήθη (ou kenē egenēthē). Literal: “did not become empty.” Semantic range: grace that produced real, tangible fruit (Paul’s labors), not a wasted or ineffective gift. Assamese: বৃথা হ’ল নাই (britha holôi nai). Risk: Medium.
worked harder / labored — Original: περισσότερον … ἐκοπίασα (perissoteron … ekopiasa, from κοπιάω, “toil to exhaustion”). Literal: “I toiled more abundantly [than all of them].” Semantic range: exhausting, sacrificial labor. Contextual meaning: Paul immediately qualifies this achievement-sounding statement by attributing the labor itself to grace working in him (“not I, but the grace of God with me”), preserving the same grace-not-merit logic. Assamese: অধিক পৰিশ্ৰম কৰিছিলোঁ (odhik pôrixrôm kôrichilô). Risk: Medium — must be paired tightly with the following clause so it is not misread as self-achieved merit undercutting the grace statement.

1 Corinthians 15:11

Greek: εἴτε οὖν ἐγὼ εἴτε ἐκεῖνοι, οὕτως κηρύσσομεν καὶ οὕτως ἐπιστεύσατε.

preach — Original: κηρύσσομεν (kēryssomen, from κηρύσσω, “to herald, proclaim publicly”). Literal: “we herald/proclaim.” Semantic range: official public proclamation, as by a herald announcing a king’s decree — not private teaching or philosophical speculation. Contextual meaning: unites Paul with all the other apostolic eyewitnesses in proclaiming an identical, non-negotiable message (vv.3-5). Assamese: প্ৰচাৰ কৰোঁ (prôcar kôroṅ). Risk: Medium — should retain the “authoritative herald” force, distinguishing gospel proclamation from a teacher offering one viewpoint among several spiritual paths.
believed — Original: ἐπιστεύσατε (episteusate, same root as v.2). Assamese: বিশ্বাস কৰিলা (reuse baseline বিশ্বাস, biswax, High risk). Risk: High — closes the passage by returning to the same faith-in-the-resurrection theme that opened it in v.2; consistency of rendering across the passage is required per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rules.

PART B — Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis of the Whole Book

Chapter 1

Establishes several terms carried through the whole letter.

called — κλητός (klētos) / κλῆσις (1:1, 1:2, 1:9, 1:24, 1:26). Contextual meaning: Paul’s own apostolic call (1:1), believers “called to be saints” (1:2), those “called” by God into fellowship with Christ (1:9), and God’s sovereign calling of “the foolish” (1:26-27). Assamese: মতা / মতনি (reuse baseline exactly). Risk: High — same divine-calling doctrine as Romans; must be distinguished from self-initiated devotional “taking naam” in Ekasarana practice (per baseline “divine_calling” doctrine note).
church — ἐκκλησία (1:2). Assamese: মণ্ডলী (reuse baseline). Risk: Medium.
sanctified / holy / saints — ἡγιασμένοις / κλητοῖς ἁγίοις (1:2). Assamese: পবিত্ৰীকৃত / পবিত্ৰ লোক (reuse baseline পবিত্ৰীকৰণ, পবিত্ৰ লোক). Risk: High — must not read as an ascetic elite (সন্ত/ভক্ত), per baseline “sainthood” doctrine note; here explicitly addressed to the whole quarrelsome Corinthian congregation, sharpening the point that sainthood is a status, not an achievement.
grace and peace — χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη (1:3). Assamese: অনুগ্ৰহ আৰু শান্তি (reuse baseline both terms). Risk: High / Medium respectively.
fellowship — κοινωνία (1:9, “fellowship of his Son”). Assamese: সহভাগিতা (reuse baseline). Risk: Low.
cross — σταυρός (1:17-18, “the cross of Christ,” “the message of the cross”). Literal: the wooden execution stake. Semantic range: instrument of shameful Roman execution, transformed into the theological symbol of atonement. English variants: “cross,” “crucifixion.” Contextual meaning: the cross is presented as the paradox where apparent weakness/foolishness is actually God’s power and wisdom (1:18-25) — the central polemic of the chapter. Assamese: ক্ৰুচ (established Assamese Christian transliteration, parallel to খ্ৰীষ্ট). Risk: High — no direct Hindu-Assamese cultural equivalent for “curse-symbol overturned into triumph,” so the concept (not just the word) needs contextual reinforcement; must not be reduced to a general symbol of suffering/renunciation that could echo ascetic self-mortification ideals.
wisdom — σοφία (1:17, 19-25, 27, 30). Literal: skill, insight, understanding. Semantic range: in Greco-Roman usage, rhetorical/philosophical sophistication; in 1 Corinthians, contrasted sharply with “the foolishness of the cross” as God’s true wisdom. Contextual meaning: the chapter’s central argument is that God’s wisdom (the cross) confounds human wisdom. Assamese: প্ৰজ্ঞা (prôgya) or জ্ঞান (gyan). Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: in Assamese Hindu/Vaishnavite thought, “জ্ঞান” carries the specific technical sense of jnana-marga, one of the three classical paths to liberation (jnana-marga, karma-marga, bhakti-marga) alongside the Ekasarana Dharma’s own bhakti emphasis. Rendering “wisdom” as জ্ঞান risks the reader hearing Paul commend a rival “path” of spiritual knowledge-attainment, precisely the opposite of his argument that the cross overturns human wisdom-paths altogether. প্ৰজ্ঞা is preferred as marking God’s own wisdom/insight rather than a human path-to-liberation category; a translator note distinguishing Paul’s “wisdom of God” from jnana-marga is recommended at first occurrence.
foolishness — μωρία (1:18, 21, 23, 25). Assamese: মূৰ্খতা (murkhôta). Risk: Medium — contrastive term to wisdom above; must retain the deliberate paradox (what looks foolish is actually God’s power).
power — δύναμις (1:18, 24). Assamese: শক্তি, paired as ঈশ্বৰৰ শক্তি when referring to God’s power (reuse baseline “power_of_god”). Risk: High.
boasting — καυχάομαι (1:29, 31, “so that no one may boast before God” / “let him who boasts, boast in the Lord”). Assamese: গর্ব কৰা. Risk: Low.
righteousness, sanctification, redemption — δικαιοσύνη, ἁγιασμός, ἀπολύτρωσις (1:30, “Christ became for us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption”). Assamese: ধাৰ্মিকতা (reuse baseline, Critical), পবিত্ৰীকৰণ (reuse baseline, High). redemption — ἀπολύτρωσις: literal “buying back/ransoming.” Assamese: মুক্তিমূল্য/উদ্ধাৰ — proposed new term উদ্ধাৰ (uddhar, “rescue/deliverance”) or a phrase মূল্য দি উদ্ধাৰ কৰা (“delivered by payment of a price”). Risk: Critical — must NOT be rendered মুক্তি alone (the forbidden salvation-substitution term reserved for রebirth-cycle liberation in the baseline); the compound phrase preserves the price-paid/ransom sense without invoking মোক্ষ/মুক্তি.

Chapter 2

wisdom / knowledge — σοφία / γνῶσις (2:1, 4-7, 13). Contextual meaning: Paul deliberately preached “not with words of human wisdom” but “in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (2:4-5); introduces “wisdom” as a “secret and hidden wisdom of God” for the spiritually mature. Assamese: প্ৰজ্ঞা / জ্ঞান (reuse ch.1 renderings). Risk: High — same jnana-marga collision risk as ch.1, intensified because 2:6-7 speaks of a wisdom “for the mature,” which could be misheard as an esoteric higher-knowledge tier parallel to advanced spiritual attainment stages recognized in Vaishnavite/Tantric practice; translator note required.
mystery — μυστήριον (2:1, 2:7 “we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God”). Literal: a secret revealed only to initiates. Semantic range: in NT usage, God’s redemptive plan formerly hidden, now openly revealed in Christ to all who believe — NOT an esoteric teaching restricted to an inner circle. English variants: “mystery,” “secret.” Contextual meaning: crucial to distinguish from initiatory secret knowledge. Assamese: নিগূঢ় তত্ত্ব (nigudhô tôttô, “hidden truth”) or ৰহস্য (rôhôsyô, “secret”). Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: Assam’s strong Tantric-Shakta heritage centered on Kamakhya worship includes esoteric secret doctrines (rahasya, guhya vidya) transmitted only to initiated practitioners under a guru. Rendering μυστήριον as ৰহস্য without qualification risks the reader assimilating Paul’s “mystery” to this initiatory secret-knowledge framework. Preferred: নিগূঢ় তত্ত্ব, with a mandatory translator note clarifying that the NT mystery is God’s plan once hidden but now openly proclaimed to all believers, not an esoteric teaching restricted to spiritual adepts.
spiritual / natural (soulish) person — πνευματικός / ψυχικός ἄνθρωπος (2:14-15). Literal: “Spirit-person” vs. “soul-person.” Semantic range: πνευματικός = one indwelt by and responsive to the Holy Spirit; ψυχικός = one operating only by natural human faculties, without the Spirit — not a hierarchy of spiritual attainment levels. English variants: “spiritual,” “unspiritual,” “natural,” “worldly.” Assamese: আত্মিক মানুহ / প্ৰাণিক মানুহ (atmik manuh / pranik manuh). Risk: High — must not be read as a caste-like or attainment-tier distinction (cf. adept vs. ordinary devotee categories in Ekasarana practice); the distinction is binary (Spirit-indwelt believer vs. unbeliever), not graduated.
Spirit of God — Πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ (2:11-12). Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ আত্মা / পবিত্ৰ আত্মা (reuse baseline holy_spirit term where the divine Spirit is meant). Risk: Critical.
mind of Christ — νοῦς Χριστοῦ (2:16). Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ মন. Risk: Low.

Chapter 3

temple — ναός (3:16-17, “you are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells in you”). Literal: the inner sanctuary/dwelling-place of a deity (distinct from ἱερόν, the wider temple precinct). Semantic range: the specific holy place where a deity is believed to dwell. Contextual meaning: the corporate church (in ch.3) is God’s dwelling place by the Spirit — a metaphor of indwelling presence, not an architectural building. English variants: “temple,” “sanctuary.” Assamese: proposed ঈশ্বৰৰ নিবাসস্থান (“God’s dwelling place”) rather than a bare মন্দিৰ. Risk: Critical — GROUNDED REASON: মন্দিৰ in Assamese denotes a Hindu temple structurally organized around housing and worshiping a murti (image) of a deity; rendering “you are God’s temple” literally as মন্দিৰ risks the reader picturing the believer’s body/the church as a shrine housing an image, or invites an image-installation reading foreign to the text’s point (the Spirit’s personal indwelling, not an enshrined object of worship). A translator note is mandatory at first occurrence explaining that this “temple” language names God’s personal Spirit dwelling within his people, with no image or shrine object involved; মন্দিৰ should be reserved, if used at all, only with this note attached, never used unqualified. This term recurs at higher individual-body stakes in 6:19 (see Chapter 6 below).
flesh / carnal — σαρκικός (3:1, 3:3, “are you not walking in a merely human way?”). Assamese: মাংসিক (mangsik). Risk: Medium — describes immature, quarrelsome believers, not unbelievers; must not collapse into a strict “flesh vs. spirit” binary that erases the Corinthians’ status as believers.
fire / testing of works — πῦρ, δοκιμάζω (3:13, “the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done”). Contextual meaning: judgment of ministry quality, not personal salvation-by-works. Assamese: জুই দ্বাৰা পৰীক্ষা (jui dwara porikha). Risk: Medium — must not be read as purgatorial merit-purification analogous to karmic burning-off of sin.

Chapter 4

stewards / servants — ὑπηρέτας, οἰκονόμους (4:1, “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God”). Literal: ὑπηρέτης = under-rower/assistant; οἰκονόμος = household manager entrusted with another’s property. Semantic range: authorized, accountable servants, not independent spiritual authorities. Assamese: সেৱক / পৰিচাৰক / ভাণ্ডাৰী (xebôk / pôricarôk / bhandari). Risk: Low-Medium.
fools for Christ — μωροὶ διὰ Χριστόν (4:10). Assamese: reuse ch.1 মূৰ্খ framework. Risk: Low.
kingdom of God — βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (4:20, “the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power”). Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ ৰাজ্য (reuse baseline). Risk: Medium.
judge — κρίνω (4:3-5, “it is the Lord who judges me”). Assamese: সোধ-বিচাৰ কৰা. Risk: Low.

Chapter 5

sexual immorality — πορνεία (5:1). Literal: illicit sexual activity of any kind outside biblical marriage. Semantic range: broader than Western “fornication,” covers the incest case in view (5:1) as well as general sexual sin later in the letter (ch.6-7). Assamese: ব্যভিচাৰ (byabhicar) or যৌন অনৈতিকতা (jouno onoitikôta). Risk: High — must be distinguished from ritual-purity impurity categories; this is moral transgression before a personal, holy God (cf. baseline “sin” entry), and church-discipline consequences flow from that moral seriousness, not ritual defilement removable by rites.
hand over to Satan — παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ (5:5). Literal: “to deliver over to Satan.” Semantic range: formal removal from the protective fellowship of the church, exposing the offender to the sphere of Satan’s influence, for corrective and ultimately restorative purpose (“that his spirit may be saved”). Assamese: শয়তানৰ হাতত সোপৰ্দ কৰা (Xoitanor hatôt xopôrd kôra). Risk: High — corrective church discipline, not a curse, exorcism ritual, or excommunication into eternal damnation; must be handled with theological care to avoid confusion with folk exorcism practices in Assamese popular religion.
leaven — ζύμη (5:6-8, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump”; “let us celebrate… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth”). Literal: yeast, fermenting agent. Semantic range: OT Passover imagery of purging corrupting influence before the feast. Assamese: খমীৰ (khômir). Risk: Medium — requires OT Passover background explanation (cf. baseline’s “requires explicit Old Testament background” pattern applied to “seed_of_david”).
Christ our Passover — τὸ πάσχα ἡμῶν … Χριστός (5:7). Literal: “our Passover [lamb].” Semantic range: the OT Passover lamb whose blood delivered Israel from death in Egypt, fulfilled in Christ’s sacrificial death. Assamese: আমাৰ নিস্তাৰপৰ্বৰ মেৰশাওক (খ্ৰীষ্ট) (amar nistarporbor merxaok Khristô). Risk: High — requires explicit OT narrative background (the Exodus Passover) for an audience with low OT narrative literacy per the baseline’s stated audience assumption; without that background this reads as an obscure metaphor rather than a fulfillment claim.

Chapter 6

body as temple of the Holy Spirit — τὸ σῶμα … ναὸς τοῦ … Πνεύματος (6:19). Same term as 3:16-17 but now applied to the individual believer’s physical body. Assamese: আপোনালোকৰ শৰীৰ পবিত্ৰ আত্মাৰ নিবাসস্থান (“your body is the Holy Spirit’s dwelling place”). Risk: Critical — GROUNDED REASON identical to and intensified beyond Chapter 3: applying “temple” language to an individual human body carries acute risk of being misread through the lens of murti/image enshrinement, or of Tantric body-as-sacred-vessel practices associated with Kamakhya-tradition physical disciplines. The dwelling-place phrasing (avoiding মন্দিৰ) with মদ্যপান/অনৈতিকতা contrast (6:18-20 context: “flee sexual immorality… you are not your own”) must be preserved as a call to bodily holiness because of the Spirit’s personal indwelling, not a claim about ritual sanctity of the physical form itself.
bought with a price — ἠγοράσθητε τιμῆς (6:20; cf. 7:23). Literal: “you were purchased/bought for a price.” Semantic range: commercial redemption-purchase language, echoing slave-market manumission. Contextual meaning: believers belong to God because Christ paid for them; grounds the ethical appeal to bodily holiness. Assamese: মূল্য দি ক্ৰয় কৰা হৈছিল (mulyô di kroy kôra hoichilô). Risk: High — must preserve the redemption/ownership logic (you are not your own); connects to the baseline’s “imputed_righteousness” and grace doctrines as another facet of the finished, purchased (not merited) nature of salvation.
washed, sanctified, justified — ἀπελούσασθε, ἡγιάσθητε, ἐδικαιώθητε (6:11). Assamese: ধুই পৰিষ্কাৰ কৰা হৈছিল, পবিত্ৰীকৃত কৰা হৈছিল, ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা হৈছিল (reuse baseline পবিত্ৰীকৰণ and ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা exactly). Risk: Critical for justification/righteousness terms — reuse baseline exactly, no shortening to “forgiveness” alone.
members of Christ — μέλη Χριστοῦ (6:15). Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ অংগ (Khristor ôngô). Risk: Medium — anticipates the fuller “body of Christ” doctrine in ch.12.
lawsuits among believers — κρίνεσθαι (6:1-8). Assamese: মোকদ্দমা. Risk: Low.

Chapter 7

marriage — γάμος (7:2, 9, 38-39). Assamese: বিবাহ (bibaho). Risk: Low — standard term, no significant syncretism risk, though pastoral sensitivity is warranted given the chapter’s counter-cultural elevation of celibacy alongside marriage.
conjugal duty — τὴν ὀφειλήν ἀποδιδότω (7:3). Literal: “let him render the debt owed.” Assamese: দাম্পত্য কৰ্তব্য (dampôtyô kôrtôbyô). Risk: Low.
gift — χάρισμα (7:7, “each has his own gift from God”). Assamese: আত্মিক বৰ (reuse baseline “spiritual_gifts” term). Risk: Medium — here applied specifically to the state of marriage or celibacy as itself a Spirit-given gift, not a merit-earned boon (cf. baseline note that বৰ alone must always be paired with আত্মিক to avoid the Puranic boon-for-austerity sense).
virgin / unmarried — παρθένος / ἄγαμος (7:8, 25-38). Assamese: কুমাৰী / অবিবাহিত (kumari / obibahitô). Risk: Medium — GROUNDED REASON: Assam’s Satra institutions include celibate bhakats who renounce marriage within an ascetic religious vocation; Paul’s commendation of singleness (7:7-8, 32-35) for undivided devotion to the Lord could be conflated with that specific monastic renunciation model. A translator note distinguishing Paul’s voluntary, non-institutional singleness (available to any believer, not tied to a religious order) from Satra celibate vocation is recommended.
present age passing away — ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν (7:29, 31). Assamese: এই সময় সংকুচিত হৈছে. Risk: Low.

Chapter 8

idol food — εἰδωλόθυτον (8:1, 4, 7, 10). Literal: “sacrificed to idols.” Semantic range: meat from animals ritually offered to a pagan deity before being sold in the marketplace. Assamese: মূৰ্তিলৈ উৎসৰ্গ কৰা (খাদ্য/মাংস) (murtiloi utxôrgô kôra [khadyô/mangsô]). Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: Assam’s Hindu festival and temple culture regularly involves food (prasad/naivedya) ritually offered to a murti before distribution and consumption by devotees; this is a close functional parallel to the Corinthians’ situation, making the passage highly relevant but also easy to over- or under-apply without careful framing distinguishing Paul’s “idols are nothing, but be careful of conscience” argument from either legalistic prohibition or careless indifference.
idol — εἴδωλον (8:4, 7, “there is no God but one… ‘an idol has no real existence’”). Literal: an image representing a deity. Semantic range: for Paul, a powerless image with no divine reality behind it (though demonic forces may be associated, per ch.10). Assamese: মূৰ্তি / প্ৰতিমা (murti / protima). Risk: Critical — GROUNDED REASON: মূৰ্তি/প্ৰতিমা are the standard, neutral Assamese words for the images centrally venerated throughout Assamese Hindu and Ekasarana devotional practice (including in Namghar worship of Vishnu/Krishna images and Kamakhya image worship). Using this term requires great pastoral and theological care: Paul’s statement “an idol has no real existence” is a theological claim about the object’s lack of independent divine power, not a blanket cultural insult; a heavy-handed rendering risks reading as a direct frontal attack on family and community religious practice rather than a doctrinal statement about exclusive monotheism. A translator note framing Paul’s argument (there is one God; images of other “gods” have no independent divine reality, though the practices associated with them are spiritually serious per ch.10) is mandatory at first occurrence.
knowledge — γνῶσις (8:1-2, 7, 10-11, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”). Assamese: জ্ঞান (reuse ch.1-2 rendering). Risk: High — same jnana-marga collision risk as chapters 1-2, now sharpened: Paul explicitly subordinates γνῶσις to ἀγάπη (love), a direct polemic against any framework — including a jnana-marga framework — that ranks intellectual/spiritual knowledge above loving concern for the weaker believer.
conscience — συνείδησις (8:7, 10, 12). Literal: moral self-awareness/inner judgment. Assamese: বিবেক (bibek). Risk: Medium — standard Assamese term, but the doctrine (respecting a weaker believer’s conscience) must not be flattened into generalized social etiquette; it is a matter of not causing another believer to sin against their genuine convictions.
stumbling block — πρόσκομμα (8:9), σκάνδαλον (implied). Assamese: উজুটি খুওয়া বস্তু / বিঘ্ন (ujuti khuowa bôstu / bighnô). Risk: Medium.

Chapter 9

apostleship / rights — ἀποστολή, ἐξουσία (9:1-2, 4-6, 12). Assamese: প্ৰেৰিতত্ব / অধিকাৰ (reuse baseline প্ৰেৰিত root). Risk: Medium.
gospel proclamation — τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καταγγέλλω (9:14, 16-18, 23). Assamese: সুসমাচাৰ প্ৰচাৰ (reuse baseline “mission” phrase exactly). Risk: Medium.
self-control — ἐγκρατεύεται (9:25). Literal: “exercises self-mastery [like an athlete].” Assamese: আত্মসংযম (atmôxôngyôm). Risk: Medium — GROUNDED REASON: Assamese religious vocabulary readily supplies ascetic self-discipline vocabulary (tapasya-adjacent concepts) associated with earning spiritual merit or advancement through austerity; Paul’s athletic self-control here is for the purpose of gospel effectiveness and personal integrity, not merit accumulation toward a reward earned by ascetic achievement (though he does use a “prize/crown” image, 9:24-25, which itself requires care not to sound merit-based against the grace framework established elsewhere in the letter, e.g., 15:10).
disqualified — ἀδόκιμος (9:27). Assamese: অযোগ্য/অগ্রাহ্য (ojogyô/ograhyô). Risk: Low-Medium — refers to ministry effectiveness/reward, not loss of salvation status; a clarifying note is useful given the letter’s earlier strong grace emphasis.
law — νόμος (9:8-9, 20-21). Assamese: বিধান (reuse baseline, High risk). Risk: High.

Chapter 10

idolatry (warning from Israel’s history) — εἰδωλολατρία / εἴδωλα (10:7, 14, 19-20). Assamese: reuse ch.8 মূৰ্তি-পূজা (murti-puja) for the practice, মূৰ্তি for the object. Risk: Critical — same grounded reasoning as ch.8, intensified: 10:20 states pagan sacrifices are offered “to demons,” a strong claim requiring careful, non-inflammatory framing for an audience whose family members may practice such worship; escalate to theologian/native-speaker review per the baseline’s cultural-sensitivity pattern (cf. baseline “evangelism” doctrine routing).
table of the Lord / table of demons — τραπέζης κυρίου / δαιμονίων (10:21). Assamese: প্ৰভুৰ মেজ / ভূতৰ মেজ (prôbhur mej / bhutor mej). Risk: High — the contrast is exclusive participation, not merely dietary preference; must preserve the force that one cannot partake of both.
cup of blessing / participation (koinonia) in the blood of Christ — ποτήριον τῆς εὐλογίας … κοινωνία τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ (10:16). Assamese: আশীৰ্বাদৰ পান-পাত্ৰ; সহভাগিতা reused from baseline for κοινωνία. Risk: High — anticipates the Lord’s Supper doctrine developed fully in ch.11; κοινωνία here means real participatory union in Christ’s sacrifice, not merely fellowship-as-friendliness.
testing Christ — ἐκπειράζωμεν τὸν Χριστόν (10:9). Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ পৰীক্ষা লওঁ. Risk: Low.
glory of God (as the goal of all conduct) — δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ (10:31). Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ মহিমা (reuse baseline glory term). Risk: High.

Chapter 11

head / headship — κεφαλή (11:3-10). Literal: “head” (both anatomical and metaphorical: source/authority). Semantic range: debated among interpreters between “authority over” and “source of.” Contextual meaning: grounds Paul’s argument for head-covering practice in the Corinthian assembly. Assamese: মূৰ (literal) with the relational sense rendered contextually, e.g., মূৰ স্বৰূপ (mur sôrup, “as head/source”). Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: head-covering during worship has a partial cultural analogue in Assamese Hindu practice, where married women customarily cover the head with the achal/sador end of the mekhela-sador during worship or in the presence of elders — a genuine functional parallel that can help comprehension but must not be presented as validating the same rationale (ritual modesty/social hierarchy) Paul gives, which is grounded in creation order and the Christ-God relationship, not caste or social custom; a translator/cultural-bridge note distinguishing the theological rationale from the surface cultural practice is recommended, paralleling the baseline’s “ভক্তি may appear in cultural-bridge commentary but never as the glossary rendering” pattern.
Lord’s Supper (institution) — κυριακὸν δεῖπνον (11:20); “This is my body… this cup is the new covenant in my blood” (11:23-25). Assamese: প্ৰভুৰ ভোজ (prôbhur bhoj). Risk: Critical — this is the direct institutional basis of the ordinance developed further under the curriculum’s “Lord’s Supper” doctrine; must be rendered with full doctrinal weight (see below).
new covenant — καινὴ διαθήκη (11:25). Assamese: নতুন নিয়ম (reuse baseline নিয়ম, covenant, High risk). Risk: High.
remembrance — ἀνάμνησις (11:24-25, “do this in remembrance of me”). Assamese: স্মৰণ (smôrôn). Risk: Medium — must convey active, participatory memorial re-enactment of the once-for-all sacrifice, not a devotional remembrance ritual analogous to periodic image-worship commemorations of a deity’s deeds.
discerning the body — διακρίνων τὸ σῶμα (11:29). Literal: “distinguishing/judging the body [rightly].” Assamese: শৰীৰ যথাযথভাৱে বিচাৰ কৰা (xôrir jôthajôthôbhabe bicar kôra). Risk: High — refers to recognizing the Lord’s Supper elements’ significance and examining oneself, not merely physical perception; connected to the “unworthy manner” (ἀναξίως, 11:27) warning about approaching the table carelessly.

Chapter 12

spiritual gifts — πνευματικά / χαρίσματα (12:1, 4). Assamese: আত্মিক বৰ (reuse baseline exactly). Risk: Medium.
manifestation of the Spirit — φανέρωσις τοῦ Πνεύματος (12:7). Assamese: আত্মাৰ প্ৰকাশ. Risk: Medium.
body of Christ / members — σῶμα Χριστοῦ / μέλη (12:12-27). Literal: “body,” “limbs/parts.” Semantic range: an organic, interdependent unity metaphor for the church, developing the “members of Christ” language already introduced in 6:15. Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ শৰীৰ / অংগ (Khristor xôrir / ôngô). Risk: High — the doctrine’s force (interdependence and equal honor of every member regardless of visible status) has direct application to caste-consciousness in the Assamese social context (cf. baseline “unity_of_jews_and_gentiles” doctrine note); must not be softened.
spiritual gifts list — σοφία, γνῶσις, πίστις, ἰάματα, δυνάμεις, προφητεία, διάκρισις πνευμάτων, γλῶσσαι, ἑρμηνεία γλωσσῶν (12:8-10). Reuse established renderings for wisdom (প্ৰজ্ঞা), knowledge (জ্ঞান), faith (বিশ্বাস, baseline), healing (আৰোগ্য কৰাৰ ক্ষমতা), miracles (পৰাক্ৰম কাৰ্য), prophecy (ভাববাণী, reuse baseline Low risk), distinguishing spirits (আত্মা বিচাৰ কৰাৰ ক্ষমতা), tongues (see below), interpretation of tongues (see below).
tongues — γλῶσσαι (12:10, 28, 30; developed fully in ch.14). Literal: “tongues/languages.” Semantic range: Spirit-enabled speech, either in unlearned human languages (as at Pentecost, Acts 2) or in an ecstatic prayer-language requiring interpretation (as the primary sense in 1 Corinthians 12-14). Assamese: পৰভাষা (pôrôbhaxa, “other-tongue[s]”) or অন্য ভাষা. Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: Assam has a living tradition of ecstatic trance speech and possession phenomena, most notably the deodhani dance associated with Kamakhya worship, in which mediums under trance utter oracular speech attributed to possession by a deity. Rendering γλῶσσαι without care risks the phenomenon being assimilated to, or dismissed as equivalent to, this possession-trance framework. A translator/cultural-bridge note is required at first occurrence in every document distinguishing Spirit-given tongues (a gift exercised by a self-controlled believer, always subject to Paul’s own regulation of order in ch.14, and always oriented toward edifying the church or personal prayer to God) from deity-possession oracular trance (in which the medium’s own agency is displaced). Risk tier: High (not Critical) because, unlike the incarnation/avatar collision, this is a phenomenological rather than a core-doctrinal collision — but it directly affects how readers interpret the nature and legitimacy of the gift.
interpretation — ἑρμηνεία (12:10, 30). Assamese: অনুবাদ / ব্যাখ্যা (onubad / byakhya). Risk: Low.

Chapter 13

love — ἀγάπη (13:1-13, throughout). Literal: selfless, others-oriented love, distinguished in NT Greek from ἔρως (romantic/erotic desire) and φιλία (friendship affection). Semantic range: the defining ethical/theological quality of God’s own character (cf. 1 John 4:8) and the “greatest” of the enduring realities (13:13). English variants: “love,” “charity” (older versions). Contextual meaning: chapter 13 defines ἀγάπη behaviorally (patient, kind, not envious, not boastful…) and ranks it above even the spiritual gifts discussed in chs.12 and 14. Assamese: প্ৰেম (prem). Risk: High — GROUNDED REASON: Assamese Vaishnavite/Ekasarana devotional vocabulary uses প্ৰেম (and the closely related ভক্তি) extensively for passionate devotional love directed toward one’s chosen deity (prema-bhakti), a rich and emotionally intense devotional-longing register centered on Krishna-bhakti themes elsewhere in Assamese religious literature. Paul’s ἀγάπη in 1 Corinthians 13 is an ethical, self-giving, others-directed love expressed in concrete behavior toward fellow believers, not primarily an emotional devotional longing directed at a deity. Using প্ৰেম is unavoidable (it is the standard and only natural Assamese word for “love” in this register, paralleling শক্তি for “power” in the baseline), but a translator note distinguishing this others-directed ethical ἀγάπη from devotional prema-bhakti longing is recommended at first occurrence, especially since 13:1-3 explicitly ranks it above devotional/spiritual-gift displays (tongues, prophecy, knowledge) that could otherwise be mistaken for the totality of true devotion.
perfect / complete — τὸ τέλειον (13:10). Assamese: সম্পূর্ণ/পূর্ণ. Risk: Low.
faith, hope, love abide — πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη (13:13). Assamese: reuse baseline বিশ্বাস; new terms আশা (axa, hope) and প্ৰেম (above). Risk: Medium for “hope” as a newly-formalized term for this curriculum (not in the Romans baseline registry, though implied); propose adding আশা to translation memory at Medium risk (must convey confident future expectation grounded in God’s promise, not wishful uncertainty).

Chapter 14

tongues, prophecy, interpretation — reuse ch.12 terms exactly (পৰভাষা, ভাববাণী, অনুবাদ/ব্যাখ্যা). No new core vocabulary, but the doctrine of orderly worship intensifies the risk noted in ch.12 for tongues (the deodhani/trance-possession collision) because ch.14 explicitly regulates tongues-speech for orderliness and mutual understanding (14:26-33, 40, “let all things be done decently and in order”) — a regulatory framework with no analogue in trance-possession practice, where the medium does not exercise self-regulating control. This regulatory contrast should be surfaced in any cultural-bridge commentary accompanying ch.14.
edify / build up — οἰκοδομή / οἰκοδομέω (14:3-5, 12, 17, 26). Assamese: গঠন কৰা / মণ্ডলীৰ উন্নতি সাধন কৰা (reuse baseline “mutual_edification” concept, গঠন/উন্নতি). Risk: Low.
No other new theological vocabulary; chapter otherwise reuses terms established in chapters 1, 8, and 12.

Chapter 15 (beyond the core passage, vv.12-58)

The core passage (15:1-11) is fully treated in Part A above. The remainder of the chapter introduces additional resurrection-doctrine vocabulary.

resurrection of the dead — ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν (15:12-13, 21, 42). Assamese: মৃত লোকৰ পুনৰুত্থান (reuse baseline পুনৰুত্থান exactly). Risk: Critical — same forbidden-substitution rule as baseline (never পুনৰ্জন্ম); this chapter is the fullest NT treatment of the doctrine and requires the mandatory distinguishing note at every occurrence per the baseline rule.
firstfruits — ἀπαρχή (15:20, 23). Literal: the first portion of a harvest, guaranteeing and representing the whole harvest to come. Semantic range: OT sacrificial/agricultural offering imagery. Contextual meaning: Christ’s resurrection guarantees and previews believers’ future resurrection. Assamese: প্ৰথম গুটি / আগবয় (prôthôm guti / agôbôy). Risk: Medium — requires brief agricultural-metaphor explanation for full comprehension; low doctrinal risk once explained.
Adam / last Adam — Ἀδάμ / ὁ ἔσχατος Ἀδάμ (15:22, 45). Assamese: আদম / শেষ আদম (established proper name transliteration). Risk: Low-Medium — requires the reader to know the Genesis Adam narrative; brief OT background note recommended for an audience with low OT narrative literacy (per baseline audience assumption).
spiritual body / natural (soulish) body — σῶμα πνευματικόν / σῶμα ψυχικόν (15:44). Assamese: আত্মিক শৰীৰ / স্বাভাৱিক শৰীৰ (atmik xôrir / sôbhabik xôrir). Risk: High — must convey a real, transformed, imperishable physical body (not a disembodied spirit-only afterlife state, and not reincarnation into a different body); this directly supports the resurrection_of_christ / resurrection-of-believers doctrine and must avoid any reading compatible with rebirth into a new body within সংসাৰ.
imperishable — ἄφθαρτος / ἀφθαρσία (15:42, 50, 52-54). Assamese: অক্ষয় (ôkhôy). Risk: Medium — GROUNDED REASON: অক্ষয় (“imperishable/undecaying”) is used in broader Assamese Hindu devotional and philosophical vocabulary for the eternal, changeless soul (atman) that is never destroyed even through the rebirth cycle; here it must be anchored specifically to the resurrected physical body’s new incorruptible quality, not to a pre-existing eternal soul-substance untouched by death (the very thing 15:36-38, “what you sow does not come to life unless it dies,” explicitly denies).
victory / sting of death — νῖκος / κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου (15:54-57). Assamese: জয় / মৃত্যুৰ কাঁইট (jôy / mrityur kaintô). Risk: Low.
mystery — μυστήριον (15:51, “Behold, I tell you a mystery”). Reuse ch.2 term and risk profile (নিগূঢ় তত্ত্ব). Risk: High — same Tantric-secret-knowledge collision noted in ch.2.

Chapter 16

collection (for the saints) — λογία (16:1-2). Assamese: (পবিত্ৰ লোকসকলৰ বাবে) দান সংগ্ৰহ (reuse baseline “saints” term পবিত্ৰ লোক). Risk: Low.
Maranatha — μαράνα θά (16:22, Aramaic, “Our Lord, come!”). Assamese: retain transliteration মাৰানাথা, per the baseline’s precedent for preserving “Abba” untranslated rather than reducing it to a formal equivalent. Risk: Low — preserve transliteration; do not substitute a paraphrase, matching the baseline’s treatment of আব্বা.
holy kiss — φίλημα ἅγιον (16:20). Assamese: পবিত্ৰ চুমা (reuse পবিত্ৰ, holy, High risk baseline term, applied to a cultural greeting gesture). Risk: Low — a culturally distant greeting custom for Assamese readers; a brief explanatory note (this signified warm familial affection among believers, not a specific ritual requirement) is useful but not doctrinally load-bearing.
grace benediction — ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ (16:23). Assamese: প্ৰভু যীচুৰ অনুগ্ৰহ (reuse baseline grace, lord, jesus terms exactly). Risk: High.
No other new theological vocabulary; chapter closes the letter reusing established terms (grace, love, saints, church).

Summary of New Terms Proposed for Translation Memory Extension

The following terms do not appear in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and are proposed for addition in Phase 1 Step 3 (Extended Translation Memory): cross, wisdom, foolishness, mystery, temple (as dwelling-place metaphor), idol, idol food, leaven, Passover (Christ our Passover), sexual immorality, redemption/bought with a price, marriage, virgin/singleness, conscience, stumbling block, Lord’s Supper, remembrance, discerning the body, head/headship, body of Christ, members, tongues, interpretation, love, edify, firstfruits, spiritual body, natural (soulish) body, imperishable, hope, victory, Maranatha, holy kiss, delivered/received (tradition), appeared (resurrection witness), fallen asleep. See analysis/08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated glossary table.

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