Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — 3 John (Koine Greek) — English → Assamese

Scope Note (Full-Book Coverage Statement)

3 John is a single-chapter epistle of 14 verses. Per the PRD Phase 1 mandate, this document analyzes the entire book, first verse to last. Because the whole book consists of one chapter, the core passage (3 John 1:1–14) and the full-book scope are identical — there is no separate “chapter-by-chapter” survey beyond the verse-by-verse treatment below. This is stated explicitly here so the coverage requirement is never silently assumed rather than documented: 3 John has exactly one chapter; it is covered in full below, verse by verse. No chapter is omitted.

All renderings below that duplicate terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json reuse that exact Assamese wording (e.g. মণ্ডলী for ἐκκλησία, শান্তি for εἰρήνη, অনযাতি for the ἐθνικός/ἔθνη word-group). New terms proposed here are marked [NEW] and should be added to translation memory before Phase 2 processing of this curriculum.

Register follows the baseline instruction set: formal modern Assamese, Asamiya script, ABS Bible-tradition register, Class 8–10 reading level, no archaic literary forms.

Proper Names (established/likely Assamese Bible forms)

Greek	Transliteration	Assamese	Notes
Γάϊος	Gaios	গায়াস	Recipient of the letter; render consistently throughout the curriculum.
Διοτρέφης	Diotrephēs	দিয়ট্ৰেফীজ	Named leader; retain transliterated form, do not translate the Greek meaning (“nourished by Zeus”) into Assamese.
Δημήτριος	Dēmētrios	ডিমিট্ৰিয়াছ	Commended witness; retain transliterated form.
Ἰωάννης (traditional author)	Iōannēs	যোহন	Reuse established Assamese Gospel/Epistles form for “John.”

Risk: Low for all four — proper names carry no doctrinal collision risk, but must be transliterated consistently across every lesson file in this curriculum.

Core Passage Verse-by-Verse Analysis: 3 John 1:1–14

Verse 1

Greek: Ὁ πρεσβύτερος Γαΐῳ τῷ ἀγαπητῷ, ὃν ἐγὼ ἀγαπῶ ἐν ἀληθεί�ᾳ.

πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros)

Literal meaning: “elder,” “older man”
Semantic range: (1) a man advanced in age; (2) an office-holder/overseer in the early church; (3) a member of a Jewish ruling council (Sanhedrin)
English variants: elder, the Elder, presbyter
Contextual theological meaning: The author’s self-designation as a recognized pastoral authority writing to a congregation under his care — sense (2), not mere seniority in age.
Assamese rendering: প্ৰাচীন (pracin) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Must be distinguished both from Assamese village/community elder roles (গাঁৱৰ প্ৰাচীন, a social-age designation) and from the Satradhikar guru-succession office at the head of an Ekasarana Satra. This letter’s entire third doctrine — Church Leadership and Pride — turns on the contrast between the Elder’s legitimate, humble pastoral authority and Diotrephes’ self-exalting use of a similar office; blurring প্ৰাচীন with Satradhikar succession language would collapse that contrast. Consistent with baseline’s Medium tier for “apostle.”

ἀγαπητός (agapētos)

Literal meaning: “beloved,” “dearly loved”
Semantic range: term of affectionate address for a fellow believer
English variants: beloved, dear friend
Contextual theological meaning: Marks Gaius as one loved within the covenant community, not merely a personal acquaintance.
Assamese rendering: প্ৰিয় (priyo) [NEW]
Risk: Low. Standard term of address; no rival religious concept competes for this word.

ἀγαπῶ (agapō, verb, “I love”) / cf. ἀγάπη (agapē, noun)

Literal meaning: “to love” in the sense of committed, self-giving love
Semantic range: covenantal, volitional love (distinct from ἔρος romantic love and φιλία friendship-affection, though 3 John itself later shifts to φίλος language in v.14)
English variants: love, dearly love
Contextual theological meaning: The Elder’s love for Gaius is grounded “in truth” — i.e., it is covenant love consistent with and validated by the gospel, not sentiment alone.
Assamese rendering: প্ৰেম (noun) / প্ৰেম কৰা (verb) [NEW]
Risk: High. Sankardev’s Ekasarana Dharma and the broader Assamese Vaishnavite devotional tradition use “প্ৰেম” (prema) as a technical term for prema-bhakti — the devotee’s loving absorption in the deity. While Sankardev’s tradition (unlike some other Vaishnava schools) deliberately avoided the erotic madhurya-rasa framing of prema, the word still carries a strong devotional-emotional register in Assamese religious usage. A translator note distinguishing covenantal, ethical, self-giving ἀγάπη-love (directed toward fellow believers, verified by truth and evidenced in hospitality) from bhakti-prema (a devotee’s emotional absorption in a chosen deity) should accompany first use in this curriculum.

ἐν ἀληθείᾳ (en alētheia)

Literal meaning: “in truth”
Semantic range: (1) sincerely, truly (adverbial); (2) within the sphere of the revealed gospel truth (Johannine technical sense)
English variants: in truth, truly, in the truth
Contextual theological meaning: This is the Johannine technical sense — love and life lived within the domain of the gospel’s truth, the same “truth” that recurs through the letter (vv.3,4,8,12) as its central theme (see doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship).
Assamese rendering: সত্যত (xotyôt, “in truth”) — from noun সত্য (xotyo) [NEW — see full treatment at v.3]
Risk: High (see full discussion under v.3 ἀλήθεια).

Verse 2

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, περὶ πάντων εὔχομαί σε εὐοδοῦσθαι καὶ ὑγιαίνειν, καθὼς εὐοδοῦταί σου ἡ ψυχή.

εὔχομαι (euchomai)

Literal meaning: “I wish,” “I pray”
Semantic range: a wish/petition, here directed toward God on Gaius’s behalf
English variants: I pray, I wish
Contextual theological meaning: A prayer-wish, not a magical incantation or ritual formula.
Assamese rendering: প্ৰাৰ্থনা কৰি কামনা কৰা (prarthona kori kamona kora) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

εὐοδοῦσθαι (euodousthai, “to prosper,” “to go well”)

Literal meaning: “to have a good journey/road,” metaphorically “to prosper, succeed”
Semantic range: general well-being, success in undertakings
English variants: prosper, be prospered, go well
Contextual theological meaning: The Elder wishes holistic well-being for Gaius, explicitly tied to and measured by the prospering of his soul — the material wish is bounded by and subordinate to the spiritual reality, not detached from it.
Assamese rendering: উন্নতি হওক / ভাল হওক (unnoti howk / bhal howk) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. This verse is a classic prosperity-gospel proof text in many world contexts. A translator note is warranted clarifying that the prayer for outward prospering is explicitly calibrated (“just as…”) to the prospering of the soul — guarding against a reading that detaches material blessing from spiritual condition, a reading that could also resonate uncomfortably with popular Lakshmi-prosperity devotion in the wider Assamese religious landscape.

ὑγιαίνειν (hygiainein, “to be in health”)

Literal meaning: “to be healthy, sound”
Assamese rendering: স্বাস্থ্যৱান হওক (sasthyoban howk) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ψυχή (psychē, “soul”)

Literal meaning: “soul,” “life,” “inner self”
Semantic range: the seat of a person’s inner life, will, and identity — distinct from πνεῦμα (spirit) and from mere biological life
English variants: soul, life, inner being
Contextual theological meaning: The true measure of Gaius’s well-being — his inner spiritual condition, evidenced in his faithful walk (vv.3–4).
Assamese rendering: প্ৰাণ (pran) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Baseline reserves আত্মা exclusively for πνεῦμα/Holy Spirit contexts (পবিত্ৰ আত্মা); using আত্মা here would blur that reserved usage. প্ৰাণ is the natural alternative, but in Sanskritic/Vedantic anthropology “prāṇa” technically denotes vital breath/life-force (one of the five vital airs), a narrower concept than the eternal ātman-self. A translator note should clarify that ψυχή here means the whole inner person — mind, will, spiritual condition — not merely biological vitality in the prāṇa sense.

Verse 3

Greek: ἐχάρην γὰρ λίαν ἐρχομένων ἀδελφῶν καὶ μαρτυρούντων σου τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, καθὼς σὺ ἐν ἀληθεί�ᾳ περιπατεῖς.

ἐχάρην (echarēn, aorist of χαίρω, “I rejoiced”)

Assamese rendering: আনন্দিত হ’লো (anondit hôlo) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ἀδελφός (adelphos, “brother”)

Literal meaning: “brother,” physical or spiritual kinship
Semantic range: here, itinerant Christian workers/missionaries traveling through Gaius’s area
English variants: brothers, brethren, fellow believers
Assamese rendering: ভাই (bhai) [NEW]
Risk: Low. Standard fictive-kinship term for fellow believers; no significant collision, though note that it anchors the Hospitality doctrine’s beneficiaries as known fellow-believers in mission, not generic guests.

μαρτυρούντων (from μαρτυρέω, “testify, bear witness”)

Literal meaning: “to bear witness, testify”
Semantic range: legal/formal testimony to an observed fact; in Johannine literature, testimony to observed spiritual reality/character
English variants: testify, bear witness, give a good report
Contextual theological meaning: The traveling brothers gave eyewitness testimony to Gaius’s faithful, truth-shaped life — this verb-family (μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία) is the load-bearing term for the doctrine “Commendation of Faithful Witness,” reused for Demetrius in v.12.
Assamese rendering: সাক্ষ্য দিয়া (sakkhyô diya) [NEW]
Risk: Low. No competing religious concept; standard Christian testimony vocabulary. Establish consistently now for reuse at v.6 and v.12.

ἀλήθεια (alētheia, “truth”) — first full treatment

Literal meaning: “truth,” “reality,” “that which is not concealed”
Semantic range: (1) factual accuracy; (2) sincerity/genuineness; (3) in Johannine theology, the revealed reality of the gospel and God’s own character, the sphere in which the believer lives
English variants: truth, the truth, truly
Contextual theological meaning: This is the master term of the letter’s fifth doctrine (Truth and Christian Fellowship) — it occurs in vv.1,3(×2),4,8,12(×2) binding the whole letter together. “Walking in truth,” “testifying to truth,” being a “fellow worker with the truth,” and “testimony from the truth itself” all personify or nearly personify ἀλήθεια as the governing reality of Christian life and fellowship.
Assamese rendering: সত্য (xotyo) [NEW]
Risk: High. সত্য is also the standard Assamese term for the Vedantic/Hindu concept of Satya — an impersonal, metaphysical Absolute Reality (as in the triad Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram, and the national motto “সত্যমেৱ জয়তে,” Satyameva Jayate, “truth alone triumphs”). Biblical ἀλήθεια in 3 John is relational and moral — fidelity to the revealed gospel and to Christ’s character, lived out in observable conduct — not an impersonal cosmic Absolute one merges into or realizes through meditation. A translator note distinguishing personal, gospel-anchored truth from the impersonal Vedantic Satya/Brahman absolute is mandatory at first occurrence in every document using this term, parallel to the baseline’s treatment of “salvation” vs. মোক্ষ.

περιπατεῖς (from περιπατέω, “to walk”)

Literal meaning: “to walk, go about”
Semantic range: metaphorical for one’s manner of life/conduct (a Pauline and Johannine idiom, cf. Romans’s own ethical “walk” language)
English variants: walk, live, conduct oneself
Assamese rendering: চলা (cola), idiom: সত্যত চলা (“to walk in truth”) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. The metaphor of “walking” as a path of life resonates with (and could be conflated with) the Hindu concept of a spiritual “marga” (path) or literal pilgrimage (tirtha-yatra). A brief note that this is an ethical-lifestyle metaphor for daily conduct, not a ritual pilgrimage or one path among several, avoids flattening the exclusivity claim implicit in “the truth.”

Verse 4

Greek: μειζοτέραν τούτων οὐκ ἔχω χαράν, ἵνα ἀκούω τὰ ἐμὰ τέκνα ἐν τῇ ἀληθεί�ᾳ περιπατοῦντα.

χαρά (chara, “joy”)

Assamese rendering: আনন্দ (anondo) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

τέκνα (tekna, “children”)

Literal meaning: “children”
Semantic range: biological children; by extension, those spiritually begotten/discipled by the speaker (Pauline and Johannine usage, e.g. 1 Cor 4:14–15)
English variants: children, spiritual children
Contextual theological meaning: Gaius (and others) as the Elder’s spiritual offspring in the faith — a pastoral-relational, not biological, claim.
Assamese rendering: সন্তান (xontan) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Must be clearly marked as spiritual children (আধ্যাত্মিক সন্তান / বিশ্বাসৰ সন্তান) in context, since the guru–shishya (spiritual parent–disciple) relationship is a load-bearing structure within Ekasarana Satra life; without a clarifying note, this verse’s fatherly language could be assimilated into that guru-lineage pattern rather than read as ordinary pastoral affection for those the Elder led to faith.

Verse 5

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, πιστὸν ποιεῖς ὃ ἐὰν ἐργάσῃ εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοῦτο ξένους,

πιστόν… ποιεῖς (“you do a faithful thing”)

Literal meaning: πιστός = “faithful, trustworthy, reliable”; here as substantive object of ποιεῖς (“you do”)
Semantic range: reliability, trustworthiness of an act or person (cognate with πίστις, “faith,” already established in baseline as বিশ্বাস)
English variants: you do a faithful thing / you act faithfully / it is a loyal thing you do
Assamese rendering: বিশ্বাসযোগ্য কাম (biswaxjogyô kam, “a trustworthy/faithful deed”) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Shares its root with baseline’s High-risk “faith” (বিশ্বাস); consistency requires the adjectival form to visibly derive from the same root so learners connect Gaius’s faithful hospitality to the letter’s larger faith-vocabulary, without collapsing “doing a faithful/trustworthy act” into the distinct doctrine of saving faith itself.

ξένος (xenos, “stranger,” here “guest,” specifically traveling ministers)

Literal meaning: “stranger, foreigner, guest”
Semantic range: an outsider not native to a place; by extension, a guest received into one’s home; in the NT hospitality tradition, itinerant Christian workers dependent on local believers’ welcome
English variants: strangers, guests, travelers
Contextual theological meaning: The load-bearing term for the doctrine “Hospitality to Traveling Ministers” — Gaius’s exemplary reception of gospel workers he did not previously know.
Assamese rendering: অতিথি (otithi) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Assamese (and pan-Indian) culture carries a strong positive hospitality ethic toward guests generally (“Atithi Devo Bhava” — the guest as one to be honored as a god), which can be leveraged as a genuine cultural bridge for this doctrine. However, a note is needed to keep the text’s specific point intact: these are traveling gospel ministers received for the sake of the Name (v.7) and as a partnership in the truth (v.8), not guests honored under a generic reverence-toward-any-visitor ethic detached from gospel partnership.

Verse 6

Greek: οἳ ἐμαρτύρησάν σου τῇ ἀγάπῃ ἐνώπιον ἐκκλησίας· οὕς καλῶς ποιήσεις προπέμψας ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ·

ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia, “church”)

Assamese rendering: মণ্ডলী (môndoli) — REUSED from baseline exactly.
Risk: Medium (baseline tier retained). Never নামঘৰ or মন্দিৰ, per baseline’s established prohibition.

προπέμπω (propempō, “to send forward, help on one’s journey”)

Literal meaning: “to send before/forward,” “to accompany, escort, provision for a journey”
Semantic range: practical material and logistical support given to a traveler as they continue their journey (provisions, funds, an escort)
English variants: send on their way, help on their journey, set forward
Contextual theological meaning: Concrete, practical hospitality — not mere well-wishing but material provisioning of the missionaries’ onward travel.
Assamese rendering: যাত্ৰাত সহায় কৰি আগবঢ়াই দিয়া (jatrat sohay kori agbaray dia) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Must be kept concrete (practical provision) rather than softened into a merely verbal blessing, so the doctrine of active, costly hospitality is not diluted.

ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ (“worthily of God”)

Literal meaning: “in a manner worthy of God”
Semantic range: an act’s manner/quality measured against God’s own character and honor
Assamese rendering: ঈশ্বৰৰ যোগ্যভাৱে (Iswôror jogyôvabe) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. This ties hospitality’s standard of excellence to God’s own character (ঈশ্বৰ, reused from baseline exactly), not to social custom or reciprocal social honor — worth flagging so the phrase is not reduced to “as befits an honored guest” in the generic Indian hospitality-ethic sense.

Verse 7

Greek: ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ὀνόματος ἐξῆλθον μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνικῶν.

ὄνομα (onoma, “the Name”)

Literal meaning: “name”
Semantic range: (1) a personal designation; (2) in NT theological shorthand, “the Name” (often unqualified, as here) denotes the person, authority, and mission of Jesus Christ himself — cf. Acts 5:41, “worthy to suffer for the Name”
English variants: the Name, his name, for the sake of the Name
Contextual theological meaning: The missionaries went out specifically for the sake of Christ’s own name/authority/mission — their motive and mandate is Christological, not personal gain (reinforced by “taking nothing”).
Assamese rendering: নাম (naam) [NEW]
Risk: Critical. This is the single highest-stakes new term this curriculum introduces. “নাম” (naam) is the master devotional word of Srimanta Sankardev’s Ekasarana Dharma: the tradition is popularly called “নাম-ধৰ্ম” (naam-dharma), its central congregational practice is “নাম-কীৰ্তন” (chanting the divine Name as a saving/purifying act in itself), and its prayer-house — already flagged Critical/forbidden in the baseline church entry — is literally called the “নামঘৰ” (Naam-ghar, “house of the Name”). An unqualified reader could easily assimilate “for the sake of the Name” in 3 John 1:7 into the Ekasarana devotional framework, in which uttering/chanting the divine Name is itself a saving spiritual practice, rather than reading it as shorthand for the person and authority of Christ that motivates missionary sending. A mandatory translator note distinguishing “the Name” (denoting Christ’s person and authority as the missionaries’ motive) from naam-kirtan (the ritual/devotional practice of chanting a deity’s name as a spiritual discipline) is required at every occurrence, parallel to the mandatory note already required for দেহধাৰণ (incarnation) in the baseline.

ἐθνικός (ethnikos, “pagan,” “Gentile” — adjectival/pejorative form)

Literal meaning: “of the nations,” here specifically “pagan/unbelieving outsider”
Semantic range: distinct from the baseline’s ἔθνη/“Gentiles” (অনযাতি), which in Romans denotes non-Jewish peoples being incorporated into God’s people; here ἐθνικός names unbelieving outsiders from whom the missionaries deliberately refused to accept support, to avoid any appearance of financial motive.
English variants: pagans, Gentiles, unbelievers, outsiders
Assamese rendering: অনযাতি — REUSED from baseline term, but flagged with a contextual clarifying note.
Risk: Medium. Reusing অনযাতি maintains cross-curriculum terminological consistency, but a note is required clarifying that here the term carries its narrower, more exclusionary “unbelieving outsider” sense (support deliberately declined) rather than Romans’s inclusive “nations brought into God’s people” sense — the same Assamese word serves two related but distinct rhetorical functions across the two books.

Verse 8

Greek: ἡμεῖς οὖν ὀφείλομεν ὑπολαμβάνειν τοὺς τοιούτους, ἵνα συνεργοὶ γινώμεθα τῇ ἀληθεί�ᾳ.

ὀφείλομεν (opheilomen, “we ought”)

Literal meaning: “we owe, we are obligated”
Semantic range: moral obligation/debt
Assamese rendering: আমি … উচিত / লাগে (ami … uchit / lage) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ὑπολαμβάνειν (hypolambanein, “to receive/support”)

Literal meaning: “to take up, receive, support”
Semantic range: to receive someone and undertake responsibility for their material needs — stronger than mere social welcome
English variants: support, receive, welcome and provide for
Assamese rendering: গ্ৰহণ কৰি সহায় কৰা (grôhon kori sohay kora) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Should be distinguished from ἐπιδέχομαι (v.9,10, mere acceptance/welcome as legitimate) — this verb specifically carries the sense of undertaking material support, reinforcing that hospitality here is active provision, not passive tolerance.

συνεργός (synergos, “fellow worker”)

Literal meaning: “co-worker, one who works together with”
Assamese rendering: সহকৰ্মী (xohokôrmi) [NEW]
Risk: Low. Note: uses -কৰ্মী not কৰ্ম, so it does not carry the technical karma-doctrine weight discussed under v.10’s ἔργα below.
Contextual theological meaning: By supporting traveling gospel workers, Gaius becomes an active partner with the truth itself (τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, dative) — an almost-personified use of ἀλήθεια reinforcing its centrality (see v.3 discussion).

Verse 9

Greek: Ἔγραψα τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ· ἀλλ᾽ ὁ φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρέφης οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς.

φιλοπρωτεύων (philoprōteuōn, “loving to be first”)

Literal meaning: a compound of φίλος (“loving”) + πρῶτος (“first”) — “one who loves being first/preeminent”
Semantic range: ambition for primacy, status-seeking, self-exalting leadership
English variants: loves to be first, loves preeminence, loves to have the supremacy, self-appointed leader
Contextual theological meaning: The load-bearing term for the doctrine “Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)” — names the specific sin at the root of Diotrephes’ misconduct: not doctrinal error, but the love of status and control within the congregation.
Assamese rendering: নিজকে প্ৰথম কৰিবলৈ ভাল পোৱা (nizoke prôthôm koribole bhal powa, “loving to make oneself first”) [NEW — descriptive phrase, no single Assamese word]
Risk: High. This term must be handled so it critiques Diotrephes’ personal sin of self-exaltation within a properly constituted church office — without becoming, by extension, a blanket critique of the Satradhikar guru-succession leadership structure itself (a distinct institutional question outside this letter’s scope). The doctrine here is about the character of leadership (humility vs. self-promotion), not the legitimacy of any particular leadership structure; a note guiding this distinction protects against the passage being weaponized in local church-vs-Satra polemics rather than applied to leadership character generally.

ἐπιδέχομαι (epidechomai, “to receive, welcome, accept”)

Literal meaning: “to receive, accept, welcome”
Semantic range: to formally accept someone/something as legitimate (people, teaching, or authority)
Contextual theological meaning: Diotrephes’ refusal to “receive” the Elder himself (and, in v.10, the traveling brothers) is a refusal of apostolic/pastoral authority and fellowship, not merely poor manners.
Assamese rendering: গ্ৰহণ কৰা (grôhon kora) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Distinguish from ὑπολαμβάνω (v.8) — this verb is about legitimating reception/acceptance of a person’s authority or standing, not material provision.

Verse 10

Greek: διὰ τοῦτο, ἐὰν ἔλθω, ὑπομνήσω αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖ, λόγοις πονηροῖς καταλαλῶν ἡμᾶς, καὶ μὴ ἀρκούμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐπιδέχεται τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τοὺς βουλομένους κωλύει καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει.

ὑπομνήσω (from ὑπομιμνήσκω, “I will remind/call to account”)

Assamese rendering: সোঁৱৰাই দিম (xanwarai dim, “I will remind/bring to remembrance”) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ἔργα (erga, “works, deeds”)

Literal meaning: “works, deeds, actions”
Semantic range: concrete deeds/conduct, morally neutral in itself, colored positively or negatively by context (here, negatively — Diotrephes’ misdeeds)
English variants: deeds, works, conduct, actions
Assamese rendering: কাম (kam) — deliberately NOT কৰ্ম (kôrmô) [NEW]
Risk: High. কৰ্ম (karma) is the technical term of the pan-Indian karma doctrine — the theory that deeds generate binding consequence across lifetimes within সংসাৰ (the rebirth cycle), already implicitly excluded by baseline’s rejection of কৰ্মফল for “grace.” Rendering ἔργα as কৰ্ম here (or anywhere reporting a person’s “deeds/works” in this curriculum) risks invoking that entire karma-doctrine register even where no such theology is intended. কাম (the ordinary, doctrinally neutral Assamese word for “deed/work/act”) is required instead. This decision should be documented as a standing rule for this curriculum’s translation memory.

λόγοις πονηροῖς καταλαλῶν (“slandering [us] with evil words”)

καταλαλέω: “to speak against, slander, defame”
Assamese rendering: বেয়া কথাৰে নিন্দা কৰা (beya kôthare ninda kora) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

βουλομένους κωλύει (“hinders those wanting [to receive them]”)

κωλύω: “to hinder, prevent, forbid”
Assamese rendering: বাধা দিয়া (badha dia) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει (“casts [them] out of the church”)

ἐκβάλλω: “to cast out, expel, throw out”
Semantic range: forcible expulsion/exclusion from the congregation
Contextual theological meaning: Diotrephes’ abuse of authority reaches its climax in unilateral excommunication of those loyal to the Elder — an act of institutional power, not legitimate church discipline exercised in accordance with truth.
Assamese rendering: মণ্ডলীৰ পৰা বাহিৰ কৰি পেলাই দিয়া (môndolir pora bahir kori pelai dia) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Expulsion/excommunication language carries real social weight in Assamese religious life, where exclusion from one’s Satra/Namghar community, or caste-based social ostracism, is a genuinely severe social sanction. A note distinguishing Diotrephes’ unjust, power-driven expulsion (condemned by the text) from legitimate biblical church discipline exercised properly elsewhere in Scripture prevents this passage from being read as either endorsing arbitrary expulsion or as a wholesale critique of any church discipline whatsoever.

Verse 11

Greek: Ἀγαπητέ, μὴ μιμοῦ τὸ κακὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγαθόν. ὁ ἀγαθοποιῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν· ὁ κακοποιῶν οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν.

μιμοῦ (from μιμέομαι, “imitate”)

Literal meaning: “to imitate, copy, follow as a model”
Semantic range: patterning one’s conduct after an observed example (here, Diotrephes as negative example vs. Demetrius as positive, cf. v.12)
English variants: imitate, follow the example of
Contextual theological meaning: The load-bearing term for the doctrine “Imitating Good rather than Evil” — the letter’s central ethical instruction, framed by two contrasting real-life examples (Diotrephes/evil, Demetrius/good) rather than abstract principle alone.
Assamese rendering: অনুকৰণ কৰা (anukorôn kora) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Imitation of an exemplary life is a familiar and generally positive category in Assamese Vaishnavite culture (imitating a Sant’s or guru’s virtuous pattern of life). This is a genuine cultural bridge, but a note should clarify that the standard being imitated is defined by God’s own character (“is of God” / “has not seen God,” this verse) rather than by loyalty to any particular human guru-figure — the criterion is conformity to God, evidenced in the outcome (“of God” vs. “has not seen God”), not lineage or discipleship to a specific teacher.

τὸ κακὸν / τὸ ἀγαθόν (“the evil / the good”)

Assamese rendering: বেয়া (beya) / ভাল (bhal) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. These are common, everyday Assamese moral-register words. The risk is not collision with a rival concept but flattening: the text’s point is not generic ethical advice (“be nice, not naughty”) but that doing good or evil reveals one’s fundamental relationship to God (“is of God” / “has not seen God”). A note anchoring these plain words to the ontological claim that follows prevents the verse from being read as mere moral platitude.

ἀγαθοποιῶν… ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν (“the one who does good is of God”)

ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ: “from/of God” — a source/origin idiom used elsewhere in Johannine literature (cf. 1 John 3:9–10, 4:7) for those who are born of God / belong to God
Contextual theological meaning: This is a regeneration/identity claim, not a merit claim — doing good is evidence of belonging to God (new birth, cf. Johannine “born of God” theology), not a work that earns divine standing.
Assamese rendering: ঈশ্বৰৰ পৰা হয় (Iswôror pora hoi, “is from God”) [NEW]
Risk: High. Without a clarifying note, this could easily be misread through a karma-merit framework: “doing good deeds results in a person becoming of/belonging to God,” i.e., good works purchasing divine status — precisely the works-merit logic the baseline’s Romans grace doctrine works so hard to exclude (see baseline’s grace note on বৰ, the boon-for-devotion transaction). A note is required clarifying that the good deed is the evidence of an already-existing relationship with God (a new-birth/identity marker, paralleling 1 John’s “born of God” theology), not its cause.

οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν (“has not seen God”)

ὁράω/ἑώρακεν: “to see, perceive, behold” (perfect tense — abiding state)
Semantic range: literal ocular sight; metaphorically, genuine relational/experiential knowledge of a person or reality
Contextual theological meaning: A Johannine idiom (cf. 1 John 3:6, 4:20) for authentic, saving knowledge of God evidenced in a transformed life — persistent evildoing shows one has never truly known God in this sense, regardless of any claimed religious experience.
Assamese rendering: ঈশ্বৰক দেখা নাই (Iswôrok dekha nai, “has not seen God”) [NEW]
Risk: High. Assamese Hindu and Vaishnavite religious practice centers heavily on দৰ্শন (darshan) — the devotional act of ritually viewing a deity’s murti or a revered guru/Satradhikar as itself a meritorious, semi-salvific religious act. This translation deliberately uses the plain verb দেখা (“to see,” ordinary usage) rather than the technical religious term দৰ্শন, precisely to avoid suggesting that “seeing God” here refers to a ritual-visual practice. A mandatory translator note should clarify that this is relational, saving knowledge of God’s character evidenced in one’s conduct, not physical sight of a deity’s image or a religious teacher.

Verse 12

Greek: Δημητρίῳ μεμαρτύρηται ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας αὐτῆς· καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ μαρτυροῦμεν, καὶ οἶδας ὅτι ἡ μαρτυρία ἡμῶν ἀληθής ἐστιν.

μεμαρτύρηται (perfect passive of μαρτυρέω, “has been well testified of”)

Contextual theological meaning: Demetrius’s good character is triply attested — by everyone, by the truth itself (again ἀλήθεια personified as a witness), and by the Elder’s own apostolic testimony. This is the letter’s positive counterpart to Diotrephes, and the load-bearing verse for the doctrine “Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius).”
Assamese rendering: সকলোৰে সাক্ষ্য পায় (xokolôre sakkhyô pai, “has received testimony from everyone”) [NEW — reuses μαρτυρέω rendering established at v.3]
Risk: Low.

μαρτυρία (martyria, “testimony”)

Assamese rendering: সাক্ষ্য (sakkhyô) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

ἀληθής (alēthēs, “true”)

Literal meaning: “true, truthful, genuine”
Assamese rendering: সত্য (xotyo) — same root as ἀλήθεια, reused [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Same underlying collision noted under v.3’s ἀλήθεια; here the risk is lower in degree because the adjective is applied narrowly to the reliability of the Elder’s own testimony rather than to the letter’s grand theological theme, but the same distinguishing note (personal/relational truth vs. impersonal Vedantic Satya) should be assumed to still apply by cross-reference.

Verse 13

Greek: Πολλὰ εἶχον γράψαι σοι, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ θέλω διὰ μέλανος καὶ καλάμου σοι γράφειν·

γράφω (graphō, “to write”)

Assamese rendering: লিখা (likha) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

μέλανος καὶ καλάμου (“ink and pen/reed”)

Literal meaning: μέλαν = “ink” (lit. “black [substance]”); κάλαμος = “reed,” here a reed pen
Cultural/theological note: A simple material-culture detail expressing the limits of a written letter compared to face-to-face speech (v.14); no doctrinal content.
Assamese rendering: কলি আৰু কলম (koli aru kôlôm)
Risk: Low.

Verse 14

Greek: ἐλπίζω δὲ εὐθέως σε ἰδεῖν, καὶ στόμα πρὸς στόμα λαλήσομεν. Εἰρήνη σοι. ἀσπάζονταί σε οἱ φίλοι. ἀσπάζου τοὺς φίλους κατ᾽ ὄνομα.

στόμα πρὸς στόμα (“mouth to mouth,” idiom for face-to-face)

Assamese rendering: মুখা-মুখি (mukha-mukhi) — natural Assamese idiom for “face to face,” preferred over a literal “mouth to mouth” translation
Risk: Low. Idiom-handling note: literal rendering would be unnatural/confusing in Assamese; the natural equivalent preserves the meaning (direct, personal conversation) without doctrinal loss.

εἰρήνη σοι (“peace to you”)

Assamese rendering: শান্তি (xanti) — REUSED from baseline exactly
Risk: Medium (baseline tier retained), though note here it functions as an ordinary epistolary greeting-formula (lower doctrinal stakes than the forensic “peace with God” of Romans 5:1). The established rendering should still be used for cross-curriculum consistency, with a lighter-touch note appropriate to its lower-stakes occurrence here.

φίλος (philos, “friend”)

Literal meaning: “friend,” from φιλέω (“to love/be fond of,” a warmer, more personal register than the letter’s earlier ἀδελφός/“brother” designation)
Semantic range: personal affection and loyalty distinct from kinship-based ἀδελφός
Contextual theological meaning: The letter’s closing shift from “brothers” (fellow believers generically) to “friends” (φίλοι) echoes the deeper Johannine theology of friendship with Christ and one another (cf. John 15:14–15, “I no longer call you servants… but friends”) — a note of intimacy appropriate to the letter’s warm, personal close.
Assamese rendering: বন্ধু (bandhu) [NEW]
Risk: Medium. Should be flagged so translators do not simply collapse φίλος into the same rendering as ἀδελφός (ভাই) used earlier — the term shift is deliberate and carries relational warmth worth preserving distinctly in Assamese, consistent with the baseline’s instruction to preserve doctrinal/relational nuance rather than flatten vocabulary variation.

ἀσπάζομαι (aspazomai, “to greet”)

Assamese rendering: সম্ভাষণ জনোৱা (xombhaxôn zonuwa, “to convey greetings”) [NEW]
Risk: Low.

Summary of Critical/High Risk New Terms Requiring Mandatory Translator Notes

Term	Risk	Reason (grounded)
নাম (the Name, v.7)	Critical	Direct collision with Ekasarana Dharma’s naam-dharma/naam-kirtan/নামঘৰ devotional complex, already flagged Critical/forbidden for “church” in baseline.
প্ৰেম (love, ἀγάπη/ἀγαπάω)	High	Collision with prema-bhakti devotional-emotional register in Assamese Vaishnavite tradition.
সত্য (truth, ἀλήθεια/ἀληθής)	High	Collision with Vedantic Satya/Brahman impersonal-absolute concept.
ঈশ্বৰক দেখা নাই (“has not seen God,” v.11)	High	Collision with darshan (দৰ্শন) devotional-viewing practice.
ঈশ্বৰৰ পৰা হয় (“is of God,” v.11)	High	Risk of karma-merit misreading of a regeneration/identity claim.
কাম vs. কৰ্ম (ἔργα, “works/deeds,” v.10)	High	কৰ্ম invokes the technical Hindu karma-doctrine register; কাম must be used instead.
নিজকে প্ৰথম কৰিবলৈ ভাল পোৱা (φιλοπρωτεύων, v.9)	High	Central term of the Diotrephes leadership-pride doctrine; must critique personal character, not delegitimize Satradhikar structures generally.

End of verse-by-verse analysis. Full-book coverage confirmed: 3 John 1:1–14, the entirety of the book, has been analyzed above; no chapter or verse has been omitted.

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