Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — Ephesians (English → Assamese)

Purpose and Method

This document analyzes the entire book of Ephesians in the original Koine Greek, chapter by chapter, for load-bearing theological vocabulary requiring careful Assamese rendering. The core passage, Ephesians 2:1–10, receives full verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter receives chapter-level treatment of its load-bearing terms using the same fields.

Baseline enforcement rule: Any term already recorded in the Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json MUST reuse the exact recorded Assamese rendering. This document marks such terms “[Reused from Romans TM]” and does not propose alternatives. New terms specific to Ephesians are marked “[NEW]” and proposed here for the first time, to be added to an updated translation memory in a later step.

Field template per term:

Original word (transliteration)
Literal meaning
Semantic range
English variants seen across translations
Contextual theological meaning in Ephesians
Assamese rendering and translation risk

PART A — Core Passage Verse-by-Verse: Ephesians 2:1–10

Ephesians 2:1

Greek: καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν

dead — Gr. νεκρός (nekros). Literal: “corpse-like, without life.” Semantic range: physically dead; spiritually dead/unresponsive. English variants: dead, deadened. Contextual meaning: total spiritual deadness before God, not partial weakness. Assamese: মৃত (mritô). Risk: High [NEW]. Must not be softened to “weak” (দুৰ্বল) or “sleeping” — the text asserts total spiritual death, the precise condition grace reverses in v.5. Sets up the strongest possible contrast with চ্যুজীবপোৱা (“made alive,” v.5), so translation must preserve the death/life antithesis sharply.
trespasses — Gr. παράπτωμα (paraptōma). Literal: “a false step, a fall alongside.” Semantic range: a specific transgression or lapse, distinct from but overlapping with ἁμαρτία. English variants: trespasses, transgressions, sins. Contextual meaning: concrete acts of wrongdoing that constitute the “death.” Assamese: অপৰাধ (oporadh). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Distinguish from পাপ (general sin, TM) — অপৰাধ names the specific offense; পাপ names the moral category. Both occur together in this verse and should not be merged into a single word.
sins — Gr. ἁμαρτία (hamartia). [Reused from Romans TM] পাপ (pap). Risk: High (per baseline). See baseline notes: moral transgression before a personal God, not ritual impurity or karmic debt.

Ephesians 2:2

Greek: ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας

walked / lived — Gr. περιπατέω (peripateō). Literal: “to walk around, to walk about.” Semantic range: to conduct one’s life, habitual conduct/lifestyle. English variants: walked, lived, conducted themselves. Contextual meaning: the former habitual pattern of life, set up as the opposite pole to the “walk” believers are now called to (2:10, 4:1, 5:2,8,15). This verb is THE key term for the curriculum doctrine “Walking in Newness of Life.” Assamese: জীৱন-যাপন কৰা / আচৰণ কৰা (jibôn-yapôn kôra / acôrôn kôra). Risk: High [NEW]. Must render consistently across every occurrence in the book (2:2, 2:10, 4:1, 4:17, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15). Avoid any word suggesting a self-chosen spiritual discipline-path (মাৰ্গ, mārga — a technical term for a path of religious practice, e.g. bhakti-mārga, jñāna-mārga) — biblical “walk” describes grace-empowered conduct flowing from a new identity, not a self-directed path toward liberation.
the course of this world — Gr. κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου (kata ton aiōna tou kosmou toutou). Literal: “according to the age of this world.” Semantic range: the present, corrupted order/spirit of the age. English variants: course of this world, ways of this world, spirit of the age. Contextual meaning: a system opposed to God that once governed the readers’ conduct. Assamese: এই জগতৰ প্ৰচলিত ধাৰা (ei jogotor prôcolitô dhara). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Avoid rendering “age” with “যুগ” (yug) without qualification, since যুগ is the term for the cosmic ages of Hindu cosmology (Satya, Kali Yuga, etc.); if যুগ is used, it must be tied tightly to “এই জগতৰ” (of this world) to prevent readers hearing a cyclical cosmic-age doctrine.
the prince of the power of the air — Gr. ὁ ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος (ho archōn tēs exousias tou aeros). Literal: “the ruler of the authority of the air.” Semantic range: a title for Satan as head of a hierarchy of spiritual authority. English variants: prince of the power of the air, ruler of the kingdom of the air. Contextual meaning: the personal, defeated-but-still-active head of the demonic realm, opposed by God’s power (Eph 1:19–21). Assamese: বায়ুমণ্ডলৰ ক্ষমতাৰ অধিপতি (bayumondôlor khyômotar odhipoti). Risk: Critical [NEW]. This is one of the most culturally loaded phrases in the book: Assamese folk religion (bez-healers, deodhani trance-possession rites, and the wider Kamakhya-centered Shakta-Tantra tradition of Assam) attributes real power to spirits of the air, forest, and household who must be identified, appeased, or exorcised through ritual. This verse must be handled so as to affirm a real personal devil under God’s sovereign limit — opposed through Christ’s finished work, prayer, and the Word (cf. Eph 6:10–18) — never through appeasement, offering, or transactional ritual. Mandatory translator note required at first occurrence.
sons of disobedience — Gr. υἱοὶ τῆς ἀπειθείας (huioi tēs apeitheias). Literal: “sons of disobedience.” Semantic range: a Hebraic idiom describing people characterized by disobedience. English variants: sons of disobedience, disobedient people. Contextual meaning: describes unregenerate humanity’s fundamental orientation. Assamese: অবাধ্যতাৰ সন্তান (obadhyôtar xôntan). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Keep the Hebraic “sons of” idiom rather than flattening to a simple adjective, to preserve the parallel with “children of wrath” (v.3) and “children of light” (5:8).

Ephesians 2:3

Greek: ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί

desires of the flesh — Gr. ἐπιθυμίαι τῆς σαρκός (epithymiai tēs sarkos). Literal: “cravings/passions of the flesh.” Semantic range: sinful, self-oriented desires and drives. Contextual meaning: universal (“we all”), not just Gentile, sinfulness. Assamese: মাংসিক অভিলাষ (mangxik obhilax) with মাংসিক প্ৰকৃতি (mangxik prôkriti) for the underlying “flesh” as corrupted nature. Risk: High [NEW]. Distinguish carefully from the neutral, physical sense of σάρξ used elsewhere for ordinary bodily descent (cf. the Romans baseline’s incarnation/seed-of-David material); here σάρξ names the corrupted moral disposition, not the body as such.
children of wrath by nature — Gr. τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς (tekna physei orgēs). Literal: “children by nature of wrath.” Semantic range: inherent, not merely acquired, liability to God’s righteous judgment. Contextual meaning: universal human accountability apart from Christ (cf. Romans baseline doctrine “universal_human_accountability”). Assamese: স্বভাবতেই ক্ৰোধৰ সন্তান (sôbhabôtei krodhor xôntan). Risk: High [NEW]. God’s ὀργή (wrath, ক্ৰোধ) must read as the personal, righteous, moral response of a holy God to sin — not impersonal karmic retribution (কৰ্মফল) automatically ripening from past deeds. A translator note distinguishing personal divine wrath from impersonal karma-consequence is recommended at first occurrence.

Ephesians 2:4

Greek: ὁ δὲ θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς

rich in mercy — Gr. πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει (plousios ōn en eleei). Literal: “being rich in mercy.” ἔλεος (eleos): compassion shown toward one in a miserable/condemned condition; distinct from χάρις (grace, favor toward the undeserving as such). English variants: mercy, compassion, pity. Contextual meaning: God’s compassionate disposition that moves him to act on behalf of the spiritually dead just described. Assamese: দয়া (dôya). Risk: High [NEW]. Note the baseline’s existing guidance that কৃপা/দয়া may be used for ordinary, non-salvific compassion — here ἔλεος IS salvific, so দয়া must be reinforced by context (paired with অনুগ্ৰহ, grace, in vv.5,8) as God’s own personal compassion, not a generic human virtue or an impersonal quality.
love — Gr. ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω (agapē / agapaō). Literal: “self-giving love, love that chooses to act for another’s good.” Semantic range: covenantal, self-sacrificial divine love; distinguished in Koine usage from ἔρως (romantic/passionate desire) and φιλία (friendship affection). English variants: love, great love. Contextual meaning: the motive behind God making the spiritually dead alive; recurs as the model for household relationships (Eph 5:25, 33) and church life (4:2, 4:15-16, 5:2). Assamese: প্ৰেম (prem). Risk: High [NEW]. Assamese Vaishnavite devotional vocabulary (rooted in the Ekasarana Dharma tradition of Sankardev) uses closely related terms — প্ৰেম/প্ৰীতি (prema/priti) — as technical terms for ecstatic devotional love toward Krishna within bhakti practice. Biblical agapē must be distinguished as God’s initiating, self-giving, covenantal love that acts for the beloved’s good even while the beloved is spiritually dead (v.1) and unlovely — not a mutual devotional passion cultivated by the worshiper’s spiritual practice. A distinguishing note is recommended at first occurrence and wherever love is contrasted with human effort (as here, and in Eph 5).

Ephesians 2:5

Greek: καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ — χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι

made us alive together with Christ — Gr. συζωοποιέω (syzōopoieō). Literal: “to make alive together with.” Semantic range: a compound verb unique to this soteriological context (also Col 2:13) describing God’s act of imparting spiritual life to those who were dead in sin, in union with Christ’s own life. English variants: made alive, quickened, gave life. Contextual meaning: the reversal of v.1’s death; the foundational act of regeneration. Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ সৈতে একেলগে সাৰুৱাই তোলা (Khristor xoite êkêlôgê xaruwai tola). Risk: Critical [NEW]. This term sits directly beside the Romans baseline’s forbidden-substitution zone: it must never be rendered with any word carrying a rebirth/reincarnation sense (i.e., never পুনৰ্জন্ম, and care must be taken that “সাৰুৱাই তোলা” — “revive/bring back to life” — is not misread as a new physical birth-cycle event). This is spiritual quickening from death-in-sin into new life united with Christ, a once-for-all act, not entry into another life within an ongoing rebirth cycle. Mandatory translator note at first occurrence, cross-referencing the Romans baseline’s “resurrection” entry and its forbidden পুনৰ্জন্ম rule.
by grace you have been saved — Gr. χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι (chariti este sesōsmenoi). [Reused from Romans TM]: grace = অনুগ্ৰহ (High); saved/salvation = পৰিত্ৰাণ (Critical). This clause is the thesis of the entire core passage and must render with the perfect-tense force of “you have been and remain saved” (a completed, settled state, not an ongoing uncertain process), consistent with the baseline’s rejection of মুক্তি/মোক্ষ for salvation. Risk: Critical.

Ephesians 2:6

Greek: καὶ συνήγειρεν καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

raised us up with him — Gr. συνεγείρω (synegeirō). Literal: “to raise up together with.” Semantic range: believers’ positional co-resurrection with Christ, distinct from Christ’s own bodily historical resurrection (ἀνάστασις, [Reused from Romans TM] পুনৰুত্থান, Critical). Contextual meaning: believers already share, in a spiritual/positional sense, in Christ’s resurrection victory. Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ সৈতে একেলগে তোলা (Khristôr xoite êkêlôgê tola). Risk: High [NEW]. Must not be confused with পুনৰুত্থান (the historical bodily event) — this is the believer’s union with that event, not a repetition of it. A clarifying note distinguishing “positional co-resurrection in Christ now” from “the future bodily resurrection of believers” is advisable.
seated us with him in the heavenly places — Gr. συγκαθίζω ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις (synkathizō en tois epouraniois). Literal: “to seat together in the heavenly [places].” Semantic range: a share in Christ’s position of exalted authority (cf. 1:20-21). Assamese: স্বৰ্গীয় স্থানত একেলগে বহুওৱা (swôrgiyô sthanôt êkêlôgê bôhuwa). Risk: High [NEW]. “Heavenly places” (ἐπουράνιος) recurs six times in Ephesians (1:3, 1:20, 2:6, 3:10, 6:12) and must render consistently. It must be distinguished from the Puranic concept of স্বৰ্গ (Swarga, Indra’s heaven) — a temporary reward-realm within an ongoing cycle of rebirth, from which meritorious souls eventually fall once their merit is exhausted. The biblical ἐπουράνιος names a present, spiritual sphere of Christ’s authority and the believer’s secure position in him — not a temporary merit-based waystation. Mandatory distinguishing note at first occurrence.

Ephesians 2:7

Greek: ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ

the immeasurable riches of his grace — Gr. τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος (to hyperballon ploutos tēs charitos). Literal: “the surpassing riches of the grace.” Assamese: তেওঁৰ অনুগ্ৰহৰ অসীম ধন-সম্পত্তি (têur anugrôhor oxim dhôn-sompôtti), reusing অনুগ্ৰহ [Reused from Romans TM, High]. Risk: High. The purpose clause (“so that he might show…”) underscores that grace is displayed for God’s own glory across the ages to come — not a transaction completed and closed, reinforcing the non-merit character of grace already established in the baseline.
kindness — Gr. χρηστότης (chrēstotēs). Literal: “goodness, benevolent disposition.” Semantic range: a quality of gracious kindness in action. Assamese: দয়ালুতা (dôyaluta). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Kept distinct from দয়া (mercy, v.4) and অনুগ্ৰহ (grace) — a third, related but distinguishable term describing the manner in which grace and mercy are expressed.

Ephesians 2:8

Greek: τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον

grace…through faith — [Reused from Romans TM]: grace = অনুগ্ৰহ (High); faith = বিশ্বাস (High). Risk: Critical at this specific verse, given its status (with v.9) as the doctrinal center of the entire curriculum (“Salvation by Grace through Faith”). Faith here is the instrument, not the ground, of salvation — grace remains the sole ground. Must not render διά πίστεως in a way that makes faith itself a meritorious human contribution.
this is not your own doing — Gr. τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν (touto ouk ex hymōn). Literal: “this [is] not from you.” Contextual meaning: even the faith just mentioned, and the whole salvation event, originates outside the human subject. Risk: Critical. Must retain the emphatic “not from yourselves” without softening.
the gift of God — Gr. θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον (theou to dōron). Literal: “of God, the gift.” Semantic range: an unearned, freely given present. English variants: gift of God, God’s gift. Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ দান (Iswôror dan). Risk: Critical [NEW]. The Assamese word দান (dāna) is one of the classical Hindu religious virtues — a meritorious act of giving (almsgiving, temple donation) that generates পুণ্য (spiritual merit) for the giver. Rendering θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον as ঈশ্বৰৰ দান risks being heard as “God’s meritorious religious donation” within a merit-transaction framework — precisely the opposite of Paul’s point. A mandatory translator note must state: this gift originates unilaterally from God and creates no merit-account or reciprocal religious obligation on the recipient’s part; it is the direct, positive counterpart to “not of works” in v.9.

Ephesians 2:9

Greek: οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται

works — Gr. ἔργα (erga). Literal: “deeds, acts, accomplishments.” Semantic range: any human deed, whether religious, ethical, or ritual, offered as a basis for standing before God. English variants: works, deeds, human effort. Contextual meaning: the explicit negation of any works-basis for salvation, directly following the “gift” of v.8. Assamese: কৰ্ম (kôrmo). Risk: Critical [NEW]. This is one of the single highest-stakes term choices in the whole book for Assamese. কৰ্ম (karma) in Assamese Hindu usage denotes far more than “a deed” — it is the technical term for the moral-causal law by which actions generate merit or demerit determining one’s future rebirths. Paul’s “not of works” must be understood as a repudiation of ANY deed-based claim on God, religious or otherwise — a point that, rightly explained, actually reinforces rather than merely echoes a rejection of merit-accumulation. However, if left unexplained, Assamese readers may hear “not by karma” as a claim internal to the karma-system (e.g., “this particular kind of karma doesn’t count”) rather than Paul’s totalizing claim that human deeds of any kind cannot produce right standing before a personal God who saves by grace alone. A mandatory translator note distinguishing Pauline ἔργα (deeds/effort, of any kind) from the full technical Hindu doctrine of karma (a cosmic law governing merit across rebirths) is required at every occurrence of this term in Ephesians (2:9, 2:10).
boast — Gr. καυχάομαι (kauchaomai). Literal: “to boast, to glory in.” Semantic range: self-congratulation, taking credit. Assamese: গৌৰৱ কৰা (gourôb kôra). Risk: Medium [NEW]. The purpose clause “so that no one may boast” is the negative counterpart to v.10’s positive purpose (“created…for good works”); must retain the causal “so that” to show boasting is excluded by the nature of the gift, not merely discouraged as an attitude.

Ephesians 2:10

Greek: αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν

his workmanship — Gr. ποίημα (poiēma). Literal: “that which is made, a work of craftsmanship.” Semantic range: an artifact, a made thing (root of English “poem”). Assamese: সৃষ্টি (sristi). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Contextual force: believers are God’s own artistry, not self-made achievers — the antithesis of v.9’s “not of works.” সৃষ্টি (also the general word for God’s creation of the cosmos) should be qualified as “নতুন সৃষ্টি” (new creation) or tied explicitly to “খ্ৰীষ্ট যীচুত” (in Christ Jesus) so readers understand this as the specific new-creation act in Christ, not merely a restatement of Genesis creation.
created in Christ Jesus — Gr. κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (ktisthentes en Christō Iēsou). Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্ট যীচুত সৃষ্টি হৈ (Khristô Yisut sristi hoi). Risk: Medium.
for good works — Gr. ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς (epi ergois agathois). Assamese: সৎকৰ্মৰ বাবে (sôtkôrmôr babê). Risk: Critical [NEW]. Reuses the ἔργα root discussed in v.9 — but here works are the fruit, never the root, of salvation. The translation and any accompanying teaching must make the sequence unmistakable: grace and faith (vv.8–9) produce salvation; salvation, in turn, produces good works (v.10). This ordering is the single most important structural safeguard against a karma-merit misreading of the whole passage and must never be reversed or blurred in translation or paraphrase.
which God prepared beforehand — Gr. οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός (hois proētoimasen ho theos). Literal: “which God prepared in advance.” Semantic range: connects to the doctrine of election/predestination (1:4-5, 11) — the good works themselves, not merely the salvation, were foreordained. Assamese: যিহকে ঈশ্বৰে আগেয়ে যুগুত কৰি থৈছিল (jihôkê Iswôrê agêyê yugut kôri thoisilô). Risk: High [NEW]. Must convey God’s sovereign, personal forethought — not an impersonal fated script (ভাগ্য/নিয়তি) determining actions mechanically, but the intentional preparation of a personal God for the believer’s good.
that we should walk in them — Gr. ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν (hina en autois peripatēsōmen). Reuses περιπατέω, “walk,” discussed at 2:2 above. Risk: High. This closes the passage by returning to the “walk” vocabulary that opened it in v.2 — the same word describes both the former godless walk and the new grace-empowered walk, and this deliberate inclusio must be preserved by using the identical Assamese verb in both places.

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

Chapter 1 (Ephesians 1:1–23)

apostle — ἀπόστολος. [Reused from Romans TM] প্ৰেৰিত. Risk: Medium.
saints — ἅγιοι. [Reused from Romans TM] পবিত্ৰ লোক. Risk: High.
faithful in Christ Jesus — reuses বিশ্বাস (faith, TM).
grace and peace — [Reused from Romans TM] অনুগ্ৰহ, শান্তি. Risk: High/Medium. The greeting formula (1:2) must match the Romans-baseline rendering exactly for cross-document consistency, per the Theological Consistency Rules established for this Language Package.
blessed / blessing — Gr. εὐλογητός / εὐλογία (eulogētos/eulogia). Literal: “well-spoken of; a good word pronounced over.” Semantic range: God as the object of praise; the spiritual benefits given by God. Assamese: ধন্য (dhonyô, “blessed,” of God) / আশীৰ্বাদ (axirbad, “blessing,” of what is given). Risk: Medium [NEW]. আশীৰ্বাদ is the everyday Assamese word for a blessing given by an elder, deity, or guru; here it must be understood as the specific, comprehensive spiritual blessing “in the heavenly places in Christ” (1:3) — the totality of salvation benefits — not a routine social or devotional blessing.
heavenly places — ἐπουράνιος. [NEW, see 2:6 above] স্বৰ্গীয় স্থান. Risk: High.
chose / election — ἐκλέγομαι (1:4). [Reused from Romans TM] ঈশ্বৰৰ মনোনয়ন. Risk: High.
holy and blameless — ἅγιος καὶ ἄμωμος. পবিত্ৰ (Reused) + নিৰ্দোষ (nirdox, “without blemish/fault”) [NEW, Low-Medium].
predestined — Gr. προορίζω (proorizō, 1:5, 1:11). Literal: “to mark out/determine beforehand.” Semantic range: God’s sovereign decision made before time, distinct from mere foreknowledge of what would happen. English variants: predestined, foreordained, decided beforehand. Contextual meaning: God’s personal, purposeful choice of believers for adoption, made before creation. Assamese: পূৰ্বনিৰ্ধাৰিত (purbo-nirdharitô). Risk: High [NEW]. Must never be rendered with বিধাতা/ভাগ্য/নিয়তি/কপাল (fate, destiny) or কৰ্মফল (karma-fruit) vocabulary; this is the deliberate, personal choice of a loving Father (1:5, “in love he predestined us”), not an impersonal cosmic script. This term functions in Ephesians exactly as “election” functions in Romans and must receive the same theologian-review routing.
adoption as sons — υἱοθεσία (1:5). [Reused from Romans TM] পোহাপুত্ৰ স্বৰূপে গ্ৰহণ. Risk: High.
redemption — Gr. ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis, 1:7, 1:14). Literal: “a buying back, a ransoming, release upon payment of a price.” Semantic range: deliverance secured at a cost (Christ’s blood, 1:7). English variants: redemption, ransom, deliverance. Assamese: উদ্ধাৰ (uddhar). Risk: Critical [NEW]. Many South Asian Bible traditions render “redemption” with a word cognate to মুক্তি (mukti). This must be explicitly and permanently avoided here, exactly as the Romans baseline forbids মুক্তি/মোক্ষ for salvation — মুক্তি names liberation from the rebirth cycle in Assamese Hindu and Vaishnavite thought, an entirely different structure of deliverance. উদ্ধাৰ (“rescue/deliverance”) must be used, and where the “price paid” nuance needs emphasis (e.g., preaching or footnotes), a descriptive phrase such as “তেজৰ মূল্যৰে উদ্ধাৰ” (rescue by the price of blood) should be used rather than any মুক্তি-root word.
forgiveness of trespasses — ἄφεσις τῶν παραπτωμάτων. Assamese: অপৰাধৰ ক্ষমা (oporadhor khyôma). Risk: High [NEW]. Per the Romans baseline note on justification, ক্ষমা (forgiveness) names only the removal of guilt and must not be substituted for ধাৰ্মিক বুলি গণ্য কৰা (justification) — the two are related but distinct and both appear across this Language Package.
mystery — Gr. μυστήριον (mystērion, 1:9). Literal: “a secret thing, something requiring initiation to know.” Semantic range in the NT: God’s redemptive plan, formerly hidden, now openly disclosed in Christ to all who believe — the opposite of a restricted esoteric secret. English variants: mystery, secret, hidden truth (now revealed). Contextual meaning: this is the term underlying the curriculum doctrine “The Mystery of Christ Revealed,” recurring at 1:9, 3:3-9, 5:32, 6:19. Assamese: ৰহস্য (rôhôsyô). Risk: Critical [NEW]. This is arguably the single highest cultural-collision term in Ephesians. Assam’s dominant Shakta-Tantra tradition (centered on Kamakhya) uses ৰহস্য/গুহ্য (rahasya/guhya) as technical terms for esoteric teachings and ritual practices deliberately restricted to initiates under a guru’s guidance and never disclosed to outsiders. Biblical μυστήριον is the theological inverse: a truth once hidden by God’s own sovereign choice, now DELIBERATELY and OPENLY proclaimed to Jew and Gentile alike through the gospel (3:5-6, 9-10). A mandatory translator note distinguishing “revealed-to-all mystery” from “restricted esoteric secret” is required at every occurrence, with particular care at 5:32 (see Chapter 5 below).
administration of the fullness of times — οἰκονομία τοῦ πληρώματος τῶν καιρῶν (1:10). Assamese: কালৰ পৰিপূৰ্ণতাৰ ব্যবস্থা (kalôr poripurnôtar byôbôstha). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Eschatological; low syncretism risk beyond general care with পৰিপূৰ্ণতা (see πλήρωμα below).
obtained an inheritance — κληρόω / κληρονομία (1:11, 14, 18). Assamese: উত্তৰাধিকাৰ (uttôradhikar). Risk: High [NEW]. Ties directly to the adoption doctrine (TM পোহাপুত্ৰ স্বৰূপে গ্ৰহণ) — full inheritance rights, not a partial or provisional share; recurs at 1:14, 1:18, 3:6 (Gentiles as “fellow heirs”), 5:5.
sealed with the Holy Spirit — Gr. σφραγίζω (sphragizō, 1:13, 4:30). Literal: “to stamp with a seal.” Semantic range: a mark of ownership, authentication, and security. Assamese: পবিত্ৰ আত্মাৰে সীলমোহৰ কৰা (pobitrô atmarê silmohor kôra), reusing পবিত্ৰ আত্মা [Reused from Romans TM]. Risk: High [NEW]. Reinforces the personal, guaranteeing presence of the Spirit as assurance of final salvation (cf. Romans baseline doctrine “assurance_of_salvation”) — not a magical protective mark or amulet (a genre with which Assamese folk-religious “kavach”/protective-charm practice could be confused if this image is handled carelessly).
guarantee / down payment — Gr. ἀρραβών (arrabōn, 1:14). Literal: “earnest money, a first installment guaranteeing the rest.” Assamese: জামিন (jamin). Risk: Medium [NEW]. A commercial-legal term repurposed theologically; must retain the sense of the Spirit as God’s own guarantee of the believer’s coming full inheritance, not merely a legal technicality devoid of relational warmth.
power / might / working / dominion — Gr. δύναμις, κράτος, ἐνέργεια, κυριότης (1:19-21). Ephesians 1:19-21 stacks four distinct Greek power-words to describe the power that raised Christ from the dead and now works in believers. δύναμις = ability/power. [Reused from Romans TM, “power_of_god”] ঈশ্বৰৰ শক্তি. κράτος = “might, dominion, strength in exercise.” Assamese: পৰাক্ৰম (porakrôm) [NEW]. ἐνέργεια = “effective working, operative energy.” Assamese: কাৰ্যকাৰিতা (karyôkarita) [NEW]. κυριότης = “a rank/order of dominion” (one of the cosmic power-categories Christ is exalted above, not Christ’s own Lordship). Assamese: আধিপত্য (adhipôtyô) [NEW], deliberately kept distinct from প্ৰভুত্ব/প্ৰভু (Lord, reserved for Christ’s exclusive title per Romans baseline). Risk: High. This whole cluster anchors both the “Gifts for Building Up the Church” and “Spiritual Warfare” doctrines (cf. 6:10-12, which reuses κράτος and ἰσχύς) and must be handled with the same rigor as ঈশ্বৰৰ শক্তি in the baseline.
rule and authority and power and dominion — ἀρχή, ἐξουσία, δύναμις, κυριότης (1:21) — the cosmic power-categories over which Christ is exalted. Assamese: শাসনকৰ্তা, ক্ষমতা etc. [NEW]. Risk: High. First occurrence of the ἀρχή/ἐξουσία vocabulary that becomes central and Critical at 6:12 (see Chapter 6 below); note the connection here for translator continuity.
the church, his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all — ἐκκλησία, σῶμα, πλήρωμα (1:22-23). Church: [Reused from Romans TM] মণ্ডলী (Medium). Body: Gr. σῶμα (sōma). Assamese: শৰীৰ (xôrir) [NEW]. Risk: High. This is the founding statement of the curriculum doctrine “The Church as the Body of Christ” — must not be read as absorption of believers into an undifferentiated divine substance (a monistic risk given Vedantic-influenced thought in Assam, where the individual soul (jīvātma) is ultimately identical with or merges into the impersonal Absolute, Brahman/Paramātma). The biblical body-metaphor preserves the distinct personhood of every member while uniting them organically under Christ the Head; a clarifying note is advisable at first occurrence. Fullness: Gr. πλήρωμα (plērōma). Assamese: পৰিপূৰ্ণতা (poripurnôta) [NEW]. Risk: High. πλήρωμα recurs at 3:19 (“filled with all the fullness of God”) and 4:13 (“the fullness of Christ”) and must render consistently; must not be assimilated to the Vedantic notion of an impersonal, all-pervading fullness (pūrṇatā/Brahman) that erases personal distinction — in Ephesians, “fullness” describes the church’s participation in Christ’s own personal, relational completeness, received rather than intrinsically possessed.

Chapter 2 (Ephesians 2:11–22) — remainder of the chapter after the core passage (2:1–10 treated in Part A above)

circumcision / uncircumcision — Gr. περιτομή / ἀκροβυστία (peritomē/akrobystia, 2:11). Assamese: চুন্নৎ / অচুন্নৎ (cunnôt/ôcunnôt). Risk: Medium [NEW]. চুন্নৎ is the established Assamese term for circumcision but carries strong contemporary association with the Islamic khatna rite. A clarifying note is needed distinguishing the OT covenant sign (referenced here as a marker of ethnic/religious exclusion now abolished in Christ) from the unrelated Islamic ritual practice using the same word today.
far off / near — μακράν / ἐγγύς (2:13,17). Assamese: দূৰ / ওচৰ (dur/ocor). Risk: Low.
the dividing wall of hostility — Gr. τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ (to mesotoichon tou phragmou, 2:14). Literal: “the middle wall of the fence/partition.” Assamese: বিভাজনৰ দেৱাল (bibhajonor dewal). Risk: Medium [NEW]. A vivid image with direct resonance in Assamese society’s own caste and ethnic-group separations (Brahmin/non-Brahmin, Assamese-Hindu/tribal boundaries); the historical Jew-Gentile wall is the specific referent, but this resonance can be used constructively in teaching if the historical specificity is not lost.
enmity — ἔχθρα (2:14,16). Assamese: শত্ৰুता (xôtruta). Risk: Low.
one new man / new humanity — Gr. εἷς καινὸς ἄνθρωπος (heis kainos anthrōpos, 2:15). Literal: “one new man.” Semantic range: a genuinely new corporate humanity, not merely a truce between two old groups. Assamese: এক নতুন মানৱতা (êk notun manôbôta). Risk: High [NEW]. Anchors the curriculum doctrine “Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity.” Must not be flattened into mere social harmony or tolerance rhetoric — Paul asserts an actual new spiritual creation, replacing two previously hostile identities with one. This has direct force against caste-based spiritual hierarchy still present in Assamese Hindu social structure and must not be softened.
reconciliation — Gr. ἀποκαταλλάσσω / καταλλαγή (apokatallassō/katallagē, 2:16; cf. 2:18 “access… to the Father”). Literal: “to change from enmity to friendship, to restore to favor.” Assamese: মিলন (milon). Risk: High [NEW]. Both dimensions must be preserved: reconciliation of Jew and Gentile to each other, AND of both to God through the cross — this is a double reconciliation, vertical and horizontal, and translation/teaching must not collapse it into merely interpersonal peacemaking.
the cross — σταυρός (2:16). Assamese: established transliteration ক্রুশ (krux/krush). Risk: Medium (standard Christian term, low ambiguity, but doctrinally load-bearing as the means of both reconciliations above).
access — προσαγωγή (2:18, cf. 3:12). Assamese: প্ৰবেশাধিকাৰ (probêxadhikar). Risk: Medium [NEW].
fellow citizens — Gr. συμπολῖται (sympolitai, 2:19). Assamese: সহ-নাগৰিক (xoho-nagôrik). Risk: Medium [NEW].
members of the household of God — Gr. οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ (oikeioi tou theou, 2:19). Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ পৰিয়াল (Iswôror poriyal). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Complements but is distinct from the adoption term (TM); here the emphasis is corporate family-belonging rather than the individual legal status of sonship.
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets — [Reused from Romans TM] প্ৰেৰিত, ভাববাদী. Risk: Medium/Low.
cornerstone — Gr. ἀκρογωνιαῖος [λίθος] (akrogōniaios [lithos], 2:20). Assamese: কোণৰ প্ৰধান শিল (konor prôdhan xil). Risk: Medium [NEW].
holy temple — Gr. ναὸς ἅγιος (naos hagios, 2:21). Literal: “holy sanctuary” (ναός denotes the inner sanctuary specifically, distinct from ἱερόν, the wider temple precinct). Assamese: পবিত্ৰ গৃহ (pobitrô grihô), reusing পবিত্ৰ [Reused from Romans TM]. Risk: High [NEW]. Must NOT be rendered মন্দিৰ (Hindu image-housing temple, explicitly forbidden for “church” concepts in the Romans baseline) — here the metaphor is the corporate people of God as the place where God’s Spirit personally dwells (2:22), not a building for image-based worship. A distinguishing note is required at first occurrence.
dwelling place of God in the Spirit — Gr. κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν πνεύματι (2:22). Assamese: আত্মাৰে ঈশ্বৰৰ নিবাসস্থান (atmarê Iswôror nibaxôsthan). Risk: Medium [NEW].

Chapter 3 (Ephesians 3:1–21)

mystery — μυστήριον (3:3, 3:4, 3:6, 3:9). [Established at 1:9 above] ৰহস্য. Risk: Critical. This chapter is the fullest exposition of the doctrine “The Mystery of Christ Revealed”: specifically, that Gentiles are “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise” (3:6). The translator note distinguishing revealed-to-all mystery from restricted esoteric secret knowledge must appear here in full, as this is the chapter’s doctrinal center.
stewardship — Gr. οἰκονομία (oikonomia, 3:2, 3:9). Literal: “household management, administration.” Assamese: দায়িত্ব / ব্যবস্থা (dayittô/byôbôstha). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Describes Paul’s divinely entrusted responsibility to disclose the mystery, not a religious office he claimed for himself.
fellow heirs, fellow members, fellow partakers — Gr. συγκληρονόμα, σύσσωμα, συμμέτοχα (synklēronoma, syssōma, symmetocha, 3:6). Assamese: সহ-উত্তৰাধিকাৰী, সহ-অংগ, সহ-ভাগী (xoho-uttôradhikari, xoho-ôngô, xoho-bhagi). Risk: High [NEW]. Triple compound emphasizing full, equal Gentile participation — must not be softened to “included” or “allowed to join,” which understates the equality asserted.
unsearchable riches of Christ — Gr. τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ (3:8). Assamese: খ্ৰীষ্টৰ অপৰিসীম ধন (Khristôr oporixim dhôn). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW].
manifold wisdom of God — Gr. ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ (3:10). Literal: “the much-varied wisdom.” Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ বহুবিধ প্ৰজ্ঞা (Iswôror bôhubidhô prôgya). Risk: Medium [NEW]. প্ৰজ্ঞা (prajñā) is also a technical term in Buddhist and Vedantic philosophy for transcendent liberating insight/wisdom; retained here as the established Assamese Bible term for divine wisdom, but worth a brief clarifying note that this is God’s own personal wisdom displayed through the church, not an impersonal gnosis attained through meditative insight.
boldness and access — παρρησία καὶ προσαγωγή (3:12). Assamese: সাহস আৰু প্ৰবেশাধিকাৰ (xahôx aru probêxadhikar). Risk: Medium [NEW].
rooted and grounded in love — Gr. ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι (3:17). Assamese: শিপাই আৰু আধাৰিত হৈ (xipai aru adharitô hoi). Risk: Low [NEW].
the power at work within us — ἐνέργεια (3:20). [Established at 1:19 above] কাৰ্যকাৰিতা. Risk: High.

Chapter 4 (Ephesians 4:1–32)

walk worthy of the calling — περιπατέω (4:1), reusing the core-passage term; [Reused from Romans TM] calling = মতনি. Risk: High.
unity of the Spirit — Gr. ἑνότης τοῦ πνεύματος (henotēs tou pneumatos, 4:3, 4:13). Assamese: আত্মাৰ একতা (atmar êkôta). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Grounds the “Church as the Body of Christ” doctrine’s practical dimension; must convey Spirit-produced, not merely negotiated, unity.
one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father — the sevenfold unity confession (4:4-6). All terms except “baptism” reuse established renderings: body = শৰীৰ, Spirit = পবিত্ৰ আত্মা (TM), hope = আশা [NEW, Low], Lord = প্ৰভু (TM, Critical), faith = বিশ্বাস (TM, High), God and Father = ঈশ্বৰ, পিতা (TM, Critical/Critical). baptism — Gr. βάπτισμα (baptisma). Assamese: established transliteration বাপ্তিস্ম (baptism). Risk: Medium [NEW] (standard Christian term).
grace given according to the measure of Christ’s gift — reuses [Reused from Romans TM] grace = অনুগ্ৰহ (4:7). Risk: High.
descended…ascended (4:8-10, citing Ps 68) — narrative-poetic; connects to the incarnation/exaltation of Christ. No new glossary term required beyond existing Christological vocabulary (Christ TM, glory TM).
apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers — Gr. ἀπόστολοι, προφῆται, εὐαγγελισταί, ποιμένες, διδάσκαλοι (4:11). Apostles/prophets: [Reused from Romans TM] প্ৰেৰিত, ভাববাদী. evangelist — Gr. εὐαγγελιστής (euangelistēs). Assamese: সুসমাচাৰ প্ৰচাৰক (xusomacar prôcarôk), built on the established গospel root সুসমাচাৰ [Reused from Romans TM]. Risk: Medium [NEW]. pastor/shepherd — Gr. ποιμήν (poimēn). Assamese: পালক (palôk). Risk: Medium [NEW]. A note is worth adding that shepherd/cowherd imagery also carries strong resonance with Krishna-as-Gopala (cowherd) devotional imagery in Assamese Vaishnavism; the resonance is not necessarily negative but should be flagged for a native-speaker cultural-bridge note distinguishing pastoral care of Christ’s flock from the devotional cowherd-Krishna motif. teacher — Gr. διδάσκαλος (didaskalos). Assamese: শিক্ষক (xikkhôk). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Deliberately NOT গুৰু, consistent with the Romans baseline’s rejection of guru-vocabulary for church offices (which would collapse this role into the Satradhikar guru-succession structure of Ekasarana Dharma institutions).
equipping — Gr. καταρτισμός (katartismos, 4:12). Assamese: সাজু কৰা (xaju kôra). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW].
building up the body of Christ — Gr. οἰκοδομή (oikodomē, 4:12,16,29). Assamese: গঠন কৰা (gôthôn kôra). Risk: Low [NEW].
mature manhood / unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God — Gr. ἀνὴρ τέλειος (anēr teleios, 4:13); Son of God: [Reused from Romans TM] ঈশ্বৰৰ পুত্ৰ (Critical). mature/complete — Gr. τέλειος (teleios). Assamese: পৰিপূৰ্ণ (poripurnô). Risk: High [NEW]. Explicitly avoid সিদ্ধ (siddha) — a term denoting an accomplished yogic/tantric adept who has attained supernatural perfection or liberation through spiritual discipline; teleios here names corporate, Christ-given maturity in the church, not individual yogic-siddhi attainment.
the fullness of Christ — πλήρωμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ (4:13). [Established at 1:23 above] পৰিপূৰ্ণতা. Risk: High.
craftiness, deceitful scheming — Gr. πανουργία, μεθοδεία (panourgia, methodeia, 4:14). Assamese: কৌশল (kausôl, “trick/scheme”). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW]. Note: μεθοδεία recurs at 6:11 for “the devil’s schemes” — keep the same Assamese word for consistency across the book.
speaking the truth in love — ἀληθεύοντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ (4:15). Truth: সত্য (xôtyô) [NEW, Low]; love: প্ৰেম (established above, High).
put off the old man…put on the new man; be renewed in the spirit of your mind — Gr. ἀποθέσθαι τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον…ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν/νέον ἄνθρωπον…ἀνανεοῦσθαι τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν (4:22-24). Literal: “old man/new man” — a Pauline metaphor for one’s pre- and post-conversion identity, imaged as clothing to be removed and put on. Assamese: পুৰণি মানুহ (purôni manuh, old self) / নতুন মানুহ (notun manuh, new self); put off = পৰিত্যাগ কৰা (poritôyag kôra); put on = পৰিধান কৰা (poridhan kôra); renewal of mind — Gr. ἀνανέωσις τοῦ νοός — Assamese: মনৰ নবীকৰণ (monor nôbikôrôn). Risk: High [NEW]. This is the central vocabulary for the curriculum doctrine “Walking in Newness of Life.” Must be distinguished from two Assamese-cultural analogues: (1) the Ekasarana Dharma conversion narrative of “taking naam” (formally adopting devotion to the one deity), which also speaks of a transformed identity but through a specific devotional-institutional rite; and (2) generalized Hindu ideas of gradual self-purification/self-improvement across lifetimes. Biblical “new man” is a definitive, once-for-all re-creation in union with Christ (echoing 2:10’s “created in Christ Jesus” and 2:15’s “one new man”), not a gradual ethical self-improvement project or ritual identity change.
grieve not the Holy Spirit — Gr. μὴ λυπεῖτε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (4:30). Reuses [Reused from Romans TM] পবিত্ৰ আত্মা. Assamese: পবিত্ৰ আত্মাক দুখ দিয়া (pobitrô atmak dukh diya). Risk: High [NEW]. Reinforces the personhood of the Spirit — an impersonal force or life-principle cannot be grieved; this directly supports the baseline’s rejection of ব্ৰহ্ম/পৰমাত্মা for the Holy Spirit.
forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you — χαρίζομαι (4:32). Assamese: ক্ষমা কৰা (khyôma kôra). Risk: Medium [NEW].

Chapter 5 (Ephesians 5:1–33)

be imitators of God — Gr. γίνεσθε μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ (5:1). Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ অনুকাৰী হ’ব (Iswôror ônukari hôba). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW].
walk in love — περιπατέω ἐν ἀγάπῃ (5:2). Reuses walk (High) and love (High) terms established above.
sexual immorality / covetousness — Gr. πορνεία / πλεονεξία (porneia/pleonexia, 5:3,5). Assamese: ব্যভিচাৰ (byôbhicar) / লোভ (lobh). Risk: Medium [NEW].
covetous person, who is an idolater — Gr. πλεονέκτης, ὅ ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης (5:5). idolatry — Gr. εἰδωλολατρία (eidōlolatria). Assamese: প্ৰতিমা পূজা (prôtima puja, “image-worship”). Risk: High [NEW]. Requires careful, pastorally sensitive handling: mainstream Assamese Hindu religious life (Durga Puja, Kali/Kamakhya worship, household deity shrines) is substantially image-centered, while the aniconic Ekasarana Dharma tradition itself explicitly rejects image worship in favor of nama-japa and scripture-veneration. The equation of covetousness with idolatry is a genuine and important Pauline theological claim (greed as functional worship of a false god) that must not be blunted, but its cross-cultural force needs a theologian-reviewed contextual note rather than a bare literal rendering that could read as an unexplained blanket condemnation of a neighbor’s religious practice.
children of light — Gr. τέκνα φωτός (tekna phōtos, 5:8). Assamese: পোহৰৰ সন্তান (pohor xôntan). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW]. Echoes “sons of disobedience” (2:2) and “children of wrath” (2:3) as part of a consistent “children of ___” idiom across the book — keep the same grammatical construction in Assamese throughout.
be filled with the Spirit — Gr. πληροῦσθε ἐν πνεύματι (plērousthe en pneumati, 5:18), contrasted with “do not get drunk with wine” (μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ). Reuses [Reused from Romans TM] পবিত্ৰ আত্মা. Assamese: পবিত্ৰ আত্মাত পূৰ্ণ হৈ থাকা (pobitrô atmat purnô hoi thaka). Risk: High [NEW]. Must be distinguished from ecstatic trance/possession states associated with folk-religious practices in Assam (e.g., deodhani spirit-possession dance at Kamakhya-tradition festivals) and from ritual/substance-induced altered states more broadly. Spirit-filling in Ephesians is characterized by sober-minded worship, thanksgiving, and mutual submission (5:19-21) — not loss of conscious self-control.
submit to one another…wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord — Gr. ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις…αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ὡς τῷ κυρίῳ (5:21-22). submit — Gr. ὑποτάσσω (hypotassō). Literal: “to arrange under, to place in voluntary subordination.” Assamese: বশ্যতা স্বীকাৰ কৰা (bôxyôta swikar kôra). Risk: High [NEW]. Anchors the curriculum doctrine “Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships.” Must be distinguished from the Hindu pativratā-dharma framework, in which a wife’s total submission to her husband is itself a religious duty (dharma) generating spiritual merit and is often framed as unconditional and unilateral. In Ephesians, submission is (a) mutual as a starting principle (5:21, “submit to one another”), (b) explicitly modeled on and bounded by Christ’s own self-giving love (5:25, “as Christ loved the church and gave himself”), and (c) never a matter of inherent worth or merit-status. A theologian-reviewed note distinguishing this from a dharma-duty framework is required.
head — Gr. κεφαλή (kephalē, 5:23). Assamese: মূৰ (mur). Risk: Medium-High [NEW]. Applied to both Christ as head of the church and husband as head of wife; must convey self-giving, sacrificial headship (as defined by 5:25) rather than domination or superior-caste-style authority.
Savior of the body — Gr. σωτήρ τοῦ σώματος (sōtēr tou sōmatos, 5:23). Assamese: শৰীৰৰ পৰিত্ৰাণকৰ্তা (xôrirôr poritranôkôrta), reusing পৰিত্ৰাণ [Reused from Romans TM]. Risk: High [NEW]. পৰিত্ৰাণকৰ্তা (“Savior”) is a natural compound of the Critical baseline term and must always retain the same theological weight as পৰিত্ৰাণ itself.
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her — reuses love (High) and church (Medium, TM) terms.
sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word — Gr. ἁγιάσῃ…καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι (5:26). Reuses [Reused from Romans TM] sanctification = পবিত্ৰীকৰণ (High). Washing: Assamese ধুই পৰিষ্কাৰ কৰা (dhui poriskar kôra). Risk: High [NEW]. Must be distinguished from Hindu ritual purificatory bathing (tirtha-snāna, sacred-river bathing, e.g. in the Brahmaputra, or ritual bathing associated with Kamakhya worship) — the washing here is effected “by the word,” i.e., through gospel proclamation received in faith, not through contact with physically sacred water.
without spot or wrinkle, holy and without blemish — ἄσπιλος, ἄμωμος (5:27). Reuses holy (TM, High) + নিৰ্দোষ (established Ch.1, Low-Medium).
one flesh — Gr. μία σάρξ (mia sarx, 5:31, citing Gen 2:24). Assamese: এক মাংস (êk mangxô). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW].
this mystery is great: I am speaking of Christ and the church — Gr. τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν (5:32). Reuses ৰহস্য (mystery, established Ch.1 & 3). Risk: Critical. This is the single most sensitive occurrence of μυστήριον in the book: Paul applies “mystery” to the analogy between human marriage and Christ’s covenant union with the church. This must be firmly and explicitly distinguished from the sexual-mystical “rahasya” praxis associated with certain Tantric schools within Assam’s Kamakhya-centered Shakta tradition, in which ritualized sexual union (maithuna) itself functions as an esoteric “secret” spiritual technique. Ephesians 5:32 is a typological/analogical theological statement about Christ’s covenant love for the church, illustrated by (not identical with, and containing no ritual-sexual component of) human marriage. A mandatory, explicit translator note is required at this verse specifically, in addition to the general mystery-note established at 1:9.

Chapter 6 (Ephesians 6:1–24)

children, obey your parents in the Lord…honor your father and mother — Gr. ὑπακούετε, τιμᾶτε (6:1-3, citing Exod 20:12). obey — Gr. ὑπακούω (hypakouō). Assamese: আজ্ঞা পালন কৰা (agya palon kôra), built on the established আজ্ঞাকাৰিতা root [Reused from Romans TM, “obedience_of_faith”]. Risk: Medium [NEW]. honor — Gr. τιμάω (timaō). Assamese: সম্মান কৰা (xomman kôra). Risk: Low [NEW].
fathers, do not provoke your children to anger — Gr. μὴ παροργίζετε τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν (6:4). Assamese: সন্তানক খেপাই দিব নালাগে (xôntanôk khêpai dibô nalagê). Risk: Low [NEW].
bondservants…masters — Gr. δοῦλοι…κύριοι (6:5-9). slave/bondservant — δοῦλος (doulos). Assamese: দাস (dax). Risk: Medium [NEW] (historical-institutional term; note the ordinary conditions of first-century slavery differ from later chattel-slavery associations and should be briefly contextualized in teaching material). masters (earthly) — κύριος used in its mundane sense of “master/owner.” Assamese: মালিক (malik). Risk: High [NEW]. This is a critical consistency point: the same Greek word κύριος is used elsewhere in the New Testament and throughout this Language Package exclusively for Christ’s exclusive divine Lordship ([Reused from Romans TM] প্ৰভু, Critical). In chapter 6’s household code, κύριος refers to an ordinary human slave-owner and MUST be rendered মালিক, never প্ৰভু, to prevent the Critical baseline term for Christ’s exclusive Lordship from being diluted by application to an everyday human authority relationship. This distinction must be explicitly flagged for every translator working on this chapter.
knowing that whatever good anyone does…there is no partiality — Gr. προσωπολημψία (prosōpolēmpsia, 6:9). Assamese: পক্ষপাত (pôkkhôpat). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Carries quiet but real force against caste-based social partiality in the Assamese context.
be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might — Gr. ἐνδυναμοῦσθε ἐν κυρίῳ καὶ ἐν τῷ κράτει τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ (6:10). Reuses Lord (TM, Critical) and might-vocabulary established at 1:19 (κράτος = পৰাক্ৰম). strength — Gr. ἰσχύς (ischys). Assamese: শক্তি/বল (xôkti/bôl) [NEW, Low, distinct from ঈশ্বৰৰ শক্তি which is reserved specifically for “power of God” per baseline].
the whole armor of God — Gr. ἡ πανοπλία τοῦ θεοῦ (hē panoplia tou theou, 6:11, 6:13). Literal: “the full set of armor/weaponry.” Assamese: ঈশ্বৰৰ সম্পূৰ্ণ বৰ্ম (Iswôror sompurnô bôrmô). Risk: High [NEW]. Anchors the curriculum doctrine “Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God.” Deliberately renders “armor” with বৰ্ম (bôrmô, a general martial-armor term) rather than কবচ (kôbôcô), which in Assamese Puranic literature specifically denotes a magically empowered protective armor or amulet gifted by a deity to a hero (e.g., Krishna’s or Karna’s kavacha) — a close narrative parallel that could recast Ephesians 6 as a myth of magical protective gear rather than the believer’s active, faith-and-Scripture-based resistance against a real but already-defeated enemy.
the schemes of the devil — Gr. τὰς μεθοδείας τοῦ διαβόλου (tas methodeias tou diabolou, 6:11). devil — Gr. διάβολος (diabolos). Assamese: শয়তান (xoytan), an established transliterated/loan term. Risk: High [NEW]. Must be presented as a specific, personal, defeated-but-active enemy — not a generic evil spirit or ancestral/household spirit of the kind addressed in Assamese folk exorcism practice (bez healing rituals). schemes — Gr. μεθοδεία (methodeia), same word as 4:14. Assamese: কৌশল (kausôl, established above).
not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places — Gr. οὐ πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς ἀρχάς, πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου, πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις (6:12). This single verse is the doctrinal core of “Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God” and, alongside μυστήριον and κόσμος-avatar-adjacent Christological terms, represents the highest cultural-collision risk in the entire book for an Assamese audience. — rulers (ἀρχαί) — Assamese: শাসনকৰ্তা (xaxonkôrta). authorities (ἐξουσίαι) — Assamese: ক্ষমতা/অধিকাৰী (khyômota/odhikari). cosmic powers over this present darkness (κοσμοκράτορες τοῦ σκότους τούτου, literally “world-rulers of this darkness”) — Assamese: এই জগতৰ অন্ধকারৰ শাসনকৰ্তা (ei jogotor ondhôkaror xaxonkôrta). spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις) — Assamese: স্বৰ্গীয় স্থানত থাকা মন্দ আত্মিক শক্তি (swôrgiyô sthanôt thaka mondo atmik xôkti). Risk: Critical [NEW]. Assam’s dominant Shakta-Tantra religious landscape (centered on the Kamakhya temple), together with widespread folk practices of bez (traditional healer/exorcist) consultation and deodhani spirit-possession ritual, gives this passage exceptional force and exceptional risk. A careless or literal-only rendering could be assimilated into an existing folk cosmology of negotiable, appeasable spirits governing specific territories or misfortunes — precisely the transactional spirit-relationship this passage’s remedy (the armor of God: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, the Spirit’s word, and prayer — not ritual offering, mantra-exchange, or spirit-appeasement) is designed to replace. A mandatory, extensive translator note — comparable in gravity to the Romans baseline’s incarnation/avatar note — is required at this verse, affirming: (1) these are real, personal, spiritual beings, not mere personifications of abstract evil; (2) they are already decisively defeated by Christ (cf. 1:20-21’s power-vocabulary, and Colossians 2:15 as cross-reference); (3) the believer’s resistance is through faith, truth, prayer, and Scripture — never through ritual appeasement, offering, exorcistic mantra-transaction, or consultation of intermediary spirit-specialists.
that you may be able to stand against…having done all, to stand firm — Gr. στῆναι…στῆναι (stēnai, 6:11, 6:13-14). Assamese: থিয় হৈ থাকা (thiyô hoi thaka). Risk: Medium [NEW].
the belt of truth…the breastplate of righteousness…shoes…the gospel of peace…the shield of faith…the helmet of salvation…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God — Gr. ζώνη τῆς ἀληθείας…θώραξ τῆς δικαιοσύνης…ὑπόδημα…εὐαγγέλιον τῆς εἰρήνης…θυρεὸς τῆς πίστεως…περικεφαλαία τοῦ σωτηρίου…μάχαιρα τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα θεοῦ (6:14-17). This armor-catalog systematically reuses five already-Critical/High baseline terms: righteousness = ধাৰ্মিকতা (Critical, TM); gospel = সুসমাচাৰ (High, TM); peace = শান্তি (Medium, TM); faith = বিশ্বাস (High, TM); salvation = পৰিত্ৰাণ (Critical, TM); Holy Spirit = পবিত্ৰ আত্মা (Critical, TM). New equipment-nouns: belt — টঙালি (tôngali) [Low]; breastplate — বুকুবৰ্ম (bukubôrmô) [Low]; shoes — পাদুকা (paduka) [Low]; shield — ঢাল (dhal) [Low]; helmet — শিৰোৰক্ষক (xirorôkkhôk) [Low]; sword — তৰোৱাল (tôrowal) [Low]; word of God — ঈশ্বৰৰ বচন (Iswôror bôcôn) [Medium]. Risk of the equipment-nouns themselves: Low; risk of the theological terms they carry: Critical/High, exactly as established elsewhere in this Language Package — the armor-catalog does not introduce new doctrinal risk beyond reinforcing existing Critical/High terms in a memorable, martial frame.
praying at all times in the Spirit…making supplication — Gr. προσευχόμενοι ἐν πνεύματι…δέησις (6:18). prayer — Gr. προσευχή (proseuchē). Assamese: প্ৰাৰ্থনা (prarthôna). Risk: Medium [NEW]. Should be distinguished from ritual puja or mantra-recitation directed at an image or deity-intermediary; biblical prayer here is direct address to God the Father, in the Spirit, in Christ’s name.
an ambassador in chains — Gr. ὑπὲρ οὗ πρεσβεύω ἐν ἁλύσει (6:20). ambassador — Gr. πρεσβεύω/πρέσβυς (presbeuō/presbys). Assamese: প্ৰতিনিধি (protinidhi). Risk: Low-Medium [NEW].
grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ — closing benediction (6:23-24), reusing grace = অনুগ্ৰহ, peace = শান্তি, love = প্ৰেম, Lord Jesus Christ = প্ৰভু যীচু খ্ৰীষ্ট (all established/TM terms). Risk: High, per the Theological Consistency Rules requiring identical rendering of closing benedictions across documents.

Cross-Chapter Consistency Notes

περιπατέω (“walk”) must render identically at every occurrence (2:2, 2:10, 4:1, 4:17, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15) to preserve the book’s deliberate rhetorical structure (old walk → new walk) that anchors the “Walking in Newness of Life” doctrine.
μυστήριον (“mystery”) must render identically at every occurrence (1:9, 3:3-9, 5:32, 6:19) with the mandatory distinguishing note repeated or cross-referenced at each occurrence, given the severity of the Tantric-rahasya collision risk.
ἀρχή/ἐξουσία and related cosmic-power vocabulary must render identically between 1:21, 3:10, and 6:12, since 6:12 depends on the reader recognizing these as the same powers already declared subject to Christ in chapter 1.
κύριος requires disciplined dual handling: exclusively প্ৰভু for Christ’s divine Lordship throughout the book, but মালিক wherever the earthly-master sense is intended in the household code (6:5-9) — never the reverse.
σῶμα/πλήρωμα (“body”/“fullness”) must render identically at 1:22-23, 2:16, 3:6, 3:19, 4:4, 4:12-16, and 5:23,30 to preserve the book’s sustained body-metaphor.
All terms already fixed by the Romans baseline (গospel, grace, faith, righteousness, salvation, apostle, called/calling, holy, saints, sanctification, adoption, resurrection, lord, son_of_god, peace, spiritual_gifts, thanksgiving, fellowship, church, kingdom_of_god, law, sin, gentiles, glory, power_of_god, messiah, prophet, prophecy, covenant, election, providence, mission, israel, jesus, god, holy_spirit, father, exhort) are reused without modification throughout Ephesians; none of these require re-derivation.

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