Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — Gospel of John (Koine Greek → Assamese)
Methodology Note
This analysis follows the Romans baseline Language Package conventions exactly. Any term already recorded in translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json (গড ঈশ্বৰ, Jesus যীচু, Lord প্ৰভু, grace অনুগ্ৰহ, faith বিশ্বাস, salvation পৰিত্ৰাণ, resurrection পুনৰুত্থান, righteousness ধাৰ্মিকতা, holy পবিত্ৰ, Holy Spirit পবিত্ৰ আত্মা, glory মহিমা, sin পাপ, church মণ্ডলী, kingdom of God ঈশ্বৰৰ ৰাজ্য, covenant নিয়ম, David দায়ূদ, Israel ইস্ৰায়েল, incarnation দেহধাৰণ, etc.) is reused exactly and marked “[baseline reuse]” below — it is not re-derived. New terms required for John are analyzed fresh using the same risk framework (Critical/High/Medium/Low) and the same Assamese-Hindu / Ekasarana Dharma syncretism lens the baseline established.
John’s Gospel intensifies several risks only lightly touched in Romans (pre-existence and pre-incarnate pattern of the Logos; the “descent/ascent” language that is dangerously close to avatar-descent theology; the “born again/from above” wordplay that collides with punarjanma; the seven “I Am” self-identifications that assert divine self-existence; and the Father-Son “oneness” language that risks either Advaita-monist absorption or the opposite error of denying real unity). These cross-cutting risks are flagged at first occurrence and repeated at each subsequent occurrence per the baseline’s “mandatory note at first use” convention (cf. দেহধাৰণ, পুনৰুত্থান).
PART A — Core Passage: John 3:1-21 (Verse-by-Verse)
v.1
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaios) | Pharisee | member of a Jewish legal-purity movement | ”Pharisee” | Establishes Nicodemus’s credentials as a religious authority, heightening the irony of his need for new birth | ফৰীচী (phôrici) — established transliteration, Low risk |
| ἄρχων τῶν Ἰουδαίων (archōn tōn Ioudaiōn) | ruler of the Jews | member of the Sanhedrin/ruling council | ”ruler,” “leader,” “member of the council” | Signals institutional religious status about to be overturned by grace, not achieved by rank | ইহুদীৰ এজন অধিকাৰী/নেতা (Ihudir ejôn odhikari/neta) — Medium risk: must not read as a political administrator; a religious-council authority |
v.2
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| νυκτός (nyktos) | at night | literal darkness; also narrative-symbolic | ”by night” | Sets up John’s light/darkness motif (cf. v.19-21); Nicodemus comes out of the “darkness” toward the “Light” | ৰাতি (rati) — Low risk, but translator note recommended linking to vv.19-21 light/darkness motif |
| ῥαββί (rhabbi) | my great one / my teacher | honorific address to a recognized teacher | ”Rabbi,” “Teacher” | Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus’ teaching authority, yet still misunderstands his identity | ৰব্বি (rôbbi) — established transliteration, Low risk |
| σημεῖα (sēmeia) | signs | miraculous acts that point beyond themselves to identity/meaning | ”signs,” “miracles,” “miraculous signs” | Distinct from a wonder-worker’s power display; a sign points to who Jesus is (cf. 20:30-31) | চিন (cin) — Medium-High risk: must be distinguished from siddhi/miraculous power attributed to yogis or Puranic god-figures; the sign’s purpose is revelatory, not a demonstration of raw spiritual power |
v.3
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι (amēn amēn legō soi) | truly truly I say to you | solemn double-asseveration unique to John, marking authoritative revelation | ”Truly, truly, I say to you”; “I tell you the truth” | Marks Jesus speaking with independent divine authority, not merely citing tradition | সঁচাকৈয়ে, সঁচাকৈয়ে মই তোমাক কৈছোঁ (xãsakoiye, xãsakoiye moi tomak koisu) — Medium risk: must retain doubled emphasis, not flatten to a single “truly” |
| γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν (gennēthē anōthen) | be born from above / be born again | (1) new physical birth; (2) birth originating from heaven/God; deliberately ambiguous in Greek | ”born again,” “born from above,” “born anew” | CRITICAL. Names the doctrine of regeneration: a Spirit-wrought, one-time, God-originated new birth — not a repeatable cycle of births (punarjanma/saṃsāra) and not a self-achieved spiritual attainment | ওপৰৰ পৰা নতুনকৈ জন্ম হওক (upôror pora notunkoi jônmô hôwôk) — CRITICAL risk. The natural Assamese word for “again” (পুনৰ) must be avoided in this construction because পুনৰ জন্ম / পুনৰ্জন্ম is precisely the Assamese term for reincarnation within the saṃsāra cycle (already forbidden in the baseline for “resurrection”). This is the single highest-stakes term newly introduced by John: a mandatory translator note must accompany every occurrence distinguishing a one-time, Spirit-given, upward-originating new birth from the repeating, karma-driven cycle of rebirth central to Assamese Hindu and Ekasarana cosmology. Render with ওপৰৰ পৰা (from above) foregrounded, and ঈশ্বৰৰ পৰা (from God)/আত্মাৰ দ্বাৰা (by the Spirit) added in surrounding text wherever possible. |
| βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (basileia tou theou) | kingdom of God | [baseline reuse] | “kingdom of God” | Only the newly-born can perceive/enter God’s reign; not a bloodline or merit qualification | ঈশ্বৰৰ ৰাজ্য [baseline reuse] — Medium risk per baseline |
v.4
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| γέρων ὢν (gerōn ōn) | being old | Nicodemus’s literalistic (mis)hearing | ”when he is old” | Demonstrates the ἄνωθεν wordplay’s translation difficulty even for a first-century Jewish teacher | বুঢ়া হৈ থাকোঁতে (budha hoi thakote) — Low risk |
| κοιλία (koilia) | womb | literal birth-organ | ”womb” | Nicodemus’s flesh-bound misunderstanding sets up the flesh/Spirit contrast of v.6 | গৰ্ভ (gôrbhô) — Low risk |
v.5
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος (ex hydatos kai pneumatos) | of water and spirit | debated: baptismal water / cleansing symbolism paired with the Spirit’s regenerating work | ”of water and the Spirit,” “born of water and of the Spirit” | Regeneration involves cleansing (symbolized by water) accomplished by the Spirit, not ritual purification alone | পানী আৰু আত্মাৰ দ্বাৰা (pani aru atmar dwara) — High risk: must not be read as ritual ceremonial washing (cf. Hindu snana/purificatory bathing) accomplishing salvation by itself; the Spirit (পবিত্ৰ আত্মা) is the effective agent |
v.6
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| σάρξ (sarx) | flesh | (1) physical body/human nature; (2) fallen, self-oriented human nature (Pauline sense, echoed here) | “flesh” | What is born of merely human origin remains human-level; cannot self-produce spiritual life | মাংস / দেহ (mangxô/dehô) — High risk: must be distinguished from মাংস as a purely biological word with no moral freight; here it names a category (creaturely, unregenerate origin) contrasted with Spirit-origin |
| πνεῦμα (pneuma) | spirit / wind / breath | (1) the Holy Spirit; (2) wind/breath (wordplay exploited in v.8) | “Spirit,” “spirit” | What the Spirit begets shares the Spirit’s own quality — spiritual life, not mere biological life | আত্মা (atma) [baseline reuse of পবিত্ৰ আত্মা where the Holy Spirit specifically is meant] — High risk |
v.7
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| θαυμάσῃς (thaumasēs) | you should marvel/be astonished | intellectual/emotional astonishment | ”do not marvel,” “do not be surprised” | Nicodemus’s astonishment models the natural human resistance to a doctrine outside merit-based religious categories | আচৰিত নহবা (asôritô nôhôba) — Low risk |
v.8
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ (to pneuma hopou thelei pnei) | the wind/spirit blows where it wishes | wordplay: same Greek word πνεῦμα for both “wind” and “Spirit,” and πνεῖ (“blows”) shares the root | ”The wind blows where it wishes,” “the Spirit blows/moves as he wills” | The Spirit’s regenerating work is sovereign and untraceable by human observation or control — a direct analogue to the baseline’s “election” doctrine (not karma, not human achievement) | বতাহ য’তেই বিচাৰে তাতেই বায় (botah joteü bicare tatei bay) — High risk, with unavoidable translation loss: Assamese has separate words for “wind” (বতাহ) and “spirit” (আত্মা), so John’s wordplay (the same word functioning as both subject and verb-root) cannot be reproduced. A translator note is required explaining that the Greek pneuma names both “wind” and “Spirit,” and that the illustration itself argues for the Spirit’s untraceable sovereignty in the new birth. |
| οὐκ οἶδας πόθεν ἔρχεται καὶ ποῦ ὑπάγει (ouk oidas pothen erchetai kai pou hypagei) | you do not know where it comes from or where it goes | mystery of origin/destination | ”you do not know where it comes from or where it goes” | Human inability to control or fully explain the Spirit’s regenerating work | ক’ৰ পৰা আহে বা ক’লে যায় নাজানা (kôr pora ahe ba kôle jai najana) — Medium risk |
v.9
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πῶς δύναται ταῦτα γενέσθαι (pōs dynatai tauta genesthai) | how can these things be | continued incomprehension | ”How can these things be?” | Nicodemus, a “teacher of Israel” (v.10), still cannot grasp Spirit-wrought regeneration apart from prior OT background (cf. Ezekiel 36:26-27) | এইবোৰ কেনেকৈ হ’ব পাৰে (eibor kenekoi hôbô pare) — Low risk |
v.10
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ διδάσκαλος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ (ho didaskalos tou Israēl) | the teacher of Israel | recognized authoritative religious instructor | ”the teacher of Israel,” “Israel’s teacher” | Ironic emphasis: even Israel’s authoritative teacher needs the new birth he does not yet understand | ইস্ৰায়েলৰ শিক্ষক (Israyelor xikkhôk) — Low risk |
v.11
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἑωράκαμεν… μαρτυροῦμεν (heōrakamen… martyroumen) | we have seen… we testify | eyewitness testimony language | ”we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen” | Establishes the epistemological basis of Jesus’ revelation: firsthand divine knowledge, not speculation | আমি দেখিছোঁ…সাক্ষ্য দিছোঁ (ami dekhisu…xakkhyô dixu) — Medium risk: সাক্ষ্য must retain legal/testimonial weight, not soften to casual reporting |
v.12
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| τὰ ἐπίγεια / τὰ ἐπουράνια (ta epigeia / ta epourania) | earthly things / heavenly things | categories of revelation content | ”earthly things”/“heavenly things” | Sets up v.13’s claim that only the one who has come from heaven can reveal heavenly realities | পৃথিৱীৰ কথা / স্বৰ্গৰ কথা (prithibir kôtha / xôrgôr kôtha) — Medium risk |
v.13
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀναβέβηκεν… καταβάς (anabebēken… katabas) | has ascended… having descended | vertical movement between heaven and earth | ”ascended… descended,” “gone up… come down” | CRITICAL. Asserts the Son of Man’s pre-existence and heavenly origin — the ground of the doctrine “Deity and Pre-existence of Christ” | উঠিছে…নামি আহিছে (uthisce…nami ahisce) — CRITICAL risk. This descent/ascent language is the single most dangerous point of contact with Ekasarana Dharma’s avatar theology, in which Krishna (as Vishnu’s supreme avatar) repeatedly “descends” to earth age after age. Every occurrence of descent language applied to Christ (also 6:33,38,41,50-51,58) must carry or reference a translator note: the Son’s descent is unique, historical, and once-for-all incarnation (দেহধাৰণ), not one instance of a repeatable avatar-descent pattern. |
| ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (ho huios tou anthrōpou) | the Son of Man | messianic self-designation combining full humanity and heavenly authority (Daniel 7:13-14) | “the Son of Man” | Jesus’ preferred self-title in John, uniting genuine humanity with divine authority and pre-existence | মানুহৰ পুত্ৰ (manuhor putro) — High risk: must not be read merely as “a human being”; carries the Danielic overtone of heavenly authority and is directly tied here to pre-existence |
v.14
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὕψωσεν… ὑψωθῆναι (hypsōsen… hypsōthēnai) | lifted up… must be lifted up | (1) physical elevation; (2) crucifixion; (3) exaltation/glorification — deliberate double meaning throughout John (also 8:28; 12:32-34) | “lifted up,” “raised up” | The cross itself is the moment of the Son’s glorification, not merely his humiliation — substitutionary death and exaltation fused in one image | ওপৰত তুলি ধৰা হ’ব (upôrôt tuli dhôra hôbô) — High risk: the wordplay (crucifixion = exaltation) must be preserved by consistent use of this phrase at all three occurrences (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34), with a translator note at first occurrence |
| ὄφις (ophis) | serpent | typological reference to Numbers 21:8-9 | ”serpent” | Establishes OT-typological fulfillment (a load-bearing pattern for “Fulfillment of Prophecy,” already flagged High risk in the baseline) | সাপ (xap) — Medium risk: requires brief OT background note for readers with low OT narrative literacy |
v.15
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων (pas ho pisteuōn) | everyone who believes | universal-scope faith formula | ”whoever believes,” “everyone who believes” | Establishes the doctrine “Eternal Life through Faith in Christ” — universal in scope, without ethnic/caste/merit qualification | সকলো বিশ্বাস কৰাসকলে (xôkôlo biswax kôra xôkôle) — High risk: universality must not be softened, echoing the baseline’s “universal_scope_of_gospel” caution |
| ζωὴν αἰώνιον (zōēn aiōnion) | eternal life | life of the age to come; a quality and duration of life originating in and shared with God (defined explicitly at 17:3) | “eternal life,” “everlasting life” | CRITICAL. The central soteriological gift of John’s Gospel; must not be conflated with mokṣa/mukti (liberation from the rebirth cycle) but as personal, relational, unending life received from and shared with the living God through the Son | অনন্ত জীৱন (ônôntô jibôn) — CRITICAL risk. NEVER মুক্তি or মোক্ষ (already forbidden by baseline for “salvation” and equally applicable here). A mandatory translator note is required at first occurrence: eternal life is relational union with God, not release from the rebirth cycle, and is entered now by faith (cf. 17:3), not attained progressively through merit or realization. |
v.16
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Οὕτως ἠγάπησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κόσμον (Houtōs ēgapēsen ho theos ton kosmon) | thus/in this way God loved the world | God’s own initiating, self-giving love, directed toward the world as a whole | ”For God so loved the world” | CRITICAL — the doctrine “God’s Love for the World.” God’s love is the uncaused origin of salvation, not a response elicited by devotion or merit | ঈশ্বৰে জগতখনক এনে প্ৰেম কৰিলে (Iswôre jôgôtkhonôk ene prem kôrile) — High risk. ἀγαπάω/ἀγάπη → প্ৰেম (prem) is the natural Assamese word, but প্ৰেম/প্ৰেমা-ভক্তি is also the central devotional vocabulary of Assamese Vaishnavism and the Ekasarana Dharma naam tradition (the devotee’s emotional love toward a chosen deity). A translator note is required distinguishing God’s self-originating, sacrificial, initiating love for an undeserving world (John 3:16) from devotee-originated bhakti-prema directed upward toward a chosen deity. |
| μονογενής (monogenēs) | only [one] of its kind / unique, one-of-a-kind | uniquely-begotten; the sole, unrepeatable Son (not “only” in a merely numerical sense, but “one-of-a-kind”) | “only begotten Son,” “one and only Son,” “unique Son” | CRITICAL. Directly reinforces “Sonship of Christ” (already Critical in the baseline): the Son’s Sonship is eternal and unique, never shared, never repeated, never a title conferred on another | একমাত্ৰ পুত্ৰ (ekmatrô putrô), paired with the baseline’s ঈশ্বৰৰ পুত্ৰ where fuller context requires it — CRITICAL risk: must never be softened to imply Jesus is one especially exalted son among many possible sons/avatars of God |
| κόσμος (kosmos) | world | (1) the created order; (2) fallen humanity in rebellion against God — used with both senses across John, often in the same breath | ”world” | The object of God’s love is the very world under judgment (v.17-19) — inclusive, not limited to Israel or the elect-by-birth | জগত (jôgôt) — Medium-High risk: must retain both the cosmic-scope and morally-fallen senses; avoid a purely neutral “planet/nature” reading |
| ἀπόλλυμι (apollymi) | to perish, be destroyed, be lost | eternal ruin, the opposite outcome to receiving eternal life | ”perish,” “be lost,” “be destroyed” | The alternative to eternal life is real, personal ruin — not dissolution into an impersonal absolute or dissolution of the cycle of rebirth | নষ্ট নহয় (nostô nôhôy) — Medium-High risk: must convey personal loss/ruin, not liberation-through-dissolution (which would ironically read as a positive outcome in a mokṣa framework) |
v.17
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀπέστειλεν (apesteilen) | he sent | commissioning/sending with delegated purpose and authority | ”sent,” “God sent” | High/Critical adjacent to Incarnation and Pre-existence. Names the missional structure of the Trinity: the Father sends the Son | প্ৰেৰণ কৰিলে (prerôn kôrile) — root shared with baseline’s প্ৰেৰিত (apostle, “sent one”) — High risk: must preserve sender-sent relational structure (Father sends Son) without collapsing into avatar-descent (a deity manifesting itself, versus the Father sending a distinct, co-equal Person) |
| κρίνῃ (krinē) / σωθῇ (sōthē) | judge/condemn / be saved | κρίνω: to judge, pronounce sentence, condemn; σῴζω: [baseline reuse — salvation/deliverance] | “condemn”/“be saved” | Establishes “Judgment and Belief/Unbelief” as the frame for the whole passage: the Son’s mission in this coming is saving, though judgment remains the inescapable consequence of unbelief (v.18-19) | বিচাৰ কৰিব/পৰিত্ৰাণ পাব (bicar kôribô / poritran pabô) — High risk: বিচাৰ কৰা must not be read as impersonal karmic reckoning; পৰিত্ৰাণ [baseline reuse] |
v.18
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| οὐ κρίνεται / ἤδη κέκριται (ou krinetai / ēdē kekritai) | is not judged / has already been judged | present passive vs. perfect passive — the unbeliever’s condemnation is already a present reality, not merely a future one | ”is not condemned”/“is condemned already” | Belief/unbelief is the decisive present-tense dividing line of eternal destiny, not a future uncertain reckoning against accumulated merit | বিচাৰিত নহয় / এতিয়াই বিচাৰিত হৈছে (bicaritô nôhôy / etiai bicaritô hoisce) — High risk: the perfect tense’s “already” must be retained; softening to a purely future judgment weakens the passage’s urgency |
| τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ (to onoma tou monogenous huiou tou theou) | the name of the only Son of God | ”name” = the full revealed identity/authority of the person | ”the name of the only Son of God” | Faith’s object is specifically and exclusively the person of the unique Son, not a generic deity or moral principle | ঈশ্বৰৰ একমাত্ৰ পুত্ৰৰ নামত (Iswôror ekmatrô putrôr namôt) — Critical risk, combining two already-Critical terms |
v.19
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἡ κρίσις (hē krisis) | the judgment/verdict | here: the basis or ground of judgment, not the act itself | ”this is the judgment,” “this is the verdict” | Names exactly what constitutes judgment: preference for darkness over the Light who has come | বিচাৰৰ কথা এই (bicaror kôtha ei) — High risk |
| τὸ φῶς… τὸ σκότος (to phōs… to skotos) | the light… the darkness | moral/spiritual categories, not merely physical | ”light”/“darkness” | Christ himself is the Light (cf. 1:4-9; 8:12); rejecting him is loving darkness | পোহৰ / আন্ধাৰ (pohor/andhar) — High risk: পোহৰ must be reserved for this theological sense consistently across the book; avoid জ্যোতি, which risks conflation with a deity’s radiant divine luster (তেজ/জ্যোতি) as already flagged in the baseline’s “glory” entry |
| ἔργα πονηρά (erga ponēra) | evil deeds/works | morally corrupt actions | ”evil deeds,” “wicked works” | Human resistance to the Light is morally, not merely intellectually, motivated | দুষ্ট কৰ্ম (dustô kôrmô) — Medium risk: কৰ্ম must be read as “deeds/actions” here, carefully distinguished from কৰ্মফল (karma-fruit, an impersonal cosmic mechanism already rejected in the baseline’s “providence” entry) |
v.20
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μισεῖ τὸ φῶς (misei to phōs) | hates the light | active moral aversion | ”hates the light” | Unbelief is not neutral ignorance but active avoidance of exposure | পোহৰক ঘিণ কৰে (pohorôk ghin kôre) — Medium risk |
| ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῇ (hina mē elenchthē) | so that [his works] should not be exposed/convicted | ἐλέγχω: to expose, convict, bring to light for correction — same verb-family used of the Paraclete’s convicting work in 16:8 | ”lest his works be exposed,” “so that his deeds may not be exposed” | Anticipates the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry (ch.16); avoidance of the Light is avoidance of conviction | প্ৰকাশ নহবৰ কাৰণে (prôkax nôhôbôr karône) — Medium-High risk: preserve the conceptual link to ch.16’s ἐλέγχω (convict) for cross-reference consistency |
v.21
| Greek/Translit | Literal | Semantic Range | English Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν (ho poiōn tēn alētheian) | the one doing the truth | ἀλήθεια as lived, practiced reality, not merely propositional correctness | ”whoever does what is true,” “whoever lives by the truth” | Genuine faith produces observable, truthful conduct that can bear the Light’s exposure | সত্যৰূপে কাম কৰাজন (xôtyôrupe kam kôraJon) — Medium-High risk: ἀλήθεια here functions ethically/relationally, not as abstract philosophical Truth (a caution relevant given Vedantic Satya as an impersonal ultimate reality) |
| φανερωθῇ (phanerōthē) | might be manifested/made clearly visible | to be brought into open visibility | ”may be seen clearly,” “may be revealed” | The believer welcomes exposure to the Light because his deeds are already “worked in God” | স্পষ্টকৈ প্ৰকাশ হ’ব (spôstôkoi prôkax hôbô) — Low-Medium risk |
PART B — Whole-Book Chapter-by-Chapter Semantic Study
Chapter 1 — Prologue, Testimony of the Baptist, First Disciples
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word λόγος (logos) word, reasoned utterance | in Greek philosophy: the rational principle ordering the cosmos; in John: the eternal, personal, divine self-expression of God, co-eternal with the Father, agent of creation ”Word,” “the Word” | CRITICAL — foundation of “Deity and Pre-existence of Christ.” John 1:1-3,14 asserts the Logos’s eternity (“in the beginning was”), personal distinction from (“with God”), and full deity (“was God”) | বাক্য (bakyô) — CRITICAL risk. This is the established Assamese Bible rendering (“আদিতেই বাক্য আছিল”), but it stands in a live-collision zone with (a) the Vedic/Vedantic concept of Śabda-Brahman / Vāc (the eternal cosmic Word/sound as an impersonal principle), and (b) Ekasarana Dharma’s own emphasis on the Divine Name (naam) as a quasi-sacramental channel of divine presence. A mandatory translator note is required at 1:1 distinguishing বাক্য as the eternal, personal, self-existent second Person of the Godhead — not an impersonal cosmic principle, sound, or invocation formula. |
| Word became flesh ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (ho logos sarx egeneto) the Word became flesh | the eternal Logos assuming full, genuine human nature, once, permanently ”the Word became flesh,” “the Word was made flesh” | This is the New Testament’s own naming of the doctrine the baseline calls দেহধাৰণ | বাক্য মাংসৰূপে দেহধাৰণ কৰিলে (bakyô mangxôrupe dehôdharôn kôrile) — [baseline reuse of দেহধাৰণ, CRITICAL] Combine literal σάρξ ἐγένετο with the doctrinal term; mandatory avatar-distinguishing note applies here at the book’s very first occurrence |
| grace and truth χάρις καὶ ἀλήθεια (charis kai alētheia) grace and truth | God’s revealed covenant faithfulness and unmerited favor, embodied in Christ (echoing Exodus 34:6) “grace and truth,” “grace upon grace” | Establishes χάρις [baseline reuse: অনুগ্ৰহ] as embodied in a person, not a doctrine or ritual boon | অনুগ্ৰহ আৰু সত্য [baseline reuse of grace; new term সত্য for truth, High risk] |
| only Son / only begotten μονογενής (monogenēs) one-of-a-kind | see core passage v.16 ”only Son,” “one and only,” “only begotten” | 1:14,18 — first occurrences of this Critical term | একমাত্ৰ পুত্ৰ — CRITICAL (see core passage) |
| light / darkness φῶς / σκοτία (phōs/skotia) light/darkness | see core passage vv.19-20 ”light”/“darkness” | 1:4-9: the Logos as the true Light shining in darkness — foundational statement of the motif | পোহৰ/আন্ধাৰ — High risk (see core passage) |
| life ζωή (zōē) life | see core passage v.15 ”life” | 1:4: “in him was life” — life as an attribute intrinsic to the Logos himself | জীৱন — Critical (see core passage) |
| testify/testimony μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία (martyreō/martyria) to testify / testimony | eyewitness, legally-weighted declaration ”testify,” “bear witness,” “testimony” | John the Baptist’s role is entirely defined as witness, not as the Light himself (1:6-8) | সাক্ষী দিয়া / সাক্ষ্য (xakkhi diya / xakkhyô) — Low-Medium risk |
| believe πιστεύω (pisteuō) to believe, trust | [baseline reuse root: বিশ্বাস] “believe” | 1:7,12: believing in the Light/the Name as the means of receiving new status | বিশ্বাস কৰা [baseline reuse] — High risk |
| children of God τέκνα θεοῦ (tekna theou) children of God | those given the right/standing to belong to God’s family, by new birth not human descent (1:12-13) “children of God,” “sons of God” | Directly anticipates ch.3’s new-birth doctrine: “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh… but of God” | ঈশ্বৰৰ সন্তান (Iswôror xontan) — High risk: related to, but a distinct Greek term from, the baseline’s “adoption” (υἱοθεσία/পোহাপুত্ৰ স্বৰূপে গ্ৰহণ, a Pauline legal-status term); here the emphasis is on birth origin, tying directly into the New Birth doctrine. Both terms describe real family-inclusion; note the terminological distinction for translator consistency. |
| authority/right ἐξουσία (exousia) authority, right, power to act | legal/relational right conferred, not innate ”the right,” “power,” “authority” | Becoming a child of God is a conferred right, not an achieved status | অধিকাৰ (odhikar) — Low-Medium risk |
| Lamb of God ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (amnos tou theou) Lamb of God | sacrificial victim who bears away sin, fulfilling Passover/Isaiah 53 typology ”Lamb of God,” “God’s Lamb” | Anchors “Christ’s Substitutionary Death” doctrine from the Gospel’s very first chapter (1:29,36) | ঈশ্বৰৰ মেষশাৱক (Iswôror mexôxawok) — High risk: must be distinguished from routine animal sacrifice (পশুবলি) practiced in local Hindu ritual, which seeks ritual merit or appeasement of a deity through repeated offerings; this Lamb’s sacrifice is unique, substitutionary, and once-for-all, taking away sin rather than transactionally placating anger |
| Rabbi / Messiah / Son of God / King of Israel ῥαββί / Μεσσίας / υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ / βασιλεὺς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ teacher / Anointed One / Son of God / King of Israel | titles confessed by the first disciples ”Rabbi,” “Messiah,” “Son of God,” “King of Israel” | A rapid string of Christological confessions opening the disciples’ testimony | ৰব্বি / মচীহ [baseline reuse] / ঈশ্বৰৰ পুত্ৰ [baseline reuse] / ইস্ৰায়েলৰ ৰজা — Critical (Messiah, Son of God already Critical in baseline) |
| Son of Man υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (huios tou anthrōpou) Son of Man | see 3:13 above ”Son of Man” | 1:51: first occurrence, tied to angelic ascent/descent imagery (Jacob’s ladder typology) — pre-existence/heavenly-access theme begins here | মানুহৰ পুত্ৰ — High risk (see core passage v.13) |
Chapter 2 — Cana, Temple Clearing
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| sign σημεῖον (sēmeion) sign | miraculous act revealing identity/glory, not mere power-display | 2:11: “manifested his glory” through the first sign at Cana | চিন (cin) — Medium-High risk (see core passage v.2) |
| hour ὥρα (hōra) hour, appointed time | the divinely appointed, sovereignly-timed moment of the Son’s glorification through death (recurs 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1) | 2:4: “My hour has not yet come” — introduces a Passion-timeline motif running through the whole Gospel | সময় (xômôy) — Medium-High risk: must be distinguished from astrologically-determined auspicious timing (মুহূৰ্ত/মুহুৰ্ত, জোতিষশাস্ত্ৰ) central to Assamese Hindu ritual practice; this “hour” is fixed by the Father’s sovereign redemptive plan, not by celestial calculation |
| temple (of his body) ναός (naos) temple sanctuary | Jesus reinterprets the Jerusalem temple typologically as his own body, to be destroyed and raised in three days | 2:19-21: foreshadows the resurrection and relocates the locus of God’s presence in Christ himself | মন্দিৰ (mondir) — High risk: baseline already forbids মন্দিৰ for “church” (Hindu image-temple associations); here it is the literal Jerusalem Temple building being discussed, which is an acceptable descriptive use, but the immediate reinterpretation (“temple of his body,” ναός employed metaphorically for Christ) must be rendered with a clarifying phrase (তেৰঁ শৰীৰ, “his body”) rather than risk suggesting Christ’s body is itself a shrine housing a deity in the Hindu image-temple sense |
Chapter 3 — Remainder (vv.22-36): John the Baptist’s Testimony
(vv.1-21 fully treated in Part A above.)
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| bridegroom νυμφίος (nymphios) bridegroom | messianic-marital imagery (echoing OT bridegroom-of-Israel language) | 3:29: John the Baptist identifies Christ as the Bridegroom, himself as merely the friend who rejoices | দৰা (dôra) — Medium risk |
| from above ὁ ἄνωθεν ἐρχόμενος (ho anōthen erchomenos) the one coming from above | reinforces v.13’s descent-language and v.3’s ἄνωθεν wordplay | 3:31: “He who comes from above is above all” — restates the pre-existence claim in the Baptist’s own testimony | ওপৰৰ পৰা অহাজন (upôror pora ohaJôn) — Critical (see v.3, v.13 notes above) |
| wrath of God ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ (orgē tou theou) wrath of God | God’s settled, righteous, personal opposition to sin and unbelief, not capricious anger | 3:36: the negative counterpart to v.16’s eternal life — unbelief results in abiding under God’s wrath | ঈশ্বৰৰ ক্ৰোধ (Iswôror krodh) — High risk: must be distinguished from a Puranic deity’s capricious, ritually-appeasable ক্ৰোধ (commonly resolved through offerings/austerity); biblical wrath is resolved only through faith in the Son’s substitutionary work, never through ritual appeasement |
Chapter 4 — Samaritan Woman, Worship, Healing
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| living water ὕδωρ ζῶν (hydōr zōn) living/flowing water | metaphor for the Spirit-given, self-renewing eternal life Christ gives | 4:10-14: Christ offers water that permanently satisfies, contrasted with repeated, temporary well-drawing | জীৱ পানী / জীৱনদায়ক পানী (jib pani / jibônôdayôk pani) — Medium-High risk: tie explicitly to ζωή/জীৱন (life) to avoid a merely literal “flowing water” reading |
| worship προσκυνέω (proskyneō) to worship, bow down | reverent homage and service directed to God | 4:20-24: “worship in spirit and truth” — worship is no longer tied to a fixed geographic shrine (Jerusalem/Samaria) but is a Spirit-enabled, truthful relationship | আৰাধনা কৰা (aradhôna kôra) — High risk: আৰাধনা is widely used in Assamese Hindu/Ekasarana devotional vocabulary for worship/adoration of a chosen deity (ista-devata) at a shrine or Namghar; a translator note distinguishing worship “in spirit and truth” — not tied to any physical shrine or image, and possible only through the Spirit — from image/site-based পুজা/আৰাধনা practice is required at first occurrence |
| Spirit and truth πνεῦμα καὶ ἀλήθεια (pneuma kai alētheia) spirit and truth | worship enabled by the Holy Spirit, aligned with revealed truth in Christ | see above | আত্মা আৰু সত্যৰে (atma aru xôtyôre) — High risk, tied to above |
| Savior of the world σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου (sōtēr tou kosmou) Savior of the world | universal scope of Christ’s saving identity, confessed by Samaritans (outsiders to Israel) | 4:42 | জগতৰ পৰিত্ৰাণকৰ্তা (jôgôtôr poritranôkôrta) — High risk: [built on baseline reuse পৰিত্ৰাণ]; reinforces universal scope doctrine already flagged High in the baseline |
Chapter 5 — Sabbath Healing, the Son’s Authority
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| equal with God ἴσος τῷ θεῷ (isos tō theō) equal to God | full ontological equality of nature, not honorary or delegated status | 5:18: the Jewish leaders correctly perceive Jesus’s claim of equality with the Father as blasphemy-level unless true — a direct Deity-of-Christ claim | ঈশ্বৰৰ সমান (Iswôror xôman) — CRITICAL risk: must not be softened to “godlike” or “God-favored”; this is the text’s own recognition of a full deity claim |
| resurrection of life / resurrection of judgment ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / ἀνάστασις κρίσεως (anastasis zōēs / anastasis kriseōs) resurrection unto life / resurrection unto judgment | two distinct final bodily resurrections, of the righteous and unrighteous | 5:28-29: final eschatological resurrection tied to belief/unbelief in this life | জীৱনৰ পুনৰুত্থান / বিচাৰৰ পুনৰুত্থান (jibônôr punoruththan / bicaror punoruththan) — [baseline reuse পুনৰুত্থান, CRITICAL] |
| honor the Son τιμᾷ τὸν υἱόν (tima ton huion) honor the Son | the Father’s will that the Son receive the same honor given the Father | 5:23: “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father” — direct assertion of shared divine honor, foundational to “Unity of the Father and the Son” | পুত্ৰক সন্মান কৰা (putrôk xonman kôra) — Critical risk: must preserve the “just as” (equal honor), not a lesser derivative honor |
Chapter 6 — Bread of Life
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the bread of life ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς (egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs) I am the bread of life | first of the seven “I Am” self-identifications; Christ as the sole source of sustaining, eternal life | 6:35,48,51: “The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements” doctrine, #1 | মই জীৱনৰ ৰুটি (moi jibônôr ruti) — High risk: [ζωή/জীৱন Critical reuse]; must retain the emphatic ἐγώ εἰμι formula “মই…হয়” consistently across all seven statements for doctrinal/pedagogical cross-referencing |
| flesh and blood (eucharistic) σάρξ καὶ αἷμα (sarx kai haima) flesh and blood | Christ’s self-giving sacrificial death, appropriated by faith, prefiguring the Lord’s Supper | 6:51-58: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” — provocatively literal language pointing to genuine appropriation of Christ’s substitutionary death by faith | মাংস আৰু তেজ (mangxô aru tej) — High risk: must not be read as literal cannibalism nor as a magical ritual formula; points to genuine spiritual appropriation of the substitutionary death by faith, later formalized in the Lord’s Supper |
| draw ἑλκύσῃ (helkysē) draw, drag | the Father’s sovereign initiative in bringing a person to the Son | 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” — ties to effectual calling/election, already High/Critical risk categories in the baseline | আকৰ্ষণ কৰা / টানি নিয়া (akôrxôn kôra/tani nia) — High risk: must convey sovereign divine initiative, not karma or fate |
Chapter 7 — Feast of Booths, Living Water, Messianic Debate
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Spirit was not yet given οὔπω… πνεῦμα (oupō… pneuma) Spirit not yet | the Spirit’s full outpouring awaits Christ’s glorification (resurrection/ascension) | 7:39: ties Pentecost-Spirit outpouring to the completed work of the Son — connects “Holy Spirit as Counselor” to the completed cross-resurrection work | আত্মা এতিয়াও দিয়া হৈছিল নাই (atma etiao dia hoisilo nai) — Medium-High risk |
| living water (from within) ποταμοὶ ὕδατος ζῶντος (potamoi hydatos zōntos) rivers of living water | the Spirit’s outflowing, life-giving presence in the believer | 7:37-39, restates ch.4’s living-water motif with explicit identification as the Spirit | জীৱ পানীৰ নাৈ (jib panir nôi) — Medium-High risk (see ch.4) |
Chapter 8 — Light of the World, Freedom, Pre-existence
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the light of the world ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου (egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou) I am the light of the world | second “I Am” statement | 8:12 | মই জগতৰ পোহৰ (moi jôgôtôr pohor) — High risk (see 3:19-21) |
| the truth will set you free ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς (hē alētheia eleutherōsei hymas) the truth will free you | liberation from bondage to sin through knowledge of, and abiding in, Christ’s word | 8:31-32 | সত্যই তোমালোকক স্বাধীন কৰিব (xôtyôi tomalokôk swadhin kôribô) — CRITICAL risk decision point. The natural Assamese word for “freedom/liberation,” মুক্তি, is already forbidden by the baseline specifically because it denotes liberation from the saṃsāra/rebirth cycle (mokṣa-adjacent). This is a NEW critical decision required for John: this Requirements artifact recommends স্বাধীনতা/স্বাধীন (freedom/independence, civil-relational register, without mokṣa associations) rather than মুক্তি, paired with an explicit qualifying phrase — পাপৰ পৰা স্বাধীনতা (freedom from sin) — to keep the referent clearly relational/moral rather than cosmic-liberationist. This decision must be ratified in Phase 1 Step 8 (Core Glossary) and locked in translation memory before Phase 2 begins. |
| slave to sin δοῦλός… τῆς ἁμαρτίας (doulos… tēs hamartias) slave of sin | bondage under sin’s mastery, contrasted with the Son’s freedom | 8:34 [baseline reuse ἁμαρτία/পাপ] | পাপৰ দাস (paper das) — Medium risk |
| before Abraham was, I am πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι ἐγὼ εἰμί (prin Abraam genesthai egō eimi) before Abraham came to be, I am | absolute, tenseless self-existence claim — echoes the divine Name revealed in Exodus 3:14 (LXX ἐγώ εἰμι) | 8:58: the climactic pre-existence/deity claim of the chapter, provoking a stoning attempt for blasphemy | মই আছোঁ (moi asu) — CRITICAL risk. Must not be flattened to a simple past-tense “I existed” or “I was” — the grammar is present tense, asserting timeless self-existence, not merely priority in time. A translator note explicitly linking this to the divine Name is mandatory at this verse. |
| devil / father of lies διάβολος / ψεῦδος (diabolos/pseudos) devil / lie, falsehood | personal, malevolent spiritual being opposed to God and truth | 8:44 | শয়তান (xoytan) — Medium risk: distinguish from generic evil spirits/bhut-pret of Assamese folk belief; the devil is a specific, personal, defeated enemy, not one of many spirits to be appeased or exorcised ritually |
Chapter 9 — The Man Born Blind
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| blind τυφλός (typhlos) blind | physical blindness used as extended metaphor for spiritual unbelief/perception | 9:39-41: “I came… so that those who see may become blind” — judgment/belief theme extended | অন্ধ (ondho) — Medium risk: universal metaphor, low collision risk, but must be distinguished explicitly from a karma-caused congenital condition (the disciples’ own question in 9:2 assumes a sin-causes-suffering framework which Jesus corrects) |
| worship προσκυνέω (proskyneō) worship | see ch.4 | 9:38: the healed man worships Jesus directly — an implicit deity-recognition act | আৰাধনা কৰা — High risk (see ch.4); here directed at Jesus personally, reinforcing Deity of Christ |
Chapter 10 — Good Shepherd, Oneness with the Father
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the door ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα (egō eimi hē thyra) I am the door/gate | third “I Am” statement; the exclusive means of access to salvation and pasture | 10:7,9 | মই দুৱাৰ (moi duwar) — High risk |
| I am the good shepherd ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός (egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos) I am the good shepherd | fourth “I Am” statement; a shepherd who lays down his own life for the sheep (substitutionary death), contrasted with a hired hand | 10:11,14 | মই উত্তম ৰখীয়া (moi uttôm rôkhiya) — High risk: ties directly to “Christ’s Substitutionary Death” doctrine (10:11,15,17-18) |
| lay down [his] life τίθησιν τὴν ψυχήν (tithēsin tēn psychēn) lays down [his] life/soul | voluntary, substitutionary self-giving unto death | 10:11,15,17-18 | (তেঁৰ) প্ৰাণ দান কৰে (tenr pran dan kôre) — High risk |
| I and the Father are one ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν (egō kai ho patēr hen esmen) I and the Father, we are one | ontological unity of nature between two distinct Persons | 10:30: CRITICAL — foundational text for “Unity of the Father and the Son.” | মই আৰু পিতা এক (moi aru pita ek) — CRITICAL risk. This “oneness” faces a double collision danger: (1) in a monist/Advaita-influenced reading, “we are one” could be flattened into an impersonal identity that erases the real distinction of Persons (a form of Modalism); (2) in a strict-unitarian reading (also present in parts of Assam’s religious landscape), it could be denied altogether as mere metaphorical closeness. A translator note is mandatory: the “oneness” is a real unity of divine nature and will between two genuinely distinct Persons — Father and Son — neither collapsed into each other nor merely allied in purpose. |
Chapter 11 — Raising of Lazarus
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the resurrection and the life ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή (egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē) I am the resurrection and the life | fifth “I Am” statement; Christ himself, not merely a future event, is the source and guarantee of resurrection life | 11:25 | মই পুনৰুত্থান আৰু জীৱন (moi punoruththan aru jibôn) — [baseline reuse পুনৰুত্থান, CRITICAL] combined with জীৱন (Critical) — CRITICAL risk: reaffirm at this verse that পুনৰুত্থান is bodily, historical, and never পুনৰ্জন্ম |
| sleep (euphemism for death) κοιμᾶται (koimatai) is sleeping | euphemistic description of death for one who will be raised | 11:11-14 | টোপনি গৈ আছে (topôni goi asce) — Low-Medium risk: standard biblical death-euphemism; note it is not to be confused with any teaching about an intermediate unconscious “soul sleep” doctrine debate, which is outside this text’s scope |
| glory of God δόξα τοῦ θεοῦ (doxa tou theou) glory of God | [baseline reuse মহিমা] | 11:4,40: Lazarus’s raising displays God’s glory revealed through the Son | ঈশ্বৰৰ মহিমা [baseline reuse] — High risk |
Chapter 12 — Triumphal Entry, the Hour Comes, the Grain of Wheat
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| grain of wheat ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου (ho kokkos tou sitou) grain of wheat | a seed’s death producing multiplied life — a parable of substitutionary/resurrection logic | 12:24 | ঘেঁহুৰ দাণা (ghẽhur dana) — Medium risk |
| ruler of this world ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου (ho archōn tou kosmou toutou) ruler of this world | Satan’s provisional authority, decisively judged/cast out through the cross | 12:31 | এই জগতৰ শাসক (ei jôgôtôr xaxôk) — Medium-High risk: must not be read as a co-equal cosmic power but as a defeated usurper, judged at the cross |
| lifted up ὑψωθῶ (hypsōthō) be lifted up | see 3:14; 8:28 | 12:32-34 | ওপৰত তুলি ধৰা — High risk (cross-referenced, see core passage) |
| judgment of this world κρίσις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου (krisis tou kosmou toutou) judgment of this world | the cross as the decisive act of cosmic judgment | 12:31 | এই জগতৰ বিচাৰ (ei jôgôtôr bicar) — High risk |
Chapter 13 — Foot Washing, New Commandment, Betrayal Foretold
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| new commandment ἐντολὴ καινή (entolē kainē) new commandment | Christ’s command to love one another as he has loved (his self-giving love as the standard) | 13:34-35 | নতুন আজ্ঞা (notun agya) — Medium risk |
| love one another ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους (agapate allēlous) love one another | [see ἀγαπάω, core passage v.16] | 13:34 | পৰস্পৰে প্ৰেম কৰা (pôrospôre prem kôra) — High risk (reuse of already-flagged প্ৰেম) |
| betray/hand over παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) to hand over, betray, deliver up | used both of Judas’s betrayal and (elsewhere in NT) of the Father’s “handing over” the Son in the atonement — a term worth tracking for consistency | 13:2,21 (Judas); anticipates ch.18-19’s Passion narrative | শত্ৰুৰ হাতে শোধাই দিয়া / বিশ্বাসঘাত কৰা (xôtrur hate xodhai dia / biswaxghat kôra) — Medium-High risk: distinguish Judas’s morally culpable betrayal from any suggestion that the Father’s redemptive purpose in the death of Christ is itself a “betrayal” — the term must be handled carefully according to which subject performs the action |
Chapter 14 — Way, Truth, Life; the Paraclete Promised; Peace
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the way, and the truth, and the life ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή (egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē) I am the way and the truth and the life | sixth “I Am” statement; Christ as the exclusive means, content, and goal of access to the Father | 14:6: “no one comes to the Father except through me” | মই পথ, সত্য আৰু জীৱন (moi pôth, xôtyô aru jibôn) — CRITICAL risk. The exclusivity clause (“no one comes to the Father except through me”) is the most direct anti-pluralistic statement in John and must not be softened in a multi-religious Assamese context where “many paths, one destination” (a common Vedantic/Ekasarana-compatible framing) is culturally intuitive. A translator note affirming Christ’s sole mediatorial exclusivity is mandatory here. |
| Counselor / Helper παράκλητος (paraklētos) one called alongside; advocate, helper, comforter, counselor | a legal-relational term: one who stands beside another to help, advocate, comfort, or defend | 14:16,26 (first occurrences); recurs 15:26; 16:7 | High/Critical — “The Holy Spirit as Counselor.” সহায়ক (xohayôk) — High risk: must be distinguished from a generic guardian spirit, ancestor-spirit, or the intermediary role a living guru/Satradhikar might occupy within Ekasarana institutional practice (already flagged for “apostle” in the baseline); the Paraclete is the promised, personal, divine Holy Spirit [পবিত্ৰ আত্মা, baseline reuse] himself, sent by the Father and the Son, not a lesser intermediary or a departed teacher’s ongoing “presence.” Mandatory translator note at first occurrence (14:16). |
| Spirit of truth τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας (to pneuma tēs alētheias) the Spirit of truth | the Paraclete’s identity, tied to ἀλήθεια | 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 | সত্যৰ আত্মা (xôtyôr atma) — High risk (built on flagged term সত্য) |
| peace εἰρήνη (eirēnē) peace | [baseline reuse শান্তি] | 14:27: “Peace I leave with you… not as the world gives” — explicitly contrasted with worldly peace | শান্তি [baseline reuse] — Medium risk; note the explicit contrast clause requires preserving “not as the world gives,” distinguishing it from meditative calm attained by one’s own spiritual technique |
| Father’s house / dwelling places ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου… μοναί (en tē oikia tou patros mou… monai) in my Father’s house… dwelling places | heavenly, relational, permanent home prepared by Christ for believers | 14:2-3 | মোৰ পিতাৰ ঘৰ…থাকিবৰ ঠাই (mor pitar ghôr…thakibôr thai) — Medium risk |
Chapter 15 — The True Vine, the World’s Hatred, the Paraclete Continued
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am the true vine ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή (egō eimi hē ampelos hē alēthinē) I am the true vine | seventh and final “I Am” statement; organic, life-sustaining union between Christ and believers | 15:1,5 | মই সঁচা দ্ৰাক্ষালতা (moi xãsa drakkha-lôta) — High risk |
| abide μένω (menō) to remain, abide, stay | continued, dependent, life-giving union with Christ (as branch to vine), not a one-time decision alone | 15:4-10 (repeated 11×) | লগত থাকি থকা (lôgôt thaki thôka) — Medium risk: must convey ongoing relational dependence, not merely physical proximity |
| chosen/appointed ἐξελεξάμην (exelexamēn) I chose/selected | Christ’s sovereign initiative in choosing his disciples for fruit-bearing mission | 15:16 (cf. baseline’s “election” ঈশ্বৰৰ মনোনয়ন) | মই তোমালোকক মনোনয়ন কৰিলোঁ (moi tomalokôk monônoyon kôrilu) — [baseline reuse root মনোনয়ন] High risk |
| world hates you ὁ κόσμος ὑμᾶς μισεῖ (ho kosmos hymas misei) the world hates you | the disciples’ inevitable identification with Christ provokes the world’s hostility | 15:18-19 | জগতে তোমালোকক ঘিণ কৰে (jôgôte tomalokôk ghin kôre) — Medium risk |
Chapter 16 — The Paraclete’s Ministry, Sorrow into Joy
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| convict ἐλέγξει (elenxei) will convict, expose | the Paraclete’s ministry of exposing sin, righteousness, and judgment to the world | 16:8 (cf. 3:20’s ἐλεγχθῇ — cross-reference) | দোষী প্ৰমাণ কৰিব (doshi proman kôribô) — High risk: continues the Holy Spirit as Counselor doctrine; must not be softened to a general moral “reminder” — this is the Spirit’s active exposing/convicting work concerning sin and unbelief |
| guide into all truth ὁδηγήσει εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν (hodēgēsei eis pasan tēn alētheian) will guide into all the truth | the Paraclete’s teaching ministry after Christ’s departure | 16:13 | সকলো সত্যৰ পথ দেখুৱাব (xôkôlo xôtyôr pôth dekhuwabô) — Medium-High risk |
| I have overcome the world ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον (egō nenikēka ton kosmon) I have conquered the world | Christ’s decisive, already-accomplished victory over the world’s opposition, secured before the cross itself | 16:33 | মই জগতক জয় কৰিছোঁ (moi jôgôtôk jôy kôrisu) — High risk |
| sorrow turned to joy λύπη… χαρά (lypē… chara) sorrow… joy | metaphor of birth pains (16:20-22): temporary suffering giving way to lasting joy at the resurrection | 16:20-22 | দুখ…আনন্দ (dukh…anônd) — Low-Medium risk |
Chapter 17 — The High Priestly Prayer
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| eternal life defined αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε (hautē de estin hē aiōnios zōē, hina gnōskōsin se) this is eternal life, that they know you | eternal life is explicitly defined as relational, personal knowledge of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent | 17:3 — the Gospel’s own definition of eternal life, decisively settling the doctrine against any liberation-from-cycle reading | এইটোৱেই অনন্ত জীৱন, যাতে তোমাক জানিব পাৰে (eitoi ônôntô jibôn, jate tomak janibô pare) — CRITICAL risk: this verse should be used as the primary anchor text whenever ζωὴ αἰώνιος (see 3:15-16) needs a defining gloss for readers |
| sanctify ἁγιάζω (hagiazō) to make holy, consecrate, set apart | [baseline reuse root পবিত্ৰীকৰণ/পবিত্ৰ] | 17:17,19: “Sanctify them in the truth… I sanctify myself” — sets apart for mission through truth | পবিত্ৰ কৰা [baseline reuse] — High risk |
| that they may be one ἵνα ἓν ὦσιν (hina hen ōsin) that they may be one | the prayed-for unity of believers, patterned after and grounded in the Father-Son unity (10:30) | 17:11,21-23 | যাতে তেঁলোক এক হ’ব পাৰে (jate tenlok ek hôbô pare) — CRITICAL risk: must be interpreted consistently with the Father-Son oneness note at 10:30 — relational, willed unity grounded in shared divine life, not the erasure of individual persons into an undifferentiated collective consciousness (a risk of confusion with Advaitic “all is one” metaphysics if handled carelessly) |
| glorify δοξάζω (doxazō) to glorify | [baseline reuse root মহিমা] | 17:1,4-5: mutual glorification of Father and Son, including reference to pre-incarnate glory “before the world existed” (17:5) — direct pre-existence claim | মহিমান্বিত কৰা [baseline reuse] — Critical risk: 17:5 explicitly ties glorification language to pre-existence (“the glory I had with you before the world existed”) |
Chapter 18 — Betrayal, Arrest, Trial before Pilate
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am he ἐγώ εἰμι (egō eimi) I am [he] | absolute self-identification at arrest, echoing 8:58’s divine self-existence formula; the soldiers “drew back and fell to the ground” (18:6) | 18:5-8 | মই সেই ব্যক্তি / মই আছোঁ (moi xei byôkti / moi asu) — CRITICAL risk: the narrative reaction (soldiers falling back) signals this is more than a simple self-identification; render with the same weight given to 8:58 |
| my kingdom is not of this world ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου (hē basileia hē emē ouk estin ek tou kosmou toutou) my kingdom is not from this world | [baseline reuse βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ concept] — Christ’s kingship is not a territorial or political claim rivaling earthly power | 18:36 | মোৰ ৰাজ্য এই জগতৰ নহয় (mor rajyô ei jôgôtôr nôhôy) — Medium risk: directly relevant to the baseline’s caution about political-kingdom associations in Assam’s regional history (Ahom kingdom); reinforce that Christ’s kingship is categorically non-political |
Chapter 19 — Crucifixion
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| It is finished τετέλεσται (tetelestai) it has been completed/accomplished | perfect tense: a completed, once-for-all, sufficient redemptive act | 19:30 — the climactic declaration of “Christ’s Substitutionary Death” | সম্পূৰ্ণ হ’ল (sompurnô hôlo) — High risk: must convey “accomplished/completed a task” (mission fulfilled), not merely “ended” (as a neutral cessation) or “finished” in a defeatist sense; render to emphasize triumphant completion of the atoning work |
| pierced side, blood and water ἔνυξεν… τὴν πλευράν… αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ (enyxen… tēn pleuran… haima kai hydōr) pierced his side… blood and water | fulfills Zechariah 12:10 typology; blood (atonement) and water (cleansing/Spirit) flow together from Christ’s death | 19:34,37 | তেঁৰ কোঁচত বিধিলে…তেজ আৰু পানী (tenr kõsôt bidhile…tej aru pani) — Medium risk: brief typological note recommended (Zechariah fulfillment; dual symbolism of atonement and cleansing) |
| King of the Jews ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων (ho basileus tōn Ioudaiōn) King of the Jews | the inscription over the cross — ironic proclamation of true kingship at the moment of apparent defeat | 19:19-22 | ইহুদীৰ ৰজা (Ihudir rôja) — Medium risk |
| gave up his spirit παρέδωκεν τὸ πνεῦμα (paredōken to pneuma) he gave up/handed over his spirit | Christ’s voluntary, sovereign surrender of his life at the moment of death | 19:30 | তেঁৰ আত্মা শোধাই দিলে (tenr atma xodhai dile) — Medium-High risk: must convey Christ’s active, voluntary surrender of his own life (agency retained), not merely a passive expiring |
Chapter 20 — Resurrection, Appearances, Great Commission
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace be with you εἰρήνη ὑμῖν (eirēnē hymin) peace to you | [baseline reuse শান্তি] resurrection greeting, echoing 14:27’s promised peace now fulfilled | 20:19,21,26 | তোমালোকৰ ওপৰত শান্তি হওক [baseline reuse] — Medium risk |
| Receive the Holy Spirit λάβετε πνεῦμα ἅγιον (labete pneuma hagion) receive [the] Holy Spirit | [baseline reuse পবিত্ৰ আত্মা] symbolic enactment (breathing on the disciples) recalling Genesis 2:7’s creation breath — new-creation typology | 20:22 | পবিত্ৰ আত্মা গ্ৰহণ কৰা [baseline reuse] — Critical risk; note recommended linking Christ’s breath to Genesis new-creation imagery |
| My Lord and my God ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου (ho Kyrios mou kai ho Theos mou) my Lord and my God | Thomas’s climactic confession — an unambiguous, explicit deity confession made directly to Jesus | 20:28: CRITICAL — the book’s clearest single confession of “Deity of Christ.” | মোৰ প্ৰভু আৰু মোৰ ঈশ্বৰ [baseline reuse of প্ৰভু and ঈশ্বৰ, exactly] — CRITICAL risk: render with full, unqualified force; this is the text’s own theological climax and must never be softened toward an exclamation of surprise divorced from confession of deity |
| that you may believe… and have life ἵνα πιστεύ[σ]ητε… καὶ… ζωὴν ἔχητε (hina pisteusēte… kai… zōēn echēte) so that you may believe…and have life | the Gospel’s own stated purpose statement | 20:30-31: functions as the interpretive key for the whole book, tying “belief” and “life in his name” together exactly as in 3:15-16 | যাতে তোমালোকে বিশ্বাস কৰি জীৱন লাভ কৰিব পাৰে (jate tomaloke biswax kôri jibôn labhô kôribô pare) — CRITICAL risk: functions as the book’s own hermeneutical key; must echo the same vocabulary established at 3:15-16 and 17:3 exactly |
Chapter 21 — Epilogue: Restoration of Peter
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Assamese Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| love (agapaō vs. phileō) ἀγαπᾷς με / φιλῶ σε (agapas me / philō se) do you love me [agapē-love] / I love you [philē-love] | debated whether John intends a meaningful distinction or near-synonymous variation for stylistic reasons; traditionally read as movement from sacrificial to affectionate love, or as rhetorical variation testing/restoring Peter | 21:15-17: Peter’s threefold restoration after his threefold denial (18:17,25,27) | প্ৰেম কৰা (agapaō) / স্নেহ কৰা (phileō) (prem kôra / snehô kôra) — Low-Medium risk: note the possible distinction for teaching purposes without overstating a firm doctrinal difference the Greek text itself does not clearly require |
| feed / tend my sheep βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου / ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου (boske ta arnia mou / poimaine ta probata mou) feed my lambs / shepherd my sheep | pastoral commissioning, echoing “Good Shepherd” (ch.10) now delegated to Peter | 21:15-17 | মোৰ মেৰ-পোৱালিবোৰক খুৱাই দিয়া / মোৰ মেৰবোৰৰ ৰখীয়ালি কৰা (mor mer-powalibor khuwai dia / mor merboror rôkhiyali kôra) — Medium risk |
| follow me ἀκολούθει μοι (akolouthei moi) follow me | discipleship as ongoing personal allegiance to Christ, unto death (21:19) | 21:19,22 | মোৰ পাছত আহ (mor pasôt ah) — Low risk |
Cross-Cutting Risk Summary for Phase 1 Downstream Steps
- Avatar-descent collision (Critical): all descent/ascent, sending, and “came into the world” language for the Son (1:14; 3:13,17,31; 6:33,38,41,50-51,58; 16:28; 17:5,18; 18:37) requires the same দেহধাৰণ-vs-অৱতাৰ distinguishing note the baseline mandates for Romans, applied consistently across John.
- Punarjanma collision (Critical, NEW for John): “born again/from above” (ch.3) is the single highest-priority new risk this curriculum introduces; requires a dedicated translator note distinct from, though related to, the resurrection note.
- Mokṣa/mukti collision (Critical): eternal life (ζωὴ αἰώνιος) and freedom (ἐλευθερία, ch.8) both require careful avoidance of মুক্তি/মোক্ষ vocabulary; a NEW decision (স্বাধীনতা for “freedom”) is required beyond what the baseline’s “salvation” entry alone covers.
- Advaita/monism collision (Critical, NEW for John): Father-Son “oneness” (10:30; 17:11,21-23) must be rendered relationally/personally, not absorbed into an impersonal-unity metaphysic.
- “I Am” self-existence claims (Critical): 8:58 and 18:5-8’s absolute ἐγώ εἰμι require a distinguishing note tying to the divine Name (Exodus 3:14), separate from the seven predicated “I Am X” statements (High risk each).
- Paraclete/guru collision (High, NEW for John): the Holy Spirit’s Counselor role must be kept distinct from a living guru’s or Satradhikar’s mediating role in Ekasarana institutional practice.
- Puja/āradhanā collision (High, NEW for John): “worship in spirit and truth” (ch.4, ch.9) must be distinguished from shrine/image-directed worship practice.