Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 1 John | English → Bengali
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, drawn from every chapter of 1 John (1-5), with the core passage (4:7-21) as the theological anchor. Terms already present in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked Reused and must be carried forward into the 1 John translation memory with the identical Bengali rendering — no re-derivation is permitted. New terms required for 1 John are marked New and are proposed here for addition to translation memory at Phase 2 handoff, pending theologian sign-off on Critical/High entries per the baseline’s escalation rules.
A. Reused Terms (from Romans Translation Memory — render exactly as recorded)
| English term | Bengali rendering | Transliteration | Risk (baseline) | Chapters occurring | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | ঈশ্বর | Ishshor | Critical | 1-5 | No deviation permitted |
| Jesus | যীশু | Jishu | Critical | 1-5 | Never ঈসা |
| Christ / Messiah | খ্রীষ্ট | Khrishto | Critical | 1-5 | Never মশীহ outside Muslim-outreach materials with explanatory framing |
| Son of God | ঈশ্বরের পুত্র | Ishshorer Putro | Critical | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Full phrase required; never দেবপুত্র |
| Holy Spirit | পবিত্র আত্মা | Pobitro Attha | Critical | 3, 4, 5 | Distinguish from generic আত্মা (spirit/spirits) in 4:1-6 |
| Father | পিতা | Pita | Critical | 2, 3, 4 | Never ব্রহ্মা |
| Sin | পাপ | Pap | High | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | Never অধর্ম/অশুচিতা |
| Righteousness / righteous | ধার্মিকতা / ধার্মিক | Dharmikota / Dharmik | Critical | 2, 3 | Never ধর্ম |
| Fellowship | সহভাগিতা | Shohobhagita | Low | 1 | Not বন্ধুত্ব |
| Faith / believe | বিশ্বাস / বিশ্বাস করা | Bishwas | High | 3, 4, 5 | Never ঈমান |
| Law | ব্যবস্থা | Bebostha | High | 3 (ἀνομία root) | Never ধর্ম or শরিয়ত |
| Resurrection (contrast term, referenced doctrinally) | পুনরুত্থান | Punorutthan | Critical | (implied backdrop to eternal life, ch.5) | Never পুনর্জন্ম |
| Incarnation | দেহধারণ | Dehodharon | Critical | 1, 4 | Never অবতার |
| Apostle (root of ἀποστέλλω) | প্রেরিত | Prerito | Medium | (root reference, 4:9,14) | — |
| Savior (root of πρερিত/soteria family) | — (see New: ত্রাণকর্তা below) | — | — | 4 | New compound built on পরিত্রাণ root |
| Salvation (doctrinal backdrop) | পরিত্রাণ | Poritran | Critical | (backdrop to ch.4-5) | Never মুক্তি/মোক্ষ/নাজাত |
B. New Terms — Critical Risk (Human theologian review mandatory)
| English term | Original Greek | Transliteration | Bengali rendering | Doctrine | Chapters | Rejected alternatives | Risk reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love (noun) | ἀγάπη | agapē | প্রেম | God is Light and God is Love | 2, 3, 4, 5 | ভালোবাসা (as sole rendering, too weak for the ontological “God is love” claim) | Direct collision with Gaudiya Vaishnavism’s prema devotional-erotic love theology, historically centered in Bengal (Chaitanya movement, Nadia district); established Bengali Christian usage nonetheless retains প্রেম, requiring reinforcing context every occurrence |
| Love (verb) | ἀγαπάω | agapaō | ভালোবাসা / প্রেম করা | God is Light and God is Love | 2, 3, 4, 5 | — | Same collision as above |
| ”God is love” | ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν | ho theos agapē estin | ঈশ্বর প্রেম | God is Light and God is Love | 4:8, 4:16 | ঈশ্বর প্রেমময় (alone, without preserving the stronger identity-predicate) | Ontological claim about God’s nature, not merely his activity; must retain full force in teaching notes |
| Propitiation / atoning sacrifice | ἱλασμός | hilasmos | পাপের প্রায়শ্চিত্তীয় বলিদান (compound; never প্রায়শ্চিত্ত alone) | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 2, 4 | প্রায়শ্চিত্ত (unqualified) | প্রায়শ্চিত্ত is the standard Hindu/Bengali term for self-performed penance/expiation; used alone it implies a human-achieved remedy, contradicting Christ as God’s own provided sacrifice |
| Antichrist | ἀντίχριστος | antichristos | প্রতিখ্রীষ্ট | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 2, 4 | দাজ্জাল (never — Islamic-idiom eschatological figure) | Structural parallel to Islamic Dajjal (false-messiah deceiver) is real but doctrinally distinct; conflating the two imports an incompatible eschatological framework |
| Come in the flesh | σάρξ (ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα) | sarx | মাংসে (আসা) | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 4:2 | দেহে (acceptable alternative, but মাংসে matches established idiom “flesh”) | Must affirm real, permanent human embodiment of the eternal Son — never a temporary appearance (অবতার-risk) nor an illusory/non-physical appearance |
| Only begotten / unique Son | μονογενής (υἱός) | monogenēs | একমাত্র পুত্র | The Incarnation and Antichrist; Assurance of Salvation | 4:9 | একজাত পুত্র (archaic, acceptable secondary) | Must convey unique/eternal Sonship, never biological or created sonship — a live pastoral concern for Muslim-background readers |
| ”God’s word / Word of Life” | ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς | ho logos tēs zōēs | জীবনের বাক্য | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1:1 | জীবনের কথা (too weak for the Logos-title) | Parallels John 1:1’s Logos Christology; বাক্য is the established Logos-title term |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | অনন্ত জীবন | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 5:11-13, 20 | মুক্তি-adjacent renderings (never) | Must never be conflated with মুক্তি/মোক্ষ (liberation from rebirth); this is unending relational life with God through the Son |
| Perfected love / perfect love | τελεία ἀγάπη / τετελειωμένη ἀγάπη | teleia agapē | পরিপূর্ণ প্রেম | God is Light and God is Love; Assurance of Salvation | 4:12, 17, 18 | সিদ্ধ প্রেম (never) | সিদ্ধ imports Hindu yogic siddha/siddhi (self-attained spiritual perfection/supernatural power); love’s maturing is grace-given, not self-attained |
| Confess (that Jesus has come in the flesh) | ὁμολογέω (of the Incarnation) | homologeō | স্বীকার করে (যীশু খ্রীষ্ট মাংসে আসিয়াছেন) | Testing the Spirits; The Incarnation and Antichrist | 4:2-3, 15 | — | The letter’s explicit doctrinal test distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist; must engage docetism, Islamic denial of Christ’s real suffering in the flesh, and any avatar-style reading |
C. New Terms — High Risk (Human theologian review mandatory)
| English term | Original Greek | Transliteration | Bengali rendering | Doctrine | Chapters | Rejected alternatives | Risk reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abide / remain | μένω | menō | থাকা / স্থির থাকা | Fellowship with God and One Another; Assurance of Salvation | 2, 3, 4, 5 | — | Must convey ongoing relational indwelling union, not a temporary/occasional visit |
| Confess (own sin) | ὁμολογέω (of personal sin) | homologeō | (পাপ) স্বীকার করি | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:9 | — | Direct confession to God in fellowship, not a Catholic-style sacramental confession to a priest |
| Cleanse / purify | καθαρίζω / ἁγνίζω | katharizō / hagnizō | শুদ্ধ করা | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1, 3 | শুচি করা (avoid where possible) | শুচি/অশুচি vocabulary carries strong Hindu ritual-purity (shuddhi) connotations |
| Advocate | παράκλητος | paraklētos | মধ্যস্থ | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 2:1 | উকিল (too legalistic/modern), সহায়ক (too generic, loses forensic-intercessory sense) | Must be distinguished from folk shrine-based pir/saint intercession practice common in Bengal |
| Anointing | χρῖσμα | chrisma | অভিষেক | Testing the Spirits | 2:20, 27 | — | Shares vocabulary with Hindu ritual deity-anointing (abhisheka); established Bible usage retained but requires teaching-context note |
| Manifest / appear | φανερόω | phaneroō | প্রকাশিত হওয়া | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1, 3, 4 | — | Must not suggest a repeatable divine appearance (অবতার-risk); singular historical disclosure |
| Born of God / new birth | γεννάω (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ) | gennaō | ঈশ্বর থেকে জন্ম নেওয়া | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4, 5 | পুনর্জন্ম (never) | Must never be confused with reincarnation |
| Children of God | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | ঈশ্বরের সন্তান | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:1-2 | — | Related to, but distinct from, baseline’s দত্তকপুত্রতা (adoption); both affirm secure family belonging |
| Confidence / boldness | παρρησία | parrēsia | সাহস / দৃঢ় প্রত্যয় | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 2, 4, 5 | — | Ties to assurance_of_salvation doctrine; distinguish from Islamic orthodox uncertainty about final judgment and karmic rebirth-outcome uncertainty |
| World (negative moral sense) | κόσμος | kosmos | জগৎ | Overcoming the World | 2, 4, 5 | — | Same word carries opposite valence (object of God’s love, 4:9, vs. object not to be loved, 2:15) — requires disambiguating notes |
| Overcome / victory | νικάω / νίκη | nikaō / nikē | জয় করা / বিজয় | Overcoming the World | 4, 5 | — | Victory secured through faith in Christ, not asceticism/renunciation or personal spiritual attainment |
| Spirits (to be tested, non-Holy-Spirit sense) | πνεῦμα / πνεύματα | pneuma / pneumata | আত্মা (আত্মাসমূহ) | Testing the Spirits | 4:1-6 | — | Must be visually distinguished from পবিত্র আত্মা; guard against Hindu deva/spirit or folk-Islamic jinn frameworks |
| Eyewitness testimony (heard/seen/touched) | ἀκηκόαμεν, ἑωράκαμεν, ἐψηλάφησαν | akēkoamen, heōrakamen, epsēlaphēsan | শুনিয়াছি, দেখিয়াছি, স্পর্শ করিয়াছি | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 1:1-3 | — | Reinforces real, physical humanity of Christ against docetism and any illusionist/non-physical reading |
| Passed from death to life | μεταβαίνω ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν | metabainō… | মৃত্যু থেকে জীবনে গিয়েছি | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 3:14 | — | Decisive, already-accomplished transfer, not gradual/uncertain |
| Lay down one’s life | τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν | tithēmi tēn psychēn | প্রাণ দেওয়া | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:16 | — | Christ’s sacrificial pattern as the measure of costly love |
| Idols | εἴδωλον | eidōlon | মূর্তি | Testing the Spirits (closing warning) | 5:21 | প্রতিমা (avoid — specific festival/Durga Puja association) | Culturally direct in Hindu-majority context; requires native-speaker pastoral-tone judgment |
| Water, blood (as witnesses alongside Spirit) | ὕδωρ, αἷμα | hydōr, haima | জল, রক্ত | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 5:6-8 | — | Comma Johanneum (5:7 trinitarian addition in some late manuscripts) must be flagged for theologian review depending on base text used |
| Blood (of Jesus, atoning) | αἷμα (Ἰησοῦ) | haima | রক্ত (যীশুর রক্ত) | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1:7 | — | Retains sacrificial-substitutionary sense, tied to ἱλασμός |
D. New Terms — Medium Risk (Native speaker review recommended)
| English term | Original Greek | Transliteration | Bengali rendering | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light | φῶς | phōs | আলো | God is Light and God is Love | 1 | Avoid syncretistic “divine light substance” misreading |
| Darkness | σκοτία | skotia | অন্ধকার | God is Light and God is Love | 1 | Not a co-equal cosmic dualism |
| Forgive | ἀφίημι | aphiēmi | ক্ষমা করা | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 1 | Distinct from ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া (justification) |
| Commandment | ἐντολή | entolē | আজ্ঞা | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 2, 3, 4 | Not works-righteousness; flows from grace |
| Brother(s) / brethren | ἀδελφός | adelphos | ভাই / ভ্রাতা | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3, 4 | Gender-inclusive of all believers; footnote recommended |
| Lawlessness | ἀνομία | anomia | ব্যবস্থাহীনতা | (sin’s essential character) | 3 | Built on baseline ব্যবস্থা |
| Devil | διάβολος | diabolos | শয়তান | The Incarnation and Antichrist | 3 | Shared cross-tradition vocabulary, generally an asset |
| God’s seed / divine nature implanted | σπέρμα (θεοῦ) | sperma theou | ঈশ্বরের বীজ | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:9 | Figurative; clarify not literal/reproductive |
| Truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | সত্য | (multiple) | 1, 3, 4 | Contrast with ψεῦδος (lie) |
| Compassion / pity | σπλάγχνα | splanchna | মমতা | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 3:17 | Avoid করুণা (Buddhist compassion term) as primary choice |
| Judgment | κρίσις | krisis | বিচার | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 4:17 | — |
| Savior | σωτήρ | sōtēr | ত্রাণকর্তা | (backdrop) | 4:14 | Built on পরিত্রাণ root |
| Send | ἀποστέλλω | apostellō | পাঠানো / প্রেরণ করা | (backdrop) | 4:9, 14 | Shares root with প্রেরিত |
| Sent (as commission) | ὀφείλω (ought/owe) | opheilō | উচিত / ঋণী | Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth | 4:11 | Not works-based obligation |
| Testify / testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία | martyreō / martyria | সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া / সাক্ষ্য | (multiple) | 4:14, 5 | Eyewitness testimony sense, not later “martyrdom” sense |
| Test (the spirits) | δοκιμάζω | dokimazō | পরীক্ষা করা | Testing the Spirits | 4:1 | Doctrinal discernment, not occult divination |
| False prophet | ψευδοπροφήτης | pseudoprophētēs | ভুয়া/মিথ্যা ভাববাদী | Testing the Spirits | 4:1 | Built on baseline ভাববাদী |
| Purify / purify oneself | ἁγνίζω | hagnizō | শুদ্ধ করা | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 3:3 | Same caution as καθαρίζω |
| Sin unto/leading to death | ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον | hamartia pros thanaton | মৃত্যুজনক পাপ | Confession and Forgiveness of Sin | 5:16-17 | Not a Catholic “mortal sin” sacramental category |
| Persuade / reassure (heart) | πείθω | peithō | নিশ্চিত করা / প্রবোধ দেওয়া | Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life | 3:19 | — |
| First (temporal/causal priority) | πρῶτος | prōtos | প্রথমে | God is Light and God is Love | 4:19 | Reinforces grace-priority, not merit reciprocity |
E. New Terms — Low Risk (Automated review sufficient)
| English term | Original Greek | Transliteration | Bengali rendering | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beloved (address) | ἀγαπητοί | agapētoi | প্রিয়তমেরা / প্রিয় ভাইয়েরা | 2, 3, 4 | Pastoral address term |
| Behold / see | θεάομαι / ὁράω | theaomai / horaō | দেখা / দর্শন করা | 1, 3, 4 | — |
| Know (experiential) | γινώσκω | ginōskō | জানা / চেনা | 2, 3, 4 | Experiential, not merely factual knowledge |
| Walk (conduct of life) | περιπατέω | peripateō | চলা / জীবনযাপন করা | 1, 2 | — |
| Fear | φόβος | phobos | ভয় | 4:18 | Servile dread here, distinct from reverent awe elsewhere |
| Torment / punishment | κόλασις | kolasis | শাস্তি / যন্ত্রণা | 4:18 | — |
| Hate | μισέω | miseō | ঘৃণা করা | 3, 4 | — |
| Liar | ψεύστης | pseustēs | মিথ্যাবাদী | 1, 2, 4 | — |
| Lie (noun) | ψεῦδος | pseudos | মিথ্যা | 2 | — |
| Deny | ἀρνέομαι | arneomai | অস্বীকার করা | 2:22-23 | — |
| Murderer | ἀνθρωποκτόνος | anthrōpoktonos | নরঘাতী | 3:15 | — |
| Heart (moral-volitional center) | καρδία | kardia | হৃদয় / অন্তর | 3:19-21 | Seat of conscience, not primarily emotion |
| Request / petition | αἴτημα | aitēma | প্রার্থনার বিষয় / আবেদন | 5:15 | — |
| Guard / keep oneself | φυλάσσω / τηρέω | phylassō / tēreō | নিজেকে রক্ষা করা | 5:21 | — |
F. Chapter Coverage Confirmation
| Chapter | New terms introduced | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Word of Life, eyewitness verbs, light, darkness, confess (sin), forgive, cleanse, blood, “make him a liar” | Reviewed — full new-vocabulary chapter |
| 2 | Advocate, propitiation (reuse from 4:10 context), commandment, world (negative sense), threefold worldly desire, antichrist, anointing, deny | Reviewed — full new-vocabulary chapter |
| 3 | Children of God, purify, lawlessness, devil, God’s seed, brother, hate, murderer, passed from death to life, lay down life, compassion, truth, heart, persuade | Reviewed — full new-vocabulary chapter |
| 4:1-6 | Test the spirits, spirits (plural), false prophet, confess (incarnation), flesh, antichrist (spirit of), overcome | Reviewed — full new-vocabulary section |
| 4:7-21 (core) | Love, God is love, manifest, only begotten, propitiation, abide, perfected, Spirit (given), testify, Savior, confess (Sonship), confidence, judgment, fear, torment, perfect love, liar, commandment | Full verse-by-verse treatment in 07_semantic_analysis.md Part 1 |
| 5 | Believe/born of God (intensified), overcome/victory (intensified), Spirit-water-blood witnesses, testimony, eternal life, confidence (in prayer), request, sin unto death, guard oneself, idols | Reviewed — full new-vocabulary chapter |
No chapter of 1 John was found to introduce zero new theological vocabulary; every chapter is represented above with its own load-bearing terms, in addition to terms reused from the Romans baseline and terms carried forward within 1 John itself (e.g., μένω, κόσμος, ἀγάπη recur across chapters 2-5 and are cross-referenced rather than re-derived).
Critical Risk Terms
Antichrist
Approved rendering: প্রতিখ্রীষ্ট
Transliteration: Pratikhristo
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: দাজ্জাল, এন্টিক্রাইস্ট
Original: ἀντίχριστος
Category: Christology
1 John 2:18-23; 4:3. Bengali Muslim readers broadly know the parallel Islamic eschatological figure দাজ্জাল (Dajjal). The two share a structural role (false-messiah deceiver at history’s end) but rest on incompatible frameworks; Dajjal opposes a returning Isa within a theology that itself denies Christ’s deity, crucifixion, and resurrection. NEVER দাজ্জাল. Use the transliteration-hybrid প্রতিখ্রীষ্ট (native prefix প্রতি- ‘against/counter’ + established খ্রীষ্ট) exclusively.
Christ
Approved rendering: খ্রীষ্ট
Transliteration: Khrishto
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: মশীহ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (baseline key ‘messiah’). Never মশীহ outside Muslim-outreach material with explanatory framing. 1 John 2:22-23 makes confessing ‘Jesus is the Christ’ the explicit dividing line of true faith.
Come In The Flesh
Approved rendering: মাংসে (আসা)
Transliteration: Mangshe (asha)
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: দেহে (as sole alternative)
Original: ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα (σάρξ)
Category: Christology
1 John 4:2. Must affirm real, permanent human embodiment of the eternal Son — never a temporary divine appearance (অবতার-risk, per Incarnation entry) and never an illusory/non-physical appearance, which would align with ancient docetism and the Islamic denial that a divine being took on real suffering flesh.
Confess Incarnation
Approved rendering: স্বীকার করে (যীশু খ্রীষ্ট মাংসে আসিয়াছেন)
Transliteration: Shikar kore (Jishu Khristo mangshe ashiyachen)
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: ὁμολογέω (of the incarnation, 4:2-3, 4:15)
Category: Christology
1 John 4:2-3, 15. The letter’s explicit doctrinal test distinguishing the Spirit of God from the spirit of antichrist. Must engage ancient docetism, Islamic denial of Christ’s real suffering in the flesh, and any avatar-style Hindu reading, on all three fronts simultaneously.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: অনন্ত জীবন
Transliteration: Ononto Jibon
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি-adjacent renderings (never)
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
1 John 5:11-13, 20 (also 2:25; 3:15). Must never be conflated with মুক্তি/মোক্ষ (liberation from the Hindu rebirth cycle). This is unending relational life with God through the Son; must never stand without its relational anchor (‘he who has the Son has life,’ 5:12) nearby.
Father
Approved rendering: পিতা
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ব্রহ্মা, সৃষ্টিকর্তা
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never ব্রহ্মা or other Hindu creator-deity names. 1 John 2:22-23 denies the Father-Son relationship is what the spirit of antichrist rejects; 1 John 3:1 grounds believers’ identity as God’s children in the Father’s love.
God Is Love
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর প্রেম
Transliteration: Ishshor Prem
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বর প্রেমময় (alone)
Original: ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν
Category: God
The predicate-nominative ontological claim (1 John 4:8, 16) that love is what God essentially IS, not merely an activity of his. Must never be softened to ঈশ্বর প্রেমময় (‘God is loving’) alone, which loses the Greek predicate nominative’s stronger identity-claim; teaching notes must preserve this force against the Vaishnava prema-collision risk affecting প্রেম itself.
God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: Ishshor
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: ভগবান, আল্লাহ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. ঈশ্বর is the settled Bengali Christian standard; never ভগবান (Hindu bhakti devotional address) or আল্লাহ (Islamic-idiom). Governs the ontological claim ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8, 16) and ‘God is light’ (1:5).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: পবিত্র আত্মা
Transliteration: Pobitro Attha
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: ব্রহ্ম, পরমাত্মা
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον / τὸ πνεῦμα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never ব্রহ্ম or পরমাত্মা. In 1 John this term must be visually and contextually distinguished from the plural, non-personal, lowercase আত্মা (‘spirits,’ 4:1) which denotes spiritual influences under discernment, not the Holy Spirit himself. Bengali has no capitalization device to mark this distinction, so the full title পবিত্র আত্মা must always be used in full for the Holy Spirit, never abbreviated to bare আত্মা.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: দেহধারণ
Transliteration: Dehodharon
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: অবতার, দেহ প্রকাশ
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (echoed in σάρξ / ἐν σαρκὶ ἐληλυθότα, 4:2)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER অবতার. 1 John makes confession of this doctrine (in its verbal form, see come_in_the_flesh below) the explicit test that exposes the spirit of antichrist (4:2-3).
Jesus
Approved rendering: যীশু
Transliteration: Jishu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: ঈসা
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Never ঈসা, the Qur’anic name carrying a non-crucified, non-divine Christology incompatible with 1 John’s insistence on Christ’s real flesh, death, and divine Sonship (1 John 1:1-3; 4:2-3).
Love Verb
Approved rendering: ভালোবাসা / প্রেম করা
Transliteration: Bhalobasha / Prem kora
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγαπῶμεν
Category: Love
Same প্রেম/prema collision as the noun form love. ভালোবাসা may be used in less doctrinally weighted narrative contexts (e.g. general exhortation); প্রেম করা preferred where the passage stresses the theological ground of the love commanded (4:7, 11, 19).
Love
Approved rendering: প্রেম
Transliteration: Prem
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: ভালোবাসা (as sole rendering for the ontological claim)
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Love
Direct collision with Gaudiya Vaishnavism’s prema, the central devotional-erotic love category of the Chaitanya bhakti movement historically centered in Nadia district, West Bengal. প্রেম is nonetheless the established Bengali Christian rendering and cannot be substituted; every occurrence in 1 John 4:7-21 and elsewhere requires reinforcing context (self-giving, sacrificial, demonstrated at the cross per 4:9-10) rather than being left as a bare abstraction.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: একমাত্র পুত্র
Transliteration: Ekmatro Putro
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: একজাত পুত্র (archaic, acceptable secondary only)
Original: τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ
Category: Christology
1 John 4:9 (μονογενής). Must convey unique/eternal Sonship, never biological or created sonship — a live pastoral concern given the baseline’s noted Muslim-background tendency to hear ‘Son of God’ as a literal biological claim, which Islamic theology forcefully rejects.
Perfected Love
Approved rendering: পরিপূর্ণ প্রেম
Transliteration: Poripurno Prem
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Rejected alternatives: সিদ্ধ প্রেম
Original: τελεία ἀγάπη / τετελειωμένη ἀγάπη
Category: Love
1 John 4:12, 17, 18. NEVER সিদ্ধ প্রেম. সিদ্ধ imports the Sanskritic Hindu yogic siddha/siddhi concept of a self-attained perfected adept possessing supernatural powers, making love’s maturing a human spiritual achievement rather than a grace-given process. পরিপূর্ণ/সম্পূর্ণ are the safe alternatives.
Propitiation
Approved rendering: পাপের প্রায়শ্চিত্তীয় বলিদান
Transliteration: Paper proyashchittio bolidan
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: প্রায়শ্চিত্ত (unqualified)
Original: ἱλασμός
Category: Salvation
1 John 2:2; 4:10. প্রায়শ্চিত্ত is the standard Sanskritic Bengali term for self-performed ritual penance/expiation (pilgrimage, austerity). Used unqualified it implies a human-achieved remedy, directly reversing 1 John’s point that God himself provided the sacrifice. This compound must ALWAYS be used in full; never bare প্রায়শ্চিত্ত.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: পুনরুত্থান
Transliteration: Punorutthan
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: পুনর্জন্ম, পুনর্জীবন
Original: ἀνάστασις (implied backdrop to ζωὴ αἰώνιος)
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER পুনর্জন্ম. Though not a frequently repeated term in 1 John’s own text, it undergirds the letter’s insistence on Christ’s real bodily incarnation and continuing life (5:11-13), and stands as the doctrinal anchor for keeping পুনর্জন্ম forbidden throughout for ‘born of God’ (see born_of_god below).
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ধার্মিকতা / ধার্মিক
Transliteration: Dharmikota / Dharmik
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: ধর্ম, পুণ্য, ন্যায়
Original: δικαιοσύνη / δίκαιος
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER ধর্ম, which in Bengali denotes both Hindu cosmic duty and ‘religion’ itself. 1 John 2:29 and 3:7 use the adjective ধার্মিক for practical righteousness of life flowing from new birth, not a religious-community identity.
Salvation
Approved rendering: পরিত্রাণ
Transliteration: Poritran
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত
Original: σωτηρία (doctrinal backdrop to σωτήρ, ζωὴ αἰώνιος)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, or নাজাত. Backdrop doctrine to 1 John’s Savior title (4:14, see savior below) and eternal life assurance (5:11-13); the same forbidden substitutions apply with equal force to eternal_life below.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের পুত্র
Transliteration: Ishshorer Putro
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: দেবপুত্র, ঈশ্বরের অংশ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Full phrase required; never দেবপুত্র. 1 John 4:15; 5:1, 5, 10-13, 20 make confessing this Sonship the explicit salvation test, raising the pastoral stakes of the baseline’s Muslim-background biological-sonship misreading caution.
Word Of Life
Approved rendering: জীবনের বাক্য
Transliteration: Jiboner Bakyo
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: জীবনের কথা, জীবনদায়ী কথা
Original: ὁ λόγος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
1 John 1:1. Parallels John 1:1’s Logos Christology. বাক্য (not কথা) is the established term for the divine Logos-title and must not be weakened to a merely descriptive phrase.
High Risk Terms
Abide
Approved rendering: থাকা / স্থির থাকা
Transliteration: Thaka / Sthir thaka
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: সাধন করা, ধ্যানে অবস্থান করা
Original: μένω
Category: Fellowship
1 John 2:24, 27-28; 3:24; 4:12-16 (μένω). Must consistently convey ongoing relational indwelling, not a temporary/occasional visit, and must not be rendered with meditative/yogic self-effort vocabulary (সাধন, ধ্যানে অবস্থান করা), which would blur the Creator-creature distinction.
Advocate
Approved rendering: মধ্যস্থ
Transliteration: Moddhostho
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: উকিল, সহায়ক, ওকালতি (periphrastic)
Original: παράκλητος
Category: Salvation
1 John 2:1 (παράκλητος). Must be sharply distinguished from the shrine-based folk practice of seeking a pir’s or saint’s intercession, common in both folk Islam and folk Catholicism in Bengal, and from Islamic shafa’at (intercession) concepts. Christ alone, seated with the Father, is this Advocate.
Anointing
Approved rendering: অভিষেক
Transliteration: Abhishek
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: χρῖσμα
Category: God
1 John 2:20, 27 (χρῖσμα). অভিষেক is also the standard Bengali term for Hindu ritual anointing of deity images (e.g., Shiva/Durga abhisheka). Established Bible usage retained (parallels খ্রীষ্ট, ‘the Anointed One’) but requires a mandatory teaching-context note distinguishing the Spirit’s internal teaching ministry from any external ritual anointing rite.
Blood Of Jesus
Approved rendering: রক্ত (যীশুর রক্ত)
Transliteration: Rokto (Jishur rokto)
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: αἷμα (Ἰησοῦ)
Category: Salvation
1 John 1:7 (αἷμα Ἰησοῦ). Retains sacrificial-substitutionary sense, tied to propitiation (4:10); must not be flattened into a merely symbolic or ritual-purity reference.
Born Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর থেকে জন্ম নেওয়া
Transliteration: Ishshor theke jonmo neowa
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: পুনর্জন্ম
Original: γεννάω (ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ)
Category: Salvation
1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18 (γεννάω ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ). NEVER পুনর্জন্ম (reincarnation). This is a one-time, non-repeatable spiritual birth; treat with the same absolute forbidden-substitution force the baseline already gives ‘resurrection,’ with heightened vigilance given 1 John’s much higher frequency of new-birth language than Romans.
Children Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের সন্তান
Transliteration: Ishshorer Shontan
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
1 John 3:1-2 (τέκνα θεοῦ). Distinct from, but doctrinally related to, the baseline’s দত্তকপুত্রতা (adoption). সন্তান must not be read as implying lesser status than দত্তকপুত্রতা’s full-inheritance framing; both point to genuine, secure family belonging.
Cleanse
Approved rendering: শুদ্ধ করা
Transliteration: Shuddho kora
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: শুচি করা
Original: καθαρίζω
Category: Sin
1 John 1:7, 1:9 (καθαρίζω). Avoid শুচি/অশুচি vocabulary, which carries strong Hindu ritual-purity (shuddhi) connotations. Requires a contextual note that this is moral cleansing from sin’s guilt through Christ’s blood, not ritual purification.
Confess Sin
Approved rendering: (পাপ) স্বীকার করি
Transliteration: (Pap) shikar kori
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ὁμολογέω (of personal sin, 1:9)
Category: Sin
1 John 1:9. Same Greek verb (ὁμολογέω) as confess_incarnation but a distinct object and doctrinal weight. Must be read as direct confession to God within the fellowship of believers, not a Catholic-style sacramental confession to a human priest-mediator.
Confidence
Approved rendering: সাহস / দৃঢ় প্রত্যয়
Transliteration: Shahosh / Dridho protyoy
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: παρρησία
Category: Salvation
1 John 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14 (παρρησία). Ties directly to the assurance_of_salvation doctrine and must be distinguished from the orthodox Islamic position that final judgment outcome cannot be known with certainty before death, and from karmic uncertainty about rebirth outcomes. Prefer grounding the term with an explicit clause (e.g. ঈশ্বরের প্রতিজ্ঞার কারণে) rather than leaving it bare.
Eyewitness Testimony
Approved rendering: শুনিয়াছি, দেখিয়াছি, স্পর্শ করিয়াছি
Transliteration: Shuniyachi, dekhiyachi, sporsho koriyachi
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: আমরা তাঁকে নিজে জেনেছি (compressed summary, rejected)
Original: ἀκηκόαμεν, ἑωράκαμεν, ἐθεασάμεθα, ἐψηλάφησαν
Category: Christology
1 John 1:1-3 (ἀκηκόαμεν, ἑωράκαμεν, ἐψηλάφησαν). Must retain the FULL triad, untruncated, to counter docetism, Hindu illusionist (māyā-adjacent) readings, and Islamic non-suffering Christology simultaneously; a compressed single-clause summary erases the deliberately physical, anti-docetic force of ‘touched.‘
Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস
Transliteration: Bishwas
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Rejected alternatives: ঈমান, শ্রদ্ধা
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Never ঈমান, the Islamic term for creedal submission to tawhid. 1 John 5:4-5 makes faith specifically (not asceticism or renunciation) the mechanism by which believers overcome the world.
Idols
Approved rendering: মূর্তি
Transliteration: Murti
Doctrine: Idolatry and Ultimate Allegiance
Rejected alternatives: প্রতিমা
Original: εἴδωλον
Category: Sanctification
1 John 5:21 (εἴδωλον). Culturally direct and unavoidable in the Hindu-majority West Bengal context. মূর্তি (general/descriptive) preferred over প্রতিমা, which carries a specific Durga Puja festival association, to keep the theological warning clear without gratuitous provocation toward one specific festival practice; native-speaker pastoral-tone judgment required.
Law
Approved rendering: ব্যবস্থা
Transliteration: Bebostha
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: ধর্ম, শরিয়ত, নিয়ম
Original: νόμος (root of ἀνομία)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Never ধর্ম or শরিয়ত. In 1 John this root underlies the compound ব্যবস্থাহীনতা (‘lawlessness,’ 3:4), where sin is defined as rebellion against God’s moral authority.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: প্রাণ দেওয়া
Transliteration: Pran deowa
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν
Category: Love
1 John 3:16 (τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν). Retains the atonement-pattern connection to propitiation (4:10); the measure of true love is costly self-giving after Christ’s example, not sentiment alone.
Manifest
Approved rendering: প্রকাশিত হওয়া
Transliteration: Prokashito howa
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বরের একটি প্রকাশ (never — Baha’i ‘progressive manifestation’ framing)
Original: φανερόω
Category: Christology
1 John 1:2; 3:5, 8; 4:9 (φανερόω). Must not suggest a repeatable divine appearance (অবতার-adjacent risk); this is a singular historical disclosure. Must also avoid any phrasing implying Christ is one manifestation among a series (a Baha’i-adjacent contextualization risk).
Overcome
Approved rendering: জয় করা / বিজয়
Transliteration: Joy kora / Bijoy
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: νικάω / νίκη
Category: Ethics
1 John 4:4; 5:4-5 (νικάω / νίκη). Must be tied explicitly to বিশ্বাসের দ্বারা (‘through faith,’ per 5:4-5) as the mechanism of victory, not to renunciation/asceticism (a live comparative risk given Hindu sannyasa and Sufi ascetic frameworks, and jihad al-nafs) or personal spiritual attainment.
Passed From Death To Life
Approved rendering: মৃত্যু থেকে জীবনে গিয়েছি
Transliteration: Mrittu theke jibone giyechi
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: μεταβαίνω ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν
Category: Salvation
1 John 3:14 (μεταβαίνω ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν). A decisive, already-accomplished transfer of spiritual state, evidenced by love for the brethren; must be read as completed, not gradual or uncertain.
Sin
Approved rendering: পাপ
Transliteration: Pap
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: অধর্ম, অশুচিতা
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Never অধর্ম or অশুচিতা (ritual impurity/bad karma framing). 1 John 1:9 (confession), 1:7 (cleansing by blood), and 3:4 (sin defined as lawlessness/ἀνομία) all build on this root.
Spirits Testing
Approved rendering: আত্মা (আত্মাসমূহ)
Transliteration: Attha (Atthasomuho)
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: πνεῦμα / πνεύματα (plural, non-Holy-Spirit sense)
Category: Discernment
1 John 4:1-6 (πνεῦμα / πνεύματα, plural, non-Holy-Spirit sense). Must be visually and contextually distinguished from পবিত্র আত্মা via mandatory qualifying phrases (e.g. আত্মাসমূহ, ভাববাদীদের আত্মা); never left as a bare, unqualified আত্মা, which risks activating a Hindu many-devas/ancestor-spirit framework or a folk-Islamic jinn framework.
Water Blood Witnesses
Approved rendering: আত্মা, জল, রক্ত
Transliteration: Attha, jol, rokto
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: πνεῦμα, ὕδωρ, αἷμα
Category: Christology
1 John 5:6-8 (πνεῦμα, ὕδωρ, αἷμα). Some historic editions (Textus Receptus ‘Comma Johanneum’) add explicit trinitarian language at 5:7 not found in earliest manuscripts. Follow the earlier manuscript tradition; flag any base text including the Comma Johanneum for theologian review before translation.
World
Approved rendering: জগৎ
Transliteration: Jagat
Doctrine: Overcoming the World
Original: κόσμος
Category: Ethics
1 John 2:15-17; 4:9; 5:4-5 (κόσμος). The same Bengali word জগৎ carries opposite valences within 1 John itself: salvific object of God’s love (4:9) vs. the fallen system believers must not love (2:15). A disambiguating translator note is required at EVERY occurrence specifying which sense is active; this is a structural gap with no lexical fix.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: প্রেরিত
Transliteration: Prerito
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Rejected alternatives: দূত, বার্তাবাহক
Original: ἀποστέλλω (root, 4:9, 4:14)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (root reference only in 1 John; the letter does not use an apostolic-office title for its author but shares the ἀποστέλλω root with ‘sent,’ see send below, applied to the Father’s sending of the Son in 4:9, 14).
Brother
Approved rendering: ভাই / ভ্রাতা
Transliteration: Bhai / Bhrata
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Church
1 John 2:9-11; 3:10-17; 4:20-21 (ἀδελφός). Grammatically male-coded in Bengali though the referent is gender-inclusive (all fellow believers); Bengali has no single-word gender-neutral equivalent. A standing footnote clarifying inclusive scope is recommended for every occurrence.
Commandment
Approved rendering: আজ্ঞা
Transliteration: Agya
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Ethics
1 John 2:3-8; 3:23-24; 4:21 (ἐντολή). Must not be read as legalistic works-righteousness earning standing before God; flows from and evidences a relationship already established by grace, per the baseline’s obedience_of_faith caution against ধর্মীয় কর্তব্য পালন.
Compassion
Approved rendering: মমতা
Transliteration: Momota
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Rejected alternatives: করুণা
Original: σπλάγχνα
Category: Love
1 John 3:17 (σπλάγχνα). মমতা is the safer, more neutral option; করুণা is the principal Buddhist technical term for compassion (one of the Four Immeasurables) and is better avoided as the primary choice, paralleling the baseline’s caution about কৃপা/করুণা-adjacent vocabulary.
Darkness
Approved rendering: অন্ধকার
Transliteration: Ondhokar
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: σκοτία
Category: Sin
1 John 1:6-7; 2:9-11 (σκοτία). Must not be misread as implying an equally-powerful cosmic dualism (a live risk given Zoroastrian-influenced and folk-syncretic light/dark dualisms circulating regionally); darkness is privation/rebellion, not a co-equal force.
Devil
Approved rendering: শয়তান
Transliteration: Shoytan
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: διάβολος
Category: Spiritual Warfare
1 John 3:8, 10 (διάβολος). A real, personal spiritual adversary opposed to God, not a symbolic personification of impersonal evil or bad karma. শয়তান is shared vocabulary across Bengali Christian, Muslim, and some Hindu popular usage — generally an asset here.
False Prophet
Approved rendering: ভুয়া / মিথ্যা ভাববাদী
Transliteration: Bhuya / Mitha bhabbadi
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: ψευδοπροφήτης
Category: Discernment
1 John 4:1 (ψευδοπροφήτης). Built on baseline’s ভাববাদী (prophet, Low risk); adding ভুয়া/মিথ্যা (false) raises the risk given the doctrinal stakes of discerning true from false spiritual authority.
First Priority
Approved rendering: প্রথমে
Transliteration: Prothome
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: πρῶτος
Category: Love
1 John 4:19 (πρῶτος). Must reinforce grace-priority, consistent with the baseline’s grace doctrine (‘unmerited… apart from human merit’), not a merit-based reciprocity framework.
Forgive
Approved rendering: ক্ষমা করা
Transliteration: Kshoma kora
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀφίημι
Category: Sin
1 John 1:9; 2:12 (ἀφίημι). Legitimate here but must not be confused with, or substituted for, the fuller forensic ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া (justification) from the baseline Romans register.
Gods Seed
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের বীজ
Transliteration: Ishshorer bij
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: σπέρμα (θεοῦ)
Category: Salvation
1 John 3:9 (σπέρμα θεοῦ). Figurative and easily misheard literally; a translator note clarifying that this refers to the implanted new nature/Spirit — not a literal/reproductive image, and unrelated to Tantric ‘bija’ seed-syllable concepts — is recommended. Must not be blurred with the biological-sonship risk attaching to ঈশ্বরের পুত্র.
Judgment
Approved rendering: বিচার
Transliteration: Bichar
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: κρίσις
Category: Eschatology
1 John 4:17 (κρίσις). Standard and safe; pairs with সাহস (confidence) to reinforce assurance rather than dread.
Lawlessness
Approved rendering: ব্যবস্থাহীনতা
Transliteration: Bebosthahinota
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀνομία
Category: Sin
1 John 3:4 (ἀνομία). Built on baseline’s ব্যবস্থা (law); must retain the note that ব্যবস্থা here is the Mosaic Law/God’s moral authority generally, never ধর্ম.
Light
Approved rendering: আলো
Transliteration: Alo
Doctrine: God is Light and God is Love
Original: φῶς
Category: God
1 John 1:5 (φῶς). Generally safe, but given the wide comparative-religious currency of ‘divine light’ imagery (Hindu jyoti/Brahman-as-light, Sufi nur), a brief contextual note that this is a moral-purity claim rather than a metaphysical light-substance claim avoids syncretistic misreading.
Ought Obligation
Approved rendering: উচিত / ঋণী
Transliteration: Uchit / Rini
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Ethics
1 John 4:11 (ὀφείλω). The moral debt of gratitude to love others, flowing from having been loved first by God. Must not be read as works-based religious duty, echoing the baseline’s caution against ধর্মীয় কর্তব্য পালন.
Persuade Reassure
Approved rendering: নিশ্চিত করা / প্রবোধ দেওয়া
Transliteration: Nishchit kora / Probodh deowa
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: πείθω
Category: Salvation
1 John 3:19-21 (πείθω). Ties to assurance_of_salvation doctrine; must reinforce objective, God-grounded assurance rather than mere subjective self-confidence.
Purify
Approved rendering: শুদ্ধ করে
Transliteration: Shuddho kore
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Rejected alternatives: শুচি করে
Original: ἁγνίζω
Category: Sanctification
1 John 3:3 (ἁγνίζω). Same ritual-purity caution as cleanse; prefer শুদ্ধ করে over শুচি করে. Moral self-discipline flowing from hope, not ritual observance.
Savior
Approved rendering: ত্রাণকর্তা
Transliteration: Tranokorta
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
1 John 4:14 (σωτήρ). Built on the পরিত্রাণ root; must retain the exclusivity implicit in the term, consistent with the baseline’s rejection of মুক্তি/মোক্ষ/নাজাত for ‘salvation.‘
Send
Approved rendering: পাঠানো / প্রেরণ করা
Transliteration: Pathano / Preron kora
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: ἀποστέλλω
Category: Christology
1 John 4:9, 10, 14 (ἀποστέλλω). The Father’s deliberate, purposeful sending of the Son on a saving mission. Shares its root with প্রেরিত (apostle, baseline Medium risk); consistency across both terms should be maintained.
Sin Unto Death
Approved rendering: মৃত্যুজনক পাপ
Transliteration: Mrittujonok pap
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον
Category: Sin
1 John 5:16-17 (ἁμαρτία πρὸς θάνατον). A pastoral-descriptive category, not a Catholic ‘mortal sin’ sacramental classification; keep as a descriptive compound only.
Test Spirits
Approved rendering: পরীক্ষা করা
Transliteration: Porikkha kora
Doctrine: Testing the Spirits
Original: δοκιμάζω
Category: Discernment
1 John 4:1 (δοκιμάζω). Must convey careful doctrinal discernment against a fixed apostolic standard (the confession of 4:2-3), not occult divination or subjective spiritual intuition.
Testify
Approved rendering: সাক্ষ্য দেওয়া / সাক্ষ্য
Transliteration: Shakkhyo deowa / Shakkhyo
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Faith
1 John 4:14; 5:9-11 (μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία). Must be clarified in teaching notes as eyewitness testimony, not the later ‘martyrdom’ sense that developed from this same Greek root.
Truth
Approved rendering: সত্য
Transliteration: Shotyo
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Faith
1 John 1:6, 8; 3:18-19 (ἀλήθεια). Generally stable; should be contrasted clearly with ψεῦδος (মিথ্যা, lie) in context, since 1 John repeatedly pairs truth-claims with their false counterfeits.
Low Risk Terms
Behold See
Approved rendering: দেখা / দর্শন করা
Transliteration: Dekha / Dorshon kora
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Antichrist
Original: θεάομαι / ὁράω
Category: Christology
1 John 1:1; 3:2; 4:12 (θεάομαι / ὁράω). Deliberate, contemplative beholding, contrasted with God’s invisibility to physical sight; context governs nuance.
Beloved Address
Approved rendering: প্রিয়তমেরা / প্রিয় ভাইয়েরা
Transliteration: Priyotomera / Priyo bhaiyera
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: ἀγαπητοί
Category: Church
1 John 2:7; 3:2, 21; 4:1, 7, 11 (ἀγαπητοί). John’s habitual, affectionate pastoral address to the churches; low doctrinal risk.
Deny
Approved rendering: অস্বীকার করা
Transliteration: Oshikar kora
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: ἀρνέομαι
Category: Christology
1 John 2:22-23 (ἀρνέομαι). To disown or refuse to acknowledge the Father-Son relationship; the doctrinal weight resides in son_of_god, not in this verb itself.
Fear
Approved rendering: ভয়
Transliteration: Bhoy
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: φόβος
Category: Salvation
1 John 4:18 (φόβος). Servile dread of judgment/punishment, displaced by mature love; distinguish from reverent fear of God elsewhere in Scripture via translator note.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: সহভাগিতা
Transliteration: Shohobhagita
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Rejected alternatives: বন্ধুত্ব
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Not বন্ধুত্ব, too socially casual. 1 John 1:3, 6-7 makes this the letter’s opening pastoral goal, tested by walking in the light.
Guard Keep
Approved rendering: নিজেকে রক্ষা করা
Transliteration: Nijeke rokkha kora
Doctrine: Idolatry and Ultimate Allegiance
Original: φυλάσσω / τηρέω
Category: Sanctification
1 John 5:21 (φυλάσσω / τηρέω). The letter’s closing pastoral charge to guard oneself from idolatry; standard low-risk vocabulary, though its object (idols) is High risk.
Hate
Approved rendering: ঘৃণা করা
Transliteration: Ghrina kora
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: μισέω
Category: Sin
1 John 2:9-11; 3:15; 4:20 (μισέω). Active hostility toward a fellow believer, incompatible with any claim to love God; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Heart
Approved rendering: হৃদয় / অন্তর
Transliteration: Hridoy / Ontor
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: καρδία
Category: Faith
1 John 3:19-21 (καρδία). The inner moral-volitional center of a person, the site of self-assessment before God; seat of conscience and will, not primarily emotion as in modern English usage.
Know Experiential
Approved rendering: জানা / চেনা
Transliteration: Jana / Chena
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: γινώσκω
Category: Faith
1 John 2:3-5; 4:7-8 (γινώσκω). Relational, experiential knowledge of God, evidenced by love, opposing a merely intellectual claim to know God.
Liar
Approved rendering: মিথ্যাবাদী
Transliteration: Mithyabadi
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness of Sin
Original: ψεύστης
Category: Sin
1 John 1:10; 2:4, 22; 4:20 (ψεύστης). One exposed as speaking falsehood by a contradiction between profession and life; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Lie Noun
Approved rendering: মিথ্যা
Transliteration: Mitha
Doctrine: Sonship and Deity of Christ
Original: ψεῦδος
Category: Sin
1 John 2:21-22 (ψεῦδος). Falsehood, specifically the denial that Jesus is the Christ; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Murderer
Approved rendering: নরঘাতী
Transliteration: Norghati
Doctrine: Love for the Brethren as Evidence of New Birth
Original: ἀνθρωποκτόνος
Category: Sin
1 John 3:15 (ἀνθρωποκτόνος). The severe moral equivalence John draws between hatred of a brother and murder; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Request Petition
Approved rendering: প্রার্থনার বিষয় / আবেদন
Transliteration: Prarthonar bishoy / Abedon
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: αἴτημα
Category: Faith
1 John 5:15 (αἴτημα). The specific content of a prayer request made with confidence according to God’s will; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Torment
Approved rendering: শাস্তি / যন্ত্রণা
Transliteration: Shasti / Jontrona
Doctrine: Assurance of Salvation and Eternal Life
Original: κόλασις
Category: Eschatology
1 John 4:18 (κόλασις). Judicial punishment, the dread object of servile fear; standard low-risk vocabulary.
Walk Conduct
Approved rendering: চলা / জীবনযাপন করা
Transliteration: Chola / Jibonjapon kora
Doctrine: Fellowship with God and One Another
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Sanctification
1 John 1:6-7; 2:6, 11 (περιπατέω). Habitual, ongoing manner of life, either in light or in darkness; standard low-risk conduct metaphor.
Referenced passages