Core Glossary
Core Glossary — 1 Samuel (English → Bengali)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning 1 Samuel 1–31, with the core passage (16:1–13) terms distinguished. Terms marked (REUSED) carry forward the exact rendering fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and must not be altered. Terms marked (NEW) are proposed additions to translation memory for this curriculum and require the same enforcement discipline once approved — no substitution, paraphrase, or improvisation in Phase 2.
Risk tiers follow the baseline definitions: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence), High (human theologian review), Medium (native speaker review), Low (automated review).
Master Term Table
| # | Term (English) | Original (Hebrew / translit.) | Bengali Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Status | Doctrine Link | Chapters | Rejected Alternatives / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LORD (YHWH) | יהוה / YHWH | সদাপ্রভু | shodaprovu | Critical | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge; foundational to every doctrine in the book | 1–31 (pervasive) | Never flatten to ঈশ্বর (loses covenant-name specificity) or প্রভু alone (baseline’s NT-context term). Established Bengali Bible convention. |
| 2 | God (Elohim, generic) | אֱלֹהִים / Elohim | ঈশ্বর | Ishshor | Critical | REUSED | General references to deity distinct from the covenant name | throughout | Per baseline: never ভগবান or আল্লাহ. |
| 3 | king | מֶלֶךְ / melekh | রাজা | raja | High | NEW | Transition from Judges to Monarchy; The Danger of Rejecting God as King | 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 24, 26, 29, 31 | Lexically unremarkable; doctrinal risk lies in framing kingship as theocratically delegated, not autonomous or divinely-descended in the Hindu rajah sense. |
| 4 | rejected | מָאַס / ma’as | প্রত্যাখ্যান করা | pratyakhyan kora | Critical | NEW | The Danger of Rejecting God as King | 8:7; 15:23, 26; 16:1, 7 | Must carry full forensic/disqualifying weight; avoid softer “was displeased with.” |
| 5 | anoint (verb) | מָשַׁח / mashach | অভিষেক করা | obhishek kora | Critical | NEW | The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah | 9, 10, 16 | Root of “Messiah/Christ” (LXX χριστός); must be distinguished from ordinary cosmetic anointing. |
| 6 | the LORD’s anointed | מְשִׁיחַ יהוה / meshiach YHWH | সদাপ্রভুর অভিষিক্ত ব্যক্তি | shodaprovur obhishikto bekti | Critical | NEW | God’s Sovereign Choice of David; The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah | 16:6; 24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 16, 23 | NEVER খ্রীষ্ট (reserved for Jesus’s fulfillment) or মশীহ (Islamic-idiom, rejected per baseline except with outreach framing). Mandatory typological translator note. |
| 7 | heart | לֵב / לֵבָב / lev / levav | হৃদয় | hridoy | High | NEW | God’s Sovereign Choice of David | 16:7 (core verse) | Bengali হৃদয় skews emotional/romantic; gloss as “whole inner person: mind, will, character,” not feelings alone. |
| 8 | reject / not chosen (parallel) | see #4; בָּחַר not-chosen contrast | মনোনীত করেননি | monownito korenni | High | REUSED pattern | God’s Sovereign Choice of David | 16:8–10 | Paired with #9 below. |
| 9 | chosen / choose | בָּחַר / bachar | মনোনীত করা | monownito kora | High | REUSED pattern | God’s Sovereign Choice of David; Effectual Calling (baseline) | 16:8–10 | Aligns with baseline ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন (election). Never fate/karma vocabulary. |
| 10 | provided/selected/seen | רָאָה / ra’ah | মনোনীত করেছি / দেখা | monownito korechi / dekha | High | NEW | God’s Sovereign Choice of David | 16:1, 7 | ”To see” idiom for “to select”; deliberate wordplay with #7’s “the LORD sees the heart.” |
| 11 | sacrifice (general) | זֶבַח / zevach | বলিদান / বলি | bolidan / boli | Critical | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice | 1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16 | Collides with Hindu বলি (Kali/Durga animal sacrifice, Kalighat, Durga Puja); requires teaching-context framing, not lexical avoidance — established Bengali Bible term. |
| 12 | burnt offering | עוֹלָה / olah | হোমবলি | homboli | High | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice | 6, 7, 13, 15 | হোম evokes Vedic/Hindu fire-ritual (homa); established convention, flagged for teaching-note awareness. |
| 13 | guilt/sin offering | אָשָׁם / asham | দোষার্থক বলি | doshartho boli | Medium | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice | 6 | Compound qualifier mitigates general বলি collision risk. |
| 14 | obey / obedience | שָׁמַע / shama | বাধ্য হওয়া / বাধ্যতা | baddho howa / baddhota | Critical | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice | 15 (esp. 15:22); pervasive theme 12–15 | Root shared with baseline বিশ্বাসের বাধ্যতা (obedience of faith); must carry covenant-loyalty weight, not mere good behavior. |
| 15 | utterly destroy / devote to destruction (cherem) | חָרַם / charam | সমূলে বিনষ্ট করা | shomule binosto kora | Critical | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice (Saul’s partial obedience) | 15 | Mandatory note: bounded, historically-specific holy-war judgment on Amalek, not a general warfare ethic — high sensitivity in a region with communal-violence history. |
| 16 | the LORD regretted / relented | נִחַם (Niphal) / nicham | সদাপ্রভু অনুতপ্ত হলেন | shodaprovu onutopto holen | Critical | NEW | Obedience versus Sacrifice; guards God’s Immutability | 15:11, 35 | Anthropopathism — a change in God’s action/relational stance, never God’s nature, knowledge, or moral character (cf. 15:29 same root negated). Distinct from #17. |
| 17 | return / repent (human) | שׁוּב / shuv | সদাপ্রভুর দিকে হৃদয়ে ফেরা | shodaprovur dike hridoye fera | High | NEW | (supports Obedience versus Sacrifice; general repentance) | 7:3 | Distinct Hebrew root from #16; do not conflate human repentance with divine anthropopathic “regret.” |
| 18 | Spirit of the LORD | רוּחַ יהוה / ruach YHWH | সদাপ্রভুর আত্মা | shodaprovur attha | Critical | NEW (uses REUSED Spirit-root) | God’s Sovereign Choice of David; Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | 10:6, 10; 11:6; 16:13, 14; 19:20, 23 | Retains covenant-name modifier rather than পবিত্র; theologically continuous with, but textually distinct from, baseline পবিত্র আত্মা. Distinguish episodic OT empowerment from NT permanent indwelling. |
| 19 | evil spirit (from the LORD) | רוּחַ רָעָה / ruach ra’ah | দুষ্ট আত্মা | dushto attha | Critical | NEW | (supports Danger of Rejecting God as King — Saul’s judgment) | 16:14; 18:10; 19:9 | Must contrast sharply with পবিত্র আত্মা. Guard against both folk-Bengali bhoot-possession framing and dualistic dual-power misreading; God’s sovereignty is permissive/judicial, not authorial of evil. |
| 20 | judge (office) | שֹׁפֵט / shophet | বিচারক | bichorok | Medium | NEW | Transition from Judges to Monarchy; Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | 7, 8 | Note: combined judicial + military + spiritual leadership role, not a mere courtroom judge; office replaced by dynastic kingship in ch. 8. |
| 21 | seer | רֹאֶה / ro’eh | দর্শী | dorshi | Medium | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | 9 | Synonym for prophet; gloss alongside ভাববাদী. Avoid জ্যোতিষী (astrologer), per baseline precedent. |
| 22 | prophet / prophecy | נָבִיא / navi; נְבוּאָה | ভাববাদী / ভাববাণী | bhabbadi / bhabbani | Low | REUSED | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge; Inspiration of Scripture | 3, 9, 10, 19, 22, 28 | Baseline term, no change. |
| 23 | man of God | אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים / ish ha-elohim | ঈশ্বরের লোক | Ishshorer lok | Medium | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | 2, 9 | Avoids সাধু, consistent with baseline’s rejection of সাধু for “saints” (ascetic-renunciate imagery). |
| 24 | word of the LORD | דְּבַר־יהוה / devar-YHWH | সদাপ্রভুর বাক্য | shodaprovur bakyo | Medium | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge; Inspiration of Scripture | 3, 15 | Standard prophetic-revelation formula. |
| 25 | ark (of the covenant) | אֲרוֹן (הַבְּרִית) / aron (ha-b’rit) | নিয়ম-সিন্দুক | niyom-sinduk | Medium | NEW (uses REUSED নিয়ম) | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge (covenant presence) | 4, 5, 6, 7 | Reuses baseline নিয়ম (covenant) as compound base. |
| 26 | glory | כָּבוֹד / kavod | মহিমা | mohima | High | REUSED | (God’s manifest presence; Deity typology) | 4 (Ichabod) | Baseline term; departure of glory signals covenant crisis. |
| 27 | idol | פֶּסֶל / עָצָב / pesel / atzav (Dagon) | প্রতিমা | protima | Critical | NEW | (undergirds Danger of Rejecting God as King — false authority contrasted with YHWH) | 5 | Same word as revered Hindu deity image (Durga protima); mandatory pastoral framing, not generalized anti-Hindu polemic. |
| 28 | covenant | בְּרִית / b’rit | নিয়ম | niyom | High | REUSED | Davidic Covenant (baseline); interpersonal covenant (David/Jonathan) | 11, 18, 20, 23 | Baseline term; note category distinction (divine-national vs. interpersonal) when used of David/Jonathan. |
| 29 | steadfast love / covenant loyalty (hesed) | חֶסֶד / chesed | বিশ্বস্ত দয়া | bishwosto doya | High | NEW | (supports Davidic covenant loyalty theme; contrasts with Grace) | 20 | Distinct from অনুগ্রহ (grace/unmerited salvific favor, baseline) — hesed is loyalty within an existing relationship/covenant. |
| 30 | fear (of the LORD) | יִרְאָה / yir’ah | সদাপ্রভুর ভয় | shodaprovur bhoy | Medium | NEW | Faith versus Fear (contrast); general covenant reverence | 12 | Distinguish reverential awe from servile terror; contrasted with human fear of enemies in ch. 17. |
| 31 | faith / believe / trust | — (narrative theme, not a single Hebrew technical term) | বিশ্বাস | bishwas | High | REUSED | Faith versus Fear | 17 | Baseline term; David’s trust in YHWH’s power versus Goliath’s boasting. |
| 32 | power/might of God | — (cf. 17:47, “the battle is the LORD’s”) | ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য | Ishshorer shamorthyo | High | REUSED | Faith versus Fear; Power of God for Salvation (baseline) | 17 | NEVER শক্তি (Shakta-goddess association); baseline forbidden-substitution rule applies with special force given Goliath’s boast of his own physical might. |
| 33 | uncircumcised | עָרֵל / arel | অচ্ছিন্নত্বক | achchhinnotwok | High | NEW | Faith versus Fear (Goliath’s taunt-epithet); covenant-sign background | 17 | Sensitive re: Islamic khatna (circumcision) as a positive identity marker; requires historical Abrahamic-covenant framing note, not a generalized taunt. |
| 34 | champion | אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם / ish ha-benayim | যোদ্ধা | joddha | Low | NEW | Faith versus Fear | 17 | Straightforward; “representative warrior” sense may be glossed. |
| 35 | shepherd / keeping the sheep | רָעָה / ra’ah (occupation) | মেষপালক / মেষ পালন করা | meshpalok / mesh palon kora | Medium | NEW | The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah | 16:11 | Plant shepherd-king typology fulfilled in Christ; recommend forward-linking translator note. |
| 36 | consecrate / holy | קָדַשׁ / qadash; קֹדֶשׁ / qodesh | পবিত্র করা / পবিত্র | pobitro kora / pobitro | High | REUSED | Separation unto God’s Service (baseline) | 16:5; 21 (showbread) | Baseline term; retain moral/relational sense alongside the ritual-preparation dimension present in OT sacrificial contexts. |
| 37 | ephod | אֵפוֹד / ephod | এফোদ | ephod | Low | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge (legitimate means of guidance) | 23 | Retain as transliterated technical/cultic term. |
| 38 | inquire of the LORD | לִשְׁאֹל בַּיהוה / lish’ol ba-YHWH | সদাপ্রভুর কাছে জিজ্ঞাসা করা | shodaprovur kache jiggasha kora | Medium | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge; contrasted with ch. 28 | 23 | Establishes legitimate-means pattern, foil to ch. 28’s forbidden necromancy. |
| 39 | medium / necromancer | בַּעֲלַת־אוֹב / ba’alat-ov | প্রেতমাধ্যম | pretmadhyom | Critical | NEW | The Danger of Rejecting God as King (Saul’s final apostasy) | 28 | Collides with living Bengali folk-spiritist practice (ওঝা, গুণিন, tantric spirit-consultation); mandatory pastoral-sensitivity teaching note. |
| 40 | vow | נֶדֶר / neder | প্রতিজ্ঞা | protijna | High | NEW | (undergirds Samuel’s dedication/office) | 1 | Avoid মানত (shrine-vow/mannat) and ব্রত (Hindu ritual vow) — both recast as transactional bargaining rather than covenantal self-dedication. |
| 41 | avenge / vengeance belongs to the LORD | נָקָם / naqam | প্রতিশোধ | pratishodh | Medium | NEW | (supports Providence, baseline) | 25 | David’s restraint models trust in divine, not personal, retribution. |
| 42 | LORD of hosts | יהוה צְבָאוֹת / YHWH tzeva’ot | বাহিনীগণের সদাপ্রভু | bahinigoner shodaprovu | Medium | NEW | Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | 1 | Compound title using #1’s established সদাপ্রভু base. |
| 43 | sin | חָטָא / chata; חַטָּאָה / chatta’ah | পাপ | pap | High | REUSED | Universal Human Accountability (baseline) | 2, 12, 14, 15 | Baseline term, no change. |
| 44 | Israel / David / Philistines (proper names) | יִשְׂרָאֵל; דָּוִד; פְּלִשְׁתִּים | ইস্রায়েল / দায়ূদ / ফিলিস্তীয় | Israel / Dayud / Philistio | Medium | REUSED / NEW | Transition from Judges to Monarchy | throughout | ইস্রায়েল and দায়ূদ reuse baseline established forms exactly; ফিলিস্তীয় (Philistines) is a new but low-ambiguity proper-name term, established Bengali Bible convention. |
Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary Terms (by # above) | Primary Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| The Transition from Judges to Monarchy | #3, #20, #44 | 1, 7, 8, 11, 12 |
| God’s Sovereign Choice of David | #6, #7, #8, #9, #10 | 16 (core) |
| Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22) | #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16 | 13, 15 |
| The Danger of Rejecting God as King | #4, #19, #27, #39 | 8, 15, 16, 18, 28, 31 |
| Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath) | #31, #32, #33, #34, #30 | 17 |
| The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah | #5, #6, #35, #36 | 9, 10, 16, 24, 26 |
| Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge | #1, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #38 | 1, 3, 7, 9, 12, 23 |
Summary Risk Counts (New Terms Proposed for Translation Memory)
| Risk | Count (NEW terms) |
|---|---|
| Critical | 11 |
| High | 12 |
| Medium | 13 |
| Low | 6 |
| Total NEW | 42 |
| Reused from Romans baseline (exact) | 8 (God, king-adjacent glory, covenant, sin, faith, power of God, sanctification/holy root, election/choose root) |
All Critical and High risk terms above require human theologian review before Phase 2 translation of any segment containing them, per the doctrine risk registry conventions established in the baseline Romans Language Package. Medium risk terms require native speaker review; Low risk terms require automated review only.
This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for 1 Samuel prior to Phase 2 segment translation, following the same versioning and enforcement discipline documented in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: Ishshor
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ভগবান, আল্লাহ
Original: אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
ঈশ্বর is the settled Bengali Christian standard for generic deity (Hebrew Elohim). Never ভগবান (Hindu devotional term) or আল্লাহ (Islamic term). In 1 Samuel, keep strictly distinct from সদাপ্রভু (the covenant name YHWH) — ঈশ্বর alone must never silently absorb occurrences of the divine name. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Messiah
Approved rendering: খ্রীষ্ট
Transliteration: Khrishto
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Rejected alternatives: মশীহ, অবতার পুরুষ
GUARDRAIL TERM for this curriculum: খ্রীষ্ট is reserved exclusively for Jesus’s NT fulfillment and must NEVER be used to render ‘the LORD’s anointed’ (lords_anointed, new term) when it refers to Saul or David within 1 Samuel’s own narrative. Use this entry only in explicit typological summary/commentary material connecting the OT office to its NT fulfillment. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Jesus
Approved rendering: যীশু
Transliteration: Jishu
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Rejected alternatives: ঈসা
Used only in explicit typological cross-reference material (e.g., linking David’s anointing or shepherd-status to Christ); never introduced into 1 Samuel’s own narrative text itself. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Lord
Approved rendering: প্রভু
Transliteration: provu
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Rejected alternatives: মালিক, ঈশ্বর
Reserved for the NT κύριος/Adonai-register usage (e.g., typological commentary quoting Romans 10:9). Must be kept visually and lexically distinct from সদাপ্রভু (lord_yhwh, new), the term required for every occurrence of the Hebrew covenant name YHWH within 1 Samuel’s own text. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: পবিত্র আত্মা
Transliteration: Pobitro Attha
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Spiritual Forces
Rejected alternatives: ব্রহ্ম, পরমাত্মা
GUARDRAIL TERM: must be kept visually and doctrinally distinct from সদাপ্রভুর আত্মা (spirit_of_the_lord, new) and utterly distinct from দুষ্ট আত্মা (evil_spirit, new). পবিত্র আত্মা names the NT permanent indwelling Spirit; 1 Samuel’s own narrative uses the covenant-name-modified term for OT episodic office-empowerment. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Lord Yhwh
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভু
Transliteration: shodaprovu
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বর (alone), প্রভু (alone), যাহোভা
Original: יהוה
Category: God
NEW, Critical, foundational to the entire book. Established Bengali Bible convention rendering the Hebrew covenant name YHWH. Must never be flattened to ঈশ্বর (loses covenant-name specificity) or প্রভু alone (the baseline’s distinct NT κύριος/Adonai-register term). Used pervasively throughout every chapter of 1 Samuel.
Spirit Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর আত্মা
Transliteration: shodaprovur attha
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Spiritual Forces
Rejected alternatives: পবিত্র আত্মা (as direct substitute)
Original: רוּחַ יהוה
Category: God
NEW. Retains the covenant-name modifier rather than পবিত্র, distinguishing OT episodic office-empowerment (Saul, 10:6,10; 19:20,23; David, 16:13, ‘from that day forward’) from NT permanent indwelling. Distinguish momentary ecstatic empowerment from David’s abiding empowerment in translator notes.
Evil Spirit
Approved rendering: দুষ্ট আত্মা
Transliteration: dushto attha
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
Rejected alternatives: ভূত, জিন
Original: רוּחַ רָעָה
Category: God
NEW. Must be visually and doctrinally distinct from পবিত্র আত্মা. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence (16:14; 18:10; 19:9) guarding against (1) folk-Bengali ভূত/জিন-possession framing, and (2) a dualistic misreading implying God and this spirit are moral equals; God’s sovereignty here is permissive/judicial, not authorial of evil.
Rejected
Approved rendering: প্রত্যাখ্যান করা
Transliteration: pratyakhyan kora
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
Rejected alternatives: অপছন্দ করা, সন্তুষ্ট না হওয়া
Original: מָאַס
Category: Monarchy
NEW. Must carry full forensic, disqualifying weight — not a softer ‘was displeased with.’ Used of Israel’s rejection of YHWH’s kingship (8:7) and of YHWH’s rejection of Saul (15:23, 26; 16:1, 7); the same root deliberately mirrors both, showing Saul reaps what Israel sowed.
Anoint
Approved rendering: অভিষেক করা
Transliteration: obhishek kora
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Original: מָשַׁח
Category: Monarchy / Christology (Typology)
NEW. Root of ‘Messiah/Christ’ (Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ → LXX χριστός → খ্রীষ্ট). Must be distinguished in context from ordinary cosmetic anointing; used of Saul (ch. 10) and David (ch. 16).
Lords Anointed
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর অভিষিক্ত ব্যক্তি
Transliteration: shodaprovur obhishikto bekti
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Rejected alternatives: খ্রীষ্ট, মশীহ
Original: מְשִׁיחַ יהוה
Category: Monarchy / Christology (Typology)
NEW — the single highest-stakes typological term in the curriculum. NEVER খ্রীষ্ট (reserved for Jesus’s fulfillment) or মশীহ (Islamic-idiom, incompatible non-crucified, non-divine Christology). Mandatory typological translator note at every occurrence (16:6; 24:6,10; 26:9,11,16,23) preserving the trajectory toward Christ without collapsing the OT referent (Saul, David) into the NT referent.
Sacrifice
Approved rendering: বলিদান
Transliteration: bolidan
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: זֶבַח
Category: Worship & Sacrifice
NEW — highest-frequency collision term in the book (chs. 1, 2, 6, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16). Identical to the standard Bengali word for Hindu animal sacrifice to Kali/Durga (Kalighat, Durga Puja). No lexical substitution is possible or advisable (established Bengali Bible term); mandatory teaching-context framing at every occurrence stating the OT sacrificial system anticipates Christ’s once-for-all offering, never appeasement ritual.
Idol
Approved rendering: প্রতিমা
Transliteration: protima
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
Rejected alternatives: মূর্তি
Original: פֶּסֶל / עָצָב
Category: Worship & Sacrifice
NEW. Identical everyday Bengali word for a revered Durga/Kali image ritually installed and worshipped during Durga Puja (মূর্তি carries the same association, so no lexical substitution avoids the collision). Mandatory pastoral framing at every occurrence (ch. 5): critiques the impotence of any object of worship before সদাপ্রভু, never a generalized attack on Bengali Hindu neighbors’ devotional practice.
Obedience
Approved rendering: বাধ্যতা
Transliteration: baddhota
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: שָׁמַע
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. Shares its root with the baseline’s বিশ্বাসের বাধ্যতা. In 15:22 (‘to obey is better than sacrifice’), the rendering must carry the weight of covenant loyalty flowing from Hebrew shama (‘to hear-and-act’), not mere external compliance or good behavior — the single most quoted verse of the book.
Utterly Destroy
Approved rendering: সমূলে বিনষ্ট করা
Transliteration: shomule binosto kora
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Rejected alternatives: হারাম করা
Original: חָרַם
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. Renders the unique OT cherem/ban category (ch. 15). CAUTION: never transliterate as a form resembling হারাম (the Arabic-Islamic loanword for ‘forbidden/sinful’) — a near-homophone risk flagged specifically for audio/voice-recording materials. Mandatory translator/teaching note explaining the bounded, historically-specific nature of this holy-war judgment on Amalek, not a transferable warfare ethic — acutely sensitive given regional communal-violence history.
Lord Regretted
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভু অনুতপ্ত হলেন
Transliteration: shodaprovu onutopto holen
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: נִחַם (Niphal)
Category: Ethics & Obedience / God’s Character
NEW. An anthropopathism (15:11, 35) describing God’s righteous, relational grief-response and consequent change in action (rejecting Saul), never a change in God’s character, knowledge, or moral perfection (cf. 15:29, same root negated). Mandatory translator note guarding the doctrine of God’s immutability; distinct from return_repent below.
Medium Necromancer
Approved rendering: প্রেতমাধ্যম
Transliteration: pretmadhyom
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
Rejected alternatives: মিডিয়াম (English loanword transliteration)
Original: בַּעֲלַת־אוֹב
Category: Prophecy & Revelation / Occult Practices
NEW. One of the most culturally live collision terms in the book: consultation of ওঝা, গুণিন, and tantric practitioners for spirit contact is an active folk practice across Hindu and folk-Muslim Bengal (ch. 28). Mandatory pastoral-sensitivity teaching note framing this as a specific covenant violation of God’s prohibited means of guidance, not ridicule of readers’ own possible family practices.
High Risk Terms
Holy
Approved rendering: পবিত্র
Transliteration: pobitro
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: শুচি, নির্মল
Set apart for God and morally pure. In 1 Samuel this root underlies পবিত্র করা (‘consecrate,’ 16:5; 21) and must retain the moral/relational sense alongside the ritual-preparation dimension appropriate to OT sacrificial worship, without collapsing into শুচি/শুদ্ধি ritual-purity-only readings. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Sanctification
Approved rendering: পবিত্রীকরণ
Transliteration: pobitrikoron
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: শুদ্ধিকরণ
Retained for typological/summary cross-reference between Samuel’s dedication (ch.1) and the NT doctrine of ongoing sanctification; not the primary term used for narrative OT ritual consecration (see consecrate_holy, new). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Covenant
Approved rendering: নিয়ম
Transliteration: niyom
Doctrine: Covenant Loyalty Between Believers
Rejected alternatives: চুক্তি, অঙ্গীকার
Original: בְּרִית
Category: Covenant
Reused for both God’s covenant with Israel and the ark (‘নিয়ম-সিন্দুক,’ new compound) and for the interpersonal loyalty-covenant between David and Jonathan (chs. 18, 20, 23). Translator note recommended distinguishing covenant categories (divine-national vs. interpersonal) while retaining the identical Bengali term. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Sin
Approved rendering: পাপ
Transliteration: pap
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability for Sin
Rejected alternatives: অধর্ম, অশুচিতা
Original: חָטָא / חַטָּאָה
Category: Sin
Used of Eli’s sons’ corruption (ch. 2), Saul’s disobedience (chs. 13, 15), and Doeg’s massacre (ch. 22) — establishes that neither priestly nor royal office exempts a person from accountability before সদাপ্রভু. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস
Transliteration: bishwas
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
Rejected alternatives: ঈমান, শ্রদ্ধা
Original: — (narrative theme; cf. related verbs of trust)
Category: Faith
David’s personal trust in সদাপ্রভু, not creedal affirmation (ঈমান) or generalized devotional reverence (শ্রদ্ধা). Always specify the object of বিশ্বাস — here, YHWH’s power and covenant name, contrasted with Goliath’s boasting. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Power Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য
Transliteration: Ishshorer shamorthyo
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
Rejected alternatives: শক্তি
Original: — (cf. 17:47, ‘the battle is the LORD’s’)
Category: Faith
NEVER শক্তি. Especially critical in 1 Samuel 17:47 (‘the battle is the LORD’s’), where Goliath boasts of his own physical শক্তি/might — using শক্তি for God’s power here would ironically align YHWH with the very Shakta-goddess-adjacent warrior-power imagery the narrative overturns. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Glory
Approved rendering: মহিমা
Transliteration: mohima
Doctrine: Divine Judgment on Corrupt Leadership
Rejected alternatives: জ্যোতি, তেজ
Original: כָּבוֹד
Category: God
God’s manifest honor and presence; its departure in 1 Samuel 4 (‘Ichabod’) signals covenant crisis and must read as relational covenant judgment by a personal God, not an impersonal fortune-shift (ভাগ্য). [Inherited from Romans package.]
Grace
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহ
Transliteration: anugroho
Doctrine: Covenant Loyalty Between Believers
Rejected alternatives: কৃপা, পুণ্য, ভাগ্য
Used in this curriculum chiefly as a contrast term: David and Jonathan’s חֶסֶד-loyalty (steadfast_love_hesed, new term, বিশ্বস্ত দয়া) must be kept conceptually distinct from অনুগ্রহ, which denotes unmerited salvific favor rather than covenant loyalty between two persons already in relationship. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Election
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন
Transliteration: Ishshorer monownoyon
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি, কর্মফল
Supplies the root vocabulary (মনোনীত) reused for the new terms ‘chosen’ and ‘provided_selected’ in the David-anointing narrative (16:1, 8-10). Must never be rendered with karma-adjacent or fate-adjacent vocabulary. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাসের বাধ্যতা
Transliteration: bishwasher baddhota
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Rejected alternatives: ধর্মীয় কর্তব্য পালন
Shares its root with the new term ‘obedience’ (বাধ্যতা) used to render שָׁמַע in 15:22. Doctrinal commentary framing 15:22 should draw on this baseline phrase to keep the covenant-loyalty sense of obedience active, guarding against a bare-compliance reading. [Inherited from Romans package.]
King
Approved rendering: রাজা
Transliteration: raja
Doctrine: The Transition from Judges to Monarchy
Original: מֶלֶךְ
Category: Monarchy
NEW. Lexically unremarkable, but surrounding material must make clear this is theocratic kingship under YHWH’s delegated, conditional authority — not framed as parallel to regional Hindu rajah/avatar-descent imagery of inherently sacred, divinely-descended kingship, nor as a purely secular monarchy.
Chosen
Approved rendering: মনোনীত করা
Transliteration: monownito kora
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
Rejected alternatives: বেছে নেওয়া, রাখা
Original: בָּחַר
Category: Election & Calling
NEW (reused election root). Aligns with baseline’s ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন. The sevenfold refusal of Jesse’s older sons (16:8-10) underscores that God’s choice defies primogeniture and human ranking; must never suggest impersonal fate or karma.
Provided Selected
Approved rendering: মনোনীত করেছি
Transliteration: monownito korechi
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
Original: רָאָה
Category: Election & Calling
NEW. Renders the Hebrew ra’ah (‘to see’) idiom for ‘to select with foresight’ in 16:1, deliberately echoing v.7’s ‘the LORD sees the heart.’ The literal wordplay is largely lost in Bengali; recommend a translator’s footnote at 16:1 pointing forward to 16:7.
Heart
Approved rendering: হৃদয়
Transliteration: hridoy
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
Rejected alternatives: অন্তর, মন
Original: לֵב / לֵבָב
Category: Anthropology
NEW. Bengali হৃদয় skews emotional/romantic (Bengali poetry, song, Vaishnav bhakti idiom), risking narrowing 16:7 (‘the LORD looks on the heart’) to feelings alone. Mandatory glossing clause required: ‘হৃদয় (অর্থাৎ, ভেতরের সম্পূর্ণ মানুষ — চিন্তা, ইচ্ছা ও চরিত্র)’ — ‘the whole inner person: thought, will, and character.‘
Burnt Offering
Approved rendering: হোমবলি
Transliteration: homboli
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: עוֹלָה
Category: Worship & Sacrifice
NEW. হোম evokes Vedic/Hindu domestic and temple fire-ritual (homa); established Bengali Bible convention, but requires a translator awareness note distinguishing the God-commanded, prophet-mediated OT offering from Vedic fire-worship performed without reference to YHWH.
Consecrate Holy
Approved rendering: পবিত্র করা
Transliteration: pobitro kora
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: קָדַשׁ / קֹדֶשׁ
Category: Worship & Sacrifice / Sanctification
NEW compound built on the baseline পবিত্র root. Used reflexively of worshipers preparing for sacrifice (16:5, ‘consecrate yourselves’) and of the consecrated showbread (21:6). Must retain the moral/relational sense of holiness the baseline establishes, while also carrying the ritual-preparation dimension appropriate to OT sacrificial worship — not flattened into merely ceremonial washing.
Return Repent
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর দিকে হৃদয়ে ফেরা
Transliteration: shodaprovur dike hridoye fera
Doctrine: Repentance and National Restoration
Original: שׁוּב
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. Human shuv-repentance (7:3), a wholehearted reorientation of allegiance back to God — a distinct Hebrew root from lord_regretted (nicham). Mandatory cross-reference note distinguishing the two, to avoid implying God ‘repents of sin’ as Israel does.
Vow
Approved rendering: প্রতিজ্ঞা
Transliteration: protijna
Doctrine: The Sanctity of a Vow to God
Rejected alternatives: মানত, ব্রত
Original: נֶדֶר
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. Avoid মানত (the everyday word for a shrine-vow at a pir’s tomb or Hindu temple in exchange for a granted wish) and ব্রত (a Hindu ritual observance-vow); both recast Hannah’s vow (ch. 1) as transactional bargaining rather than covenantal self-dedication.
Steadfast Love Hesed
Approved rendering: বিশ্বস্ত দয়া
Transliteration: bishwosto doya
Doctrine: Covenant Loyalty Between Believers
Rejected alternatives: অনুগ্রহ, বন্ধুত্ব
Original: חֶסֶד
Category: Covenant
NEW. David and Jonathan’s mutual pledge (ch. 20) echoes God’s own covenant faithfulness. Must be kept distinct from অনুগ্রহ (baseline’s unmerited salvific grace) and not reduced to ordinary বন্ধুত্ব (friendship); this is covenant loyalty between persons already in relationship.
Uncircumcised
Approved rendering: অচ্ছিন্নত্বক
Transliteration: achchhinnotwok
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
Original: עָרֵל
Category: Faith
NEW. Goliath’s covenant-outsider taunt-epithet (17:26, 36). Circumcision (খতনা) is a positively-regarded identity marker in Bengali Muslim practice; mandatory historical Genesis 17 covenant-sign framing note at every occurrence to prevent the taunt being misheard as a present-day identity slight.
Medium Risk Terms
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের রাজ্য
Transliteration: Ishshorer Rajyo
Doctrine: The Transition from Judges to Monarchy
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বরের দেশ
Reserved strictly for explicit typological/summary commentary (Israel’s failed, partial human kingship anticipating God’s true reign); must NEVER substitute for রাজ্য (new term, Israel’s actual human kingdom) within 1 Samuel’s own narrative translation. [Inherited from Romans package.]
David
Approved rendering: দায়ূদ
Transliteration: Dayud
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
Original: דָּוִד
Category: Proper Names
Established Bengali Bible proper-name form; the shepherd-youth of Bethlehem, sovereignly chosen and anointed in 1 Samuel 16. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Israel
Approved rendering: ইস্রায়েল
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: The Transition from Judges to Monarchy
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Proper Names
The covenant people descended from Jacob; the nation whose transition from judges to monarchy 1 Samuel narrates. [Inherited from Romans package.]
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: বাহিনীগণের সদাপ্রভু
Transliteration: bahinigoner shodaprovu
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: יהוה צְבָאוֹת
Category: God
NEW. Compound built on the established সদাপ্রভু base; God’s command over heavenly and earthly forces (1 Samuel 1:3, 11).
Kingdom
Approved rendering: রাজ্য
Transliteration: rajyo
Doctrine: God’s Covenant Faithfulness Across Generations
Original: מַמְלָכָה
Category: Monarchy
NEW. Israel’s actual human kingdom/dynasty; in 13:13-14, the forfeited ‘everlasting kingdom’ Saul might have had, anticipating the unconditional Davidic covenant. Must avoid fatalistic destiny vocabulary (ভাগ্য/নিয়তি); the shift from Saul to David is personal, relational, and morally grounded, not blind fate.
Judge Office
Approved rendering: বিচারক
Transliteration: bichorok
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: שֹׁפֵט
Category: Monarchy
NEW. Modern Bengali বিচারক primarily suggests a courtroom judge; a teaching note is required clarifying the office’s combined judicial, military, and spiritual leadership functions, non-dynastic and Spirit-raised, contrasted with the dynastic kingship Israel demands in ch. 8.
Guilt Offering
Approved rendering: দোষার্থক বলি
Transliteration: doshartho boli
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
Original: אָשָׁם
Category: Worship & Sacrifice
NEW. The compound qualifier দোষার্থক (‘for guilt’) mitigates the general বলি collision risk (ch. 6).
Inquire Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর কাছে জিজ্ঞাসা করা
Transliteration: shodaprovur kache jiggasha kora
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: לִשְׁאֹל בַּיהוה
Category: Worship & Sacrifice / Revelation
NEW. Establishes the legitimate-means pattern (ch. 23) that stands in sharp contrast to Saul’s illegitimate resort to the medium of Endor in ch. 28.
Fear Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর ভয়
Transliteration: shodaprovur bhoy
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: יִרְאָה
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. Fixed compound; Bengali ভয় alone is undifferentiated between servile terror and reverential awe, so the covenant-name modifier does the disambiguating work. Contrasted in ch. 17 with ordinary human ভয় of Goliath (Faith versus Fear doctrine).
Avenge Vengeance
Approved rendering: প্রতিশোধ
Transliteration: pratishodh
Doctrine: Restraint from Personal Vengeance
Original: נָקָם
Category: Ethics & Obedience
NEW. David’s restraint (chs. 24-26, 30) models trust that vengeance belongs to সদাপ্রভু, not personal retaliation; moderate risk of conflation with South Asian honor-based retaliation norms, where restraint may be read as weakness.
Word Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর বাক্য
Transliteration: shodaprovur bakyo
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: דְּבַר־יהוה
Category: Prophecy & Revelation
NEW. Standard prophetic-revelation formula (chs. 3, 15); consistent সদাপ্রভু-based compound establishing Samuel’s authority as derived entirely from God’s revealed word, not personal charisma.
Seer
Approved rendering: দর্শী
Transliteration: dorshi
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Rejected alternatives: জ্যোতিষী
Original: רֹאֶה
Category: Prophecy & Revelation
NEW. Synonym for prophet emphasizing visionary perception (ch. 9), from the same root active in 16:1, 7. Gloss alongside ভাববাদী at its single occurrence; avoid জ্যোতিষী (astrologer/fortune-teller), per baseline precedent.
Man Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের লোক
Transliteration: Ishshorer lok
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Rejected alternatives: সাধু
Original: אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים
Category: Prophecy & Revelation
NEW. Deliberately avoids সাধু, consistent with the baseline’s rejection of সাধু for ‘saints,’ to prevent the ascetic-renunciate image from attaching to Israel’s prophets (chs. 2, 9).
Ark Of Covenant
Approved rendering: নিয়ম-সিন্দুক
Transliteration: niyom-sinduk
Doctrine: Divine Judgment on Corrupt Leadership
Original: אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית
Category: Covenant
NEW compound built on the baseline নিয়ম (covenant) root. The visible symbol of YHWH’s covenant presence; its capture (ch. 4) is theologically catastrophic, not merely a military loss.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: মেষপালক
Transliteration: meshpalok
Doctrine: The Anointed King as a Type of the Messiah
Original: רָעָה (occupation)
Category: Christology (Typology)
NEW. David’s lowest-status occupation (16:11), planting the shepherd-king typology fulfilled in Christ. Recommend a forward-linking translator note connecting to John 10 and Psalm 23.
Philistines
Approved rendering: ফিলিস্তীয়
Transliteration: Philistio
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
Original: פְּלִשְׁתִּים
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper-name term, low ambiguity; established Bengali Bible convention. Israel’s principal military adversary throughout much of 1 Samuel.
Amalekites
Approved rendering: অমালেকীয়
Transliteration: Amalekio
Doctrine: Obedience versus Sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22)
NEW proper-name term. The specific, historically-bounded object of the cherem judgment in ch. 15; must accompany the utterly_destroy translator note on the bounded, non-repeatable nature of this command.
Dagon
Approved rendering: দাগোন
Transliteration: Dagon
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
NEW proper-name term. The Philistine god whose idol (protima) falls before the ark (ch. 5); requires the same pastoral framing as the idol entry.
Ichabod
Approved rendering: ঈখাবোদ
Transliteration: Ikhabod
Doctrine: Divine Judgment on Corrupt Leadership
NEW proper-name term meaning ‘no glory’ / ‘where is the glory?’ Transliterate per Bengali Bible convention with a mandatory bracketed gloss at first occurrence: ‘অর্থাৎ, মহিমা নেই’ (‘that is, no glory’), theologically load-bearing at the ark’s capture (ch. 4).
Low Risk Terms
Ephod
Approved rendering: এফোদ
Transliteration: ephod
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
Original: אֵפוֹד
Category: Worship & Sacrifice
NEW. Retained as a transliterated technical/cultic term, established Bengali Bible convention; brief explanatory note recommended for readers unfamiliar with Israelite priestly garments (ch. 21, 23).
Champion
Approved rendering: যোদ্ধা
Transliteration: joddha
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
Original: אִישׁ הַבֵּנַיִם
Category: Faith
NEW. Straightforward; ‘representative warrior’ (single-combat champion) sense may be glossed for clarity (ch. 17).
Samuel
Approved rendering: শমূয়েল
Transliteration: Shomuel
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for the book’s title figure, prophet and judge.
Saul
Approved rendering: শৌল
Transliteration: Shoul
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for Israel’s first king.
Jonathan
Approved rendering: যোনাথন
Transliteration: Jonathon
Doctrine: Covenant Loyalty Between Believers
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for Saul’s son and David’s covenant friend.
Goliath
Approved rendering: গলিয়াৎ
Transliteration: Goliyat
Doctrine: Faith versus Fear (David and Goliath)
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for the Philistine champion of Gath.
Hannah
Approved rendering: হান্না
Transliteration: Hanna
Doctrine: The Sanctity of a Vow to God
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for Samuel’s mother.
Eli
Approved rendering: এলি
Transliteration: Eli
Doctrine: Divine Judgment on Corrupt Leadership
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for the priest-judge whose house is judged (chs. 1-4).
Jesse
Approved rendering: যিশয়
Transliteration: Jishoy
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention for David’s father, the Bethlehemite (core passage, ch. 16).
Bethlehem
Approved rendering: বৈৎলেহম
Transliteration: Boitlehem
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Choice of David
NEW proper-name term. Established Bengali Bible convention; the town of the core passage (16:1).
Endor
Approved rendering: ঐন্দোর
Transliteration: Endor
Doctrine: The Danger of Rejecting God as King
NEW proper-name term (place). Site of Saul’s forbidden necromancy consultation (ch. 28).
Oath
Approved rendering: শপথ
Transliteration: shopoth
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability for Sin
NEW. Standard vocabulary; Saul’s rash oath endangering Jonathan (ch. 14) is the primary doctrinally relevant occurrence.
Casting Lots
Approved rendering: গুলিবাঁট
Transliteration: gulibãt
Doctrine: Samuel’s Role as Prophet and Judge
NEW. A divinatory practice for discerning God’s choice (ch. 10), legitimate because directed to সদাপ্রভু, distinct from pagan divination; standard vocabulary, no new theological term required beyond this note.
Referenced passages