Semantic Analysis
07 Semantic Analysis — Ephesians (Full Book) — English → Bengali
Methodology
This analysis proceeds from the Koine Greek text of Ephesians. For the core passage (Ephesians 2:1-10), every load-bearing term is analyzed verse-by-verse with: original Greek word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variant renderings, contextual theological meaning in Ephesians, and the Bengali destination-language rendering with its risk tier. For every other chapter, the same fields are applied at chapter level, organized by load-bearing term rather than verse.
Baseline reuse rule applied throughout: any term already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json is reused with its EXACT recorded Bengali rendering (marked “[BASELINE REUSE]” below). New terms specific to Ephesians are assigned a rendering here and risk tier, to be added to translation_memory.json in Phase 2.
Risk tiers follow the baseline definitions: Critical (doctrine-destroying if mistranslated, theologian review mandatory), High (significant confusion/syncretism risk, theologian review mandatory), Medium (clarity risk, native-speaker review), Low (minor risk, automated review).
PART A — CORE PASSAGE: Ephesians 2:1-10 (Verse-by-Verse)
Ephesians 2:1
Greek: καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| νεκρός | nekros | dead, lifeless corpse | physical death; metaphorical spiritual deadness/inability | ”dead,” “lifeless” | Total spiritual incapacity before God prior to regeneration — not merely sick or weakened, but dead. Sets up the “but God” reversal of v.4-5. | মৃত (mrito) — Medium risk. Must be clearly framed as spiritual, not physical, death; risk of readers assuming a merely poetic/weak-condition sense rather than total inability. |
| παράπτωμα | paraptōma | a false step, a falling beside | trespass, transgression, sin considered as a lapse/misstep | ”trespasses,” “transgressions,” “sins” | Distinct Greek word from ἁμαρτία in the same clause; Paul often pairs synonyms for rhetorical weight. Both describe the same fallen condition from different angles. | অপরাধ (opporadh) — Medium risk. Distinguish from পাप (hamartia, baseline reuse) where both appear together, to preserve Paul’s rhetorical doubling; acceptable to render both as পাप if the doubling cannot be preserved naturally, with a translator note. |
| ἁμαρτία | hamartia | missing the mark | moral transgression against God | ”sin,” “sins” | [BASELINE REUSE] — পাপ (pap), High risk per baseline entry. | পাপ (pap) |
Ephesians 2:2
Greek: ἐν αἷς ποτὲ περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| περιπατέω | peripateō | to walk around | literal walking; figuratively, one’s habitual conduct/way of life | ”walked,” “lived,” “conducted themselves” | Key Ephesians verb (also 2:10; 4:1,17; 5:2,8,15) describing the whole trajectory of a life — the curriculum doctrine “Walking in Newness of Life” is built on this verb. | চলা (chola), idiomatic for conduct of life — Medium risk. Must be understood figuratively (habitual life-direction), not literal ambulation; gloss with জীবনযাপন করা (jibonjapon kora) where clarity requires. |
| αἰών | aiōn | age, era | a period of time; the present world-order/system as opposed to the age to come | ”course,” “age,” “world,” “world-system” | The old, sin-dominated world-order believers once walked according to. | এই সংসারের/জগতের রীতি (ei jagoter riti) — Medium risk. Must not be read as one of a repeating cycle of cosmic ages (Hindu yuga cosmology); render as a single linear present order, distinct from the age to come, consistent with the baseline’s linear (not cyclical) framing of fulfillment. |
| ἄρχων τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος | archōn tēs exousias tou aeros | ruler of the authority of the air | title for Satan as head of a spiritual dominion | ”prince of the power of the air,” “ruler of the kingdom of the air” | Satan’s present, limited but real authority over the fallen world-order — not a rival deity but a defeated usurper (cf. Eph 1:21-22; 6:12). | আকাশের কর্তৃত্বের অধিপতি (akasher kortrittwer odhipoti) — High risk. Risk of syncretism with Bengali folk cosmology of sky-spirits/jinn realms (common in both folk-Islamic and folk-Hindu belief); a translator note must clarify this names Satan specifically, already defeated in Christ (Eph 1:20-22), not an independent spirit-lord of the sky to be feared or placated. |
| υἱοὶ τῆς ἀπειθείας | huioi tēs apeitheias | sons of disobedience | Hebraic idiom: people characterized by disobedience | ”sons of disobedience,” “those who are disobedient” | Describes humanity’s default condition apart from Christ — a description, not primarily a moral accusation of a particular outsider group. | অবাধ্যতার সন্তান (obadhyotar sontan) — Low-Medium risk. Idiom translates naturally into Bengali; ensure it reads as a universal description (cf. 2:3 “we all”) not an ethnic/communal slur. |
Ephesians 2:3
Greek: ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἤμεθα τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| σάρξ | sarx | flesh, meat | literal body tissue; Pauline sense: the fallen human nature/self oriented against God | ”flesh,” “sinful nature,” “body” | Not the physical body as such, but humanity’s fallen orientation, which produces desires opposed to God. | মাংস/দেহের অভিলাষ (mangsho/deher obhilash) — Medium risk. Established Bengali Bible usage renders sarx as মাংস in this Pauline ethical sense; must be distinguished from মere literal meat/body to avoid readers hearing only “bodily appetite” (e.g., food, sensuality) rather than the deeper fallen-nature sense. |
| ἐπιθυμία | epithymia | strong desire, craving | neutral desire; overwhelmingly negative “lust/craving” in Pauline ethical usage | ”desires,” “lusts,” “cravings” | The disordered cravings that flow from the flesh. | অভিলাষ/কামনা (obhilash/kamona) — Low-Medium risk. Standard vocabulary. |
| ὀργή | orgē | settled anger, wrath | God’s settled judicial anger against sin; also generic human anger elsewhere | ”wrath,” “anger" | "Children of wrath by nature” — humanity’s inherited liability to God’s righteous judgment prior to grace. Must not be softened. | ক্রোধ (krodh) — High risk. God’s ক্রোধ must be preserved as real judicial wrath, not minimized to disappointment; this doctrine (universal human accountability) is already flagged High in the baseline registry and must not be softened for social comfort. |
| φύσις | physis | nature, natural condition | inherent, native condition (as opposed to acquired) | “by nature,” “naturally” | Emphasizes that this condition is not learned behavior alone but the inherited human condition — sets up the total-grace argument of vv.4-9. | স্বভাবতঃ (shobhabotoh) — Low risk. |
Ephesians 2:4
Greek: ὁ δὲ θεὸς πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| θεός | theos | God | [BASELINE REUSE] — ঈশ্বর, Critical. | ”God” | The subject of the great reversal (“but God”) — see baseline notes on ঈশ্বর’s stabilized neutral Christian usage. | ঈশ্বর (Ishshor) |
| ἔλεος | eleos | pity, mercy | compassion shown toward those in need or distress | ”mercy,” “compassion” | God’s compassionate response to humanity’s desperate, dead condition (v.1-3) — distinct from and prior to the legal act of grace in v.5,8. | দয়া (doya) — Medium risk. Distinguish from অনুগ্রহ (grace, baseline High-risk term reserved for unmerited favor) and from কৃপা (reserved by baseline for non-soteriological compassion only); দয়া for eleos here names God’s compassionate disposition, while অনুগ্রহ (v.5,8) names the saving act itself. Keep the two distinct in translation. |
| ἀγάπη | agapē | love (self-giving, covenantal) | the highest NT term for love: God’s self-giving love, and the love commanded among believers | ”love” | God’s great love, the ground for mercy and grace. Recurs extensively in Ephesians (1:4-5; 2:4; 3:17-19; 4:2,15-16; 5:2,25,28,33). | প্রেম (prem) — Medium risk. Established Bengali Bible term for agapē (e.g. “ঈশ্বর প্রেম,” 1 John 4:8), despite প্রেম’s strong romantic/poetic connotation in general Bengali culture. Retained as the established term; context must reinforce self-giving, covenantal love rather than romantic sentiment. |
Ephesians 2:5
Greek: καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ Χριστῷ — χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| συζωοποιέω | syzōopoieō | to make alive together with | joint regeneration/quickening, sharing in Christ’s own life | ”made us alive together with,” “quickened together with” | Union with Christ: believers share, by grace, in the very life-giving act by which God raised Christ. Doctrinally distinct from, but tightly bound to, the bodily resurrection of Christ (1:20; 4:22-24 draw on the same imagery). | সঙ্গে জীবিত করলেন (shonge jibito korlen) — High risk. Must NEVER be rendered with any term evoking rebirth/reincarnation (পুনর্জন্ম, explicitly forbidden in the baseline for “resurrection” and equally inapplicable here); this is a once-for-all spiritual quickening in union with Christ, not a cycle of rebirths. |
| χάρις | charis | grace | [BASELINE REUSE] — অনুগ্রহ, High. | ”grace” | The unmerited favor by which dead sinners are made alive and saved — the theological pivot of the whole passage. | অনুগ্রহ (anugroho) |
| σῴζω (σεσωσμένοι) | sōzō (sesōsmenoi) | to save, deliver | rescue from peril; in Paul, rescue from sin’s guilt, power, and God’s wrath, into reconciled life with God | ”saved,” “have been saved” | Perfect passive: a completed act with ongoing effect — “you have been, and remain, saved.” Ties to the baseline salvation doctrine. | [BASELINE REUSE] — পরিত্রাণ (poritran) root; render “χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι” as “অনুগ্রহেই তোমরা পরিত্রাণ পেয়েছ” — Critical. Never মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, or নাজাত (baseline forbidden list). |
Ephesians 2:6
Greek: καὶ συνήγειρεν καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| συνεγείρω | synegeirō | to raise up together with | joint resurrection with Christ | ”raised us up with him” | Believers’ union with Christ’s resurrection, an already-accomplished spiritual reality, distinct from the future bodily resurrection (cf. Romans 6:4-5, 8:11). | সঙ্গে উত্থাপন করলেন (shonge utthapon korlen) — High risk. Derive from the same উত্থান root as পুনরুত্থান (baseline resurrection term) to preserve doctrinal continuity; never derive from পুনর্জন্ম root. |
| συγκαθίζω | synkathizō | to seat together with | shared enthronement/position of honor | ”seated us with him,” “made us sit with him” | Believers already share, positionally, in Christ’s heavenly authority and honor — a present spiritual reality grounding assurance (cf. baseline “assurance_of_salvation” doctrine). | সঙ্গে উপবিষ্ট করলেন (shonge upobishto korlen) — Medium risk. |
| ἐπουράνιος | epouranios | heavenly, in the heavens | the unseen spiritual realm where Christ reigns and believers are positionally seated (also 1:3,20; 3:10; 6:12) | “heavenly places,” “the heavens” | The spiritual realm of Christ’s present reign and spiritual conflict — recurring throughout Ephesians. | স্বর্গীয় স্থান (shorgio sthan) — Medium risk. স্বর্গ carries residual Hindu Puranic connotations of a temporary heavenly realm attained by merit before eventual rebirth; nonetheless, স্বর্গ is the long-stabilized Bengali Christian term for “heaven” (as in ঈশ্বর for God), and is retained, but must always be qualified by the phrase স্থান/জগত to keep the sense of “realm,” not a merit-earned temporary paradise. |
Ephesians 2:7
Greek: ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸ ὑπερβάλλον πλοῦτος τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| πλοῦτος | ploutos | wealth, riches | material wealth; figuratively, the abundant, inexhaustible resources of God’s grace | ”riches,” “wealth” | God’s grace toward us in Christ is displayed, for all eternity, as inexhaustibly abundant — not a bare minimum, but overflowing riches. | সমृद्धि/ধন (shomriddhi/dhon) — Low-Medium risk. |
| χρηστότης | chrēstotēs | goodness, kindness | benevolent kindness, especially as demonstrated in action | ”kindness,” “goodness” | God’s kind disposition expressed concretely toward believers in Christ. | মঙ্গলভাব/দয়ালুতা (mongolbhab/doyaluta) — Low risk. |
Ephesians 2:8
Greek: τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι διὰ πίστεως· καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν, θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| χάρις | charis | grace | [BASELINE REUSE] — অনুগ্রহ, High. | ”grace” | The instrumental means of salvation; restated from v.5 for emphasis — the thesis statement of the passage and, arguably, of the curriculum’s core doctrine “Salvation by Grace through Faith.” | অনুগ্রহ (anugroho) |
| πίστις | pistis | faith, trust | [BASELINE REUSE] — বিশ্বাস, High. | ”faith,” “through faith” | The means by which grace is received; personal trust in Christ, not creedal affirmation or meritorious religious performance. | বিশ্বাস (bishwas) |
| δῶρον | dōron | gift, present | a freely given gift | ”gift” | Salvation itself (or, per some readings, faith) is God’s gift, not a human achievement or a religiously meritorious offering rendered TO God. | উপহার (uphar) — Medium risk. দান (dan) was considered but rejected: in Bengali Hindu religious practice দান (ritual charitable giving) is itself understood as a meritorious act that GENERATES religious merit (punya) for the giver — precisely backward from Paul’s point that salvation flows FROM God TO us, unearned. উপহার (a more neutral “gift/present”) avoids this reversal. |
Ephesians 2:9
Greek: οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἔργον (pl. ἔργα) | ergon (erga) | work, deed, action | any human action; in this soteriological context, meritorious religious/moral performance offered as a basis for standing before God | ”works,” “deeds” | The direct negation: salvation is explicitly NOT grounded in human deeds/performance of any kind. This is the sharpest possible contrast with any merit-accounting framework. | কর্ম/কাজ (kormo/kaj) — Critical risk. Must never be rendered so as to collapse into, or be confused with, পুণ্য (accumulated religious merit, already forbidden by the baseline for “grace”); the entire force of vv.8-9 is that salvation excludes exactly this kind of merit-accounting, which closely parallels both the Hindu karma-merit framework and the Islamic weighed-deeds framework already flagged as live syncretism risks in the baseline doctrine registry for Grace and Salvation. |
| καυχάομαι | kauchaomai | to boast, take pride | positive boasting in God; negative boasting in self-achievement (the sense here) | “boast,” “take pride” | Grace excludes self-congratulatory boasting in one’s own religious achievement. | গর্ব করা (gorbo kora) — Medium risk. |
Ephesians 2:10
Greek: αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεὸς ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν
| Term | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ποίημα | poiēma | a thing made, a work of craftsmanship | that which is made/fashioned (root of English “poem” — a “made thing”) | “workmanship,” “handiwork,” “masterpiece” | THE HINGE TERM OF THE PASSAGE. Deliberately NOT the same word as ἔργα (works, v.9). Paul’s argument depends entirely on this distinction: we are not saved BY our own kormo/erga (v.9), but we ARE God’s own poiēma — his handiwork, made by him, not making ourselves. | সৃষ্টি/কারুকাজ (sristi/karukaj) — CRITICAL risk. Must NEVER be rendered with কর্ম (kormo) — the same word already used for “works” in v.9 — as this would erase Paul’s carefully constructed contrast and could even suggest, backwards, that salvation IS a matter of accumulated karma/deeds. সৃষ্টি (“creation, that which is made”) correctly preserves poiēma as God’s creative act upon us, not our religious performance. This is the single highest-stakes lexical choice in the core passage. |
| κτίζω (κτισθέντες) | ktizō (ktisthentes) | to create | divine creative act; used elsewhere of the original creation (Gen. 1) and of new-creation renewal in Christ | ”created,” “made” | Salvation is a new-creation act of God in Christ — echoing Genesis creation language, reinforcing that this is God’s work, not ours. | সৃষ্টি করা (sristi kora) — Medium-High risk. Should share the same root as ποίημα above (সৃষ্টি) to preserve the creation-imagery link in the Greek. |
| ἔργα ἀγαθά | erga agatha | good works | virtuous deeds/actions | ”good works” | Crucially, good works here are the INTENDED FRUIT of salvation (“created…FOR good works”), never its cause (contrast v.9). The order matters absolutely: grace/faith → new creation → good works, never the reverse. | সৎকর্ম (shotkormo) — High risk. The sequencing must be unmistakable in any surrounding commentary/notes: these good works follow from, and never precede or produce, salvation. |
| προετοιμάζω | proetoimazō | to prepare beforehand | advance preparation; here, God’s prior planning of the specific good works believers are to walk in | ”prepared beforehand,” “planned in advance” | Ties good works into God’s sovereign, pre-determined plan — resonates with the Ephesians 1 predestination theme. | পূর্ব থেকে প্রস্তুত করে রাখলেন (purbo theke prostut kore rakhlen) — Medium risk. Should echo the same “beforehand” vocabulary used for predestination (see Ch.1 below) without collapsing into fatalistic language. |
| περιπατέω | peripateō | to walk | [See 2:2 above] | “walk,” “live,” “conduct ourselves” | The purpose-clause bookend of the passage: we were dead and could not walk (implicitly, v.1-3); now, as God’s new creation, we are able to walk in the good works he prepared. | চলা (chola) — Medium risk (as in 2:2). |
PART B — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY OF THE WHOLE BOOK
Chapter 1 (Ephesians 1:1-23)
Salutation, the praise of God’s saving plan (1:3-14), and Paul’s prayer for wisdom and revelation (1:15-23).
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐκλέγομαι (ἐξελέξατο) | eklegomai | eklego | to choose out, select | God’s sovereign act of choosing (1:4) | “he chose us,” “elected” | [BASELINE REUSE — “election”] — ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন, High. Not karma-fate. | ঈশ্বরের মনোনয়ন (Ishshorer monownoyon) |
| προορίζω | proorizō | proorizo | to mark out/determine beforehand | God’s prior determination of believers’ destiny in Christ (1:5, 1:11) | “predestined,” “foreordained” | Distinct from ἐκλογή (choosing) in emphasis: this stresses God’s advance determination of believers’ adoptive destiny “in love” (1:4b-5), not an impersonal fixed decree. | পূর্বনির্ধারণ (purbo-nirdharon) — High risk. This is a genuinely new, distinct term from “election” (baseline) and must not be collapsed into it. Risk: strong overlap with Islamic তকদির (taqdir, the fixed divine decree, a term already assimilated into common Bengali Muslim usage) and with Hindu ভাগ্য/নিয়তি (fate). Distinguish carefully: biblical predestination is relational and loving (“in love he predestined us,” 1:4-5), issuing in adoption as sons, not an impersonal, unappealable fatalistic decree divorced from God’s fatherly character. A translator note is required wherever this term first occurs. |
| υἱοθεσία | huiothesia | huiothesia | placing as a son | [BASELINE REUSE — “adoption”] — দত্তকপুত্রতা, High. | ”adoption” | Full son-status and inheritance, not provisional status. | দত্তকপুত্রতা (dattaka-putrota) |
| θέλημα | thelēma | thelema | will, desire | God’s determined will/pleasure (1:5,9,11) | “will,” “pleasure” | God’s purposeful, gracious will as the ground of predestination and the mystery. | ইচ্ছা (iccha) — Medium risk. |
| πρόθεσις | prothesis | prothesis | a setting forth, purpose | God’s deliberate plan/purpose (1:11; also 3:11) | “purpose,” “plan” | God’s eternal purpose, worked out “according to his will,” grounding both predestination and the mystery of Christ. | উদ্দেশ্য (uddeshyo) — Medium risk. |
| ἀπολύτρωσις | apolytrōsis | apolytrōsis | a buying back, ransoming | release/deliverance secured by a price paid (1:7, 1:14; also 4:30) | “redemption” | Deliverance secured specifically THROUGH THE BLOOD of Christ (1:7) — a related but distinct concept from πরিত্রাণ (salvation, the overall state of being saved). | উদ্ধার (uddhar) — Critical risk. NEVER মুক্তি (rejected — carries the same Hindu moksha/liberation-from-rebirth association already forbidden for “salvation” in the baseline). উদ্ধার (“rescue/deliverance”) is selected instead. Where the “price paid” dimension needs foregrounding, supplement with “রক্তের মূল্যে” (at the price of the blood), not with a term built on the মুক্তি root. |
| ἄφεσις (τῶν παραπτωμάτων) | aphesis | aphesis | a releasing, letting go | forgiveness/remission of sins | ”forgiveness (of trespasses/sins)“ | The result of redemption: sins released, not held against the believer. | ক্ষমা (khoma) — Medium risk. Distinguish from ধার্মিক বলে গণ্য হওয়া (justification, baseline Critical) — forgiveness/pardon of specific offenses is not identical to the forensic declaration of righteous standing; both occur together but name different realities. |
| μυστήριον | mystērion | mysterion | a secret, hidden thing now disclosed | a plan/truth once hidden by God, now revealed in Christ and the apostolic gospel (1:9; 3:3-9; 5:32; 6:19) | “mystery” | KEY EPHESIANS TERM, central to the curriculum doctrine “The Mystery of Christ Revealed.” Not an unsolvable puzzle or esoteric secret knowledge, but God’s redemptive plan, hidden for ages, now openly disclosed to all through the gospel. | নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব (nigurhotattwo) — High risk. রহস্য (the generic Bengali word for “mystery/secret”) was considered and rejected as the primary term: রহস্য carries strong connotations of detective-novel intrigue or occult secret-knowledge (tantric/esoteric guarded knowledge restricted to initiates), which is the OPPOSITE of Paul’s point — this “mystery” is now PUBLICLY REVEALED to all, not restricted esoteric knowledge for an initiated elite. নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব (“a hidden doctrine/truth”) preserves the “once hidden” sense while allowing “now revealed” framing without occult overtones. |
| ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι | anakephalaiōsasthai | anakephalaiōsasthai | to sum up again, to head up | to unite/bring to a single head | ”gather up,” “unite,” “sum up” (1:10) | God’s cosmic plan to unite all things — in heaven and on earth — under Christ’s headship. Shares its root with κεφαλή (head, see Ch.1:22, 5:23). | সবকিছুকে খ্রীষ্টের অধীনে একত্রীভূত করা (shobkichuke Khrishtoর odhine ekotribhuto kora) — High risk. Central to the cosmic scope of “The Mystery of Christ Revealed”; must not be flattened into a vague “bring together” losing the “under one head” (Christ) sense. |
| κληρονομία | klēronomia | klēronomia | inheritance, an allotted portion | that which is received as an heir (1:11,14,18; 5:5) | “inheritance” | Believers’ guaranteed future inheritance in Christ, secured by adoption. | উত্তরাধিকার (uttoradhikar) — Medium-High risk. Ties directly to দত্তকপুত্রতা (adoption, baseline High) — must convey full-heir status, not a partial or contested inheritance claim. |
| σφραγίζω (ἐσφραγίσθητε) | sphragizō | sphragizō | to seal, to stamp with a seal | mark of ownership, authentication, security | ”sealed” (1:13; 4:30) | The Holy Spirit as God’s mark of ownership and guarantee upon believers. | মুদ্রাঙ্কিত করা (mudrankito kora) — Medium risk. Must convey secure ownership/authentication by God, not a magical or ritual talisman-mark. |
| ἀρραβών | arrabōn | arrabōn | earnest money, down payment | a partial payment guaranteeing the full payment to come | ”guarantee,” “deposit,” “down payment,” “pledge” (1:14) | The Holy Spirit given now as the guarantee of the believer’s full future inheritance. | বায়নাস্বরূপ (bayna-shorup) — Medium risk. বায়না is a natural, well-understood Bengali term for an earnest/down-payment in land and property transactions — a strong cultural equivalence; note in translator commentary that this is not a bare commercial transaction but a relational guarantee from God himself. |
| ἀποκάλυψις | apokalypsis | apokalypsis | unveiling, disclosure | revelation of previously hidden divine truth | ”revelation” (1:17; also 3:3,5) | God’s disclosure of himself and his plan through his Spirit — related to, but distinct from, the once-for-all apostolic revelation of the mystery in 3:3-5. | প্রত্যাদেশ (protyadesh) — High risk. Care is needed: this term risks being heard through the lens of Islamic waḥy (verbal, dictated revelation delivered once through a single prophet), whereas biblical revelation in Ephesians is progressive (through prophets and apostles, 3:5) and Spirit-given ongoing illumination (1:17), fulfilled but not superseded by the finished apostolic mystery. Aligns with the baseline’s “inspiration_of_scripture” doctrine risk note. |
| σοφία / σύνεσις | sophia / synesis | sophia/synesis | wisdom / understanding | insight into God’s ways and plan (1:8,17; 3:10) | “wisdom,” “insight,” “understanding” | Spirit-given insight to grasp God’s revealed plan, not worldly cleverness or mystical gnosis. | প্রজ্ঞা ও বিবেক (proggya o bibek) — Medium risk. |
| δύναμις | dynamis | dynamis | power, ability | [BASELINE REUSE — root of “power of God”] — related to ঈশ্বরের সামর্থ্য, High. | ”power,” “might” | The immeasurable power at work in raising Christ, now available to believers (1:19-20). | সামর্থ্য (shamorthyo) |
| ἐνέργεια | energeia | energeia | operative working, active energy | the active exercise/working of power | ”working,” “operation” (1:19) | One of four power-synonyms piled up in 1:19-21 to describe the greatness of God’s power; describes power IN ACTION. | কার্যকারিতা (karjokarita) — High risk (part of a power-word cluster; see note below). |
| κράτος | kratos | kratos | might, dominion, strength exercised | ruling strength/dominion | ”might,” “power,” “dominion” (1:19,21) | Emphasizes sovereign, ruling might. | পরাক্রম (porakrom) — High risk (see cluster note). Chosen over শক্তি explicitly. |
| ἰσχύς | ischys | ischys | strength, force | inherent strength/force | ”strength,” “power” (1:19; also 6:10) | The raw strength undergirding God’s mighty acts. | বল (bol) — High risk (see cluster note). |
| [Power-word cluster note, Eph 1:19-21] | Ephesians 1:19-21 deliberately piles up FOUR distinct Greek power-words (δύναμις, ἐνέργεια, κράτος, ἰσχύς) plus THREE rule/authority words (ἀρχή, ἐξουσία, κυριότης) to describe the incomparable greatness of God’s power in raising and exalting Christ. CRITICAL translation constraint: none of these seven terms may be rendered শক্তি, per the baseline’s explicit and Bengal-specific prohibition on শক্তি for God’s power (Shakta/Durga-Kali goddess-power association). The above four distinct Bengali power-terms (সামর্থ্য, কার্যকারিতা, পরাক্রম, বল), together with the authority terms below, must be used consistently and distinctly to preserve Paul’s rhetorical accumulation without ever reaching for শক্তি. | High risk (cluster). | |||||
| ἀρχή | archē | archē | beginning; rule, ruling power | a class of spiritual/political rulers (1:21; 3:10; 6:12) | “rulers,” “principalities” | Spiritual/cosmic ruling powers, now subject to the exalted Christ. | কর্তৃত্ব (kortritto) — High risk. |
| ἐξουσία | exousia | exousia | authority, right, power to act | delegated or inherent authority | ”authorities,” “powers” (1:21; 2:2; 3:10; 6:12) | Both human/civic authority (elsewhere in NT) and, here, cosmic/spiritual authorities subject to Christ. | ক্ষমতা/অধিকার (khomota/odhikar) — High risk. |
| κυριότης | kyriotēs | kyriotēs | lordship, dominion | rank of “lord” as a class of being | ”dominions,” “lordships” (1:21) | A class of spiritual powers, all subordinate to Christ’s supreme, singular Lordship (κύριος, baseline প্রভু). Shares its root with κύριος, reinforcing that Christ alone holds ultimate lordship. | প্রভুত্ব (provuttwo) — High risk. Root-consistent with প্রভু (Lord, baseline Critical) — care must be taken that this plural, subordinate “dominion” class is never confused with Christ’s own singular, supreme প্রভুত্ব. |
| κεφαλή | kephalē | kephalē | head (body part); by extension, ruling head/source | literal head; figurative source, authority, or “head” of a body (1:22; 4:15; 5:23) | “head” | Christ as head over all things and specifically head of the church (his body) — foundational to the curriculum doctrine “The Church as the Body of Christ.” | মস্তক (mostok) — High risk. See extended discussion at Ch. 4-5 below (headship also governs the household code); must convey organic, life-giving headship (the head that nourishes and directs the body, 4:16; 5:29) rather than mere positional dominance. |
| πλήρωμα | plērōma | plērōma | fullness, that which fills | totality, completeness; that which fills a container or completes a whole (1:23; 3:19; 4:13) | “fullness” | The church is described as Christ’s πλήρωμα — “the fullness of him who fills all in all” — a rich, climactic image of the church as the space where Christ’s presence is fully expressed. | পূর্ণতা (purnota) — Medium-High risk. Purely doctrinal/theological weight (no live local syncretism collision identified), but requires care in each of its three occurrences (1:23 church as Christ’s fullness; 3:19 believers filled with God’s fullness; 4:13 the church’s corporate maturity as “the fullness of Christ”) — three related but distinct senses that must remain traceable to the same Bengali root term for consistency. |
| σῶμα | sōma | sōma | body | literal human body; figuratively, the church as Christ’s body (1:23; 4:4,12,16; 5:23,30) | “body” | Foundational image for ecclesiology in Ephesians — the church as a living organism united to Christ its head. | দেহ (deho) — Medium risk. Standard term; ensure the metaphorical, corporate sense (the church) is not read as merely literal anatomy. |
Chapter 2 (Ephesians 2:11-22) — remainder of the chapter beyond the core passage (2:1-10 treated above in Part A)
Unity of Jews and Gentiles into one new humanity, reconciled through the cross.
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἔθνη | ethnē | ethnē | nations, peoples | [BASELINE REUSE — “gentiles”] — পরজাতি, Medium. | ”Gentiles” | Non-Jewish believers, formerly excluded, now fully included. | পরজাতি (porojati) |
| μακράν / ἐγγύς | makran / engys | makran/engys | far off / near | spatial distance metaphor for covenant standing | ”far off” / “near” (2:13,17) | Gentiles, once far from the covenant promises, are now brought near through Christ’s blood — the reconciliation motif at the heart of the unity doctrine. | দূরে/নিকটে (dure/nikote) — High risk. Must retain the full force of the reversal: total exclusion transformed into full inclusion, not merely a lessening of distance. |
| αἷμα (τοῦ Χριστοῦ) | haima | haima | blood | Christ’s atoning blood, shed on the cross | ”blood (of Christ)“ | The atoning means by which reconciliation and access are achieved — connects directly to the baseline’s flagged atonement/propitiation escalation rule. | খ্রীষ্টের রক্ত (Khrishtoর rokto) — High risk. Atonement language; escalate to theologian review per baseline rules. |
| ἔχθρα | echthra | echthra | enmity, hostility | active hostility (between God and humanity; between Jew and Gentile) | “hostility,” “enmity” | The dividing hostility abolished by the cross, both vertically (with God) and horizontally (between peoples). | শত্রুতা (shotruta) — Medium risk. |
| τὸ μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ | to mesotoichon tou phragmou | to mesotoichon tou phragmou | the middle wall of the partition | a dividing barrier wall | ”dividing wall (of hostility)” (2:14) | Likely alludes to the Jerusalem temple’s barrier separating Gentiles from Israel’s inner courts — now demolished in Christ. | বিভেদের প্রাচীর (bivedher prachir) — High risk. Central image for the “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” doctrine; must not be softened into a vague “difference” but retained as an actual, now-demolished barrier. |
| καταργέω | katargeō | katargeō | to render inoperative, abolish | to nullify, bring to an end | ”abolished,” “set aside” (2:15) | The Mosaic law’s dividing function (not its moral content per se) is set aside in Christ’s flesh, enabling one new humanity. | বিলুপ্ত/নিষ্ক্রিয় করা (biloopto/nishkriyo kora) — High risk. Requires careful handling alongside ব্যবস্থা (law, baseline High) so as not to imply the whole Mosaic law is void of any abiding significance — the point is the dividing barrier is abolished, not that the law’s moral witness is erased. |
| εἷς καινὸς ἄνθρωπος | heis kainos anthrōpos | heis kainos anthrōpos | one new man | a newly-created, single humanity replacing the former Jew/Gentile division | ”one new man,” “one new humanity,” “one new people” (2:15) | The central positive image of the unity doctrine: not Gentiles absorbed into Israel nor vice versa, but an entirely new humanity created in Christ. | এক নতুন মানুষ (ek notun manush) — High risk. Core term for “Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity”; must not be flattened into mere social tolerance language — this is a NEW creation-act, paralleling 2:10’s poiēma/ktizō language. |
| ἀποκαταλλάσσω / εἰρήνη (as reconciling peace) | apokatallassō | apokatallassō | to reconcile fully | to restore to a right relationship, ending hostility | ”reconcile” (2:16) | Christ’s death reconciles both Jew and Gentile to God, and to each other, in a single act. | মিলন সাধন করা / পুনর্মিলন (milon shadhon kora / punormilon) — High risk. Avoid সন্ধি (a political/military peace-treaty term), which would reduce this to a negotiated truce between equal parties rather than a costly, God-initiated reconciliation achieved solely through the cross. |
| εἰρήνη | eirēnē | eirēnē | peace | [BASELINE REUSE — “peace”] — শান্তি, Medium. | ”peace” | Christ himself “is our peace” (2:14), both the peace of reconciliation with God and between former enemies. | শান্তি (shanti) |
| προσαγωγή | prosagōgē | prosagōgē | a bringing near, access | right of approach/entry | ”access” (2:18; also 3:12) | Both Jew and Gentile now have direct access to the Father, in one Spirit — no separate access routes, no need for human/ritual intermediaries. | প্রবেশাধিকার (probeshadhikar) — High risk. Connects to baseline’s “prayer_and_intercession” doctrine note distinguishing direct access to God from shrine/pir-based intercessory mediation common in regional folk religion; must be rendered so as to preserve direct, unmediated access through Christ alone. |
| συμπολῖται | sympolitai | sympolitai | fellow citizens | co-members of the same civic/political body | ”fellow citizens” (2:19) | Gentile believers now hold full covenant “citizenship” status alongside Jewish believers — no longer “strangers and aliens” (2:19). | সহনাগরিক (sohonagorik) — Medium-High risk. “Citizenship” (নাগরিকত্ব) terminology carries live contemporary political sensitivity in the Bengal region (e.g., citizenship/documentation debates in both India and Bangladesh); ensure the theological, spiritual sense (full covenant belonging) is clearly distinguished from any contemporary civic-registration connotation. Native-speaker review recommended. |
| πολιτεία | politeia | politeia | citizenship, commonwealth | the body politic/community one belongs to | ”commonwealth (of Israel)” (2:12) | Describes the covenant community from which Gentiles were formerly excluded — the negative counterpart to συμπολῖται in 2:19. | নাগরিকত্ব (nagoriktto) — Medium-High risk (same political-sensitivity note as above). |
| οἰκεῖοι τοῦ θεοῦ | oikeioi tou theou | oikeioi tou theou | members of God’s household | household members, family insiders | ”members of the household of God” (2:19) | Warmer, familial image alongside the civic “fellow citizens” image — full family belonging, not merely legal status. | ঈশ্বরের পরিজন (Ishshorer porijon) — Medium risk. |
| ἀκρογωνιαῖος (λίθος) | akrogōniaios | akrogōniaios | extreme corner(stone) | the foundational, load-bearing corner stone of a building | ”cornerstone,” “chief cornerstone” (2:20) | Christ as the foundational stone upon which the whole church (Jew and Gentile together) is structurally built and aligned. | কোণের প্রধান পাথর (koner prodhan pathor) — Medium risk. |
| θεμέλιος | themelios | themelios | foundation | the base/footing of a building | ”foundation” (2:20) | The apostles and prophets as the foundational, Christ-centered testimony on which the church is built. | ভিত্তি (bhitti) — Medium risk. |
| ναός | naos | naos | temple, sanctuary (specifically the inner dwelling-place of deity) | the (Jerusalem) Temple building, or figuratively, God’s dwelling place among his people | ”temple,” “holy temple” (2:21) | The church, Jew and Gentile together, is growing into God’s own holy dwelling place — echoing and fulfilling OT temple imagery. | মন্দির (mondir) — Medium risk. This is the established Bengali Bible term for the literal OT/NT Temple (distinct from the baseline’s rejection of মন্দির specifically as a rendering for “church”/ekklesia, the gathered assembly). Here ναός names a different concept — God’s indwelling dwelling-place — and reuses the standard Biblical term; a brief translator note distinguishing this “temple” (God’s dwelling, naos) from “church” (assembly, মণ্ডলী) and from a literal Hindu temple of image-worship is recommended for clarity. |
Chapter 3 (Ephesians 3:1-21)
Paul’s stewardship of the revealed mystery, and his prayer for the church’s strengthening.
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| οἰκονομία | oikonomia | oikonomia | household management, stewardship | administration of a household/estate; by extension, a divinely-entrusted assignment/task | ”stewardship,” “administration,” “dispensation” (3:2,9) | Paul’s God-given responsibility to administer/make known the grace and mystery entrusted to him. | ব্যবস্থাপনা (bebosthapona) — Medium risk. Distinct root from ব্যবস্থা (baseline “law,” bebostha) — verify the two remain visually/phonetically distinguishable in all uses to avoid confusion between “the Law” and “stewardship.” |
| μυστήριον | mystērion | mysterion | mystery | [See Ch.1 above] — নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব, High. | ”mystery” | The specific content of the mystery is now unpacked: Gentiles are FELLOW HEIRS, FELLOW MEMBERS, FELLOW PARTAKERS of the promise in Christ (3:6) — previously hidden, now fully disclosed. | নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব (nigurhotattwo) |
| συγκληρονόμος / σύσσωμος / συμμέτοχος | synklēronomos / syssōmos / symmetochos | synklēronomos / syssōmos / symmetochos | fellow-heir / fellow-body-member / fellow-partaker | co-participation with equal standing | ”fellow heirs,” “members of the same body,” “sharers in the promise” (3:6) | Triple emphasis (three compound “co-” words) on the total equality of Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ — reinforces the unity doctrine with maximal rhetorical force. | সহ-উত্তরাধিকারী, একই দেহের সহভাগী, প্রতিশ্রুতির সহভাগী (shoho-uttoradhikari, ekoi deher shohobhagi, protishrutir shohobhagi) — High risk. The triple compounding must not be flattened into a single generic “included together” — the rhetorical force of total, equal co-participation is itself doctrinally significant. |
| πολυποίκιλος σοφία | polypoikilos sophia | polypoikilos sophia | many-colored/varied wisdom | rich, multi-faceted wisdom | ”manifold wisdom,” “many-colored wisdom” (3:10) | God’s wisdom displayed through the church, to the spiritual powers themselves, in its rich, multi-faceted unity of formerly divided peoples now reconciled. | বহুবিধ প্রজ্ঞা (bohubidh proggya) — Medium risk. |
| παρρησία | parrēsia | parrēsia | freedom of speech, boldness | confidence, openness in speaking or approaching | ”boldness,” “confidence” (3:12; also 6:19-20) | Believers’ confident, open access to God in prayer, grounded in Christ’s finished work — not earned confidence, but freely given standing. | সাহস (shahos) — Medium-High risk. Related to προσαγωγή (access, Ch.2) — reinforces direct, unmediated approach to God; distinguish from a boldness earned through religious merit or ritual purity. |
| ἔσω ἄνθρωπος | esō anthrōpos | esō anthrōpos | inner man | the inner, spiritual self as distinct from the outer, physical self | ”inner being,” “inner man” (3:16) | The seat of the Spirit’s strengthening work — a person’s deepest spiritual core. | অন্তরস্থ মানুষ (ontorostho manush) — Medium risk. Must not be confused with the Hindu/Vedantic ātman (the eternal inner self/soul, distinct substance identical with Brahman); this “inner man” is the believer’s spiritual core as strengthened BY the Holy Spirit, not a pre-existing divine substance within. |
| ῥιζόω / θεμελιόω | rhizoō / themelioō | rhizoō / themelioō | to root / to found | agricultural and architectural rooting/founding metaphors | ”rooted and grounded (in love)” (3:17) | Stability and growth metaphor — believers’ life is to be firmly established in Christ’s love as both root and foundation. | প্রেমে মূলিত ও ভিত্তিস্থাপিত (preme mulito o bhittistapito) — Low-Medium risk. |
Chapter 4 (Ephesians 4:1-32)
Unity and gifts for ministry (4:1-16); putting off the old self and putting on the new self (4:17-32).
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἑνότης | henotēs | henotēs | unity, oneness | state of being one | ”unity” (4:3,13) | The unity of the Spirit and the unity of the faith to be diligently kept/pursued — practical outworking of the doctrinal unity established in ch.2. | একতা (ekota) — High risk. Directly serves the “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” doctrine (baseline High) — must be preserved as a real, Spirit-given, maintainable unity, not softened into mere tolerance or coexistence. |
| κλῆσις | klēsis | klēsis | calling | [BASELINE REUSE — “calling”] — আহ্বান, High. | ”calling” (4:1,4) | The believer’s vocation/calling to live worthy of the gospel and pursue unity. | আহ্বান (ahban) |
| χάρισμα (μέτρον τῆς δωρεᾶς) | charisma | charisma | gift, grace-gift | [BASELINE REUSE — “spiritual gifts”] — আত্মিক বর, Medium. | ”grace… measure of the gift” (4:7) | Spirit-given enablements distributed to each believer, sourced entirely in Christ’s own grace, never merit-earned. | আত্মিক বর (attik bor) |
| ἀπόστολος / προφήτης / εὐαγγελιστής / ποιμήν / διδάσκαλος | apostolos / prophētēs / euangelistēs / poimēn / didaskalos | apostolos, prophētēs, euangelistēs, poimēn, didaskalos | apostle / prophet / evangelist / shepherd / teacher | the fivefold ministry gifts/offices given to build up the church (4:11) | “apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors/shepherds, teachers” | The specific gift-offices given by the ascended Christ for the equipping and building up of the whole body — directly serves the “Gifts for Building Up the Church” doctrine. | Apostle: প্রেরিত [BASELINE REUSE, Medium]. Prophet: ভাববাদী [BASELINE REUSE, Low]. Evangelist: সুসমাচার প্রচারক (susomachar prochaork) — new term, Low-Medium risk, built on the baseline “gospel” (সুসমাচার) root. Pastor/shepherd: পালক (palok) — new term, Low risk, established Bengali Christian usage. Teacher: শিক্ষক (shikkhok) — new term, Low risk. |
| καταρτισμός | katartismos | katartismos | equipping, fitting together | preparation/outfitting for a task | ”equipping” (4:12) | The purpose of the fivefold gifts: to equip ALL the saints for ministry, not to concentrate ministry in a professional clerical class. | সুসজ্জিত/প্রস্তুত করা (sushojjito/prostut kora) — Medium risk. Care needed that this not imply ministry is delegated ONLY to the named office-holders rather than the whole body being equipped through them. |
| οἰκοδομή | oikodomē | oikodomē | building up, edification | construction; figuratively, spiritual strengthening of the church | ”building up,” “edification” (4:12,16,29) | [Related to baseline doctrine “mutual_edification”] — the goal of both the gift-offices and everyday speech: the strengthening of the whole body. | গড়ে তোলা / উন্নতিসাধন (gore tola / unnotishadhon) — Low-Medium risk. Consistent with the baseline’s existing “mutual edification” doctrine phrase পরস্পর উন্নতিসাধন. |
| μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ | metron hēlikias tou plērōmatos tou Christou | — | the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ | full spiritual maturity, corporately, matching Christ’s own completeness | ”mature manhood,” “the fullness of Christ” (4:13) | The goal-state of the unified, equipped church: full corporate maturity, no longer immature, reflecting Christ’s own fullness (πλήρωμα, see Ch.1). | খ্রীষ্টের পূর্ণতার পরিমাণ পর্যন্ত পরিপক্বতা (Khrishtor purnotar poriman porjonto poripokkota) — Medium-High risk. Must share the same πλήρωμα root (পূর্ণতা) as Ch.1 and Ch.3 occurrences for cross-reference consistency. |
| ἀληθεύω ἐν ἀγάπῃ | alētheuō en agapē | — | to speak/act truly, in love | truthful communication held together with love | ”speaking the truth in love” (4:15) | The manner of growth toward maturity — truth and love inseparably joined, avoiding both harsh truth-without-love and sentimental love-without-truth. | প্রেমের মধ্যে সত্য বলা (premer moddhe shotto bola) — Low-Medium risk. |
| παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος (also νέος ἄνθρωπος) | palaios anthrōpos / kainos anthrōpos | palaios/kainos anthrōpos | old man / new man | the pre-conversion self, corrupted by sin, vs. the new, Christ-formed self | ”old self,” “new self,” “old man,” “new man” (4:22,24) | Central to the curriculum doctrine “Walking in Newness of Life” — a decisive, once-for-all change of identity and moral orientation, not a gradual evolution of the same self, and not reincarnation into a different body. | পুরাতন মানুষ / নতুন মানুষ (purataon manush / notun manush) — High risk. Must be clearly framed as a moral-spiritual transformation of identity in union with Christ (cf. Rom 6, already in the baseline’s “christian_identity_in_christ” doctrine), never as a Hindu doctrine of the ātman’s transmigration, nor Islamic tazkiyah (self-purification through disciplined practice) alone — this is a definitive, grace-given new creation (echoing 2:10’s ktizō/poiēma), not a self-achieved moral renovation. |
| ἀνανεόω (τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοῦς) | ananeoō | ananeoō | to renew | ongoing renewal/refreshing | ”renewed in the spirit of your mind” (4:23) | The mind’s ongoing Spirit-empowered renewal, distinguishing genuine transformation from mere behavior modification. | মনের নবীকরণ (moner nobikoron) — Medium risk. |
| ἀποτίθημι / ἐνδύω | apotithēmi / endyō | apotithēmi/endyō | to take off / to put on | clothing-removal and clothing-donning metaphors | ”put off… put on” (4:22-25) | Decisive, deliberate replacement of old sinful patterns with new Christlike character — an act of the will, not passive drift. | খুলে ফেলা / পরিধান করা (khule fela / poridhan kora) — Low-Medium risk. Natural clothing-metaphor imagery, well understood in Bengali idiom. |
| λυπέω τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον | lypeō to Pneuma to Hagion | — | to grieve the Holy Spirit | causing sorrow/grief to a person | ”grieve the Holy Spirit” (4:30) | The Holy Spirit’s PERSONAL, relational nature — capable of being grieved by sin — reinforcing his full personhood, not an impersonal force. | পবিত্র আত্মাকে দুঃখ দেওয়া (Pobitro Atmake dukkho dewa) — High risk. Reinforces পবিত্র আত্মা’s personal identity (baseline Critical); never framed impersonally. |
Chapter 5 (Ephesians 5:1-33)
Walking in love and light (5:1-21); the household code for husbands and wives as a picture of Christ and the church (5:22-33).
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| μιμητής (τοῦ θεοῦ) | mimētēs | mimētēs | imitator | one who patterns their conduct after another | ”imitators (of God)” (5:1) | Believers are called to actively pattern their character after God’s own self-giving love, as beloved children. | অনুকারী (onukari) — Medium risk. |
| προσφορά / θυσία (ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας) | prosphora / thysia | prosphora/thysia | offering / sacrifice (fragrant aroma) | cultic sacrificial-offering language | ”a fragrant offering and sacrifice” (5:2) | Christ’s self-giving death described in OT sacrificial-cultic terms — a fulfillment/typological reference, not a new sacrificial ritual to be repeated. | সুগন্ধি নৈবেদ্য ও বলিদান (sugandhi noibeddo o bolidan) — High risk. This vocabulary (নৈবেদ্য/বলিদান) carries strong live associations with Hindu puja ritual food-and-animal offerings to deities/idols; a translator note is required clarifying this describes Christ’s ONE, FINISHED, historical self-sacrifice on the cross (already fulfilled, not an ongoing ritual practice to be repeated in devotion), consistent with the baseline’s general caution against ritual-purity/ritual-offering conflation (cf. sanctification, holiness notes). |
| φῶς / σκότος | phōs / skotos | phōs/skotos | light / darkness | moral-spiritual dualism | ”light… darkness” (5:8) | Believers’ definitive moral-spiritual transformation (“you WERE darkness, but now you ARE light”) — describes identity, not merely behavior. | আলো/অন্ধকার (alo/ondhokar) — Medium risk. |
| πληρόω (ἐν Πνεύματι) | plēroō | plēroō | to fill | to be filled/controlled | ”be filled with the Spirit” (5:18) | The Spirit’s controlling, character-transforming influence, contrasted explicitly with drunkenness (5:18) — self-control and worship, not ecstatic loss of control. | পবিত্র আত্মায় পূর্ণ হওয়া (Pobitro Atmay purno howa) — High risk. Must be carefully distinguished from ecstatic trance/possession states familiar in regional folk-religious practice (e.g., folk bhaba/trance possession phenomena, Sufi ecstatic dhikr); “filled with the Spirit” in Ephesians produces sober worship, mutual submission, and thanksgiving (5:19-21), not loss of self-control. |
| ὑποτάσσω (ἀλλήλοις / τοῖς ἀνδράσιν) | hypotassō | hypotassō | to place under, to be subject to, to submit | voluntary ordering of oneself under another’s authority within a structure; can be mutual (5:21) or directional (5:22,24) | “submit,” “be subject to” (5:21,22,24; also 6:1,5) | CENTRAL TERM of “Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships.” Mutual submission (5:21) frames the entire household code; the wife’s submission (5:22,24) is immediately paired with the husband’s call to self-sacrificial, Christ-like love (5:25) — not one-sided domination. | বশীভূত হওয়া (boshibhuto howa) — High risk. Given strong existing patriarchal household norms across both Bengali Hindu and Muslim tradition, this term risks being read as endorsing one-directional subjugation/control if 5:21’s MUTUAL submission and 5:25’s husband’s SELF-SACRIFICIAL love command are not given equal translational and homiletical weight. Theologian and native-speaker review both required; the passage must never be excerpted or rendered so as to isolate wives’ submission from husbands’ co-equal, higher-cost command to love. |
| κεφαλή (τῆς γυναικός) | kephalē | kephalē | head | [See Ch.1 above] — মস্তক, High. | ”head (of the wife)” (5:23) | Christ’s headship of the church is the explicit MODEL for the husband’s headship of the wife — a headship defined by self-giving love and nourishing care (5:25-29), not authoritarian control. | মস্তক (mostok) — High risk (household-code application; see note above). |
| μία σάρξ | mia sarx | mia sarx | one flesh | union of husband and wife (citing Gen 2:24) | “one flesh” (5:31) | The marriage union as a living picture/type of Christ’s union with the church — elevates marriage’s meaning without exhausting it in the human relationship alone. | একদেহ (ekdeho) — Medium risk. |
| μυστήριον (τοῦτο τὸ μυστήριον μέγα ἐστίν) | mystērion | mysterion | mystery | [See Ch.1/Ch.3 above] — নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব, High. | ”this mystery is profound” (5:32) | Marriage itself is declared a “mystery” pointing to and illuminating Christ’s relationship with the church — the same term used throughout for God’s grand redemptive plan, now applied at the level of ordinary household life. | নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব (nigurhotattwo) |
Chapter 6 (Ephesians 6:1-24)
Household code continued (children/parents, bondservants/masters, 6:1-9); spiritual warfare and the armor of God (6:10-20); closing (6:21-24).
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | Bengali Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ὑπακούω / τιμάω | hypakouō / timaō | hypakouō/timaō | to obey / to honor | compliance / respect | ”obey… honor (father and mother)” (6:1-2) | Children’s obedience is grounded “in the Lord” and tied to the honoring commandment of the Decalogue, not mere unreflective compliance to parental authority as such. | বাধ্য হওয়া / সম্মান করা (baddho howa / shomman kora) — Medium risk. |
| παροργίζω | parorgizō | parorgizō | to provoke to anger | to incite wrath/frustration | ”do not provoke (your children) to anger” (6:4) | A direct check on fathers’ authority — the household code cuts both ways, restraining the more powerful party, not merely commanding the submission of the less powerful. | উত্তেজিত/রাগান্বিত না করা (uttejito/raganvito na kora) — Medium risk. |
| παιδεία / νουθεσία (Κυρίου) | paideia / nouthesia | paideia/nouthesia | discipline / instruction | formative training and verbal correction | ”discipline and instruction (of the Lord)” (6:4) | Christ-centered, formative child-rearing — discipline that forms character in the Lord’s own pattern, not harsh domination. | প্রভুর শিক্ষা ও শাসন (Provur shikkha o shashon) — Medium risk. |
| δοῦλος / κύριος | doulos / kyrios | doulos/kyrios | slave, bondservant / lord, master | a person legally bound in service to another / one who holds authority over a servant (also the same word used elsewhere for the divine “Lord”) | “bondservants… masters” (6:5-9) | Addresses first-century household slavery directly, transforming it from within by grounding both slave and master’s conduct in their common accountability to Christ, their true Master in heaven (6:9). | Slave/bondservant: দাস (das) — High risk. NOTE: দাস is also an extremely common Bengali surname historically associated with specific (often lower-ranked) caste communities; using this word for the biblical household-servant role requires an explicit translator/teaching note clarifying the historical Greco-Roman household-slavery context, so Bengali readers do not read the passage through a caste lens or assume the text endorses any present-day caste hierarchy. Master (human, 6:5): মালিক (malik) — chosen instead of প্রভু specifically to preserve প্রভু’s exclusive reservation for the divine Lord (baseline Critical). “You also have a Master (κύριος) in heaven” (6:9): প্রভু — here the Greek intentionally reuses the same word (κύριος) for human masters and for Christ, reminding masters that they too answer to a higher প্রভু; a translator note should make this deliberate wordplay explicit, since the Bengali rendering (মালিক for humans, প্রভু reserved for Christ) necessarily separates what the Greek intentionally unifies. |
| ὀφθαλμοδουλία | ophthalmodoulia | ophthalmodoulia | eye-service | service performed only when being watched | ”eye-service,” “to please people” (6:6) | Contrasted with heartfelt obedience to Christ “as slaves of Christ” — sincerity of motive matters more than outward compliance. | চোখের সামনে সেবা (chokher shamne sheba) — Low-Medium risk. |
| φόβος καὶ τρόμος | phobos kai tromos | phobos kai tromos | fear and trembling | idiom of earnest, careful seriousness | ”fear and trembling” (6:5) | Denotes earnest seriousness of service, not literal terror. | ভয় ও কম্পনের সাথে (bhoy o komponer sathe) — Low-Medium risk. Ensure idiom is not read as literal fright. |
| πάλη | palē | palē | wrestling match | hand-to-hand combat | ”wrestle,” “struggle” (6:12) | Believers’ conflict is against spiritual, not merely human/social, opposition — reframes the entire preceding household-code discussion as part of a larger spiritual battle. | সংগ্রাম/মল্লযুদ্ধ (shongram/mollojuddho) — Medium risk. |
| ἀρχαί / ἐξουσίαι / κοσμοκράτορες τοῦ σκότους / τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις | archai / exousiai / kosmokratores tou skotous / ta pneumatika tēs ponērias | — | rulers / authorities / world-rulers of darkness / spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenlies | a fourfold description of organized, personal, spiritual evil opposition | ”rulers, authorities, cosmic powers of this present darkness, spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (6:12) | CENTRAL to “Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God.” Real, personal, organized spiritual opposition — not an abstract impersonal evil force, and not to be domesticated into mere “bad influences.” | কর্তৃত্ব, ক্ষমতা, এই অন্ধকার জগতের শাসকগণ, স্বর্গীয় স্থানের মন্দ আত্মিক কর্তৃত্ব (kortritto, khomota, ei ondhokar jagoter shashokgon, shorgio sthaner mondo attik kortritto) — Critical risk. Given Bengal’s widespread folk beliefs in evil spirits (bhut/pret in Hindu folk tradition, jinn in Muslim folk tradition) and exorcistic/tantric ritual practice for dealing with them, this term-cluster carries a genuine double risk: (1) softening it into mere metaphor for “bad social systems” would strip Ephesians of its actual doctrine of personal spiritual conflict; (2) rendering it in a way that invites readers toward folk-exorcism, tantric counter-ritual, or protective-amulet practice (rather than the prayer, truth, righteousness, and faith Paul actually prescribes in 6:14-18) would import syncretistic folk-religious practice into biblical spiritual warfare. Explicitly, শক্তি must never be used anywhere in this cluster (per the baseline’s Shakta-goddess-power caution, which applies with even greater force to a cluster describing EVIL spiritual power). Human theologian review mandatory. |
| πανοπλία (τοῦ θεοῦ) | panoplia | panoplia | full armor, complete set of armor | full military equipment | ”whole armor of God,” “full armor” (6:11,13) | The Christian’s complete spiritual equipping, provided BY God (not self-manufactured), for defense and firm standing against spiritual opposition. | ঈশ্বরের সম্পূর্ণ যুদ্ধসজ্জা (Ishshorer shompurno juddhosajja) — Medium-High risk. Risk of the whole metaphor being read through the lens of protective amulets/taveez/tantric protective charms widespread in regional folk practice (worn objects believed to ward off evil spirits); a translator note should clarify this “armor” names Christian virtues and disciplines (truth, righteousness, faith, the gospel, the word of God, prayer) actively put on by faith, not a physical or magically-potent object. |
| ζώνη (τῆς ἀληθείας) | zōnē | zōnē | belt, girdle | a soldier’s belt, securing the tunic and other gear | ”belt of truth” (6:14) | Truth as the foundational, securing piece of the believer’s spiritual equipment. | সত্যের কটিবন্ধ (shotter kotibondho) — Low risk. |
| θώραξ (τῆς δικαιοσύνης) | thōrax | thōrax | breastplate | chest armor protecting vital organs | ”breastplate of righteousness” (6:14) | Righteousness — reusing the baseline’s Critical term ধার্মিকতা — protecting the believer’s core. | ধার্মিকতার বুকপাটা (dharmikotar bukpata) — Critical risk (via reused term). Righteousness = [BASELINE REUSE] ধার্মিকতা, never ধর্ম. |
| ὑπόδημα (τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης) | hypodēma | hypodēma | sandal, shoe | footwear enabling readiness to march | ”shoes… of the gospel of peace” (6:15) | Gospel-readiness/preparedness as the believer’s “footing” for advancing and standing firm. Reuses baseline সুসমাচার (gospel) and শান্তি (peace). | শান্তির সুসমাচারের পাদুকা (shanti-r susomacharer paduka) — Medium risk (via reused terms). |
| θυρεός (τῆς πίστεως) | thyreos | thyreos | shield (large, door-shaped) | full-body defensive shield | ”shield of faith” (6:16) | Faith — reusing baseline বিশ্বাস — as active, deployable defense against the “flaming arrows” (temptations/accusations) of the evil one. | বিশ্বাসের ঢাল (bishwasher dhal) — High risk (via reused term). Faith = [BASELINE REUSE] বিশ্বাস, High. |
| περικεφαλαία (τοῦ σωτηρίου) | perikephalaia | perikephalaia | helmet | head-protecting armor | ”helmet of salvation” (6:17) | Salvation — reusing baseline পরিত্রাণ — protecting the believer’s mind/identity. | পরিত্রাণের শিরস্ত্রাণ (poritraner shirostran) — Critical risk (via reused term). Salvation = [BASELINE REUSE] পরিত্রাণ, Critical; never মুক্তি/মোক্ষ/নাজাত. |
| μάχαιρα (τοῦ Πνεύματος), ῥῆμα Θεοῦ | machaira, rhēma theou | machaira/rhēma theou | sword; word (spoken utterance) of God | short offensive weapon; God’s spoken word | ”sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (6:17) | The only OFFENSIVE weapon in the list — Scripture, wielded by/with the Spirit, as the believer’s active weapon in spiritual conflict. | পবিত্র আত্মার তরবারি, যা ঈশ্বরের বাক্য (Pobitro Atmar torbari, ja Ishshorer bakyo) — High risk (via reused পবিত্র আত্মা term, Critical). |
| προσευχή (ἐν Πνεύματι) | proseuchē | proseuchē | prayer | petition/communication with God | ”praying… in the Spirit” (6:18) | Prayer frames and sustains the entire armor metaphor — not itself a piece of armor, but the ongoing posture that activates it all. | আত্মায় প্রার্থনা করা (Atmay prarthona kora) — Medium risk. |
| πρεσβεύω (ἐν ἁλύσει) | presbeuō | presbeuō | to act as an ambassador/envoy | official representative function | ”ambassador (in chains)” (6:20) | Paul’s self-description as Christ’s imprisoned envoy for the gospel — reinforces the “Gospel proclamation” theme even amid suffering. | শিকলবদ্ধ দূত (shikolboddho dut) — Low-Medium risk. |
Cross-Chapter Consistency Notes
- μυστήριον (mystery) occurs in 1:9, 3:3-9, 5:32, and 6:19 and must be rendered নিগূঢ়তত্ত্ব consistently in all four contexts to preserve the reader’s ability to trace this thread across the whole letter (the curriculum doctrine “The Mystery of Christ Revealed” depends on this).
- πλήρωμα (fullness) occurs in 1:23, 3:19, and 4:13 with related but distinct senses; all three must derive from the same Bengali root (পূর্ণতা) for traceability.
- κεφαλή (head) occurs in 1:22 (Christ, head of all things/the church) and 5:23 (husband, head of wife) and must use the same term (মস্তক) so that the household code’s explicit theological grounding in Christ’s headship of the church is not lost in translation.
- ἔργα (works) vs. ποίημα (workmanship) in 2:9-10 is the single most theologically load-bearing lexical distinction in the core passage and must never share a Bengali root term (see Part A, 2:10 above).
- δοῦλος/κύριος (slave/master) wordplay in 6:5-9 requires a translator note explaining why Bengali uses two different words (দাস/মালিক for the human relationship, প্রভু reserved for Christ) where the Greek deliberately uses one root twice.
- Power/authority word clusters (1:19-21; 3:10; 6:12) must never use শক্তি under any circumstances, consistent with — and reinforcing even more strongly than — the baseline Romans prohibition.