Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Jonah
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering Jonah chapters 1–4 in full. Terms marked [BASELINE REUSE] are already fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json and are repeated here unchanged, per the hard rule that established renderings must be reused exactly. All other terms are new additions required by Jonah’s Hebrew Old Testament content and must be added to translation memory (with incremented version number) before Phase 2 translation of Jonah begins.
1. Divine Names and Titles
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God (Elohim) | אֱלֹהִים | Elohim | ঈশ্বর | Ishshor | Critical | [BASELINE REUSE] | ভগবান, আল্লাহ | Reused exactly from baseline. Used for the generic divine title, esp. in Nineveh’s dialogue (ch. 3-4). |
| LORD (YHWH) | יְהוָה | YHWH | সদাপ্রভু | Sadaprobhu | Critical | NEW. Underlies every doctrine in the book | প্রভু, ঈশ্বর, আল্লাহ | New term required for Jonah (Romans, being NT, never renders the Tetragrammaton). Must track the Hebrew text’s alternation between יהוה and אלהים verse-by-verse; English “LORD” (all caps) → সদাপ্রভু, English “God” → ঈশ্বর. Never conflate. |
| pagan gods (elohim as common noun) | אֱלֹהָיו | elohav | দেবতা | debota | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation; God’s Compassion for the Nations (contrast) | ঈশ্বর | Reserve ঈশ্বর exclusively for the true God; use দেবতা for the sailors’ pagan deities (1:5) to preserve the text’s monotheism-vs-polytheism contrast. |
| presence of the LORD | לִפְנֵי יְהוָה | lifnei YHWH | সদাপ্রভুর সম্মুখ | Sadaprobhur sommukh | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | Jonah’s flight “from the presence of the LORD” (1:3) is narratively refuted by God’s sovereignty over the sea. |
2. Repentance and Divine Mercy
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| repent / turn (human) | שׁוּב | shuv | মন ফেরানো (v.) / মন-পরিবর্তন (n.) | mon ferano / mon-poriborton | Critical | Repentance and Divine Mercy | তওবা, প্রায়শ্চিত্ত | তওবা is the Islamic works-based turning-to-Allah term; প্রায়শ্চিত্ত is Hindu karmic ritual penance. Neither conveys shuv’s relational, grace-received turning. Established Bengali Bible idiom (cf. Matt 3:2). |
| relent (divine) | נָחַם (Niphal) | nacham | ক্ষান্ত হওয়া | kshanto howa | Critical | Repentance and Divine Mercy | মন ফেরানো (must not reuse the human-repentance term) | LXX renders both שוב and נחם with the same Greek root (μετανοέω); Bengali must keep them lexically distinct to avoid implying God morally “repents.” |
| gracious | חַנּוּן | channun | অনুগ্রহময় | ontogrohomoy | Critical | Repentance and Divine Mercy (Jonah 4:2 thesis verse) | কৃপাময় | Soteriological context (God’s saving character) requires the অনুগ্রহ root, not কৃপা, per baseline’s grace/mercy distinction. |
| compassionate / merciful | רַחוּם | rachum | করুণাময় | korunamoy | High | Repentance and Divine Mercy; God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Adjectival form of করুণা (compassion), see §3. |
| slow to anger | אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם | erekh appayim | ক্রোধে ধীর | krodhe dhir | Medium | Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | Component of the Jonah 4:2 thesis verse; lock rendering across all lesson documents. |
| steadfast love | חֶסֶד | chesed | দয়া | doya | High | Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | OT covenant-loyalty term; keep distinct from অনুগ্রহ (NT charis) and করুণা (rachamim/compassion) though thematically overlapping. Translator note on covenantal nuance required. |
| perish | אָבַד | avad | বিনষ্ট হওয়া / বিনাশ | binashto howa / binash | High | Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | The negative counterpart to পরিত্রাণ (salvation); Jonah 3:9’s “so that we may not perish.” |
| the disaster / evil (wordplay term) | רָעָה | ra’ah | মন্দ (moral evil) / বিপর্যয়, অমঙ্গল (calamity) | mondo / biporjoy, omongol | High | Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | Same Hebrew word serves both senses (3:8 “evil way” and 3:10/4:2 “the disaster”) — Bengali needs two distinct words; flag the wordplay in teaching notes since it cannot be preserved lexically. |
| violence | חָמָס | chamas | সহিংসতা | shohingshota | Medium-High | Repentance and Divine Mercy; God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Nineveh’s specific besetting sin (3:8); distinguish from generic পাপ. |
| believed God | אמן (root) / πιστεύω | aman / pisteuō | বিশ্বাস (করা) | bishwas (kora) | Critical | [BASELINE REUSE] — Faith | শ্রদ্ধা, ঈমান | Reused exactly from baseline. Object here is ঈশ্বর (Elohim, generic), not সদাপ্রভু — Nineveh does not yet know God’s covenant name. |
3. God’s Compassion for the Nations
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nineveh | נִינְוֵה | Nineveh | নীনবী | Ninobi | Medium | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Established Bengali OT proper-name form. |
| nations / Gentiles | גּוֹיִם / ἔθνη | goyim / ethnē | জাতিগণ (general) / পরজাতি (Gentile-inclusion emphasis) | jatigon / porojati | High | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | পরজাতি is the baseline “Gentiles” term (ethnē); reuse it when emphasizing the doctrinal Jew/Gentile-inclusion parallel. Use জাতিগণ for the general narrative sense of “the nations/peoples.” |
| compassion / pity | רַחֲמִים / חוּס | rachamim / chus | করুণা | koruna | High | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Climactic term of 4:10-11, extended explicitly to animals as well as people. |
| call out / proclaim (prophetic) | קָרָא / κηρύσσω | qara / kēryssō | প্রচার করা / ঘোষণা করা | prochar kora / ghoshona kora | High | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | LXX’s κήρυξον shares its root with NT gospel-preaching vocabulary; here the content is judgment, not গসপেল — do not import evangelistic warmth into this specific term. |
| fear the LORD | יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה | yare et-YHWH | সদাপ্রভুকে ভয় করা | Sadaprobhuke bhoy kora | Medium-High | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Reverential awe, not mere fright (1:16); models Gentile recognition of divine sovereignty. |
| great city | עִיר גְּדוֹלָה (לֵאלֹהִים) | ir gedolah (l’Elohim) | মহানগর / অত্যন্ত মহানগর | mohanogor / ottyanto mohanogor | Medium | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Hebrew idiom “great to God” cannot be rendered literally; preserve the superlative sense in teaching notes. |
| fast | צוֹם | tsom | উপবাস | upobash | Medium | God’s Compassion for the Nations; Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | Also the standard word for Hindu vrat-fasting and Islamic fasting; context must clarify this is repentant petition, not merit-earning ritual. |
| sackcloth | שַׂק | saq | চটবস্ত্র / চট | chotbostro / chot | Medium | Repentance and Divine Mercy | — | External sign accompanying (but not substituting for) genuine turning (cf. 3:10’s emphasis on “what they did”). |
| vow | נֶדֶר | neder | প্রতিজ্ঞা | protigya | Critical | God’s Compassion for the Nations (Gentile worship response) | মানত | মানত carries the Bengali folk-religious sense of a transactional vow to a shrine/pir/deity for a granted wish; reject in favor of the more neutral প্রতিজ্ঞা. |
| sacrifice | זֶבַח | zevach | বলিদান / বলি | balidan / boli | High | God’s Compassion for the Nations (Gentile worship response) | — | Standard, unavoidable Bengali Bible term, but carries strong cultural resonance with Shakta (Kali/Durga) animal sacrifice, especially in the Kolkata region; requires a clarifying teaching note. |
| maker of sea and dry land | עֹשֶׂה הַיָּם וְהַיַּבָּשָׁה | oseh ha-yam ve-ha-yabashah | সমুদ্র ও স্থলভূমির সৃষ্টিকর্তা | shomudro o sthalbhumir srishtikorta | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | সৃষ্টিকর্তা acceptable here (generic Creator-of-nature confession); must not be confused with Hindu creator-deity proper names (ব্রহ্মা). |
4. Sovereignty of God over Creation
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| appointed / prepared | מָנָה (וַֿיְמַן) | manah (vayeman) | নিযুক্ত করলেন / প্রস্তুত করলেন | niyukto korlen / proshtuto korlen | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation | ভাগ্য, নিয়তি | Unifying verb across all 4 chapters (fish, plant, worm, wind). Personal divine command, never impersonal fate/chance. |
| great storm / hurled | סַעֲרָה גְדוֹלָה / וַֿיָּטֵל | se’arah gedolah / vayatel | মহাঝড় নিক্ষেপ করলেন | mohajhor nikkhep korlen | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | YHWH as direct, personal agent of the storm, not passive weather. |
| great fish / sea creature | דָּג גָּדוֹל / κῆτος | dag gadol / kētos | বড় মাছ | boro mach | Medium | Sovereignty of God over Creation; Sign typology | — | Vehicle of the “sign” typology (see §5). |
| Sheol / the pit | שְׁאוֹל | she’ol | পাতাল | patal | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation; Sign typology | নরক, জাহান্নাম | Sheol’s ambiguous “realm of the dead” sense should not import Hindu norok (rebirth-cycle punishment) or Islamic jahannam (eternal hellfire) theology. |
| brought up from the pit | וַֿתַּעַל מִשַּׁחַת | vata’al mishachat | প্রাণ গর্ত থেকে তুলে আনা | pran gorto theke tule ana | Critical | Sovereignty of God over Creation; Sign typology | পুনর্জন্ম | Must not be rendered with reincarnation vocabulary despite surface resemblance to “rising from death” imagery. |
| plant (qiqayon) | קִיקָיוֹן | qiqayon | গাছ / লতা | gachh / lota | Low | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | Botanical precision not doctrinally load-bearing. |
| worm | תּוֹלֵעַת | tola’at | পোকা | poka | Low | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | — |
| east/scorching wind | רוּחַ קָדִים | ruach qadim | পূবালী উষ্ণ বাতাস | pubali ushno batash | Medium | Sovereignty of God over Creation | — | Bookends the storm of ch. 1. |
| pity/spare (animals included) | חוּס | chus | করুণা করা | koruna kora | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation; God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | 4:10-11’s climactic extension of compassion to “much cattle” as well as people. |
| sovereignty of God (general doctrine term) | (no single lexeme — theological synthesis) | — | ঈশ্বরের সার্বভৌমত্ব | Ishshorer sarbovoumotto | High | Sovereignty of God over Creation | ভাগ্য, নিয়তি | Doctrine-title term for curriculum use; parallels baseline’s “providence” (ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা) pattern. |
5. Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| three days and three nights | שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת / τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας | shlosha yamim u-shlosha leilot / treis hēmeras kai treis nyktas | তিন দিন তিন রাত | tin din tin rat | Critical | Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection | — | Directly quoted by Jesus (Matt 12:40) as the pattern for his burial and resurrection. |
| sign | σημεῖον | sēmeion | চিহ্ন | chihno | Critical | Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection | — | Genuinely Koine Greek term, cited from Matthew 12:39-40 (Jonah’s Hebrew text has no equivalent word); the NT’s own typological verdict on the book. |
| resurrection | ἀνάστασις | anastasis | পুনরুত্থান | punorutthan | Critical | [BASELINE REUSE] — Resurrection of Christ | পুনর্জন্ম | Reused exactly from baseline. Never পুনর্জন্ম (reincarnation) when connecting Jonah’s typology to Christ’s actual resurrection. |
| salvation belongs to the LORD | יְשׁוּעָה | yeshu’ah | পরিত্রাণ | poritran | Critical | [BASELINE REUSE] — Salvation | মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত | Reused exactly from baseline. Etymological root of “Yeshua/Jesus.” |
| Jesus / Christ (typological cross-reference only) | Ἰησοῦς / Χριστός | Iēsous / Christos | যীশু / খ্রীষ্ট | Jishu / Khrishto | Critical | [BASELINE REUSE] — Lordship/Sonship/Deity of Christ | ঈসা, মশীহ | Reused exactly from baseline; used only when curriculum material draws the explicit NT typological connection, never in the Jonah narrative text itself. |
6. Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love
| Term (English) | Original | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Bengali Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| displeased / angry (Jonah’s) | וַֿיֵּרַע / וַֿיִּחַר־לוֹ | vayera / vayichar-lo | অসন্তুষ্ট হলেন / ক্রোধিত হলেন | oshontushto holen / krodhito holen | High | Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love | — | Sinful human resentment of divine mercy; keep lexically distinct from ঈশ্বরের ক্ষান্ত হওয়া (God’s relenting). |
| Tarshish (flight destination) | תַּרְשִׁישׁ | Tarshish | তর্শীশ | Torshish | Low | Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love | — | Proper noun; the literal opposite direction from Nineveh. |
| decree / royal proclamation | מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ | mita’am ha-melekh | রাজার আদেশ | rajar adesh | Low | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Repentance institutionalized at the highest civic level. |
| king of Nineveh | מֶלֶךְ נִינְוֵה | melekh Nineveh | নীনবীর রাজা | Ninobir raja | Low | God’s Compassion for the Nations | — | Proper title; likely a provincial governor, not the Assyrian emperor. |
7. Reused Baseline Terms Confirmed Applicable to Jonah
The following baseline terms recur in Jonah and must be rendered exactly as recorded in translation_memory.json, with no deviation:
| Term | Bengali (Baseline) | Risk | Jonah Occurrence(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| God | ঈশ্বর | Critical | throughout, esp. ch. 3-4 |
| Faith / believed | বিশ্বাস | Critical | 3:5 |
| Salvation | পরিত্রাণ | Critical | 2:9 |
| Resurrection | পুনরুত্থান | Critical | typological cross-reference only (Matt 12:40) |
| Jesus | যীশু | Critical | typological cross-reference only |
| Messiah/Christ | খ্রীষ্ট | Critical | typological cross-reference only |
| Sin | পাপ | High | general reference to Nineveh’s wrongdoing (distinct from the more specific রাah/chamas terms) |
| Gentiles | পরজাতি | Medium | conceptual parallel for Nineveh as a non-Israelite nation |
| Prophet | ভাববাদী | Low | Jonah’s office throughout |
| Covenant | নিয়ম | High | background concept for חֶסֶד (steadfast love)‘s covenant-loyalty nuance |
| Grace | অনুগ্রহ | High | root for রendering חַנּוּן (“gracious,” 4:2) |
Summary of New Terms Requiring Translation Memory Addition
Critical: LORD/YHWH (সদাপ্রভু), repent/turn (মন ফেরানো), relent/divine (ক্ষান্ত হওয়া), gracious (অনুগ্রহময়), vow (প্রতিজ্ঞা), three days and three nights (তিন দিন তিন রাত), sign (চিহ্ন), brought up from the pit (প্রাণ গর্ত থেকে তুলে আনা)
High: word of the LORD, pagan gods/দেবতা, presence of the LORD, compassionate (করুণাময়), steadfast love (দয়া), perish (বিনষ্ট হওয়া), the disaster/evil (মন্দ/বিপর্যয়), nations/জাতিগণ, compassion/করুণা, proclaim/প্রচার করা, fear the LORD, sacrifice (বলিদান), maker of sea and dry land, appointed/নিযুক্ত করলেন, storm hurled, Sheol/পাতাল, pity-spare/করুণা করা, sovereignty of God, Jonah’s anger, violence/সহিংসতা
Medium: great city, fast/উপবাস, sackcloth, great fish, east wind, decree, king of Nineveh, slow to anger
Low: Nineveh (proper noun handling), Tarshish, plant/qiqayon, worm, forty days, arose-and-went idiom
All Critical and High risk entries require human theologian review at first occurrence in Phase 2, per the risk-tier routing convention established in the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: Ishshor
Doctrine: Deity/Divine Identity; Monotheism versus Polytheism Contrast
Rejected alternatives: ভগবান, আল্লাহ
Original: אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. In Jonah renders אֱלֹהִים (Elohim), the generic divine title, especially in the Nineveh narrative (chs. 3-4) and the sailors’ confession (1:9). Must be kept lexically distinct from সদাপ্রভু (YHWH) even where English glosses both as ‘God/LORD’.
Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস
Transliteration: bishwas
Doctrine: Faith; God’s Compassion for the Nations
Rejected alternatives: ঈমান, শ্রদ্ধা
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Underlies the rendering of believed_god (3:5) below.
Salvation
Approved rendering: পরিত্রাণ
Transliteration: poritran
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত
Original: יְשׁוּעָה
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Jonah 2:9’s confession ‘salvation belongs to the LORD’ (יְשׁוּעָה) uses this term exactly; etymological root of the name Yeshua/Jesus.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: পুনরুত্থান
Transliteration: punorutthan
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: পুনর্জন্ম
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Christ Typology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Used ONLY in explicit NT typological cross-reference material (Matthew 12:39-41), never inside the Jonah 1-4 narrative translation itself. Never পুনর্জন্ম (reincarnation).
Jesus
Approved rendering: যীশু
Transliteration: Jishu
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: ঈসা
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christ Typology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Used only in typological cross-reference material, never in the Jonah narrative text.
Messiah Christ
Approved rendering: খ্রীষ্ট
Transliteration: Khrishto
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: মশীহ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christ Typology
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Used only in typological cross-reference material connecting Jonah’s sign to Christ.
Lord Yhwh
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভু
Transliteration: Sadaprobhu
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Recommissioning; Sovereignty of God over Creation
Rejected alternatives: প্রভু, ঈশ্বর, আল্লাহ
Original: יְהוָה
Category: God / Divine Name
NEW — no Romans precedent (Greek NT never renders the Tetragrammaton). Renders יְהוָה. English source marks this with all-caps ‘LORD’; must map ‘LORD’→সদাপ্রভু and ‘God’→ঈশ্বর verse-by-verse without conflating them. Never প্রভু, which the baseline reserves for addressing Christ (Kyrios).
Repent Turn
Approved rendering: মন ফেরানো
Transliteration: mon ferano
Doctrine: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Rejected alternatives: তওবা, প্রায়শ্চিত্ত
Original: שׁוּב
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders שׁוּב (shuv), human turning (3:8, 3:10). Established Bengali Bible idiom (cf. Matthew 3:2). Never তওবা (Islamic works-based turning within a weighed-deeds judgment framework) or প্রায়শ্চিত্ত (Hindu karmic ritual expiation). Must remain permanently distinct from relent_divine below.
Relent Divine
Approved rendering: ক্ষান্ত হওয়া
Transliteration: kshanto howa
Doctrine: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Rejected alternatives: মন ফেরানো
Original: נָחַם (Niphal)
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders נָחַם (nacham, Niphal), God’s relational responsiveness (3:9-10; 4:2). The LXX collapses both shuv and nacham into μετανοέω; Bengali must NOT follow that collapse, which would imply God ‘repents of sin’ like a sinner. Requires a standing translator note explaining this deliberate divergence.
Gracious
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহময়
Transliteration: ontogrohomoy
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Rejected alternatives: কৃপাময়
Original: חַנּוּן
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy / Character of God
Renders חַנּוּן (channun), part of the locked Jonah 4:2 thesis-verse cluster echoing Exodus 34:6-7. Built on the অনুগ্রহ root fixed for ‘grace’ in Romans. Never কৃপাময়; this is a soteriological confession of the character behind God’s saving mercy to Nineveh.
Believed God
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস (করা)
Transliteration: bishwas (kora)
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations; Faith
Rejected alternatives: শ্রদ্ধা, ঈমান
Original: אמן (root) / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Renders 3:5’s ‘the people of Nineveh believed God’ (אמן root). Reuses the baseline বিশ্বাস term exactly. Object is ঈশ্বর (Elohim, generic), NOT সদাপ্রভু, since Nineveh does not yet know God’s covenant name — this distinction must be preserved verse-by-verse.
Vow
Approved rendering: প্রতিজ্ঞা
Transliteration: protigya
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Rejected alternatives: মানত
Original: נֶדֶר
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders נֶדֶר (neder, 1:16 sailors; 2:9 Jonah). NEVER মানত, the common Bengali word for a vow, specifically loaded with the folk-religious practice (shared across folk Hinduism and folk Islam) of vowing an offering to a shrine, pir, or deity for a granted wish.
Brought Up From The Pit
Approved rendering: প্রাণ গর্ত থেকে তুলে আনা
Transliteration: pran gorto theke tule ana
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: পুনর্জন্ম
Original: וַֿתַּעַל מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּי
Category: Christ Typology
Renders וַֿתַּעַל מִשַּׁחַת חַיָּי (2:6). MUST NOT use পুনর্জন্ম despite surface resemblance to ‘rising from death’ imagery; this is deliverance from near-death, not the bodily resurrection itself, which is reserved exclusively for পুনরুত্থান and Christ’s literal rising.
Three Days And Three Nights
Approved rendering: তিন দিন তিন রাত
Transliteration: tin din tin rat
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Original: שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת / τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τρεῖς νύκτας
Category: Christ Typology
Renders שְׁלֹשָׁה יָמִים וּשְׁלֹשָׁה לֵילוֹת (1:17/2:1). Literal calque required, NOT idiomatic paraphrase — Matthew 12:40’s typological argument depends on the precise count. Flag wherever it occurs for cross-reference to the resurrection doctrine.
Sign
Approved rendering: চিহ্ন
Transliteration: chihno
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christ Typology
Renders σημεῖον (Matthew 12:39-41, genuinely Koine Greek; Jonah’s own Hebrew text has no equivalent word). Used ONLY in explicitly labeled cross-reference/typology teaching material, never inside the translated narrative text of Jonah 1-4.
High Risk Terms
Sin
Approved rendering: পাপ
Transliteration: pap
Doctrine: Divine Justice and Deserved Judgment
Rejected alternatives: অধর্ম, অশুচিতা
Original: (general reference to Nineveh’s wrongdoing; cf. חָמָס, רָעָה)
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. General reference to Nineveh’s wrongdoing; kept distinct from the more specific রা’ah (evil/disaster) and chamas (violence) terms below, which name particular behaviors rather than the general category of moral transgression.
Covenant
Approved rendering: নিয়ম
Transliteration: niyom
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Rejected alternatives: চুক্তি, অঙ্গীকার
Original: (background concept for חֶסֶד)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Needed as background vocabulary to correctly frame দয়া (chesed, below) as covenant-loyalty love rather than generic kindness; Jonah itself has no explicit covenant-ratification scene.
Grace
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহ
Transliteration: anugroho
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Rejected alternatives: কৃপা, পুণ্য, ভাগ্য
Original: (root basis for חַנּוּן)
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Supplies the root morpheme for gracious/অনুগ্রহময় (chanun) below; must not be replaced with পুণ্য (merit) since Nineveh’s deliverance is explicitly unmerited.
Pagan Gods
Approved rendering: দেবতা
Transliteration: debota
Doctrine: Monotheism versus Polytheism Contrast
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বর
Original: אֱלֹהָיו
Category: God / Contrast Term
Renders אֱלֹהָיו (elohav), ‘his god(s),’ the sailors’ individual pagan deities (1:5). Reserve ঈশ্বর exclusively for the true God; using দেবতা here preserves the text’s deliberate monotheism-vs-polytheism contrast, especially salient for Hindu-majority-background readers.
Presence Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর সম্মুখ
Transliteration: Sadaprobhur sommukh
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation; Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love
Original: לִפְנֵי יְהוָה
Category: God / Divine Sovereignty
Renders לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (1:3). Idiomatic, not a literal calque. Jonah’s flight ‘from the presence of the LORD’ is narratively refuted by the storm that follows — no created space is outside God’s rule.
Word Of The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুর বাক্য
Transliteration: Sadaprobhur bakyo
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Recommissioning of a Reluctant Prophet
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বরের বাক্য
Original: דְּבַר־יְהוָה
Category: God / Prophecy
Renders דְּבַר־יְהוָה (1:1; 3:1). Must be built compositionally from the fixed সদাপ্রভু term, never ঈশ্বরের বাক্য, since the Hebrew specifically names the covenant God commissioning his prophet.
Compassionate Merciful
Approved rendering: করুণাময়
Transliteration: korunamoy
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Original: רַחוּם
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy / Character of God
Renders רַחוּם (rachum), Jonah 4:2 thesis-verse component. Must remain distinct from, though related to, করুণা (compassion/rachamim) and দয়া (chesed).
Steadfast Love
Approved rendering: দয়া
Transliteration: doya
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Original: חֶסֶד
Category: Covenant / Character of God
Renders חֶסֶד (chesed), OT covenant-loyalty love (4:2). Must be kept distinct from অনুগ্রহ (NT charis/grace) and করুণা (rachamim/compassion) despite thematic overlap. Mandatory translator note on chesed’s specifically covenantal nuance required so the term is not flattened into generic kindness.
Perish
Approved rendering: বিনষ্ট হওয়া
Transliteration: binashto howa
Doctrine: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Rejected alternatives: পাপে ধ্বংস
Original: אָבַד
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders אָבַד (avad, 3:9), the negative counterpart of deliverance. Must retain the sense of total destruction/ruin as salvation’s negation; avoid vague renderings that dilute totality of outcome.
The Disaster Evil
Approved rendering: মন্দ / বিপর্যয়
Transliteration: mondo / biporjoy
Doctrine: Repentance and Divine Mercy; Divine Justice and Deserved Judgment
Original: רָעָה
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders רָעָה (ra’ah), one Hebrew word covering both moral evil (3:8’s ‘evil way’ → মন্দ পথ) and judicial calamity (3:10, 4:2’s ‘the disaster’ → বিপর্যয়/অমঙ্গল) — a deliberate wordplay Bengali cannot preserve lexically. Mandatory teaching note flagging the wordplay is required at every occurrence (3:8, 3:10, 4:2).
Violence
Approved rendering: সহিংসতা
Transliteration: shohingshota
Doctrine: Sin as Concrete Social Violence, Not Only Private Impiety
Original: חָמָס
Category: Sin
Renders חָמָס (chamas, 3:8), Nineveh’s named besetting sin. Must be kept distinct from generic পাপ to preserve the teaching point that repentance addresses concrete social injustice, not only private piety.
Nations
Approved rendering: জাতিগণ
Transliteration: jatigon
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: גּוֹיִם
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders גּוֹיִם (goyim) in Jonah’s general narrative sense of ‘the nations/peoples.’ Must not be flattened into পরজাতি when the doctrinal Jew/Gentile-inclusion parallel is NOT being explicitly drawn; reserve পরজাতি for that specific theological emphasis.
Compassion Pity
Approved rendering: করুণা
Transliteration: koruna
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations; Divine Compassion Extended to Non-Human Creation
Original: רַחֲמִים / חוּס
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders רַחֲמִים/חוּס (rachamim/chus), the climactic term of 4:10-11, extended explicitly to Nineveh’s animals as well as people. Must not carry transactional-merit overtones; keep distinct from but consonant with করুণাময় (rachum) and দয়া (chesed).
Call Out Proclaim
Approved rendering: প্রচার করা / ঘোষণা করা
Transliteration: prochar kora / ghoshona kora
Doctrine: Prophetic Proclamation as the Means of God’s Mercy Reaching the Nations
Rejected alternatives: সুসমাচার প্রচার
Original: קָרָא / κηρύσσω
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations / Prophecy
Renders קָרָא/κηρύσσω (qara/kēryssō, 1:2; 3:2; 3:4). The LXX’s κήρυξον shares its root with NT gospel-preaching vocabulary, but here the content is judgment, not গসপেল. NEVER use the baseline’s সুসমাচার প্রচার (Romans ‘mission’ term) for Jonah’s proclamation — doing so would import evangelistic warmth into a judgment-warning context.
Fear The Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভুকে ভয় করা
Transliteration: Sadaprobhuke bhoy kora
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations; Monotheism versus Polytheism Contrast
Original: יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה (1:16), the pagan sailors’ reverential awe. Colloquial Bengali ভয় defaults to simple fright; a contextual note is required so this reads as reverential awe recognizing sovereignty, not mere terror.
Sacrifice
Approved rendering: বলিদান
Transliteration: balidan
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: זֶבַח
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders זֶבַח (zevach, 1:16). Standard, unavoidable Bengali Bible term, but বলি carries strong cultural resonance with Shakta (Kali/Durga) animal sacrifice, especially centered at Kolkata’s Kalighat temple; requires a mandatory clarifying teaching note.
Maker Of Sea And Dry Land
Approved rendering: সমুদ্র ও স্থলভূমির সৃষ্টিকর্তা
Transliteration: shomudro o sthalbhumir srishtikorta
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: עֹשֶׂה הַיָּם וְהַיַּבָּשָׁה
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders עֹשֶׂה הַיָּם וְהַיַּבָּשָׁה (1:9), Jonah’s confession of YHWH as Creator. সৃষ্টিকর্তা is acceptable here as a generic Creator-of-nature confession (distinct from the baseline’s caution against substituting it for the personal ‘Father’ term). Must not be confused with Hindu creator-deity proper names such as ব্রহ্মা.
Appointed Prepared
Approved rendering: নিযুক্ত করলেন
Transliteration: niyukto korlen
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি, তকদির, কপাল
Original: מָנָה (וַֿיְמַן)
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders מָנָה (vayeman), the repeated technical verb for God’s direct appointment of the fish (1:17/2:1), plant, worm, and east wind (4:6-8). Must be rendered consistently at all four occurrences and NEVER drift into fate/chance vocabulary; this is personal divine command, not impersonal happenstance.
Great Storm Hurled
Approved rendering: মহাঝড় নিক্ষেপ করলেন
Transliteration: mohajhor nikkhep korlen
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: סַעֲרָה גְדוֹלָה / וַֿיָּטֵל
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders סַעֲרָה גְדוֹלָה / וַֿיָּטֵל (1:4). YHWH is the direct, personal grammatical subject who ‘hurls’ the storm; must not be rendered as passive weather description (‘a storm arose’).
Sheol The Pit
Approved rendering: পাতাল
Transliteration: patal
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: নরক, জাহান্নাম
Original: שְׁאוֹל
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation / Christ Typology
Renders שְׁאוֹל (2:2). NEVER নরক (Hindu rebirth-cycle punishment realm) or জাহান্নাম (Islamic eternal hellfire); পাতাল captures Sheol’s ambiguous ‘realm of the dead’ sense without importing either tradition’s afterlife theology. A translator note explaining this distinction is recommended.
Pity Spare Animals
Approved rendering: করুণা করা
Transliteration: koruna kora
Doctrine: Divine Compassion Extended to Non-Human Creation
Original: חוּס
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation / God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders חוּס (chus, 4:10-11), extending God’s করুণা explicitly to Nineveh’s ‘much cattle’ as well as its people — the book’s climactic synthesis of compassion-for-nations and sovereignty-over-creation. Must not narrow to human-only compassion.
Sovereignty Of God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের সার্বভৌমত্ব
Transliteration: Ishshorer sarbovoumotto
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি
Original: (theological synthesis term; no single Hebrew lexeme)
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Doctrine-title synthesis term (no single Hebrew lexeme), parallel to the baseline’s ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা (‘providence’) pattern. Never rendered with fate/destiny vocabulary.
Jonahs Anger
Approved rendering: ক্রোধিত হলেন / অসন্তুষ্ট হলেন
Transliteration: krodhito holen / oshontushto holen
Doctrine: Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love
Original: וַֿיֵּרַע…וַֿיִּחַר־לוֹ
Category: Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love
Renders וַֿיֵּרַע/וַֿיִּחַר־לוֹ (4:1), Jonah’s sinful resentment of God’s mercy toward Nineveh. Must be kept lexically distinct from ঈশ্বরের ক্ষান্ত হওয়া (God’s relenting) to preserve the narrative’s moral asymmetry.
Medium Risk Terms
Gentiles
Approved rendering: পরজাতি
Transliteration: porojati
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Rejected alternatives: বিদেশী
Original: ἔθνη
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Reserve strictly for material drawing the explicit doctrinal parallel to Romans’ Gentile-inclusion argument; use জাতিগণ (below) for Jonah’s own plain narrative references to peoples/nations.
Slow To Anger
Approved rendering: ক্রোধে ধীর
Transliteration: krodhe dhir
Doctrine: God’s Self-Revelation as Gracious and Compassionate
Original: אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם
Category: Character of God
Renders אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם (erekh appayim), Jonah 4:2 thesis-verse component. Low collision risk but must be held consistent across all documents citing 4:2.
Nineveh
Approved rendering: নীনবী
Transliteration: Ninobi
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: נִינְוֵה
Category: Narrative / Proper Name
Established Bengali Old Testament proper-name form. Medium risk is consistency-only, not doctrinal.
Great City
Approved rendering: অত্যন্ত মহানগর
Transliteration: ottyanto mohanogor
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: עִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה / עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה לֵאלֹהִים
Category: Narrative Detail
Renders עִיר גְּדוֹלָה (לֵאלֹהִים) (3:2-3). The Hebrew superlative idiom ‘great to/for God’ cannot be calqued literally (ঈশ্বরের কাছে মহান is confusing); preserve the ‘significant even in God’s own reckoning’ nuance in a teaching note, not in the verse text.
Fast
Approved rendering: উপবাস
Transliteration: upobash
Doctrine: Genuine Repentance Verified by Changed Conduct
Original: צוֹם
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders צוֹם (tsom, 3:5, 3:7). Unavoidable term, but also the standard Bengali word for Hindu vrat-fasting and Islamic fasting; standing contextual note required clarifying this is urgent repentant petition to the true God, not a merit-earning ritual observance.
Sackcloth
Approved rendering: চটবস্ত্র
Transliteration: chotbostro
Doctrine: Genuine Repentance Verified by Changed Conduct
Original: שַׂק
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders שַׂק (saq, 3:5-6). No major syncretism danger, but must be described as an act (putting on চট), never phrased so as to cast wearers as an ascetic-holy class, echoing the baseline’s সাধু caution for ‘saints.‘
Great Fish
Approved rendering: বড় মাছ
Transliteration: boro mach
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation; Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Original: דָּג גָּדוֹל / κῆτος μέγα
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation / Christ Typology
Renders דָּג גָּדוֹל / κῆτος (1:17-2:10). Low collision risk on the term itself, but flag its typological weight — vehicle of the resurrection-sign doctrine; cross-reference to sign and resurrection entries only in teaching material, never inside the narrative rendering.
East Wind
Approved rendering: পূবালী উষ্ণ বাতাস
Transliteration: pubali ushno batash
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: רוּחַ קָדִים
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders רוּחַ קָדִים (4:8). Bookends the storm of chapter 1; part of the appointed-verb motif.
Second Time
Approved rendering: দ্বিতীয়বার
Transliteration: dwitiyobar
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Recommissioning of a Reluctant Prophet
Original: שֵׁנִית
Category: Divine Calling
Renders שֵׁנִית (3:1). No lexical collision risk, but the theological weight — God’s patient recommissioning of a once-disobedient messenger — must not be lost in a flat, unremarked translation.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: ভাববাদী
Transliteration: bhabbadi
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Recommissioning of a Reluctant Prophet
Rejected alternatives: জ্যোতিষী
Original: נָבִיא
Category: Prophecy
Inherited from Romans package, unchanged. Jonah’s canonical office (cf. 2 Kings 14:25), making his flight from his own commission especially striking.
Plant Qiqayon
Approved rendering: গাছ
Transliteration: gachh
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: קִיקָיוֹן
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders קִיקָיוֹן (4:6). Botanical precision (gourd vs. castor-oil plant) is not doctrinally load-bearing; a generic Bengali term for a fast-growing shade plant suffices.
Worm
Approved rendering: পোকা
Transliteration: poka
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: תּוֹלֵעַת
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders תּוֹלֵעַת (4:7), God’s appointed instrument to destroy the plant.
Tarshish
Approved rendering: তর্শীশ
Transliteration: Torshish
Doctrine: Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love
Original: תַּרְשִׁישׁ
Category: Human Reluctance versus God’s Universal Love / Narrative
Renders תַּרְשִׁישׁ (1:3), Jonah’s flight destination — the literal opposite direction from Nineveh. Transliterated proper noun.
Decree Royal Proclamation
Approved rendering: রাজার আদেশ
Transliteration: rajar adesh
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ וּגְדֹלָיו
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ וּגְדֹלָיו (3:7), the formal royal edict institutionalizing Nineveh’s repentance.
King Of Nineveh
Approved rendering: নীনবীর রাজা
Transliteration: Ninobir raja
Doctrine: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Original: מֶלֶךְ נִינְוֵה
Category: God’s Compassion for the Nations
Renders מֶלֶךְ נִינְוֵה (3:6), likely a provincial Assyrian governor, not the Assyrian emperor himself.
Forty Days
Approved rendering: চল্লিশ দিন
Transliteration: challisho din
Doctrine: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Original: אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם
Category: Repentance and Divine Mercy
Renders אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם (3:4), a biblically-resonant probationary period (cf. the Flood, Sinai, wilderness spies). Retain the number literally rather than substituting a round Bengali idiom.
Arose And Went
Approved rendering: উঠলেন এবং গেলেন
Transliteration: uthlen ebong gelen
Doctrine: Divine Calling and Recommissioning of a Reluctant Prophet
Original: קוּם לֵךְ / וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ
Category: Narrative Detail
Renders קוּם לֵךְ / וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ (3:2-3). Preserve the verbal echo between God’s command and Jonah’s compliance so readers see his obedience mirrors the command exactly, in deliberate contrast with chapter 1’s flight.
Prayed
Approved rendering: প্রার্থনা করলেন
Transliteration: prarthona korlen
Doctrine: Jonah as a Sign Foreshadowing Christ’s Resurrection
Original: וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל
Category: Narrative Detail / Prayer
Renders וַיִּתְפַּלֵּל (2:1). Standard vocabulary, related to but distinct from the baseline’s মধ্যস্থতা (‘intercession’).
Vomited Onto Dry Land
Approved rendering: উগরে দিল
Transliteration: ugre dilo
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: וַֿיָּקֵא אֶת־יוֹנָה
Category: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Renders וַֿיָּקֵא אֶת־יוֹנָה (2:10), completing the chapter’s demonstration of God’s total sovereign command over the fish, even its digestive action.
Referenced passages