Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Ruth
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning all four chapters of Ruth. Terms marked REUSE are already fixed in the Romans baseline translation_memory.json and MUST be used exactly as recorded there — no alternative renderings are permitted. Terms marked NEW are proposed additions specific to Ruth’s Old Testament narrative and legal-cultural content; risk tiers and reasoning follow the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework established in the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Glossary Table
| # | English Term | Hebrew (LXX Greek) | Transliteration | Bengali Rendering | Status | Risk | Doctrine Link | Key Passages | Notes / Collision Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | אֱלֹהִים (θεός) | Elohim | ঈশ্বর | REUSE | Critical | God’s Providence; Gentile Inclusion | 1:16-17, 21 | Fixed baseline term; do not use ভগবান or আল্লাহ. |
| 2 | LORD (YHWH, the divine covenant name) | יְהוָה (Κύριος) | Yahweh | সদাপ্রভু | NEW | Critical | Inclusion of Gentiles; Hesed; Providence | 1:17, 21; 2:20; 3:10; 4:11-14 | Must be distinguished from প্রভু (reserved for generic “lord/master” address and for Christ’s NT Lordship) and from ঈশ্বর (generic “God”/Elohim). Established Bengali OT Bible convention; required for doctrinal precision when Ruth swears by Israel’s covenant name. |
| 3 | Almighty (Shaddai) | שַׁדַּי | Shaddai | সর্বশক্তিমান (ঈশ্বর) | NEW | High — flagged tension | Providence | 1:20-21 | Built on শক্তি, flagged elsewhere in the baseline as risky for “power of God” due to Shakta Hindu goddess-power associations. Retained here as the deeply established OT divine-title rendering; requires theologian review and a standing translator note distinguishing this fixed title from Romans’ abstract সামর্থ্য usage. |
| 4 | Hesed / covenant loving-kindness | חֶסֶד (ἔλεος) | chesed | নিয়মের দয়া | NEW | Critical | Hesed (Covenant Loving-kindness) — named curriculum doctrine | 1:8; 2:20; 3:10 | No single existing Bengali word captures loyalty + kindness + covenant obligation together. দয়া alone is too generic (mere pity/mercy). Compound deliberately reuses নিয়ম (fixed baseline term for “covenant”) to preserve the relational-obligation dimension. Must flex for comparative usage (“former/latter chesed,” 3:10). |
| 5 | Grace / favor | חֵן (χάρις) | chen | অনুগ্রহ | REUSE (context-extended) | Medium | Hesed (adjacent) | 2:2, 10, 13 | Same Bengali word as baseline’s soteriological “grace.” Context must carry the distinction between Boaz’s personal favor toward Ruth and God’s salvific grace; no separate word exists. |
| 6 | Kinsman-Redeemer | גֹּאֵל (ὁ ἀγχιστεύων) | go’el | উদ্ধারকারী জ্ঞাতি | NEW | CRITICAL — highest-priority term in this curriculum | The Kinsman-Redeemer — named curriculum doctrine; typologically anticipates Christ | 2:20; 3:9, 12-13; 4:1-14 | AVOID any মুক্তি-based compound (e.g., মুক্তিদাতা), despite its familiarity in general Bengali Bible usage for “redeemer,” because the Romans baseline permanently forbids মুক্তি for salvation-adjacent doctrine (Hindu moksha/liberation-from-rebirth association). উদ্ধার (“rescue/recovery”) + জ্ঞাতি (“kinsman,” the precise legal-family term) avoids this collision while preserving the legal-kinship sense. Mandatory human theologian review before adoption. |
| 7 | Redemption (abstract) | גְּאֻלָּה (λύτρωσις) | ge’ulah | উদ্ধার | NEW | Critical | The Kinsman-Redeemer | 4:6-7 | Paired term-family with #6; never মুক্তি. |
| 8 | Faithfulness / loyalty | (conceptual; expressed via חֶסֶד, אֱמֶת, and narrative action) | — | বিশ্বস্ততা (bishwastota) | NEW (derived from baseline root) | Medium | Loyalty and Faithfulness — named curriculum doctrine | 1:16-18; 2:11-12; 3:10 | Derived from বিশ্বাস (fixed baseline term for saving “faith” in Christ). Context must keep this interpersonal-loyalty sense distinct from the specifically Christological “faith” doctrine; do not let the shared root blur the two. |
| 9 | Gentiles / non-Israelite peoples (collective) | (theological category; cf. גּוֹיִם) | goyim | পরজাতি | REUSE | Medium | The Inclusion of Gentiles in God’s Redemptive Plan | Thematic throughout | Fixed baseline term for the collective category; distinguish from #10 below. |
| 10 | Foreigner / stranger (individual) | נָכְרִי / נָכְרִיָּה | nokri | বিদেশী / অপরিচিতা | NEW | Medium | Inclusion of Gentiles | 2:10 | Names Ruth’s personal outsider status, not the collective people-group category (#9); do not substitute পরজাতি here. |
| 11 | Moab / Moabite(ss) | מוֹאָב / מוֹאָבִיָּה | Moab / Moaviyah | মোয়াব / মোয়াবীয়া | NEW (proper name) | High | Inclusion of Gentiles; Genealogy | 1:4, 22; 2:2, 21; 4:5, 10 | Must remain consistent and explicit throughout — the doctrine’s force depends on readers registering Ruth’s specific, historically fraught ethnic identity (cf. Deut 23:3) every time it is named. |
| 12 | People (Ruth’s covenant confession) | עַם (λαός) | am | লোক (NOT জাতি) | NEW (context-critical choice) | Critical | Inclusion of Gentiles | 1:16 | জাতি carries strong Hindu caste connotation (জাতপাত) in everyday Bengali and risks turning “your people shall be my people” into an apparent caste-transfer statement. লোক avoids this collision. |
| 13 | Providence / God’s ordinary-life governance | (conceptual; cf. Hebrew hashgachah-type theology, not a single fixed noun in Ruth) | — | ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা | REUSE | High | God’s Providence in Ordinary Life — named curriculum doctrine | Thematic throughout, esp. 2:3, 20; 4:13-14 | Fixed baseline term (Romans 8:28-30); reused for Ruth’s providence-in-the-mundane theme (a chance gleaning field, a genealogical outcome). |
| 14 | Empty / full | רֵיקָם / מָלֵא | reqam / male | শূন্য / পূর্ণ | NEW | Medium | Providence | 1:21 | Deliberate structural motif; keep the same word-pair consistently to preserve the narrative’s emptiness-to-fullness arc. |
| 15 | Return / turn back | שׁוּב | shuv | ফিরে যাওয়া / ফিরে আসা | NEW | Medium | Providence; Loyalty | Throughout ch. 1 (12x) | Track direction (to Moab vs. to Bethlehem) precisely in each occurrence. |
| 16 | Cling / cleave | דָבַק | dabaq | আঁকড়ে ধরা | NEW | Low-Medium | Loyalty and Faithfulness | 1:14 | Needs force of tenacious, marriage-like attachment (cf. Genesis 2:24 usage), not casual association. |
| 17 | Wings / garment corner (protective covering image) | כָּנָף | kanaph | আঁচল / পাখা | NEW | Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer; Providence | 2:12; 3:9 | Deliberate wordplay linking divine protection (2:12) to the human redeemer’s enacted protection (3:9); preserve the cross-reference. |
| 18 | Gleaning | לֶקֶט | leket | শীষ কুড়ানো | NEW | Low-Medium | Providence in Ordinary Life | Ch. 2 | Cultural/legal background (Mosaic provision for the poor); brief explanatory note recommended. |
| 19 | Family / clan | מִשְׁפָּחָה | mishpachah | গোষ্ঠী / পরিবার | NEW | Low | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal background) | 2:1, 3 | Establishes legal basis for Boaz’s redeemer eligibility. |
| 20 | Wages / reward | מַשְׂכֹּרֶת | maskoret | পুরস্কার / প্রতিফল | NEW | Low-Medium | Providence; Hesed | 2:12 | Frame as gracious divine response to loyalty, not earned merit displacing grace. |
| 21 | Threshing floor | גֹּרֶן | goren | খামার / শস্য মাড়ার স্থান | NEW | Low-Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer (setting) | Ch. 3 | Legitimate customary site; brief cultural note helps prevent scene misreading. |
| 22 | ”At the feet” custom | מַרְגְּלוֹת / שָׁכַב | margelot/shakab | পায়ের কাছে শোয়া (+ mandatory note) | NEW | High — cultural sensitivity flag | Loyalty and Faithfulness; Kinsman-Redeemer | 3:4, 7-8, 14 | Risk of being misread as sexually compromising in honor/modesty-sensitive Bengali culture (both Hindu- and Muslim-majority contexts); requires native-speaker and theologian-approved framing/notes. |
| 23 | Tomorrow (legal next day) | מָחָר | machar | আগামীকাল / পরদিন | NEW | Low | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal process) | 3:13, 18 | Signals lawful, non-impulsive resolution. |
| 24 | Sandal-removal custom | נַעַל | na’al | জুতা খোলার প্রথা | NEW | Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal ritual) | 4:7-8 | No living Bengali cultural parallel; needs explanatory note. |
| 25 | Acquire / purchase (legal) | קָנָה | qanah | ক্রয় করা / গ্রহণ করা | NEW | Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer | 4:5, 8-10 | Avoid connotation reducing Ruth to property; frame as covenantal-legal redemption act. |
| 26 | Levirate-type marriage custom (“wife of the dead”) | אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת | eshet hamet | মৃত ব্যক্তির বংশ রক্ষার প্রথা | NEW | High | Kinsman-Redeemer; Genealogy | 4:5, 10 | Needs explanatory framing for readers unfamiliar with the custom; purpose is inheritance/name continuation and widow protection, not mere marriage custom. |
| 27 | Name (perpetuation of) | שֵׁם | shem | নাম রক্ষা | NEW | Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer; Genealogy | 4:5, 10 | Covenantal-inheritance weight beyond sentiment. |
| 28 | Seed / offspring | זֶרַע (σπέρμα) | zera | বংশ / সন্তান | NEW (cross-reference to baseline) | High | Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ | 4:12 | Direct conceptual thread to the Romans baseline’s fixed দায়ূদের বংশ (“seed of David”); maintain cross-Testament consistency. |
| 29 | Inheritance | נַחֲלָה (κληρονομία) | nachalah | উত্তরাধিকার | NEW | Medium-High | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal-theological ground) | 4:3-10 | Land is a covenant gift from YHWH, not simply private property; keep this theological frame. |
| 30 | Gate (city gate, legal-civic site) | שַׁעַר (πύλη) | sha’ar | নগরদ্বার | NEW | Low-Medium | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal process) | 4:1, 11 | Public, transparent legal proceeding; brief cultural note helps. |
| 31 | Elders | זְקֵנִים (πρεσβύτεροι) | zeqenim | প্রাচীনগণ | NEW | Low | Kinsman-Redeemer (legal witnesses) | 4:2, 4, 9, 11 | Formal legal witnesses. |
| 32 | Genealogy / generations | תּוֹלְדוֹת (γενέσεις) | toledot | বংশাবলি | NEW | High | Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ | 4:18-22 | Formal literary marker of covenant-historical significance; connects to Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy (Βοόζ, Ῥούθ, Ἰωβήδ, Ἰεσσαί, Δαβίδ). Render with equivalent formal weight to existing Bengali genealogical tradition. |
| 33 | David | דָּוִיד (Δαβίδ) | Dawid | দায়ূদ | REUSE | Medium | Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ | 4:17, 22 | Fixed baseline proper-name form; reused exactly. |
| 34 | Bethlehem | בֵּית לֶחֶם (Βηθλεέμ) | Beit Lechem | বেথলেহেম | NEW (proper name) | Low | Providence; Genealogy | 1:1, 19, 22; 4:11 | Established Bengali Bible place-name form; literal meaning “house of bread” is worth a brief note given the famine irony of 1:1. |
Proper Names — Established Bengali Bible Forms
| English | Hebrew | Bengali | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi | נָעֳמִי | নয়মী | See Ch. 1 Marah/Naomi wordplay note. |
| Ruth | רוּת (Ῥούθ) | রূৎ | Also appears in Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy. |
| Orpah | עָרְפָּה | অর্পা | |
| Elimelech | אֱלִימֶלֶךְ | ইলীমেলক | |
| Mahlon | מַחְלוֹן | মহলোন | |
| Chilion | כִלְיוֹן | কিলিয়োন | |
| Boaz | בֹּעַז (Βοόζ) | বোয়স | Also appears in Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy. |
| Obed | עוֹבֵד (Ἰωβήδ) | ওবেদ | |
| Jesse | יִשַׁי (Ἰεσσαί) | যিশয় | Not to be confused with যিশাইয় (Isaiah). |
| Perez | פֶּרֶץ | পেরস | |
| Tamar | תָּמָר | তামর | |
| Judah | יְהוּדָה | যিহূদা | |
| Moab | מוֹאָב | মোয়াব | See glossary entry #11. |
| Bethlehem | בֵּית לֶחֶם | বেথলেহেম | See glossary entry #34. |
Chapters Reviewed with No New Terms Beyond Those Listed
All four chapters of Ruth contribute load-bearing theological or cultural-legal vocabulary; there is no chapter without new terms. Every chapter’s contribution is fully catalogued above and cross-referenced to analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md.
Priority Flags for Phase 2 Escalation
Require mandatory human theologian review (Critical):
- #2 সদাপ্রভু (YHWH)
- #4 নিয়মের দয়া (Hesed)
- #6 উদ্ধারকারী জ্ঞাতি (Kinsman-Redeemer)
- #7 উদ্ধার (Redemption)
- #12 লোক vs. জাতি (Ruth 1:16 “your people”)
Require theologian review (High, including flagged tensions):
- #3 সর্বশক্তিমান (Almighty) — Shakta collision tension
- #11 মোয়াব/মোয়াবীয়া (Moab/Moabitess) — consistency requirement
- #22 “at the feet” custom — cultural sensitivity
- #26 Levirate-type marriage custom
- #28 বংশ/সন্তান (Seed) — cross-Testament consistency
- #32 বংশাবলি (Genealogy)
Require native speaker review (Medium):
- #5 অনুগ্রহ (chen/favor context), #8 বিশ্বস্ততা (loyalty), #9/#10 collective vs. individual outsider terms, #14 শূন্য/পূর্ণ, #15 শুভ (return), #17 আঁচল/পাখা, #24 sandal custom, #25 acquire/purchase, #27 name, #29 inheritance.
Automated review sufficient (Low):
- #16 cling, #18 gleaning, #19 family/clan, #20 wages, #21 threshing floor, #23 tomorrow, #30 gate, #31 elders, and all proper names not otherwise flagged.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বর
Transliteration: Ishshor
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ভগবান, আল্লাহ
Original: אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Reused exactly for the generic Hebrew Elohim in Ruth 1:16 (Ruth’s first divine reference). Must be kept lexically distinct from সদাপ্রভু (YHWH, the covenant name) and প্রভু (generic human ‘lord’ address); Ruth 1:16-17’s escalation from ঈশ্বর to সদাপ্রভু is the textual marker of genuine covenant conversion and must never be collapsed.
Lord
Approved rendering: প্রভু
Transliteration: provu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: মালিক, ঈশ্বর
Inherited from Romans package. In Ruth, reserved strictly for generic human ‘lord/master’ address (e.g., Ruth and Boaz’s servants addressing Boaz as ‘my lord,’ 2:13) — never for the divine name YHWH, which requires সদাপ্রভু instead. Do not use প্রভু for the Tetragrammaton anywhere in Ruth; doing so would wrongly collapse the OT covenant name into the NT Christological title before its fulfillment is in view.
Salvation
Approved rendering: পরিত্রাণ
Transliteration: poritran
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত
Inherited from Romans package for cross-reference/fencing purposes. পরিত্রাণ itself is not the term used for Ruth’s Kinsman-Redeemer doctrine (which uses উদ্ধারকারী জ্ঞাতি/উদ্ধার instead), but the CRITICAL forbidden-substitution rule against মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, and নাজাত carries forward unchanged and applies with equal force to every redemption-adjacent term newly introduced in Ruth.
Yahweh Lord
Approved rendering: সদাপ্রভু
Transliteration: Sadaprobhu
Doctrine: Personal Conversion and the Divine Name
Rejected alternatives: ঈশ্বর, প্রভু, যাহোয়া, যাহবে
Original: יְהוָה
Category: God
NEW TERM. The Tetragrammaton יְהוָה, Israel’s revealed personal covenant name, distinct from generic ঈশ্বর (Elohim) and from প্রভু (reserved for human ‘lord’ address and Christ’s NT Lordship). Established Bengali OT Bible convention. Must be used at every YHWH occurrence in Ruth (1:17, 21; 2:20; 3:10; 4:11-14). Ruth 1:16-17’s escalation from ঈশ্বর to সদাপ্রভু within two verses is the decisive textual marker of genuine covenant conversion and must never be flattened into a single repeated term.
Hesed
Approved rendering: নিয়মের দয়া
Transliteration: niyomer doya
Doctrine: Hesed (Covenant Loving-kindness)
Rejected alternatives: দয়া, প্রেম, ভালোবাসা, করুণা
Original: חֶסֶד
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM — the book’s named central doctrine. No single Bengali word fuses loyalty + kindness + covenant obligation. দয়া alone reduces to generic one-directional pity; প্রেম carries Vaishnava bhakti devotional-romantic overtones inappropriate for this legal-covenantal register. Compound anchors to নিয়ম (covenant, fixed baseline term). Must flex for comparative usage (3:10, ‘latter hesed greater than former’): আগের নিয়মের দয়া / পরের নিয়মের দয়া. Occurs 1:8; 2:20; 3:10. Mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence.
Kinsman Redeemer Goel
Approved rendering: উদ্ধারকারী জ্ঞাতি
Transliteration: uddharkari gyati
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তিদাতা, উদ্ধারকারী (alone, without জ্ঞাতি), মুক্তি-based compounds
Original: גֹּאֵל
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM — the single highest-stakes term in this curriculum; typologically anticipates Christ’s redemptive work. মুক্তি-based renderings are permanently forbidden per the Romans baseline (Hindu moksha/liberation-from-rebirth association); উদ্ধার (‘rescue/recovery,’ free of that association) + জ্ঞাতি (‘kinsman,’ the precise legal-family category go’el requires) is required. Must be rendered identically at every occurrence: 2:20; 3:9, 12-13; 4:1-14. Mandatory human theologian review.
Redemption Geulah
Approved rendering: উদ্ধার
Transliteration: uddhar
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Rejected alternatives: মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, নাজাত
Original: גְּאֻלָּה
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM, paired word-family with kinsman_redeemer_goel. The abstract legal right/act of redemption (4:6-7). Never মুক্তি, মোক্ষ, or নাজাত, for the same reasons given under salvation and kinsman_redeemer_goel.
People Am
Approved rendering: লোক
Transliteration: lok
Doctrine: The Inclusion of Gentiles in God’s Redemptive Plan
Rejected alternatives: জাতি
Original: עַם
Category: Church
NEW TERM — the single most sensitive lexical choice in the core passage (Ruth 1:16, ‘your people shall be my people’ → তোমার লোক আমার লোক হবে). জাতি is forbidden here: in everyday Bengali it carries a strong caste connotation (জাতপাত), and would risk turning Ruth’s covenant-identity confession into an apparent caste-transfer statement. Reserve জাতি, if ever used, only for strictly ethnic-historical narration of ‘the nation of Israel,’ never in this confessional verse. Mandatory human theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহ
Transliteration: anugroho
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: কৃপা, পুণ্য, ভাগ্য
Inherited from Romans package. Context-extended in Ruth for חֵן (chen) — Boaz’s personal favor toward Ruth (2:2, 10, 13). Bengali has only one strong candidate word for both this social-favor sense and the Romans-curriculum’s soteriological grace; context alone must carry the distinction. Never substitute অনুগ্রহ for hesed (see hesed entry below), which requires the distinct compound নিয়মের দয়া.
Covenant
Approved rendering: নিয়ম
Transliteration: niyom
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: চুক্তি, অঙ্গীকার
Inherited from Romans package. Reused as the anchoring root of the new compound নিয়মের দয়া (hesed) — see below. Also underlies the covenant-legal framing of the Kinsman-Redeemer and inheritance (নাচালাহ/উত্তরাধিকার) doctrines throughout Ruth 4.
Providence
Approved rendering: ঈশ্বরের পরিচালনা
Transliteration: Ishshorer porichalona
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: ভাগ্য, নিয়তি, কর্মফল
Original: (conceptual; not a single fixed Hebrew noun in Ruth — cf. Romans 8:28’s πρόνοια theology)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Reused for Ruth’s entire God’s Providence in Ordinary Life doctrine (famine, ‘chance’ gleaning field, birth of Obed). Never substitute ভাগ্য/নিয়তি/কর্মফল, including as a smoothing device for Ruth 2:3’s ‘she happened upon’ — that Hebrew wording is a deliberate narrative irony that must be preserved, not flattened into fate-language.
Faith
Approved rendering: বিশ্বাস
Transliteration: bishwas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ঈমান, শ্রদ্ধা
Inherited from Romans package for cross-reference/fencing purposes only. বিশ্বাস itself does not occur as a load-bearing term in Ruth’s own text, but its root underlies the new derived term বিশ্বস্ততা (faithfulness/loyalty, see below). Reviewers must ensure the shared root does not cause learners moving between Ruth and Romans to conflate Ruth’s interpersonal covenant loyalty with the specifically Christological, salvific sense of বিশ্বাস.
Almighty Shaddai
Approved rendering: সর্বশক্তিমান
Transliteration: sarbashaktiman
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty in Suffering
Rejected alternatives: শক্তিশালী ঈশ্বর, শাদ্দাই (bare transliteration)
Original: שַׁדַּי
Category: God
NEW TERM — FLAGGED TENSION. Established Bengali OT divine title for Shaddai (Naomi’s lament, 1:20-21), built on the root শক্তি, which the Romans baseline forbids for ‘power of God’ due to Bengal’s strong Shakta Hindu (Durga/Kali) goddess-power associations. Retained as the fixed OT title (breaking with it would sever this curriculum from mainstream Bengali OT usage) but requires a standing translator note distinguishing this fixed name-title usage from Romans’ abstract সামর্থ্য. Mandatory human theologian review.
Moab Moabite
Approved rendering: মোয়াব / মোয়াবীয়া
Transliteration: Moab / Moaviyah
Doctrine: The Inclusion of Gentiles in God’s Redemptive Plan
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘বিদেশী নারী’ softening
Original: מוֹאָב / מוֹאָבִיָּה
Category: Church
NEW proper/ethnic term. Must remain consistent and explicit at every occurrence (1:4, 22; 2:2, 21; 4:5, 10); the doctrine’s force depends on readers registering Ruth’s specific, historically fraught ethnic identity (cf. Deut 23:3) every time it is named, never softened into a generic ‘foreign woman’ phrase.
At The Feet Custom
Approved rendering: পায়ের কাছে শোয়া
Transliteration: payer kachhe shoya
Doctrine: Sexual Purity and Honor
Original: מַרְגְּלוֹת / שָׁכַב
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM — CULTURAL SENSITIVITY FLAG. An idiom for a posture of humble legal petition, not a euphemism for sexual union (3:4, 7-8, 14). In Bengali social context (Hindu- and Muslim-majority communities alike place very high value on female modesty and family honor), a literal, unglossed rendering risks being read as sexually compromising, undermining the text’s own explicit vindication of Ruth (3:11, ‘a worthy woman’) and Boaz’s protective discretion (3:14). Mandatory native-speaker AND theologian review; never render standalone without accompanying framing/study note.
Levirate Custom Eshet Hamet
Approved rendering: মৃত ব্যক্তির বংশ রক্ষার প্রথা
Transliteration: mrito byaktir bongsho rokkhar prontha
Doctrine: Levirate Marriage and Family/Name Continuity
Original: אֵשֶׁת הַמֵּת
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. The practice (related to, but broader than, formal Deut 25:5-10 levirate law) of a kinsman marrying a childless widow to continue the dead husband’s name and inheritance (4:5, 10). No living Bengali cultural parallel; needs explicit framing as a protective, covenant-purposeful institution, not a transactional or exotic custom.
Seed Zera
Approved rendering: বংশ / সন্তান
Transliteration: bongsho / sontan
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: זֶרַע
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. The elders’ blessing over Ruth’s union (4:12) directly anticipates the genealogy and the Romans baseline’s fixed দায়ূদের বংশ (‘seed of David’). Maintain deliberate cross-Testament consistency.
Inheritance Nachalah
Approved rendering: উত্তরাধিকার
Transliteration: uttaradhikar
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: נַחֲלָה
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. Land/property inherited within Israel’s tribal system, theologically a gift from YHWH rather than simply private property (4:3-10); keep this theological frame so redeeming the land reads as a theological, not merely economic, act.
Genealogy Toledot
Approved rendering: বংশাবলি
Transliteration: bongshaboli
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Rejected alternatives: জন্মপঞ্জি
Original: תּוֹלְדוֹת
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. The book’s closing genealogy (4:18-22): Perez to Boaz, Obed, Jesse, David. জন্মপঞ্জি (modern secular birth-registry term) is rejected as flattening a covenant-historical literary form into a bureaucratic list. Must carry the same formal weight Bengali readers recognize from other biblical genealogies (e.g., Matthew 1 tradition), so the link to David and, ultimately, Christ (Matthew 1:5’s Βοόζ, Ῥούθ, Ἰωβήδ, Ἰεσσαί, Δαβίδ) is not lost.
Medium Risk Terms
Gentiles
Approved rendering: পরজাতি
Transliteration: porojati
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: বিদেশী
Original: גּוֹיִם (theological category corresponding to NT ἔθνη)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Reused strictly for the book’s collective theological category (non-Israelite peoples generally). Must NOT be used for Ruth’s own individual, personal outsider status (2:10) — that requires বিদেশী/অপরিচিতা — nor for her personal covenant confession in 1:16, which requires লোক. Keep all three lexically distinct.
David
Approved rendering: দায়ূদ
Transliteration: Dayud
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִיד
Category: Genealogy
Inherited from Romans package. Reused exactly for the genealogy’s climactic name (Ruth 4:17, 22), the terminus of the book’s Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ doctrine.
Israel
Approved rendering: ইস্রায়েল
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant as the implicit covenant community Ruth is incorporated into at 1:16 (‘your people’) and 4:11 (‘a witness in Israel’); no separate Ruth-specific rendering is needed.
Favor Chen
Approved rendering: অনুগ্রহ
Transliteration: anugroho
Doctrine: Hesed (Covenant Loving-kindness)
NEW context-extension entry (see also inherited ‘grace’ entry above). Marks explicitly that חֵן (chen, Boaz’s personal favor toward Ruth, 2:2, 10, 13) reuses the same Bengali word as soteriological grace with no separate coinage; context must carry the distinction. Never use for hesed itself.
Foreigner Nokri
Approved rendering: বিদেশী / অপরিচিতা
Transliteration: bideshi / oporichita
Doctrine: The Inclusion of Gentiles in God’s Redemptive Plan
Rejected alternatives: পরজাতি
Original: נָכְרִי / נָכְרִיָּה
Category: Church
NEW TERM. Names Ruth’s individual, personal outsider status (2:10, ‘since I am a foreigner’), distinct from the collective category পরজাতি (Gentiles). Do not interchange.
Empty Full
Approved rendering: শূন্য / পূর্ণ
Transliteration: shunyo / purno
Doctrine: God’s Providence in Ordinary Life
Original: רֵיקָם / מָלֵא
Category: God
NEW TERM. Deliberate structural word-pair (1:21, ‘I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty’); keep consistent throughout to preserve the book’s emptiness-to-fullness narrative arc, resolved at the birth of Obed.
Return Shuv
Approved rendering: ফিরে যাওয়া / ফিরে আসা
Transliteration: fire jaoya / fire asha
Doctrine: God’s Providence in Ordinary Life
Original: שׁוּב
Category: God
NEW TERM. Chapter 1’s dominant verb (12x). Track direction precisely (toward Moab vs. toward Bethlehem) at each occurrence; a flattened single rendering loses the narrative’s careful directional wordplay.
Cling Dabaq
Approved rendering: আঁকড়ে ধরা
Transliteration: ankray dhora
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Rejected alternatives: মেলামেশা করা
Original: דָבַק
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Ruth ‘clung’ to Naomi (1:14), same verb family as Genesis 2:24’s marital ‘cleaving’; needs the force of tenacious, non-negotiable attachment, not casual association.
Wings Kanaph
Approved rendering: আঁচল / পাখা
Transliteration: anchol / pakha
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: כָּנָף
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Deliberate wordplay linking divine protective ‘wings’ (2:12, পাখা) to the literal garment-corner Ruth requests Boaz spread over her (3:9, আঁচল) — the human redeemer becomes the visible means of the divine protection already invoked. Preserve the cross-reference with a translator note; do not flatten into two unrelated words.
Wages Maskoret
Approved rendering: পুরস্কার / প্রতিফল
Transliteration: purashkar / protiphol
Doctrine: God’s Providence in Ordinary Life
Original: מַשְׂכֹּרֶת
Category: Providence
NEW TERM. Boaz’s prayer that Ruth’s ‘reward’ be full from the LORD (2:12) ties chesed to divine recompense; frame consistently as God’s gracious response to loyalty, not merit-earned wages offsetting unworthiness.
Threshing Floor Goren
Approved rendering: খামার / শস্য মাড়ার স্থান
Transliteration: khamar / shosyo marar sthan
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: גֹּרֶן
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Chapter 3’s setting; a legitimate, culturally normal site, not an illicit one. A brief cultural note prevents the scene from being misread as improper (see at_the_feet_custom below).
Sandal Removal Naal
Approved rendering: জুতা খোলার প্রথা
Transliteration: juta kholar prontha
Doctrine: Legal Integrity and Public Justice
Original: נַעַל
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Customary Israelite legal-ritual act sealing a redemption-right transfer before witnesses (4:7-8; cf. Deut 25:9-10). No living Bengali cultural parallel; requires a brief explanatory note so the custom does not seem inexplicable or comic to readers.
Acquire Qanah
Approved rendering: ক্রয় করা / গ্রহণ করা
Transliteration: kroy kora / grohon kora
Doctrine: Levirate Marriage and Family/Name Continuity
Original: קָנָה
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Boaz’s public declaration of having ‘acquired’ both field and Ruth as wife (4:5, 8-10). Must avoid any connotation of a commercial transaction reducing Ruth to property; frame as a covenantal-legal redemption act, distinguishable from ordinary purchase.
Name Perpetuation Shem
Approved rendering: নাম রক্ষা
Transliteration: naam rokkha
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: שֵׁם
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. Redemption’s stated purpose: ‘that the name of the dead may not be cut off’ (4:5, 10). Carries covenantal-inheritance weight beyond sentiment.
Gate Shaar
Approved rendering: নগরদ্বার
Transliteration: nogorddar
Doctrine: Legal Integrity and Public Justice
Original: שַׁעַר
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. The city gate, the customary site of public legal proceedings (4:1, 11). A brief cultural note on its legal-civic function strengthens comprehension that the redemption transaction was public and transparent.
Worthy Woman
Approved rendering: গুণবতী / সৎ স্ত্রী
Transliteration: gunoboti / sot stri
Doctrine: Sexual Purity and Honor
Rejected alternatives: সাধ্বী
NEW TERM. Boaz’s and the town’s public praise of Ruth as ‘a worthy/virtuous woman’ (3:11). সাধ্বী is rejected: it carries strong Hindu wifely-chastity-cult connotations (sati/sadhvi tradition) foreign to the text’s own vindication language. Use নীতিবান/সৎ/গুণবতী instead.
Bitter Marah Wordplay
Approved rendering: তিক্ত
Transliteration: tikto
Doctrine: Divine Sovereignty in Suffering
Original: מָרָא (cf. נָעֳמִי)
Category: God
NEW TERM. Hebrew name-pun: Naomi (‘my pleasantness’) asks to be called ‘Mara’ (‘bitter’), 1:20. Bengali cannot reproduce the pun directly; requires a translator note preserving the Naomi/Mara wordplay so the lament is not flattened into an unconnected adjective.
Faithfulness Loyalty
Approved rendering: বিশ্বস্ততা
Transliteration: bishwastota
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Rejected alternatives: অনুগততা
Original: (conceptual; expressed via חֶסֶד, אֱמֶת, and narrative action, not a single fixed Hebrew noun)
Category: Faith
NEW TERM, derived from the root of বিশ্বাস (baseline’s fixed saving-faith term). Describes interpersonal, covenantal human loyalty (Ruth to Naomi; Boaz to family duty), not the Christological faith-doctrine. অনুগততা rejected for leaning toward hierarchical obedience/subservience, understating Ruth’s freely chosen, dignified loyalty. Requires a standing translator note distinguishing this sense from বিশ্বাস for cross-curriculum learners.
Low Risk Terms
Gleaning Leket
Approved rendering: শীষ কুড়ানো
Transliteration: shish kurano
Doctrine: Care for the Vulnerable (Widows, Poor, and Foreigners)
Original: לֶקֶט
Category: Providence
NEW TERM. Descriptive phrase for the Mosaic gleaning provision (Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19) structuring chapter 2. A brief explanatory note strengthens the Providence and Hesed doctrines by clarifying this is covenant-legal provision, not discretionary charity.
Family Mishpachah
Approved rendering: গোষ্ঠী / পরিবার
Transliteration: gosthi / poribar
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: מִשְׁפָּחָה
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Establishes Boaz’s legal eligibility as go’el (2:1, 3, ‘of the family/clan of Elimelech’).
Tomorrow Machar
Approved rendering: আগামীকাল / পরদিন
Transliteration: agamikal / porodin
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: מָחָר
Category: Redemption
NEW TERM. Signals lawful, orderly, non-impulsive resolution (3:13, 18).
Elders Zeqenim
Approved rendering: প্রাচীনগণ
Transliteration: prachingon
Doctrine: Legal Integrity and Public Justice
Original: זְקֵנִים
Category: Genealogy
NEW TERM. Ten elders formally witness Boaz’s redemption declaration (4:2, 4, 9, 11).
Harvest Qatsir
Approved rendering: শস্য কাটার সময় / ফসল কাটা
Transliteration: shosyo katar shomoy / foshol kata
Doctrine: God’s Providence in Ordinary Life
Original: קָצִיר
Category: Providence
NEW TERM. Chapter 1 closes noting arrival ‘at the beginning of barley harvest’ (1:22), the plot-hinge into chapter 2’s gleaning scene.
Entreat Paga
Approved rendering: মিনতি করা / পীড়াপীড়ি করা
Transliteration: minoti kora / piraapiri kora
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: פָּגַע
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Naomi’s threefold urging that Ruth and Orpah turn back to Moab (1:8, 11, 15); Ruth’s reply overrides this urging by an act of will, not compulsion.
Abandon Azab
Approved rendering: ত্যাগ করা
Transliteration: tyag kora
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: עָזַב
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. The negative Ruth refuses to do to Naomi (1:16), contrasted with Orpah’s return.
Walk Halak
Approved rendering: যাওয়া
Transliteration: jaoya
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: הָלַךְ
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. ‘Where you go, I will go’ (1:16) — total, unconditional identification with Naomi’s path.
Lodge Lun
Approved rendering: রাত কাটানো / থাকা
Transliteration: rat katano / thaka
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: לוּן
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Paired with halak in 1:16 to complete the totality of Ruth’s commitment — shared residence, i.e., shared life.
Die Mut
Approved rendering: মরা / মৃত্যু
Transliteration: mora / mrityu
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: מוּת
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Ruth extends her vow beyond life into death itself (1:17) — total, not conditional, loyalty.
Bury Qabar
Approved rendering: কবর দেওয়া / সমাধিস্থ হওয়া
Transliteration: kobor deoya / shomadhistho howa
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: קָבַר
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Ruth’s request to be buried in Naomi’s land/clan (1:17) forfeits return to her Moabite family tomb — an irrevocable renunciation of her prior identity.
Oath Formula Asah
Approved rendering: করুন
Transliteration: korun
Doctrine: Personal Conversion and the Divine Name
Original: עָשָׂה
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Part of the Hebrew self-imprecatory oath formula ‘may the LORD do so to me, and more also’ (1:17); should read with the weight of a binding vow (শপথ/প্রতিজ্ঞা), not a casual wish.
Oath Intensify Yasaph
Approved rendering: আরও করুন / যুক্ত করুন
Transliteration: aro korun / jukto korun
Doctrine: Personal Conversion and the Divine Name
Original: יָסַף
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. Intensifies Ruth’s oath (1:17), invoking escalated consequence if she breaks faith.
Separate Parad
Approved rendering: বিচ্ছিন্ন করা / আলাদা করা
Transliteration: bicchinno kora / alada kora
Doctrine: Personal Conversion and the Divine Name
Original: פָּרַד
Category: Faith
NEW TERM. ‘If anything but death separates you and me’ (1:17) — the only permissible limit on Ruth’s vow.
Bethlehem
Approved rendering: বেথলেহেম
Transliteration: Bethlehem
Doctrine: God’s Providence in Ordinary Life
Original: בֵּית לֶחֶם
Category: Geography
NEW proper name. Established Bengali Bible place-name form. Literal meaning (‘house of bread’) worth a brief translator note given the famine irony of 1:1.
Naomi
Approved rendering: নয়মী
Transliteration: Noomi
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: נָעֳמִי
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Established Bengali Bible form. Name means ‘my pleasantness’ (cf. bitter_marah_wordplay).
Ruth
Approved rendering: রূৎ
Transliteration: Ruth
Doctrine: The Inclusion of Gentiles in God’s Redemptive Plan
Original: רוּת
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Also appears in Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy (Ῥούθ).
Orpah
Approved rendering: অর্পা
Transliteration: Orpah
Doctrine: Loyalty and Faithfulness
Original: עָרְפָּה
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Naomi’s other daughter-in-law, who returns to Moab (1:14-15).
Elimelech
Approved rendering: ইলীমেলক
Transliteration: Elimelech
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: אֱלִימֶלֶךְ
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Naomi’s deceased husband, whose land and family name are at stake.
Mahlon
Approved rendering: মহলোন
Transliteration: Mahlon
Doctrine: Levirate Marriage and Family/Name Continuity
Original: מַחְלוֹן
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Naomi’s son, Ruth’s deceased first husband.
Chilion
Approved rendering: কিলিয়োন
Transliteration: Chilion
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: כִלְיוֹן
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Naomi’s other son, Orpah’s deceased husband.
Boaz
Approved rendering: বোয়স
Transliteration: Boaz
Doctrine: The Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: בֹּעַז
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Also appears in Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy (Βοόζ).
Obed
Approved rendering: ওবেদ
Transliteration: Obed
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: עוֹבֵד
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Also appears in Matthew 1:5’s Greek genealogy (Ἰωβήδ).
Jesse
Approved rendering: যিশয়
Transliteration: Jesse
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: יִשַׁי
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Not to be confused with যিশাইয় (Isaiah).
Perez
Approved rendering: পেরস
Transliteration: Perez
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: פֶּרֶץ
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Ancestor of Boaz’s clan, invoked in the elders’ blessing (4:12, 18).
Tamar
Approved rendering: তামর
Transliteration: Tamar
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: תָּמָר
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Judah’s daughter-in-law, invoked in the elders’ blessing (4:12).
Judah
Approved rendering: যিহূদা
Transliteration: Judah
Doctrine: Genealogy Pointing to David and Christ
Original: יְהוּדָה
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name. Patriarch and tribal ancestor of Boaz’s clan and David’s royal line.
Referenced passages