Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — Matthew 1–28 (English → Bodo)
How to read this document
This analysis follows the method established by the Romans Language Package baseline. Every term already recorded in translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json (the Romans baseline) is reused exactly — the Bodo rendering, transliteration, and risk tier are carried over unchanged, with only a note on any Matthew-specific nuance. Every genuinely new term required by Matthew is analyzed fresh, with a proposed Bodo rendering, transliteration, and grounded risk tier, following the same comparative-religion axis documented in the baseline (Bathouism / Bathoubwrai / sijou / Kherai puja / doudini trance-mediumship, and Brahma Dharma’s 1912 Sanskritized reform). New terms are flagged [PROVISIONAL] where they require confirmation by a Bodo-speaking theologian before Phase 2 enforcement, exactly as the baseline itself does for terms such as “fellowship,” “covenant,” and “adoption.”
Risk tiers (Critical / High / Medium / Low) follow the baseline’s risk_definitions.
PART 1 — Core Passage: Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes), Verse by Verse
Matthew 5:1
English: “Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| disciples μαθηταί (mathētai) mathētai ”learners, students” | one who learns by attachment to a teacher; in NT, one who has left former life to follow Jesus disciples, followers, learners | Not generic pupils but committed followers who have left everything to follow Jesus as Lord and Teacher; foundational to the whole book’s Discipleship doctrine and to the Great Commission (28:19, “make disciples”) | सिष्य (sishyo) — [PROVISIONAL] High risk. Sanskrit/Assamese loan already meaning “disciple/pupil.” Risk: directly collides with the guru–sishyo relationship pattern central to Brahma Dharma (whose reform movement was built around Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma as guru-figure) and with generic Hindu-influenced teacher-pupil piety. Every occurrence must make Jesus, not a generic guru-figure, the explicit referent. Confirm with native speaker before enforcement. |
| mountain ὄρος (oros) oros ”mountain, hill” | elevated place; in Matthew, deliberately evokes Moses on Sinai mountain, hill | Matthew frames Jesus as a new Moses delivering authoritative teaching from a mountain — reinforces the Authority of Jesus’ Teaching doctrine | Standard word for mountain/hill (हाबि/पर्बत); Low risk, no comparative-religion collision, but translator note should flag the Sinai typology for teaching purposes (not carried by the word itself). |
Matthew 5:2
English: “And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:“
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| taught ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) edidasken ”was teaching” | authoritative instruction, not casual conversation taught, was teaching, instructed | Establishes Jesus’ teaching authority (cf. 7:28-29, “astonished… for he taught as one having authority”) — central to the Authority of Jesus’ Teaching doctrine running through the whole book | सिकायनाय (sikainai, “to teach”) — Medium risk. Standard verb; risk is not lexical but doctrinal — must be distinguished throughout the book from the instructional role of an ओझा (folk ritual specialist) or a doudini’s oracular pronouncement; Jesus teaches with inherent divine अधिकार (authority — see ch. 7 below), not delegated ritual knowledge. |
Matthew 5:3
English: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| blessed μακάριοι (makarioi) makarioi ”happy, fortunate, flourishing” | a state of divine favor and flourishing granted by God, often paradoxically amid hardship blessed, happy, fortunate | Not circumstantial good fortune but the flourishing that belongs to those who belong to God’s kingdom, even now, even in poverty or persecution | धिन्य (dhinyo) — [PROVISIONAL] High risk. Sanskrit-derived “fortunate/blessed” adjective. Risk: readily heard as this-worldly prosperity/good fortune — a real collision, since traditional Bathou household ritual (sijou offerings) and the Kherai pantheon’s Mainao (goddess of wealth/rice) are precisely oriented toward securing exactly this kind of worldly flourishing. Each Beatitude must be taught explicitly as paradoxical, eschatological blessing (poverty/mourning/persecution are the stated condition of blessing), not as a promise of prosperity. |
| poor in spirit πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι (ptōchoi tō pneumati) ptōchoi tō pneumati ”beggarly/destitute with respect to spirit” | spiritual bankruptcy and dependence on God, not literal material poverty alone, nor false modesty poor in spirit, humble before God, spiritually destitute | Recognition of one’s total spiritual need before God, with no resource of one’s own — the opposite of self-sufficient religious achievement | आत्मायाव गरीब (aatmayao gorib, “poor in spirit”) — Medium risk. गरीब (Perso-Arabic/Hindi loan, “poor”) is well understood but risks being read as literal economic poverty alone if आत्मायाव (“in spirit”) is dropped or under-taught; must always keep both words together. |
| kingdom of heaven βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (basileia tōn ouranōn) basileia tōn ouranōn ”the kingship/reign of the heavens” | God’s sovereign reign, breaking into history in Christ and consummated at the end of the age; Matthew’s preferred phrase (32x) alongside occasional “kingdom of God” kingdom of heaven, kingdom of God, God’s reign | The central organizing theme of Matthew: God’s present-and-coming reign inaugurated by Jesus the Messiah — not a place one goes after death nor a territorial state | स्वर्गनि राज्य (swargoni rajyo) — High risk [NEW TERM — see full doctrine note in doctrine registry]. राज्य reuses the baseline’s established kingdom_of_god root (ईश्वरनि राज्य). स्वर्ग (Sanskrit loan “heaven/paradise”) is a serious risk word here: in Brahma Dharma’s Hindu-influenced reform teaching, स्वर्ग is a meritorious afterlife destination attained by accumulated पुण्य, and in generic regional Hindu usage it names a temporary heavenly abode within a larger rebirth cosmology. Matthew’s “kingdom of heaven” is NOT a place of merited afterlife reward but God’s present/future sovereign reign broken into history through Jesus. Must be taught from the ground up in every lesson where it first occurs, parallel to how फोरायनाय (salvation) is flagged in the baseline as a conceptual gap requiring ground-up teaching rather than a “wrong existing word” problem. |
Matthew 5:4
English: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| mourn πενθοῦντες (penthountes) penthountes ”grieving, lamenting” | deep grief, often over sin, loss, or the brokenness of the world mourn, grieve, lament | Grief over sin and the fallenness of the world that opens a person to receive God’s comfort — not mere emotional sadness | गम खालामनाय (gam khalamnai, “to mourn/grieve”) — Low-Medium risk. Standard word for grief; minor risk that hearers assume only bereavement-mourning (a socially prescribed practice in Bodo culture) rather than the text’s wider sense of grief over sin and brokenness — flag for teaching, not for lexical substitution. |
| comforted παρακληθήσονται (paraklēthēsontai) paraklēthēsontai ”shall be called alongside, consoled” | the same root as παρακαλέω, used in the baseline for “exhort” (गोसो होनाय) comforted, consoled, encouraged | God himself, through the Spirit, draws near to comfort those who grieve — a promise of God’s personal presence, not a change of external circumstance | सान्ति मोननाय (santi monnai, “receiving peace/comfort”) — Medium risk. Reuses the baseline’s सान्ति (peace) root; must be distinguished from the household/relational sान्ति that Bathou and Kherai offerings are meant to secure (per the baseline’s “peace” entry) — here it is God’s personal comfort to the grieving individual, not ritually secured household harmony. |
Matthew 5:5
English: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| meek πραεῖς (praeis) praeis ”gentle, mild” | strength held under control, gentleness that does not retaliate; used of Jesus himself in 11:29, 21:5 meek, gentle, humble | Not weakness but power submitted to God, exemplified by Jesus himself; the opposite of self-assertive force | नम्र (nomro) — [PROVISIONAL] Medium risk. Sanskrit loan “humble/gentle.” Risk: may be heard as passivity or social weakness in a culture that also values honor and standing; must be taught as strength under God’s control, following Jesus’ own self-description in 11:29 and 21:5, not mere submissiveness. |
| inherit the earth κληρονομήσουσιν τὴν γῆν (klēronomēsousin tēn gēn) klēronomēsousin tēn gēn ”shall receive as an allotted inheritance the earth/land” | echoes Psalm 37:11; the eschatological renewal of creation under God’s reign, not present territorial possession inherit the earth, inherit the land | The meek will share in Christ’s coming reign over a renewed creation — not a claim to present territorial land rights | हादोखौ आदाबथि लाबनाय (hadokhou adabathi labnai, “receiving the earth as inheritance”) — High risk. हा (“earth”) is one of the five sacred elements (ha/earth, dwi/water, bar/air, or/fire, okhrang/sky) represented by the five branches of the sijou plant central to Bathou worship. This creates a genuine and specific collision: hearers may assimilate “inheriting the earth” into Bathou’s elemental cosmology rather than hearing it as the eschatological renewal-of-creation promise it is. Must be explicitly taught as future, Christ-secured inheritance, not a present elemental or land-based blessing. Given the Bodoland Territorial Region’s contemporary politics of land and ethnic-territorial identity, this phrase also risks a nationalist-political misreading; both risks must be named directly in teaching notes. |
Matthew 5:6
English: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| hunger and thirst πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες (peinōntes kai dipsōntes) peinōntes kai dipsōntes ”being hungry and thirsty” | intense longing, using physical need as metaphor for spiritual desire hunger and thirst, long for, crave | Deep, consuming desire for right standing with God and for God’s righteous order to prevail — not physical appetite | ग्रैनाय आरो जोबनाय (grainai aro jobnai, “hungering and thirsting”) — Low risk; standard metaphor, transparent across cultures. |
| righteousness δικαιοσύνη (dikaiosynē) dikaiosynē ”rightness, justice, right standing” | in Matthew, spans both God’s gift of right standing AND right, godly conduct/character — a wider range than Paul’s more strictly forensic usage in Romans righteousness, justice, right living | Here: the deep hunger for God’s righteous order and for personal right-relatedness to God — this is the same root that governs “righteousness exceeding the Pharisees” (5:20) and must be read across the whole book as encompassing both gift and fruit | धार्मिकता (dharmikota) — Critical risk, REUSED from baseline exactly. All baseline cautions apply: this word shares the Sanskrit root Brahma Dharma uses for its own reformed religious-duty system, so it must be explicitly taught in Matthew as both (a) right standing given by God and (b) the transformed character and conduct that flows from it — not a communal code of religious duty achieved by rule-observance. Matthew’s own righteousness-exceeding-the-Pharisees theme (5:20) makes this distinction more urgent, not less: Jesus intensifies the heart-level demand while simultaneously (implicitly, developed fully in the Passion) grounding it in grace, not merit. |
| satisfied χορτασθήσονται (chortasthēsontai) chortasthēsontai ”shall be filled/fed” | full satiation, often used of feeding animals or people to fullness satisfied, filled, fed | God himself will fully satisfy the longing for righteousness — echoes the feeding miracles later in the book (14:20, 15:37) | जोब जानाय (job janai, “becoming full”) — Low risk. |
Matthew 5:7
English: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| merciful / mercy ἐλεήμονες / ἐλεηθήσονται (eleēmones / eleēthēsontai) eleēmones / eleēthēsontai ”showing pity/compassion” | active compassion toward those in need or distress, extended without regard to merit merciful, compassionate, showing mercy | Compassion shown to others as a mark of belonging to God’s kingdom, and the promise of receiving God’s own compassion in turn (cf. 9:13; 12:7, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” quoting Hosea 6:6) | दयालु / दया (doyalu / doya) — High risk [NEW TERM]. Sanskrit/Assamese loan for “merciful/mercy.” Closely related to, but distinct from, the baseline’s grace entry (मोफादांनाय दान): mercy here is compassion shown toward others, while grace is God’s unmerited favor toward sinners. Risk: like grace, दया can be pulled toward a reciprocal-exchange reading (compassion shown in expectation of a return blessing) by the same two live currents the baseline names — Bathou/Kherai’s do-ut-des ritual exchange logic and Brahma Dharma’s merit ethic (शो showing mercy as a पुण्य-generating act). Matthew 9:13/12:7’s “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” is the key corrective text and should be taught alongside this term every time it appears. |
Matthew 5:8
English: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| pure in heart καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ (katharoi tē kardia) katharoi tē kardia ”clean/pure with respect to the heart” | inward, moral purity of motive and desire, not external ritual cleanliness pure in heart, undivided in heart, sincere | Undivided, God-directed inner life — contrasted throughout Matthew with the Pharisees’ outward-only purity (23:25-26, “clean the inside of the cup”) | गोसोनि पबित्रता (gwsoni pobitrota, “purity of heart”) — High risk. Deliberately built on the baseline’s पबित्र (holy/set-apart) rather than साफ (physical/ritual cleanliness), exactly following the baseline’s own reserved distinction between the two words. Risk: if साफ is substituted, the phrase collapses into the external, ritual purification performed before Kherai puja and household sijou ceremonies — precisely the contrast Jesus draws in Matthew 23 against merely external religion. Must always render with पबित्र-root vocabulary, never साफ. |
| see God τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται (ton theon opsontai) ton theon opsontai ”shall see/look upon God” | direct, unmediated encounter with God, ultimately eschatological (cf. 1 Cor 13:12, Rev 22:4) see God, behold God, be in God’s presence | The promised future, unmediated presence of God for the pure in heart — not a ritual vision or trance-state encounter | Uses ईश्वर (Isor) — Critical risk, REUSED from baseline exactly. Additional Matthew-specific caution: “seeing God” must not be assimilated to the doudini’s trance-vision experience of Bathoubwrai or the wider Kherai pantheon during Kherai puja; this is the settled, eschatological, relational beholding of the one true God by the redeemed, not a ritual altered-state encounter. |
Matthew 5:9
English: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| peacemakers εἰρηνοποιοί (eirēnopoioi) eirēnopoioi ”peace-makers” | those who actively create reconciliation, not merely those who avoid conflict peacemakers, reconcilers | Active pursuit of reconciliation between people, reflecting God’s own reconciling character | सान्ति होनाय मानुष (santi honai manwsw, “people who make/give peace”) — Medium risk; reuses baseline’s सान्ति (peace) root. Should be distinguished from mediated household-harmony functions traditionally sought through Bathou/Kherai ritual specialists; here peace is actively made by the believer’s own reconciling action, modeled on God’s character. |
| sons of God υἱοὶ θεοῦ (huioi theou) huioi theou ”sons of God” | believers’ status as God’s children — plural, corporate, and derivative, sharply distinct from Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship sons of God, children of God | Those who make peace will be recognized as bearing the family likeness of their Father — a derivative, adoptive sonship for believers, not to be confused with Christ’s own unique Sonship | ईश्वरनि फिसा (Isornni phisa, “children of God”) — High risk [NEW TERM, distinct from son_of_god]. Built on the baseline’s गोसोआव फैनाय (adoption) concept. This term MUST be kept visibly distinct from the baseline’s Critical-risk ईश्वरनि गोरा (son_of_god), which is reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique, eternal, co-equal divine Sonship. Using गोरा (rather than फिसा) for believers here would blur Matthew’s own careful distinction between Christ’s Sonship and the derivative sonship of disciples — a distinction Matthew itself maintains (contrast 3:17/17:5’s “my beloved Son” with 5:9’s “sons of God” for peacemakers). |
Matthew 5:10
English: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
| Term | Original | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Semantic range | English variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| persecuted | δεδιωγμένοι (dediōgmenoi) | dediōgmenoi | ”having been persecuted/pursued” | hostile pressure, harassment, or suffering directed at someone because of their faith or righteous conduct | persecuted, oppressed, harassed | Suffering specifically for righteousness’ sake — a hallmark of true discipleship anticipated throughout the book (10:16-23; cf. 24:9) | उपद्रोब खालनाय (uprodrob khalnai, “suffering persecution/harassment”) — [NEW TERM] Medium-High risk. Pastorally urgent: for Bodo converts from Bathouist or Brahma Dharma family and clan backgrounds, this is not a hypothetical ancient scenario but a live, present-tense cost — social and familial pressure to return to household sijou observance or clan ritual participation. This term should be taught with direct pastoral application to that lived reality, consistent with the Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus doctrine. |
| righteousness’ sake | δικαιοσύνης ἕνεκεν (dikaiosynēs heneken) | dikaiosynēs heneken | ”for the sake of righteousness” | suffering incurred specifically because of one’s righteous, Christ-shaped life and witness | for righteousness’ sake, because of righteous living | Reuses धार्मिकता (dharmikota) — see 5:6 above; Critical risk, baseline term. |
Matthew 5:11
English: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| revile ὀνειδίσωσιν (oneidisōsin) oneidisōsin ”shall reproach/insult” | verbal shaming, insult attacking honor and reputation revile, insult, mock | Public shaming for allegiance to Christ — significant in an honor-shame-sensitive culture | Descriptive: सोलोंथाव रायज्लायनाय (solongthau raizlainai, “speaking shame/insult”) — Medium risk; honor/shame dynamics are a live cultural register in Bodo social life and should be handled with the “flag for native speaker review” routing the baseline applies to honor/shame passages generally. |
| falsely, on my account ψευδόμενοι … ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ (pseudomenoi … heneken emou) pseudomenoi heneken emou ”lying … for my sake” | suffering that is specifically unjust (falsely) and specifically Christ-centered (on my account) falsely, because of me | The suffering in view is precisely and only because of allegiance to Jesus — grounding the entire Beatitudes section Christologically, not merely ethically | Reuses जिसु (Jisu) — Critical risk, baseline term, reused exactly. |
Matthew 5:12
English: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual theological meaning | Bodo rendering & risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| rejoice and be glad χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε (chairete kai agalliasthe) chairete kai agalliasthe ”rejoice and exult” | intensified, doubled command to joy, even amid persecution rejoice and be glad, exult | Joy is commanded, not merely permitted, precisely in the moment of suffering — paradoxical joy grounded in eschatological hope | Descriptive: रोंजानाय आरो गाहाम मोन्नाय (ronjanai aro gaham monnai, “rejoicing and being glad”) — Low-Medium risk; standard emotional vocabulary, but the paradox (joy commanded amid suffering) must be taught explicitly, not assumed. |
| reward μισθός (misthos) misthos ”wage, payment, recompense” | that which is due for labor or service; in NT usage, God’s gracious recompense to his people, not wages earned by merit reward, wage, recompense | God’s gracious, promised recompense for faithful endurance — must not be read as a Brahma Dharma-style merit-payment for religious achievement | बदला (bodola, “reward/recompense”) — [NEW TERM] High risk. Assamese/Hindi loan meaning “recompense.” Risk: strongly pulls toward a merit-transaction reading — precisely the same collision the baseline names for grace (मोफादांनाय दान) — since Brahma Dharma’s reform ethic is built around a reward-for-merit (पुण्य) framework, and traditional Bathou/Kherai offerings operate on a do-ut-des reciprocal-exchange logic. Every occurrence of “reward” language in Matthew (5:12, 5:46, 6:1-6, 6:16-18, 10:41-42, 16:27, 20:1-16) must be taught as gracious divine recompense flowing from relationship, not earned payment for religious performance. |
| in heaven ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (en tois ouranois) en tois ouranois ”in the heavens” | God’s dwelling/domain; here, the locus of the promised reward in heaven, with God | The reward is secured with God himself, not dependent on present circumstance | See स्वर्ग discussion under 5:3 (kingdom of heaven) — same High-risk caution regarding Brahma Dharma’s स्वर्ग-as-merited-afterlife concept applies here. |
| prophets προφῆται (prophētai) prophētai ”those who speak forth” | God’s spokespersons under the old covenant prophets | The Beatitudes’ persecuted disciples stand in continuity with the persecuted Old Testament prophets — grounding present suffering in salvation-historical pattern | Reuses भाबिष्यत सोंग्रा (bhabishyot songra) — Low risk, baseline term, reused exactly. As in the baseline, must not be confused with the ओझा (folk diviner) or the doudini’s Kherai-trance oracular role. |
PART 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Analysis, Matthew 1–28
Chapter 1 — Genealogy and Birth of Jesus
New load-bearing terms:
- Son of David (υἱὸς Δαυίδ, huios Dauid) — “son/descendant of David,” a specific messianic royal title distinct from the baseline’s seed_of_david (दाऊदनि बेंसे, used for physical lineage). Rendering: दाऊदनि गोरा (Daudni gwra), built in parallel with the baseline’s ईश्वरनि गोरा structure. Critical risk [NEW TERM]: this is Matthew’s opening messianic claim (1:1) and recurs at every major turning point (9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30-31, 21:9, 22:42-45); must be taught as fulfillment of the Davidic covenant (reuse बाseline दाऊदनि गोसाथारि doctrine), not read as one more honorific elder-title among the many applied to Bathoubwrai and the Kherai pantheon’s elder figures.
- fulfill / fulfilled (πληρωθῇ, plērōthē) — “to fill up, complete.” Rendering: सिद्ध जानाय (siddho janai), matching the baseline’s own doctrine-registry phrasing for “fulfillment of prophecy” (भाबिष्यत रांनि सिद्ध जानाय). High risk, REUSED framework from baseline doctrine registry. This refrain (1:22; 2:15,17,23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9) is the structural spine of Matthew’s fulfillment theology and must render identically every time.
- Immanuel (Ἐμμανουήλ, Emmanouēl) — “God with us.” Rendering: transliteration इम्मानुएल with gloss ईश्वर आमाजों दं (Isor amajwng dwng, “God is with us”). Critical risk [NEW TERM]: ties directly to the baseline’s Critical incarnation and deity_of_christ entries. Must be taught as God’s permanent, personal presence in Jesus, not a temporary spirit-indwelling comparable to a doudini’s Kherai-trance possession by Bathoubwrai.
- virgin (παρθένος, parthenos) — “virgin, unmarried maiden.” Rendering: कुमारी (kumari), Sanskrit loan. High risk [NEW TERM]: the virgin birth is a unique historical sign validating the incarnation; must not be assimilated to Hindu-mythological divine-birth motifs (relevant given Brahma Dharma’s Hindu-influenced background) nor to any Bathou/Kherai fertility-goddess (Mainao) narrative.
- Reused: जिसु (Jesus), मसीह (Messiah/Christ), दाऊद (David), गुनाह (sin, 1:21 “he will save his people from their sins” — reuse baseline salvation/sin framework), पबित्र आत्था (Holy Spirit, 1:18,20).
Chapter 2 — The Magi, Flight to Egypt
New load-bearing terms:
- worship (προσκυνέω, proskyneō) — “to bow down, prostrate oneself in homage.” Rendering: आराधना खालामनाय (aradhana khalamnai). Critical risk [NEW TERM]: the alternative पूजा (puja) must be explicitly forbidden, because पूजा is the very word naming the Kherai puja ritual-offering system itself; using it for the Magi’s (and later the church’s) worship of Jesus would directly conflate Christian worship of Christ with the Bathou/Kherai ritual-offering complex. आराधना (a Sanskrit-derived devotional term already used in regional Christian usage) is preferred, exactly parallel to the baseline’s choice of ईश्वर over बाथौबुरै for “God.” This is a book-wide term (2:2,8,11; 4:9-10; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 20:20; 28:9,17) and should be added to the Critical Forbidden Substitution list for Matthew.
- King of the Jews — title collision note: reuses दाऊदनि गोरा / मसीह framework; no separate glossary entry needed, but flag that Herod’s political fear (2:3) foreshadows the political/territorial risk already named for kingdom_of_heaven and kingdom_of_god.
- Reused: भाबिष्यत रां/सोंग्रा (prophecy/prophet fulfillment citations), इस्राएल (Israel), सिद्ध जानाय (fulfilled).
Chapter 3 — John the Baptist
New load-bearing terms:
- repent (μετανοέω, metanoeō) — “to change one’s mind, turn.” Rendering: गुनाहनिफ्राय सोलायनाय (gunahnifrai solainai, “turning away from sin”), built deliberately in parallel with the baseline’s resurrection term जिउनाय सोलायनाय (“turning back to life”) — both use सोलायनाय (“turning”) on the same root, giving the curriculum a consistent “turning” vocabulary family. Critical risk [NEW TERM]: must convey inward, God-directed transformation, not the external, ritual regret or purification associated with pre-Kherai cleansing rites, nor the incremental communal “improvement” ethic of Brahma Dharma’s reform program.
- baptism / baptize (βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω, baptisma / baptizō) — “immersion, washing.” Rendering: transliteration बाप्तिस्मो (baptismo), following the established regional Bible-translation convention (cf. Assamese বাপ্তিস্ম). Critical risk [NEW TERM]: must be sharply distinguished from the household/courtyard ritual water-purification preceding Bathou and Kherai ceremonies, and from any ओझा ritual bathing rite. Christian baptism signifies repentance, union with Christ, and entry into the church — not ceremonial purification for a ritual occasion. This term recurs at the Great Commission (28:19) and must render identically there.
- kingdom of heaven is at hand — reuses स्वर्गनि राज्य (see 5:3); note the imminence claim (ἤγγικεν, “has drawn near”) should be taught alongside the kingdom term each time it recurs (3:2; 4:17; 10:7).
- wrath [to come] (ὀργή, orgē) — “anger, wrath.” Rendering: गुसा (gusa, “anger”) with explanatory phrase ईश्वरनि गुसा (Isornni gusa, “God’s [righteous] anger”). Medium-High risk: must be taught as God’s personal, moral, judicial response to sin (tied to the Judgment and End of Age doctrine), not an impersonal cosmic disturbance.
- beloved Son (ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ho huios mou ho agapētos, 3:17) — reuses baseline’s ईश्वरनि गोरा (son_of_god), Critical risk, with the added qualifier “beloved” (गोमोन्थि/मोसाथिग्रा — provisional; flag for native-speaker confirmation) underscoring the Father-Son relational intimacy distinct from any Bathou elder-spirit hierarchy.
Chapter 4 — Temptation, Calling of Disciples, Ministry Begins
New load-bearing terms:
- temptation (πειρασμός/πειράζω, peirasmos/peirazō) — “testing, trial.” Rendering: फांसनाय (phansenai, “temptation/trap/snare”) — [PROVISIONAL] Medium risk; standard concept, low comparative-religion collision, but should be distinguished from fatalistic “testing by spirits” folk-belief framings.
- follow [me] (ἀκολουθέω, akoloutheō) — “to go after, accompany as a disciple.” Rendering: उदांनाय (udangnai, “to go behind/follow”) — [PROVISIONAL] High risk [NEW TERM]: the object must always be specified (follow Jesus specifically), exactly paralleling the baseline’s caution for बिश्वास (faith) that its object must always be recoverable from context; unspecified “following” could otherwise be read as generic discipleship to any teacher/guru figure. Core to the Discipleship doctrine (4:20,22; 8:22; 9:9; 16:24; 19:21,27-29).
- Reused: राज्य/स्वर्गनि राज्य, मंगल खबर (gospel, 4:23 “gospel of the kingdom” — note the compound “gospel of the kingdom” ties the baseline’s gospel term directly to the new kingdom_of_heaven term and should be taught as a unit), आराधना (worship, 4:9-10, in the temptation narrative — note here Satan explicitly demands προσκυνέω, reinforcing why पूजा must never be used even for a false-worship scenario).
Chapter 5 (verses 13-48; vv. 1-12 treated in Part 1 above)
New load-bearing terms:
- fulfill the Law and the Prophets (πληρῶσαι, plērōsai, 5:17) — reuses सिद्ध जानाय (fulfill, see ch.1) applied specifically to बिथान (Law, baseline term reused exactly) and भाबिष्यत सोंग्रा/रां (Prophets). Critical risk: this programmatic statement governs how the whole Sermon on the Mount relates Jesus to Torah, and must not be read through Brahma Dharma’s own “reform and fulfillment” narrative of Bodo religious history.
- righteousness exceeding [the Pharisees and scribes] (περισσεύῃ … πλεῖον, 5:20) — descriptive rendering: फरीसीखौनिख्रुइ गोबां धार्मिकता (Pharisikhounikhrui goban dharmikota, “righteousness more than the Pharisees’”). Critical risk [NEW TERM, core doctrine]: must be taught as heart-level righteousness that flows from union with Christ and the Spirit’s transforming work — not a call to intensify external rule-observance, a misreading made more likely by Brahma Dharma’s own historical project of intensifying and codifying religious conduct rules. This is the anchor text for the Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees doctrine and must be flagged for theologian review every occurrence.
- Pharisees / scribes (Φαρισαῖοι / γραμματεῖς) — transliteration फरीसी (Pharisi) and descriptive व्यवस्था गुरु (byabostha guru, “teacher of the law/instruction”). Medium risk: avoid mapping these onto existing Bodo religious-specialist roles (ओझा, doudini, or Brahma Dharma reform-teachers); they are a specific first-century Jewish socio-religious class requiring explanation, not a ready cultural equivalent.
- hell / Gehenna (γέεννα, geenna, 5:22,29-30) — see full treatment under ch. 25 (eternal punishment) below; first occurrence here.
- oath (ὅρκος, horkos, 5:33-37) — Medium risk, standard concept, minor cultural note on truth-telling and honor.
- love your enemies (ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθρούς, agapate tous echthrous, 5:44) — see “love” treatment under ch. 22 below.
- be perfect (τέλειοι, teleioi, 5:48) — “complete, mature, whole.” Rendering: पूरा (pura, “complete/whole”) — Medium risk; must be taught as wholehearted covenant faithfulness modeled on God’s own character, not flawless moral achievement (avoiding both a legalistic misreading and confusion with Brahma Dharma’s perfectibility-through-reform ethic).
Chapter 6 — Lord’s Prayer, Fasting, Treasures, Anxiety
New load-bearing terms:
- hypocrites (ὑποκριταί, hypokritai, 6:2,5,16) — “actors, pretenders.” Rendering: कपटी (kopoti). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: standard loanword; teaching note should distinguish outward religious performance from inward sincerity — a theme recurring through ch. 15 and ch. 23.
- forgive / forgiveness (ἀφίημι/ἄφεσις, aphiēmi/aphesis, 6:12,14-15) — Rendering: माफ खालामनाय / माफनाय (maph khalamnai / maphnai). High risk [NEW TERM]: builds on माफ, already named in the baseline as the rejected-as-too-narrow alternative for “justification” (गुनाहनि माफ). Here माफ is exactly the right word for the distinct, narrower concept of forgiveness itself; must be taught as God’s own gracious pardon of sin, mirrored in interpersonal forgiveness, not a ritual absolution performed by a religious specialist.
- mammon / two masters (μαμωνᾷ, mamōna, 6:24) — transliteration मामोन with gloss “wealth/money as a rival master.” Medium risk: relevant given the Kherai pantheon’s Mainao (goddess of wealth/rice) — must be clear this is about the idolatrous pull of wealth generally, not a direct polemic against Mainao specifically, though the resonance is worth naming in teaching notes.
- seek first the kingdom of God (6:33) — note: Matthew here uses βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (kingdom of God) rather than his usual “kingdom of heaven” — reuse the baseline’s exact ईश्वरनि राज्य (kingdom_of_god) term here, not स्वर्गनि राज्य, to preserve the (likely stylistic rather than doctrinal) distinction Matthew himself makes at this point.
- little faith (ὀλιγόπιστοι, oligopistoi, 6:30) — descriptive: गुबुन बिश्वास (gubun biswas, “little/small faith”) reusing baseline’s बिश्वास exactly; recurs 8:26, 14:31, 16:8. Medium risk; the caution about specifying faith’s object (see ch.4) applies equally here.
Chapter 7 — Judging, Golden Rule, Two Ways, Authority
New load-bearing terms:
- judge (κρίνετε, krinete, 7:1-5) — Rendering: सायख होनाय (saikho honai, “passing judgment/choosing”), drawing on the same root as the baseline’s election term ईश्वरनि सायख. Medium risk: distinguish God’s prerogative to judge from human condemnation of others; ties to the wider Judgment and End of Age doctrine.
- narrow gate / false prophets / wolves in sheep’s clothing — descriptive imagery; Low-Medium risk, mainly requiring cultural-image explanation rather than lexical caution. False prophets reuses भाबिष्यत सोंग्रा (baseline term) with negation.
- will of my Father (θέλημα, thelēma, 7:21) — Rendering: आफानि मन (afani mon, “the Father’s will/mind”), reusing आफा (baseline Father term). Medium-High risk: God’s will is personal, relational intention, not an impersonal fate/cosmic order (echoing the baseline’s caution against भागी for election/providence).
- authority (ἐξουσία, exousia, 7:29 “he taught… as one who had authority, and not as their scribes”) — Rendering: अधिकार (odhikar). High risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor]: central to the Authority of Jesus’ Teaching doctrine; recurs at 8:9, 9:6,8, 10:1, 21:23-27, 28:18. Must be taught as Jesus’ own inherent, divine authority — not the delegated ritual authority of a doudini (whose oracular authority is understood as temporarily granted by Bathoubwrai during trance) or the customary authority of village/clan elders. This is one of the book’s highest-priority terms for theologian review, especially at 28:18 (“all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”).
Chapter 8 — Healing Miracles, Centurion’s Faith, Calming the Storm
New load-bearing terms:
- Son of Man (υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, huios tou anthrōpou, 8:20 and throughout) — Rendering: मानसिनि गोरा (manwsini gwra, “son of man/humanity”). Critical risk [NEW TERM]. This Danielic title (Dan 7:13-14) carries a deliberate double sense — genuine, humble humanity AND end-time divine authority to judge and reign — that must both be preserved; flattening it to mean merely “a human being” would lose the authority-and-judgment dimension central to the Judgment and End of Age doctrine (9:6; 12:8; 13:41; 16:27-28; 19:28; 24:27,30,37,44; 25:31; 26:64). It must also be sharply distinguished from any reading that assimilates it to a doudini’s temporary human vessel-status during Kherai trance — the Son of Man is not a human medium temporarily used by a deity but the eternal Son himself, permanently possessing full humanity (reinforcing the baseline’s incarnation caution).
- faith (πίστις, pistis, 8:10,13 “I have not found such great faith”) — reuses baseline बिश्वास exactly; note here the object is explicitly Jesus’ own authority to heal, reinforcing the object-specification caution.
- Reused: अधिकार (authority, 8:9), आराधना (worship, 8:2).
Chapter 9 — Forgiveness, Calling of Matthew, New Wine, Harvest
New load-bearing terms:
- mercy (ἔλεος, eleos, 9:13, quoting Hosea 6:6 “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”) — reuses दया/दयालु (see 5:7). High risk: this quotation is the direct scriptural corrective against reading mercy or forgiveness as ritual-exchange transactions; should be cross-referenced with the mercy entry every time it recurs (12:7; 23:23).
- harvest / laborers (θερισμός/ἐργάται, therismos/ergatai, 9:37-38) — Rendering: सोलेर (soleir, “harvest”) and सेवारी (sewari, “workers/laborers”). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: ties to the Great Commission and Mission to the Nations doctrine (reuse baseline’s मंगल खबरनि दायो framework); should be framed as the church’s own present calling, not a foreign historical missionary project, exactly per the baseline’s mission-framing caution.
- Reused: गुनाह (sin, 9:2-6), माफ (forgive, 9:2), फोरायनाय (implicit salvation framework), बिश्वास (faith, 9:22,29).
Chapter 10 — Sending of the Twelve
New load-bearing terms:
- apostle — reuses baseline गोदान जायगारि exactly (10:2, “the names of the twelve apostles”). Medium risk per baseline; Matthew-specific note: distinguish the Twelve’s unique, foundational commissioning from ordinary discipleship (सिष्य).
- confess (ὁμολογήσει, homologēsei, 10:32) — Rendering: स्वीकार खालामनाय (sikar khalamnai, “to acknowledge/confess”). High risk [NEW TERM]: parallels the baseline’s concern for Romans 10:9’s Lordship confession; here Jesus teaches that public confession of him before others is the condition of his own future confession of the disciple before the Father — ties Discipleship directly to Christology.
- not peace but a sword (10:34) — note: distinguish this rhetorical use of “sword” (division within households over allegiance to Christ) from the baseline’s सान्ति (peace) entry; flag for teaching that this is not a contradiction of Christ’s peace-bringing mission but a description of the social cost of discipleship.
- take up [one’s] cross (σταυρός, stauros, 10:38, and 16:24) — Rendering: transliteration क्रुस (krus), following established regional Bible convention (cf. Assamese ক্রুচ). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor for Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus]: must retain the sense of willing self-denial and identification with Christ’s own literal death, not be softened into a generic metaphor for any hardship or burden.
- lose life / find life (ἀπολέσῃ/εὑρήσει, apolesē/heurēsei, 10:39; cf. 16:25) — descriptive: जिउ एरनाय आरो जिउ मोननाय (jiu erenai aro jiu monnai, “losing life and gaining/finding life”). High risk [NEW TERM]: the paradox at the heart of the cost-of-discipleship doctrine; must not be flattened into either pure self-sacrifice ethics (divorced from resurrection hope) or a self-help “finding yourself” reading.
Chapter 11 — John the Baptist, Woes, Rest
New load-bearing terms:
- yoke (ζυγός, zygos, 11:29-30) — Rendering: गुरार (gurar, the ordinary farming yoke). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: Jesus’ yoke is “easy” and his burden “light” — a direct contrast with legalistic, rule-intensive religious systems; worth noting the resonance with the baseline’s caution (under law/obedience_of_faith) against Brahma Dharma’s own codified rule-observance ethic.
- rest (ἀνάπαυσις, anapausis, 11:28-29) — Rendering: reuses सान्ति-family vocabulary: सान्ति मोननाय (santi monnai, “finding rest/peace” — same rendering as 5:4’s “comforted,” deliberately, since both describe God’s personal relational comfort). Medium risk.
- gentle and lowly in heart (πραΰς καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, 11:29) — reuses नम्र (meek, see 5:5); Medium risk, same caution applies.
Chapter 12 — Sabbath Controversies, Unforgivable Sin, Sign of Jonah
New load-bearing terms:
- Sabbath (σάββατον, sabbaton) — Rendering: transliteration सबथ (sabath) with gloss आरामनि दिन (aramni din, “day of rest”). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: no ready Bodo cultural institution parallels the covenantal Sabbath; must be taught with its Old Testament covenant-sign background, and distinguished from the Kherai puja’s own periodic ritual-calendar observances, which are occasional festival events rather than a weekly creation-ordinance rhythm. Jesus’ claim to be “lord of the Sabbath” (12:8) reuses प्रभु (baseline Lord term, Critical risk).
- blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (βλασφημία, blasphēmia, 12:31-32) — Rendering: पबित्र आत्थानि निंदा (pobitro aathani ninda), reusing पबित्र आत्था (Holy Spirit, baseline Critical term) plus निंदा (slander/blasphemy, Sanskrit loan). Critical risk [NEW TERM]: the unforgivable sin; requires very careful, theologically precise teaching to avoid either false despair or false presumption among learners; must be flagged for mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
- sign of Jonah (12:39-40) — reuses जिउनाय सोलायनाय (resurrection, baseline Critical term) as its referent; no new lexical entry needed, but flag that this is an early, indirect resurrection prediction requiring the baseline’s full resurrection-vs-रिबर्थ caution.
Chapter 13 — Parables of the Kingdom
New load-bearing terms:
- mysteries of the kingdom (μυστήρια, mystēria, 13:11) — Rendering: राज्यनि सोलोंथाव राव (rajyoni solongthau rao, “hidden matters of the kingdom”). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: risk of collision with the ओझा’s own claim to secret ritual knowledge/lore; must be taught as revealed truth graciously disclosed by God to those given ears to hear, not esoteric knowledge reserved for a ritual-specialist elite (echoing the baseline’s caution about “saints” not implying a specialist elite).
- end of the age (συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος, synteleia tou aiōnos, 13:39-40,49) — Rendering: जुगनि जोबथाव (jugni jobthau, “the end of the age/era”). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor for Judgment and the End of Age]: जुग (age/era) is itself a Sanskrit loanword resonant with the Hindu/Brahma Dharma concept of cyclical yugas (recurring cosmic ages); Matthew’s “end of the age,” by contrast, is linear and final — a one-time culmination of history in judgment, not a transition within an endlessly repeating cycle. This distinction must be taught explicitly every time the phrase occurs (13:39-40,49; 24:3; 28:20), directly parallel to the baseline’s caution against फिन जोनोम for resurrection.
- weeping and gnashing of teeth (κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὁ βρυγμὸς τῶν ὀδόντων, 13:42,50) — descriptive judgment imagery; Medium risk, ties to the eternal_punishment entry (ch. 25).
- the righteous (δίκαιοι, dikaioi, 13:43,49) — reuses धार्मिकता family (baseline term); Critical risk per baseline.
Chapter 14 — Feeding of 5,000, Walking on Water, Death of John
No new load-bearing theological vocabulary; reuses बिश्वास/गुबुन बिश्वास (faith/little faith, 14:31), ईश्वरनि गोरा (son of God, 14:33), and आराधना (worship, 14:33). Reviewed and confirmed for full coverage.
Chapter 15 — Tradition vs. Commandment, Canaanite Woman, Feeding of 4,000
New load-bearing terms:
- defile (κοινόω, koinoō, 15:11,18,20) — Rendering: अपबित्र खालामनाय (opobitro khalamnai, “making unholy/unclean”), built by negating baseline’s पबित्र. High risk [NEW TERM]: Jesus’ teaching here (what defiles comes from the heart, not from external ritual observance) directly reframes purity in a way that must be carefully distinguished from Bathou/Kherai’s own external, ritual purification practices — this passage is one of the clearest places in Matthew to teach the heart-versus-ritual distinction already flagged for “holy” and “sanctification” in the baseline.
- faith (πίστις, 15:28 “O woman, great is your faith”) — reuses बिश्वास (baseline term).
Chapter 16 — Peter’s Confession, the Church, Foretelling Death
New load-bearing terms:
- Christ, the Son of the living God (16:16) — reuses मसीह and ईश्वरनि गोरा (both baseline Critical terms) — Peter’s confession is the Christological hinge of the book and should render identically to how these terms are used elsewhere; flag for mandatory theologian review.
- church — reuses baseline मण्डली exactly (16:18, “on this rock I will build my church” — the term’s first occurrence in Matthew). Medium risk per baseline; note here it additionally must be distinguished from the parallel-but-different Bathou/Kherai worship-site term नमासोलि, per the baseline’s existing caution.
- keys of the kingdom (κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας, 16:19) — Rendering: राज्यनि साबियारि (rajyoni sabiyari). High risk [NEW TERM]: stewardship/authority entrusted to the church’s leadership; must not be read as literal ritual objects of power (a risk worth naming given the material/object-centered character of Bathou worship, e.g., the sijou plant itself as a locus of ritual significance) — the “keys” are a metaphor for delegated spiritual authority, not a physical talisman.
- bind and loose (δέσῃς/λύσῃς, desēs/lysēs, 16:19; recurs 18:18) — Rendering: बादा होनाय आरो एराबनाय (bada honai aro erabnai, “binding and releasing”). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor for The Church and Church Discipline]: this is a specific and important collision — traditional Bodo folk-ritual practice (associated with the ओझा) includes binding/warding charms and counter-spells understood as a form of sympathetic ritual power. Matthew’s “binding and loosing” must be taught as the church’s derived, declarative spiritual authority (grounded in Christ’s own authority, अधिकार) to exercise discipline and pronounce forgiveness/exclusion — not as magical binding-spell power exercised by a ritual specialist. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
- Reused: जिउनाय सोलायनाय (resurrection, 16:21, first explicit prediction — Critical baseline term), क्रुस (cross, 16:24).
Chapter 17 — Transfiguration, Faith, Temple Tax
New load-bearing terms:
- transfigured (μετεμορφώθη, metemorphōthē, 17:2) — Rendering: रुप सोलायनाय (rup solainai, “form/appearance changed”). High risk [NEW TERM]: must be sharply distinguished from the incarnation (a permanent, single assumption of human nature) — the transfiguration is instead a temporary, revelatory unveiling of Christ’s already-present divine glory (महिमा, baseline term reused exactly), not a change of nature or a repeatable deity-descent event. This distinction should be taught alongside the baseline’s incarnation caution to avoid conflating the two categories, and also to avoid any reading that assimilates it to a doudini’s altered ritual state.
- Reused: महिमा (glory, 17:5), ईश्वरनि गोरा (Son of God — “This is my beloved Son; listen to him,” 17:5), बिश्वास/गुबुन बिश्वास (faith, 17:20).
Chapter 18 — Church Discipline, Forgiveness
New load-bearing terms:
- if your brother sins… tell it to the church (18:15-17) — the church-discipline procedure; reuses मण्डली (church) and बादा होनाय आरो एराबनाय (bind and loose, 18:18) exactly as in ch. 16. Critical risk: this is the operational, procedural anchor for The Church and Church Discipline doctrine and must be taught with careful attention to restorative intent (18:15, “if he listens to you, you have gained your brother”), not punitive expulsion alone.
- two or three witnesses (18:16) — descriptive, drawing on Deuteronomic legal procedure; Low-Medium risk, mainly requiring Old Testament background explanation.
- forgive seventy times seven / from the heart (18:21-35) — reuses माफ (forgive, see ch. 6); the parable of the unforgiving servant should be taught alongside the mercy/grace cautions already flagged, reinforcing that forgiveness received from God obligates forgiveness extended to others — not a reciprocal merit exchange but a grace-shaped overflow.
- little ones / millstone (18:6,10,14) — descriptive judgment/protection imagery; Medium risk.
Chapter 19 — Divorce, Children, Rich Young Man
New load-bearing terms:
- eternal life (ζωὴν αἰώνιον, zōēn aiōnion, 19:16,29) — Rendering: जोबथाव नङा जिउ (jobthau nonga jiu, “life without end”), built using the same जोबथाव (“end”) root as end_of_the_age (ch. 13) for internal glossary consistency. Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor]: must be taught as unending, personal, relational life with God in Christ, sharply distinguished from Brahma Dharma’s Hindu-influenced मोक्ष (liberation from the cycle of rebirth) — the biblical hope is positive, relational, embodied life, not an escape from existence or a merging into an impersonal absolute. Reinforces the baseline’s existing caution against मोक्ष-language for salvation generally.
- Reused: बिथान (law/commandments, 19:3-9,17-19), दान/मोफादांनाय दान (implicit grace framework, 19:26 “with God all things are possible”).
Chapter 20 — Laborers in the Vineyard, Ransom
New load-bearing terms:
- ransom (λύτρον, lytron, 20:28 “to give his life as a ransom for many”) — Rendering: फोरायनायनि दाम (phoraynaini dam, “the price of salvation”), built on the baseline’s फोरायनाय (salvation) plus दाम (price, Assamese/Hindi loan). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor]: Christ’s substitutionary, atoning death must be taught as a once-for-all, sufficient price paid by God himself for sinners — and must NOT be assimilated to the reciprocal offering-for-protection logic of Bathou/Kherai ritual exchange (the same collision class flagged Critical for grace in the baseline) nor to any notion of appeasing an angry deity through repeated ritual payment. This is arguably the single most important new Critical term in the book for the Passion narrative and should receive the same mandatory theologian-review routing as grace and atonement language in the baseline’s escalation rules.
- laborers in the vineyard (parable, 20:1-16) — illustrates grace vs. merit; reuses baseline मोफादांनाय दान (grace) framework implicitly; no new lexical entry, but flag the parable itself as a key teaching text for the grace-not-merit distinction, alongside Romans 4:4-5/11:5-6 already named in the baseline.
Chapter 21 — Triumphal Entry, Temple Cleansing, Parables of Judgment
New load-bearing terms:
- Hosanna — transliteration होसान्ना, preserved untransliterated-into-meaning per regional Bible convention (parallel treatment to baseline’s अब्बा/Abba). Low risk.
- Son of David (21:9,15) — reuses दाऊदनि गोरा (see ch. 1). Critical risk.
- house of prayer (21:13) — reuses बिनयनाय (baseline intercession/prayer root); Medium risk; distinguish the temple’s intended purpose from नमासोलि (Bathou/Kherai worship site, per baseline church caution).
- cornerstone (κεφαλὴ γωνίας, kephalē gōnias, 21:42) — Rendering: मुल हातर (mul hatwr, “chief/foundation stone”). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: requires Old Testament background (Psalm 118) rather than posing a comparative-religion collision; Christ as rejected-yet-foundational stone.
- the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people producing its fruits (21:43) — reuses ईश्वरनि राज्य (kingdom_of_god, baseline term); note the transfer-of-stewardship theme should be taught carefully alongside the Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine already flagged Critical in the baseline, avoiding any ethnic-supersessionist misreading.
Chapter 22 — Wedding Feast, Taxes to Caesar, Greatest Commandment
New load-bearing terms:
- many are called, but few are chosen (22:14) — reuses baseline फिनायाव/फिनायनि सिम (called/calling) and ईश्वरनि सायख (election) exactly; Critical/High risk per baseline, reinforced here.
- love (ἀγάπη/ἀγαπάω, agapē/agapaō, 22:37-39 “love the Lord your God… love your neighbor”) — Rendering: मोसाथिनाय (mwsathinai, “to love”) — [PROVISIONAL] High risk [NEW TERM]: this is the summary of the whole Law (22:40) and recurs at 5:44 (love enemies). Confirm with native speaker before enforcement; must be taught as active, willed, covenantal love modeled on God’s own character, not mere sentiment or the reciprocal-kinship affection bounded by clan (afad) loyalty.
- David’s son / David’s Lord (22:41-45, citing Psalm 110) — reuses दाऊदनि गोरा and प्रभु (Lord, baseline Critical term); this passage is Matthew’s own argument for Christ’s deity-and-Davidic-sonship together and should be flagged for theologian review alongside the deity_of_christ doctrine.
Chapter 23 — Woes to the Pharisees and Scribes
New load-bearing terms:
- woe (οὐαί, ouai, 23:13-29) — Rendering: दुखनि रां (dukhoni rang, “a declaration of sorrow/judgment”) — [NEW TERM] Medium-High risk: this is prophetic judgment-speech in the Old Testament tradition (reuse भाबिष्यत रां framework); should not be softened into mere expression of sadness — it carries the force of solemn divine indictment.
- hypocrites / blind guides — reuses कपटी (see ch. 6); Medium risk.
- greatest among you shall be your servant (23:11-12) — reuses सेवा (service, cf. baseline mission/ministry vocabulary christ_centered_ministry); Medium risk.
Chapter 24 — The Olivet Discourse (Signs of the End)
New load-bearing terms:
- end of the age — reuses जुगनि जोबथाव (see ch. 13). Critical risk, reinforced.
- coming of the Son of Man / parousia (παρουσία, parousia, 24:3,27,37,39) — Rendering: जिसुनि फिन फैनाय (Jisuni phin phoinai, “Jesus’ return/coming back”). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor for Judgment and the End of Age]: must be taught as Christ’s single, final, visible, personal return in glory to judge and consummate his kingdom — not a repeatable avatar-style divine descent (a live risk given Brahma Dharma’s Hindu-influenced background, where avatara theology envisions multiple divine descents across ages) and not comparable to a doudini’s ritual trance-descent of a deity into a human medium during Kherai puja. Reinforces and extends the baseline’s incarnation caution into eschatology.
- false prophets / false christs (24:24) — reuses भाबिष्यत सोंग्रा and मसीह (baseline terms) with negation; High risk given the Critical status of both underlying terms.
- no one knows the day or hour (24:36) — no new lexical entry; teaching note only.
- watch / be ready (γρηγορεῖτε, grēgoreite, 24:42-44) — Rendering: जागोन थानाय (jagwn thanai, “staying watchful/awake”). Medium risk [NEW TERM]: standard vigilance vocabulary; ties to the assurance_of_salvation/providence doctrines already in the baseline, applied here to eschatological readiness rather than present assurance.
Chapter 25 — Parables of Judgment (Virgins, Talents, Sheep and Goats)
New load-bearing terms:
- eternal punishment (κόλασιν αἰώνιον, kolasin aiōnion, 25:46) — Rendering: जोबथाव नङा सजा (jobthau nonga sodya, “punishment without end”), built in deliberate structural parallel with eternal life (जोबथाव नङा जिउ, ch. 19). Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor]: must be taught as conscious, final, unending judgment — explicitly NOT a temporary purgation or punitive interval preceding another rebirth, which is the expectation a hearer shaped by Brahma Dharma’s Hindu-influenced karma-and-rebirth framework might otherwise import. This is one of the most theologically sensitive new terms in the whole book and requires the same mandatory-theologian-review routing as resurrection and salvation in the baseline.
- Gehenna / hell (γέεννα, first at 5:22, culminating conceptually here) — Rendering: नरक (norok) — [NEW TERM, used with heavy caveat] Critical risk: नरक is a Sanskrit/Hindi loanword that, in general regional Hindu usage (and by extension in a Bodo population with Brahma Dharma-influenced background), can denote a temporary punitive realm within an ongoing rebirth cosmology. Matthew’s γέεννα/hell must be taught explicitly as real, conscious, and final judgment — never a way-station before rebirth. This caveat must be attached to नरक every time it is used, exactly as the baseline attaches its caveat to फोरायनाय (salvation) and जिउनाय सोलायनाय (resurrection).
- least of these my brothers (25:40,45) — no new lexical entry; ties to mutual_edification/church_as_gods_people doctrines already in baseline; teaching note on practical mercy (दया, ch. 5,9).
Chapter 26 — Last Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal, Trial
New load-bearing terms:
- covenant (διαθήκη, diathēkē, 26:28 “this is my blood of the covenant”) — reuses baseline गोसाथारि exactly. Critical risk reinforced: this is the New Covenant’s founding text; must connect explicitly to the Davidic covenant already flagged and to the forgiveness of sins (माफ, ch. 6) it secures — “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
- delivered up / betrayed (παραδίδωμι, paradidōmi, 26:2,15-16,21-25,45-46) — descriptive: होनाय/बेचायनाय (honai/bechainai, “handed over/betrayed”). Medium risk; no comparative-religion collision, but theologically significant as the passive-voice thread running through the Passion (Jesus is repeatedly “handed over”), worth flagging for translators to keep verb-tense/voice consistent across occurrences.
- Gethsemane prayer / “not my will but yours” (26:39,42) — reuses आफानि मन (will of the Father, see ch. 7) and बिनयनाय (baseline intercession/prayer term); Critical risk given its Christological weight (Christ’s own submission to the Father modeling obedience_of_faith, already a baseline High-risk doctrine).
Chapter 27 — Crucifixion
New load-bearing terms:
- crucify / cross — reuses क्रुस (see ch. 10). Critical risk, reinforced at the narrative’s climax.
- “Truly this was the Son of God” (27:54) — reuses ईश्वरनि गोरा exactly (baseline Critical term); the centurion’s confession should render identically to every other occurrence of this term in the curriculum, per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule.
- veil of the temple torn (27:51) — descriptive imagery; Medium risk, requires Old Testament temple-background teaching (access to God opened) rather than posing a lexical collision.
- Reused: जिउनाय सोलायनाय (resurrection, anticipated at 27:52-53’s “the tombs also were opened”), गुनाह (implicit — the Passion is Matthew’s answer to the sin problem named in 1:21).
Chapter 28 — Resurrection and the Great Commission
New load-bearing terms:
- resurrection — reuses जिउनाय सोलायनाय exactly (baseline Critical term). This chapter is the historical fulfillment of every prior resurrection prediction (12:40; 16:21; 17:23; 20:19) and must render identically; mandatory theologian review.
- make disciples of all nations (μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, mathēteusate panta ta ethnē, 28:19) — Rendering: सिष्य मोहरै दानाय (sishyo mohrai danai, “making [people] into disciples”), reusing सिष्य (see ch. 5:1) and applying it as a verb-form of active disciple-making. Critical risk [NEW TERM, doctrine anchor for The Great Commission]: note also that ἔθνη (all “nations”/peoples) here is broader than the baseline’s गैर-जुथुद (gentiles = specifically non-Jewish peoples); render as सर्बां जाति/जुथुद (sarbang jati/juthud, “all peoples/nations”) to preserve Matthew’s universal scope without narrowing it to the Jew/Gentile distinction that गैर-जुथुद specifically carries elsewhere. This distinction must be flagged for theologian review given its centrality to the Mission to the Nations and universal_scope_of_gospel doctrines already Critical/High in the baseline.
- all authority in heaven and on earth (28:18) — reuses अधिकार (see ch. 7) at its highest and most absolute expression; Critical risk, foundational to the whole Commission.
- baptizing… in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (28:19) — reuses बाप्तिस्मो (see ch. 3), आफा, ईश्वरनि गोरा, and पबित्र आत्था (all baseline terms) together in the book’s clearest Trinitarian formula; every one of these four terms must render exactly as recorded, with mandatory theologian review for the segment as a whole.
- teaching them to observe/obey (τηρεῖν, tērein, 28:20) — reuses बिश्वासनि मानोन (obedience_of_faith, baseline term) framework: obedience flowing from relationship with the risen, present Christ (“I am with you always”), not rule-compliance for its own sake.
- to the end of the age (28:20) — reuses जुगनि जोबथाव (see ch. 13); closes the book on the same linear-history note it opened with in the genealogy (ch. 1) and fulfillment refrain — the Great Commission is carried out within, and until, history’s God-appointed culmination.
This document, together with 08_core_glossary.md, extends the Romans Language Package baseline for the Matthew curriculum. All baseline terms are reused exactly; all new terms proposed here are provisional pending theologian/native-speaker confirmation as marked, per the same methodology the baseline itself established.