Semantic Analysis — Galatians (Full Book, Koine Greek)

Methodology

This analysis follows PRD Phase 1 Step 1. The core passage (Galatians 2:15-21) receives full verse-by-verse treatment of every load-bearing term. Every other chapter of Galatians (1, 3, 4, 5, 6) receives chapter-level treatment of its load-bearing theological vocabulary using the same fields: original word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants, contextual theological meaning, and destination-language (Dutch) rendering risk.

Where a term is already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json, the established Dutch rendering is reused exactly and only the Galatians-specific contextual notes are added — the baseline rendering is never altered. New terms not present in the Romans baseline are proposed here for the first time and carried into 08_core_glossary.md.

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PART A — Core Passage: Galatians 2:15-21 (Verse-by-Verse)

Galatians 2:15

“Ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί·” “We are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
Ἰουδαῖοι Ioudaioi Jews	ethnic-religious identity marker ”Jews”	Paul identifies his and Peter’s inherited covenant status, setting up the coming argument that ethnic privilege does not justify	Joden — Low risk, stable term
ἐθνῶν (ἔθνη) ethnē nations, peoples	non-Jewish peoples; pejorative “pagans” in common Jewish usage ”Gentiles,” “nations”	Marks the Jew/Gentile distinction Paul is about to dismantle theologically	Reuse baseline heidenen — Medium risk (baseline note on pejorative secular connotation applies)
ἁμαρτωλοί (ἁμαρτωλός) hamartōloi sinners	one characterized by ἁμαρτία (transgression); in Jewish usage, a slur for the morally/ritually unclean, applied here ironically ”sinners”	Paul quotes the Jewish assumption that Gentiles are definitionally “sinners” — a premise the whole passage will overturn	New term zondaar(s) — High risk: built on baseline “zonde” (High risk; colloquial Dutch reads “zonde” as “a pity/waste”). “Zondaar” retains more moral weight than “zonde” alone but must not be softened to “wrongdoer in a minor sense”

Galatians 2:16

“εἰδότες [δὲ] ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
δικαιοῦται / δικαιωθῶμεν / δικαιωθήσεται (δικαιόω) dikaioutai / dikaiōthōmen / dikaiōthēsetai to be declared righteous, acquitted	forensic-legal declaration of right standing, not moral transformation ”is justified,” “might be justified,” “will be justified”	The thesis-verb of the whole letter — occurs three times in one verse; God’s forensic verdict, not human merit	Reuse baseline rechtvaardiging/rechtvaardigen — Critical risk. This verse is the single densest justification-by-faith statement in Galatians and must match Romans’ established rendering exactly for curriculum-wide consistency
ἔργων νόμου (ἔργον + νόμος) ergōn nomou works of law	deeds performed in obedience to Torah, esp. boundary markers (circumcision, food laws) in Paul’s Jewish-Gentile controversy ”works of the law,” “law-keeping,” “legal works”	The rejected basis of justification — contrasted twice in this verse with faith	New compound term werken van de wet — Critical risk: must never be softened to “good deeds” generally; this is specifically Torah-observance, and the phrase must retain its antithetical force against “geloof”
πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ / πίστεως Χριστοῦ pisteōs Iēsou Christou / pisteōs Christou faith of Jesus Christ / faith of Christ	genitive is ambiguous: objective genitive (“faith in Christ”) or subjective genitive (“Christ’s own faithfulness”) “faith in Jesus Christ,” “faithfulness of Jesus Christ”	The Reformed/HSV/NBV mainstream reading takes this as faith directed toward Christ (objective genitive); a minority scholarly reading takes it as Christ’s own faithful obedience	geloof in Jezus Christus — Critical risk, genuinely ambiguous: the objective-genitive rendering is required for consistency with Romans 3:22 and this curriculum’s baseline; flag any segment using this phrase for human theologian review with the subjective-genitive alternative recorded as “alternatives_considered”
ἐπιστεύσαμεν (πιστεύω) episteusamen we believed, we put faith in	to trust, entrust oneself to ”we believed,” “we put our faith in,” “we trusted”	Paul’s own and Peter’s own act of faith in Christ, grounding the whole argument in personal experience, not theory	Reuse baseline geloven (root of geloof) — Medium risk per baseline notes
πᾶσα σάρξ pasa sarx all flesh	idiomatic Hebraism (kol basar) for “every human being,” emphasizing universal human inability ”no one,” “no human being,” “all flesh”	Universal human accountability: no one, Jew or Gentile, is justified by law-keeping	New term vlees (in idiom geen enkel mens / alle vlees) — High risk: literal “alle vlees” is a recognizable biblical Hebraism in Dutch (cf. Statenvertaling Genesis/Psalms) but risks a purely physical-body reading for secularized readers; recommend “geen mens” with a footnote preserving the Hebraic idiom where register allows

Galatians 2:17

“εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; μὴ γένοιτο.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ἐν Χριστῷ en Christō in Christ	Paul’s characteristic incorporative/union phrase ”in Christ”	Union with Christ as the locus of justification, distinct from ethnic or cultic identity	Reuse Romans “in Christ” pattern (see baseline doctrine “Christian Identity in Christ”) — Medium risk
ἁμαρτωλοί (ἁμαρτωλός) hamartōloi sinners	see 2:15 ”sinners”	Paul entertains and rejects the false inference that seeking justification in Christ makes one (or Christ) complicit in sin	New term zondaars (see 2:15) — High risk
διάκονος diakonos servant, minister, agent	one who serves/promotes another’s cause ”servant,” “minister,” “agent,” “promoter”	The rhetorical-absurd suggestion that Christ would be an agent/promoter of sin	New term dienaar — Medium risk: must not carry the later ecclesiastical “deacon” office sense; here it is a general agency term
μὴ γένοιτο mē genoito may it not be, God forbid	strong idiomatic negation/rejection ”Certainly not!”, “God forbid!”, “By no means!”	Paul’s characteristic emphatic rejection of a false inference (cf. Romans 3:4,6,31; 6:1-2,15; 7:7,13; 9:14; 11:1,11)	Reuse established Dutch Bible idiom Volstrekt niet! / Zeker niet! — Low risk, but must retain rhetorical force, not soften to a mild “no”

Galatians 2:18

“εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνιστάνω.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
κατέλυσα (καταλύω) katelysa I tore down, demolished	to dismantle a building; metaphor for abolishing a system ”I destroyed,” “I tore down,” “I abolished”	Paul’s abandonment of law-as-justification	New term afbreken — Low-Medium risk, building metaphor transfers cleanly into Dutch
οἰκοδομῶ (οἰκοδομέω) oikodomō I build, I build up	to construct; also Paul’s frequent metaphor for edifying the church ”I build,” “I rebuild”	The absurdity of reverting to law-observance after having abandoned it in Christ	New term opbouwen — Low risk; note collision with the positive edification sense elsewhere (cf. baseline doctrine “Mutual Edification”) — context must disambiguate
παραβάτην (παραβάτης) parabatēn transgressor, one who oversteps	one who crosses a boundary/law ”transgressor,” “law-breaker”	Paul would prove himself guilty of the very transgression he warns against if he rebuilt the law-system	New term overtreder — Medium risk
συνιστάνω (συνίστημι) synistanō I demonstrate, prove, establish	to show to be the case, to commend/establish ”I prove,” “I demonstrate,” “I show myself to be”	Self-incriminating logical outcome of reverting to law-keeping	New term bewijzen (mijzelf tot) — Low risk

Galatians 2:19

“ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον ἵνα θεῷ ζήσω. Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι·“

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον dia nomou nomō apethanon through the law I died to the law	paradoxical claim: the law itself (rightly understood, in its condemning function) drove Paul to death-to-law through Christ’s death ”through the law I died to the law”	The Law’s Purpose doctrine: the law condemns, driving the sinner to Christ, in whom the believer dies to the law’s claim	Reuse baseline wet — High risk (baseline notes apply: capitalize “de Wet” for Torah); the paradox must be preserved, not smoothed into simple abolition of law’s validity
θεῷ ζήσω (ζάω) theō zēsō that I might live to God	purpose clause: new life oriented wholly toward God ”that I might live for God,” “to live to God”	The positive goal of dying to the law: a God-oriented new existence	New term leven voor God — Medium risk
Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι (συσταυρόω) Christō synestaurōmai I have been crucified together with Christ	perfect passive: a completed past event with ongoing present effect; union with Christ’s death ”I have been crucified with Christ”	Crucified with Christ doctrine core term: believer’s old identity/standing under the law’s condemnation ended definitively at the cross, in union with Christ	New term met Christus gekruisigd (zijn) — Critical risk: must preserve the perfect-tense “already accomplished, permanently effective” sense; a simple past (“werd gekruisigd”) loses the ongoing-state nuance. This is the doctrinal anchor term for “Crucified with Christ”

Galatians 2:20

“ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ζῶ…ἐγώ / ζῇ…Χριστός (ζάω) zō…egō / zē…Christos I live / Christ lives	ongoing existence ”I live” / “Christ lives”	The paradox of the crucified-and-living self: the old self’s authority is ended, yet Paul continues to exist, indwelt by Christ	New term leven (verb) — Low risk
ἐν σαρκί en sarki in the flesh	here a neutral, physical sense: ordinary bodily human existence — contrast with the ethical/negative sense of σάρξ elsewhere (Gal 5) “in the flesh,” “in the body,” “in this earthly life”	Distinct from the Galatians 5 ethical “flesh vs. Spirit” sense; here simply “in my mortal body”	New term vlees (context: in het vlees = in het lichamelijke leven) — High risk: σάρξ carries at least two distinct senses across Galatians (neutral-physical here; morally negative in ch. 5) and this dual range must be flagged for every occurrence so translators do not default to one sense throughout
ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ en pistei zō tē tou huiou tou theou I live by the faith, [that] of the Son of God	genitive again ambiguous (faith in the Son of God / the Son of God’s own faithfulness); see 2:16 note ”I live by faith in the Son of God” / “by the faithfulness of the Son of God”	Same subjective/objective genitive tension as 2:16, now applied to daily Christian existence	ik leef door het geloof in de Zoon van God — Critical risk, same genitive ambiguity as 2:16; reuse baseline Zoon van God exactly (Critical term, full phrase mandatory)
ἀγαπήσαντός (ἀγαπάω) agapēsantos having loved	self-giving, covenantal love ”who loved me”	Christ’s love is the ground and content of the faith just mentioned	New term liefhebben/liefde — Medium risk: relates to the “Faith Working through Love” doctrine (Gal 5:6)
παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ (παραδίδωμι) paradontos heauton hyper emou having given himself up for me	self-sacrificial substitution/representation ”who gave himself for me,” “who gave himself up on my behalf”	Substitutionary self-giving at the cross, personally applied (“for me,” singular)	New term Zichzelf overgeven voor — Critical risk: must preserve substitutionary “for me” (ὑπέρ), not weaken to a vague “because of”

Galatians 2:21

“οὐκ ἀθετῶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ γὰρ διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη, ἄρα Χριστὸς δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν.”

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ἀθετῶ (ἀθετέω) athetō I do not nullify, set aside, reject	to invalidate, treat as null ”I do not nullify,” “I do not set aside,” “I do not reject”	Paul denies that his gospel of grace annuls or disrespects God’s grace — rather, a law-based righteousness would do so	New term ik doe niet teniet / ik zet niet buiten werking — High risk: must not be flattened to a weak “I do not forget”
χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ charin tou theou grace of God	see baseline χάρις ”the grace of God”	Central to the letter’s Law-and-Grace doctrine; to seek righteousness by law is to declare God’s grace superfluous	Reuse baseline genade van God — Critical risk in this context (directly ties to Synod of Dordrecht sovereign-grace doctrine already flagged Critical in Romans baseline; Galatians sharpens the stakes further because Paul says a law-based righteousness would make Christ’s death pointless)
διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη dia nomou dikaiosynē righteousness through law	hypothetical, rejected premise ”righteousness through the law,” “righteousness by law-keeping”	The rejected alternative path to right standing before God	Reuse baseline gerechtigheid with door de wet — Critical risk
δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν (δωρεάν + ἀποθνήσκω) dōrean apethanen he died for nothing, gratuitously, in vain	δωρεάν = without cause/purpose, needlessly (distinct from its other sense “as a free gift”) “he died in vain,” “he died for nothing,” “he died needlessly”	The devastating logical conclusion if righteousness could come through law: the cross would be pointless	New term voor niets gestorven — Critical risk: must not be confused with δωρεάν’s other biblical sense “freely, as a gift” (e.g. Matthew 10:8, Romans 3:24’s δωρεάν-adjacent ideas); here it means “needlessly/in vain,” and mistranslating it as “died as a free gift” would invert Paul’s argument

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PART B — Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book

Chapter 1 — Paul’s Apostleship and the True Gospel

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ἀπόστολος apostolos one sent, apostle	delegated, authoritative envoy ”apostle”	Gal 1:1 opens by defending Paul’s apostleship as not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father — a direct polemical claim absent from Romans’ calmer usage	Reuse baseline apostel — baseline risk Low/Medium in Romans, but elevated to Medium-High in Galatians specifically: the doctrine “Paul’s Apostleship” here is a contested, defended claim, not a settled fact assumed by the reader. Flag for native speaker review whenever this term appears in Gal. 1-2
εὐαγγέλιον euangelion good news, gospel	authoritative proclamation of salvation ”gospel,” “good news”	Gal 1:6-11 introduces the doctrine “True Gospel versus False Gospels” — occurs 7 times in ch.1 alone, always in a defensive/polemical frame (“I am astonished… turning to a different gospel”)	Reuse baseline evangelie — baseline risk Low in Romans; elevated to High risk in Galatians because the term now appears inside an anathema formula (see below) contrasting the true gospel with a false one; this contextual elevation does not alter the baseline rendering, only the review routing
ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον heteron euangelion a different gospel (different in kind)	ἕτερος = qualitatively different, as opposed to ἄλλος = “another of the same kind" "a different gospel”	Gal 1:6-7 plays on this Greek distinction: “a different gospel, which is not another” — i.e., not really a gospel at all, merely called one	New term een ander evangelie — High risk: standard Dutch cannot reproduce the ἕτερος/ἄλλος distinction with two different words; recommend a translator’s footnote explaining that Paul denies this “different gospel” is a legitimate variant gospel at all
μεταστρέψαι (μεταστρέφω) metastrepsai to pervert, distort, turn into its opposite	to twist something into something else entirely ”to distort,” “to pervert,” “to twist”	Gal 1:7: opponents want to “distort the gospel of Christ” — not merely modify it, but invert it	New term verdraaien — High risk: must convey deliberate inversion, not innocent misunderstanding
ἀνάθεμα anathema accursed, given over to divine judgment	a formal curse of exclusion from the community/from God ”let him be accursed,” “let him be under God’s curse”	Gal 1:8-9’s double anathema against anyone preaching a different gospel — the strongest polemical language in the letter	New term vervloekt (zijn) — Critical risk: must retain full formal-curse force; a weak translation (“laat hem maar gaan”) would erase the doctrine’s gravity. Human theologian review required for both occurrences (1:8, 1:9)
ἀποκάλυψις (ἀποκαλύπτω) apokalypsis revelation, unveiling	disclosure of what was hidden, esp. divine self-disclosure ”revelation”	Gal 1:12,16: Paul’s gospel came “through a revelation of Jesus Christ,” grounding his apostolic authority	New term openbaring — Medium risk
Ἰουδαϊσμός Ioudaismos Judaism	the practice/system of Jewish religious life, here specifically pre-conversion zealous Torah observance ”Judaism”	Gal 1:13-14: Paul’s former life “in Judaism,” persecuting the church — sets up the law/grace contrast that runs through the letter	New term jodendom — Medium risk: must be handled with historical-descriptive care, not read as a blanket negative judgment on Jewish people or on ethnic Israel (parallel sensitivity to baseline’s “Israel” note)
παραδόσεις (παράδοσις) paradoseis traditions	handed-down teachings/practices ”traditions”	Gal 1:14: “the traditions of my fathers,” Paul’s prior zeal for ancestral religious tradition	New term overleveringen — Low risk
καλέσας (καλέω) kalesas having called	see baseline “called/calling" "who called me”	Gal 1:15: God’s call of Paul from the womb, echoing prophetic call narratives (cf. Jeremiah 1, Isaiah 49)	Reuse baseline geroepen/roeping — Medium risk per baseline
χάρις charis grace	see baseline ”grace”	Gal 1:3,6,15: grace frames both the letter’s greeting and Paul’s own call	Reuse baseline genade — Critical/High risk per baseline
ἐκκλησία(ις) ekklēsia(is) assembly, church	see baseline ”church(es)“	Gal 1:2 (“the churches of Galatia”), 1:13,22 (“the church of God,” “the churches of Judea”)	Reuse baseline gemeente — High risk per baseline

Chapter 2 — Additional Terms Beyond the Core Passage (2:1-14)

Verses 15-21 are treated in full above. The following terms occur in 2:1-14, the Jerusalem council/Antioch incident narrative leading into the core passage.

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
περιτομή peritomē circumcision	the Jewish covenant sign; here the boundary-marker controversy ”circumcision”	Gal 2:3,7-9,12: whether Gentile believers (Titus) must be circumcised — the flashpoint of the letter’s occasion	New term besnijdenis — High risk: the “Circumcision and the New Creation” doctrine (culminating in Gal 6:15) is introduced here; must be handled as a specifically Jewish covenant-sign controversy, not a general ritual-purity topic
ψευδάδελφοι pseudadelphoi false brothers	infiltrating false believers ”false brothers”	Gal 2:4: those who came to spy out Gentile freedom	New term valse broeders — Medium risk
ἐλευθερία eleutheria freedom, liberty	freedom from bondage, esp. legal/religious bondage ”freedom,” “liberty”	Gal 2:4: “our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus” — first appearance of the “Freedom in Christ” doctrine, fully developed in ch.5	New term vrijheid — High risk: must be distinguished from purely political/civic liberty; this is freedom from the law’s condemning power and from ritual bondage
καταδουλώσουσιν (καταδουλόω) katadoulōsousin they might enslave	to bring fully under slavery ”to enslave,” “to bring into bondage”	Gal 2:4: the false brothers’ goal — to re-enslave Gentile believers to law-observance	New term tot slaaf maken — Medium risk
στῦλοι (στῦλος) styloi pillars	metaphor for foundational leaders ”pillars”	Gal 2:9: James, Peter, John as “pillars” of the Jerusalem church	New term pijlers/steunpilaren — Low risk
κοινωνία koinōnia fellowship, partnership	shared participation ”fellowship,” “partnership”	Gal 2:9: the “right hand of fellowship” extended to Paul and Barnabas	Reuse baseline gemeenschap — Low risk per baseline
ὑπόκρισις / συνυπεκρίθησαν (ὑποκρίνομαι) hypokrisis / synypekrithēsan hypocrisy / they joined in pretense	acting a part contrary to one’s true conviction ”hypocrisy,” “they too acted hypocritically”	Gal 2:13: Peter’s and Barnabas’s inconsistency at Antioch, condemned sharply by Paul	New term hypocrisie/schijnheiligheid — Medium risk
ὀρθοποδοῦσιν (ὀρθοποδέω) orthopodousin they walk straight/uprightly	to conduct oneself consistently with a standard ”walking in line with,” “acting consistently with”	Gal 2:14: Paul’s charge that Peter’s conduct was “not in step with the truth of the gospel”	New term juist wandelen (naar de waarheid van het evangelie) — Low risk

Chapter 3 — The Abrahamic Covenant, Promise, and the Law’s Purpose

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ἐπαγγελία epangelia promise	a formal pledge, esp. God’s covenant pledge to Abraham ”promise”	Gal 3:14,16-18,21-22,29: the promise to Abraham, received by faith, prior to and independent of the law	New term belofte — Critical risk: the entire chapter’s argument depends on “promise” being categorically distinct from “law” as a basis for inheritance/blessing; must never be rendered in a way that collapses promise into a conditional legal arrangement
Ἀβραάμ Abraam Abraham	proper name ”Abraham”	The covenant patriarch, central to the chapter’s argument	Abraham — Low risk, established form
σπέρμα (Ἀβραάμ) sperma (Abraam) seed, offspring	collective singular noun (like English “seed”/“offspring,” not “seeds”); in 3:16 argued to refer to one descendant (Christ); in 3:29 to all believers corporately ”seed,” “offspring,” “descendant(s)“	Gal 3:16: Paul’s argument hinges on the singular form of “seed” pointing to a single descendant, Christ; Gal 3:29: “you are Abraham’s seed” applied corporately to all believers by faith	New term, two senses: (a) Christological singular — nakomeling van Abraham (parallel construction to baseline nakomeling van David); (b) corporate — nageslacht van Abraham (Dutch “nageslacht” is conveniently also a collective singular, preserving the same grammatical feature Paul’s argument depends on) — High risk: translators must recognize which sense is active per occurrence; flag 3:16 for human theologian review given its argumentative weight
κατάρα katara curse	the covenant curse for law-breaking (cf. Deuteronomy 27-28) “curse”	Gal 3:10 (“cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law”), 3:13 (Christ “became a curse for us”)	New term vloek — Critical risk: central to the substitutionary logic of 3:13; must not be softened to “misfortune”
εὐλογία eulogia blessing	the Abrahamic covenant blessing extended to the nations ”blessing”	Gal 3:14: “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles”	New term zegen — Medium risk
διαθήκη diathēkē covenant	see baseline ”covenant”	Gal 3:15,17: the Abrahamic covenant’s legal irrevocability, argued from human testament practice	Reuse baseline verbond — High risk per baseline
νόμος nomos law	see baseline ”law,” “the Law”	Gal 3:2,5,10-13,17-19,21,23-24: the letter’s central law/promise, law/faith antithesis	Reuse baseline wet — High risk per baseline; capitalize as “de Wet” for Mosaic law per baseline convention
μεσίτης mesitēs mediator	one who stands between two parties ”mediator”	Gal 3:19-20: the law “was put in place through angels by a mediator” (Moses) — contrasted with the oneness of God and the directness of the promise	New term middelaar — Medium-High risk: avoid confusion with Christ’s unique mediatorship (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5), which is a different referent here (Moses)
παιδαγωγός paidagōgos guardian, child-supervisor (not a modern “pedagogue/teacher”)	a household slave/guardian responsible for a minor child’s discipline until adulthood — NOT primarily an instructor ”guardian,” “tutor,” “disciplinarian”	Gal 3:24-25: “the law was our guardian until Christ came” — a temporary, custodial role, now ended	New term opvoeder (NBV) — alternative: tuchtmeester (Statenvertaling/HSV register, more literally “disciplinarian”) — Medium risk: the false-friend risk is real, since modern Dutch readers may hear “opvoeder” as a benign modern childcare role rather than the ancient custodial-guardian image; a brief gloss is recommended. This directly serves the “Law’s Purpose” doctrine
υἱοὶ θεοῦ huioi theou sons of God	corporate designation of believers by faith, distinct from Christ’s unique Sonship ”sons of God,” “children of God”	Gal 3:26: “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith”	New term kinderen van God (used for believers) — High risk: must be kept visibly distinct from baseline Zoon van God (Critical, reserved for Christ’s unique eternal Sonship); using the same phrase for both would blur the Critical Sonship-of-Christ doctrine
ἐβαπτίσθητε (βαπτίζω) ebaptisthēte you were baptized	ritual water immersion marking union with Christ ”you were baptized”	Gal 3:27: “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”	New term gedoopt (zijn) — Medium risk
Ἰουδαῖος/Ἕλλην, δοῦλος/ἐλεύθερος, ἄρσεν/θῆλυ Ioudaios/Hellēn, doulos/eleutheros, arsen/thēly Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female	paired social categories dissolved “in Christ" "Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female”	Gal 3:28: unity in Christ transcending these distinctions — must not be read as erasing creaturely distinctions outside the “in Christ” status claim	Standard pair-terms — Medium risk: connects to baseline doctrine “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” (High risk in Romans registry); reuse that routing here

Chapter 4 — Adoption, Sonship, and Freedom (continued)

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
κληρονόμος klēronomos heir	one who inherits ”heir”	Gal 4:1,7: the believer’s status as heir, “through God,” of the promised inheritance	New term erfgenaam — High risk: must retain full-inheritance-rights sense (parallel to baseline’s caution on “adoption” implying reduced status — an heir here has complete rights)
δοῦλος doulos slave, bondservant	one owned by another, without legal standing of a son ”slave,” “servant,” “bondservant”	Gal 4:1,7: contrasted with son/heir status — the pre-maturity condition	New term slaaf — Medium risk
ἐπίτροπος καὶ οἰκονόμος epitropos kai oikonomos guardians and stewards/managers	legal guardians and household managers overseeing a minor heir ”guardians and managers/stewards”	Gal 4:2: describes the minor heir’s temporary subordination — parallel image to the παιδαγωγός of ch.3	New terms voogden en beheerders — Low-Medium risk
στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου stoicheia tou kosmou elemental things/elements of the world	disputed: basic elemental substances, elementary religious principles/rules, or personal cosmic/spiritual powers ”elemental spirits,” “elementary principles,” “basic principles of the world”	Gal 4:3,9: describes the “enslaved” pre-Christ condition of both Jew (under law) and Gentile (under paganism)	New term elementaire machten van de wereld — High risk: genuinely disputed exegetically; a purely abstract rendering (“basisbeginselen”) loses the possible cosmic-power sense that better explains 4:8-9’s link to former idol-worship; flag for human theologian review
πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου plērōma tou chronou fullness of time	the appointed, ripe moment ”the fullness of time,” “when the time had fully come”	Gal 4:4: the timing of the incarnation, echoing Romans’ “vleeswording” doctrine	New term volheid van de tijd — Low-Medium risk
ἐξαπέστειλεν (ἐξαποστέλλω) ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ exapesteilen ho theos ton huion autou God sent forth his Son	divine mission-sending, implying pre-existence ”God sent his Son”	Gal 4:4: directly parallels the Sonship/Incarnation doctrines already Critical in the Romans baseline	Reuse baseline Zoon van God — Critical risk per baseline
ἐξαγοράσῃ (ἐξαγοράζω) exagorasē might redeem, buy back/out	commercial-manumission metaphor: to purchase out of slavery ”might redeem,” “might buy back”	Gal 4:5 (cf. 3:13): Christ’s redemptive work securing believers’ release from the law’s condemnation	New term vrijkopen — Critical risk: must retain the purchase/manumission image, not weaken to generic “save”
υἱοθεσία huiothesia adoption	see baseline ”adoption”	Gal 4:5: “so that we might receive adoption as sons”	Reuse baseline aanneming tot kinderen exactly — Critical risk per baseline; this is the term’s second major Pauline occurrence after Romans 8
Ἀββά ὁ πατήρ Abba ho patēr Abba, Father	Aramaic term of filial intimacy + Greek translation ”Abba, Father”	Gal 4:6: the Spirit’s cry within believers, identical formula to Romans 8:15	Reuse baseline Abba, Vader exactly — Medium risk per baseline; curriculum consistency rule (12_ai_translation_requirements.md) requires identical rendering across Romans and Galatians
ἀλληγορούμενα (ἀλληγορέω) allēgoroumena being spoken allegorically	figurative/typological interpretive mode ”which may be interpreted allegorically,” “these women are figures”	Gal 4:24: Paul’s typological reading of Sarah/Hagar	New term in figuurlijke/typologische zin gesproken or allegorie — Low-Medium risk
ἐλευθέρα / παιδίσκη eleuthera / paidiskē free woman / slave woman	Sarah (free) vs. Hagar (slave) as covenant types ”the free woman” / “the slave woman”	Gal 4:22-31: typological argument connecting to the “Freedom in Christ” doctrine	New terms de vrije vrouw / de slavin — Medium risk

Chapter 5 — Freedom, Flesh versus Spirit, and Fruit of the Spirit

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
ἐλευθερία / ἠλευθέρωσεν eleutheria / ēleutherōsen freedom / set free	see ch.2 note ”freedom,” “he set us free”	Gal 5:1,13: “For freedom Christ has set us free” — the doctrinal high point of “Freedom in Christ”	Reuse vrijheid (established above) — High risk: must be immediately qualified as freedom from law’s condemnation and for Spirit-empowered love, not freedom to sin (5:13)
ἐκπέσατε (ἐκπίπτω) τῆς χάριτος ekpesate tēs charitos you fell away from grace	to fall out of/away from a position ”you have fallen away from grace”	Gal 5:4: warning against seeking justification by law, which forfeits reliance on grace	New term van de genade vervallen (zijn) — Critical risk: in Dutch Reformed dogmatics, perseverance-of-the-saints teaching (Canons of Dort, Fifth Head of Doctrine) makes this phrase theologically sensitive; must be rendered as describing the self-contradiction of seeking law-righteousness while professing grace, not as teaching that genuine, Spirit-worked saving grace can be lost — flag for human theologian review every occurrence
πίστις δι᾿ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη pistis di’ agapēs energoumenē faith working through/by means of love	faith that is active, operative, expressed through love ”faith working through love,” “faith expressing itself through love”	Gal 5:6: the positive alternative to both circumcision and its absence — the doctrine “Faith Working through Love”	New compound term geloof, werkzaam door de liefde — Critical risk: must preserve the causal/instrumental relationship (love as the means by which faith is expressed/active), not collapse into “faith and love” as two separate items, and must not be read as love earning justification (grace-merit distinction remains intact per baseline rule)
σάρξ sarx flesh	(1) physical body (neutral, cf. 2:20); (2) the fallen human nature in rebellion against God, opposed to the Spirit (dominant sense in ch.5) “flesh,” “sinful nature,” “the flesh”	Gal 5:13,16-17,19-21,24: the flesh/Spirit antithesis, central to the “Flesh versus Spirit” doctrine	New term vlees — High risk: this is the chapter where the ethical-negative sense (not the neutral-physical sense of 2:20) dominates; many modern Dutch versions gloss as “zondige natuur” in paraphrase editions, but HSV/NBV retain literal “vlees” — recommend retaining vlees with catechetical framing (as in Heidelberg Catechism-adjacent teaching materials) explaining the negative ethical sense, flagged for native speaker review at every occurrence to confirm the active sense (neutral vs. negative)
ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκός epithymian sarkos desire of the flesh	the flesh’s corrupted appetites ”desire of the flesh,” “the flesh’s desires”	Gal 5:16: “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”	New term begeerte van het vlees — High risk, see σάρξ above
ἔργα τῆς σαρκός erga tēs sarkos works/deeds of the flesh	the vice list of 5:19-21 ”the works/deeds of the flesh,” “acts of the sinful nature”	Gal 5:19-21: an explicit catalogue (sexual immorality, idolatry, enmity, etc.) contrasted with the fruit of the Spirit	New term werken van het vlees — High risk: deliberately parallels and contrasts with “werken van de wet” (2:16) and “vrucht van de Geest” (5:22) — this three-way lexical parallel (works of law / works of flesh / fruit of Spirit) is a structural feature of the letter and should be preserved consistently in Dutch
καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος karpos tou pneumatos fruit of the Spirit	singular “fruit” (unity of the list, not a set of separate “fruits”) “the fruit of the Spirit”	Gal 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — the doctrine “Fruit of the Spirit”	New term vrucht van de Geest — Critical risk: the singular “vrucht” (matching Greek singular καρπός) must be preserved rather than a plural “vruchten,” to retain the sense of one unified organic outcome of the Spirit’s work, not a checklist of separate virtues to be individually cultivated by effort
πνεῦμα pneuma Spirit / spirit	the Holy Spirit (dominant sense here) vs. the human spirit (context-dependent elsewhere in Paul) “Spirit,” “the Spirit”	Gal 5:16-18,22,25: walking “by the Spirit,” led by the Spirit, bearing the Spirit’s fruit	Reuse baseline Heilige Geest where the divine Person is meant — Medium-High risk: every occurrence in ch.5 must be checked to confirm the divine-Person sense is intended (it consistently is in this chapter) rather than a generic “spiritual disposition”
ἐσταύρωσαν (σταυρόω), τὴν σάρκα estaurōsan (stauroō), tēn sarka they crucified the flesh	metaphorical extension of crucifixion imagery to the believer’s decisive break with the flesh’s power ”have crucified the flesh”	Gal 5:24: “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” — echoes and applies 2:19-20’s “crucified with Christ”	New term het vlees gekruisigd (hebben) — Critical risk: must be understood as a definitive, Christ-accomplished-and-appropriated reality (parallel to 2:19-20), not an ongoing self-mortification project achieved by human effort alone
στοιχῶμεν (στοιχέω) stoichōmen let us walk in step, keep in line	to walk/march in orderly formation with a standard ”let us keep in step with the Spirit,” “let us walk by the Spirit”	Gal 5:25: the practical outworking of Spirit-life	New term wandelen (op het spoor van de Geest) — Low-Medium risk

Chapter 6 — Bearing One Another’s Burdens; New Creation; the Cross

Terms	Variants	Contextual theological meaning	Dutch rendering & risk
καταρτίζετε (καταρτίζω) katartizete restore, set right	to mend, put back into proper condition ”restore,” “correct gently”	Gal 6:1: restoring a brother “caught in any transgression,” in a spirit of gentleness	New term herstellen — Low risk
παραπτώματι (παράπτωμα) paraptōmati transgression, trespass	a false step, a lapse into wrongdoing ”transgression,” “sin,” “trespass”	Gal 6:1: the occasion for gentle restoration, not harsh judgment	New term overtreding — Medium risk: related to baseline “zonde” cluster; must retain moral seriousness while framing the response as restorative
ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε allēlōn ta barē bastazete bear one another’s burdens	mutual load-bearing metaphor ”bear one another’s burdens,” “carry each other’s burdens”	Gal 6:2: the doctrine “Bearing One Another’s Burdens” — communal responsibility flowing from Spirit-life (ch.5) into practice	New term elkaars lasten dragen — High risk: must be held together with 6:5’s “each will bear his own load [φορτίον]” without contradiction — communal support does not eliminate personal responsibility; a translator’s note distinguishing βάρος (heavy, shared burden) from φορτίον (one’s own load/cargo) is recommended
νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ nomon tou Christou law of Christ	Christ’s own governing standard, epitomized in self-giving love ”the law of Christ”	Gal 6:2: the positive replacement for “works of the law” as a governing norm — burden-bearing itself fulfills it	New term wet van Christus — High risk: must be read in light of ch.2-3’s law/grace argument, not as a reintroduction of legal-merit religion; this is law fulfilled through Spirit-empowered love (echoing “faith working through love,” 5:6), not a new code earning righteousness
φορτίον phortion load, cargo	one’s own individual burden/responsibility ”his own load”	Gal 6:5: distinct from the shared βάρη of 6:2; see note above	New term eigen last — Medium risk
σπείρῃ…θερίσει (σπείρω, θερίζω) speirē…therisei sows…will reap	agricultural metaphor for moral/spiritual consequence ”sows…will reap”	Gal 6:7-8: sowing to the flesh vs. sowing to the Spirit, with corresponding harvests of corruption or eternal life	New terms zaaien / oogsten — Medium risk
καινὴ κτίσις kainē ktisis new creation	a qualitatively new act of divine creation, not mere renovation ”new creation”	Gal 6:15: “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but a new creation” — the culmination of the “Circumcision and the New Creation” doctrine, resolving the entire letter’s controversy	New term nieuwe schepping — Critical risk: must retain full re-creative force (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17’s identical phrase); must not be reduced to “moral improvement” or “new religious identity” in a merely sociological sense
ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ho stauros tou Christou the cross of Christ	the crucifixion as both historical event and theological ground of boasting ”the cross of Christ”	Gal 6:14: “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” through which “the world has been crucified to me”	New term kruis van Christus — Critical risk: directly ties to 2:19-20 and 5:24’s crucifixion imagery; must be the exclusive ground of boasting, displacing both law-observance and any other status marker
στίγματα (στίγμα) stigmata marks, brands	physical marks, likely scars from persecution, imaged as a slave’s ownership brands ”marks,” “scars,” “brand-marks”	Gal 6:17: “I bear on my body the marks of Jesus” — Paul’s suffering as evidence of belonging to Christ	New term littekens/merktekens (van Jezus) — Low-Medium risk

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Summary: Doctrine-to-Chapter Mapping

Doctrine	Primary chapter(s)	Core passage overlap
Paul’s Apostleship	1, 2	2:15-21 (implicit authority)
The True Gospel versus False Gospels	1	—
Justification by Faith	2, 3	2:15-21 (thesis statement, direct)
Law and Grace	2, 3, 5	2:15-21 (direct)
Crucified with Christ	2, 5, 6	2:19-20 (direct)
The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise	3, 4	—
The Law’s Purpose	3, 4	2:19 (direct)
Adoption and Sonship	3, 4	—
Freedom in Christ	2, 4, 5	—
Circumcision and the New Creation	2, 5, 6	—
Flesh versus Spirit	5 (esp.), 2:20	2:20 (neutral sense)
Fruit of the Spirit	5	—
Faith Working through Love	5	—
Bearing One Another’s Burdens	6	—

No chapter of Galatians is without load-bearing theological vocabulary; all six chapters are represented above.