Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Matthew 1–28 (English → Filipino)
This glossary extends the Romans Language Package. Terms already present in the Romans translation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.json are marked [Reused from Romans TM] and must be rendered exactly as recorded there — no alternative renderings are permitted. Terms newly required for the Matthew curriculum are marked [NEW] and must be added to translation memory (with version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation begins, per the AI Translation Requirements instruction set.
Part A — Romans-Baseline Terms Reused in Matthew
| Term (EN) | Filipino Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Key Matthew Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | Diyos | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 27 | Never Bathala |
| Jesus | Jesus | Critical | Lordship of Christ | throughout | Established Protestant spelling |
| Christ/Messiah | Kristo / Mesiyas | Critical/High | Messianic Promise | 1, 2, 11, 16, 22, 23, 24, 26 | Both forms already established; Kristo for title-as-name, Mesiyas where “the Messiah” is explicit |
| Lord | Panginoon | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 7:21-22; 8:25; 22:41-45; 24:42 | Exclusive, supreme Lordship |
| Son of God | Anak ng Diyos | Critical | Sonship/Deity of Christ | 3:17; 4:3-6; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; 26:63; 27:40,43,54 | Never diluted into plural “anak ng Diyos” (see huioi theou entry below) |
| Holy Spirit | Espiritu Santo | Critical | Sanctification/Trinity | 1:18,20; 3:11,16; 4:1; 12:31-32; 28:19 | Never anito/kaluluwa |
| Father | Ama | High | Adoption/Sonship | 5:16,45,48; 6:9; 7:21; 11:27; 28:19 | Distinct from Padre (priest) |
| Kingdom of God | Kaharian ng Diyos | Critical | Kingdom of Heaven | 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43 | Synonym of Kaharian ng Langit in Matthew — see 07 analysis note |
| Law | kautusan | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 5:17-18; 7:12; 22:36-40; 23:23 | Mosaic Law |
| Sin | kasalanan | High | Universal Human Accountability | 1:21; 3:6; 9:2-6; 26:28 | Relational offense, not merely ritual |
| Covenant | tipan | High | Great Commission (Last Supper) | 26:28 | ”dugo ng tipan” |
| Prophet | propeta | Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 1-2; 5:12; 7:15; 11:9; 13:57; 23:29-37; 24:11 | Not manghuhula |
| Prophecy | propesiya | Low | Fulfillment of Prophecy | throughout fulfillment formulas | |
| Gentiles | mga Hentil | Medium | Great Commission | 4:15; 10:5,18; 12:18,21; 28:19 | Non-Jewish peoples |
| Glory | kaluwalhatian | High | Deity of Christ | 6:13(doxology, some mss); 16:27; 17:2; 24:30; 25:31 | God’s radiant majesty |
| Faith | pananampalataya | Medium | Faith | 8:10; 9:2,22,29; 15:28; 17:20; 21:21 | Object always Christ |
| Grace | biyaya | High | Grace | 20:1-16 (thematic, no exact lexeme) | Never utang na loob |
| Righteousness | katuwiran | High | Righteousness Exceeding Pharisees | 5:6,10,20; 6:1,33 | Both forensic and ethical senses present; context governs |
| Apostle | apostol | Medium | Great Commission | 10:2 | Distinct from alagad (disciple) |
| Called/Calling | tinawag / pagkatawag | Medium | Divine Calling | 4:21; 22:14 | Context-sensitive |
| Holy | banal | Medium | Sanctification | 6:9 (“banal ang pangalan mo”); 7:6 | |
| Resurrection | pagkabuhay na mag-uli | Medium | Resurrection of Christ | 12:39-40; 17:9,23; 22:23-33; 27:53; 28:1-10 | Bodily, historical, once-for-all |
| Peace | kapayapaan | Medium | Peace with God | (relational-peace-with-God sense assumed background); contrast at 10:34 | Distinguish social/family peace (10:34) from peace-with-God |
| Church | iglesia | Critical (at 16:18) / Medium elsewhere | The Church and Church Discipline | 16:18; 18:17 | Prefer over simbahan; mandatory theologian note at 16:18 |
| Power of God | kapangyarihan ng Diyos | High | Judgment/Miracles | 11:20-23; 13:54,58; 14:2; 22:29; 24:30 | Never anting-anting; kept distinct from exousia/awtoridad |
| Providence | kalinga ng Diyos | Medium | (thematic overlap) | 6:25-34; 10:29-31 | Never bahala na |
| Israel | Israel | Medium | Messianic Promise | 2:6,20-21; 8:10; 9:33; 10:6,23; 15:24,31; 19:28 | Established form |
| David | David | Low | Davidic Covenant | 1:1,6,17,20; 9:27; 12:3,23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42-45 | Established form |
| Mission | misyon | Medium | Great Commission (thematic) | 10; 28:19-20 | Focus on proclamation, not colonial-era institution |
| Exhort | pasiglahin | Low | (general encouragement, not a fixed Matthean lexeme) | — | Contextual use only |
Part B — New Terms Introduced for the Matthew Curriculum
| Term (EN) | Original Greek | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Filipino Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Key Chapters | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Heaven | βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν | basileia tōn ouranōn | reign of the heavens | Kaharian ng Langit | Critical | Kingdom of Heaven | 3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,13,16,18,19,20,21,22,23,25 | Must not be reduced to “going to heaven when you die”; synonymous in Matthew with Kaharian ng Diyos (Romans baseline) — teach as God’s present-and-coming reign |
| Disciple | μαθητής | mathētēs | learner, follower | alagad | Medium | Discipleship | 5(core),8,9,10,11,14,16,17,20,26,28 | Distinct from apostol (commissioned office) |
| Make disciples | μαθητεύω | mathēteuō | to train/form as a learner | gawing alagad | High | The Great Commission | 28 | Ongoing formation, not one-time conversion event |
| Son of David | υἱὸς Δαυίδ | huios Dauid | son (title) of David | Anak ni David | Medium | Jesus as Promised Messiah and Son of David | 1,9,12,15,20,21,22 | Distinct from Romans’ “lahi ni David” (physical descent, seed of David) |
| Fulfilled / Fulfillment | πληρόω / πλήρωσις | plēroō / plērōsis | to fill up, complete | natupad / katuparan | Medium | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 1,2,4,5,8,12,13,21,26,27 | Standard, low ambiguity but doctrinally load-bearing throughout |
| Authority | ἐξουσία | exousia | delegated right to act | awtoridad | High | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 5(core),7,8,9,21,28 | Chosen over “kapangyarihan” to avoid collision with Romans’ kapangyarihan ng Diyos (dynamis theou) |
| Scribes | γραμματεῖς | grammateis | writers, legal scholars | mga eskriba | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5,7,9,12,15,16,17,20,21,22,23,26,27 | Established Filipino Bible transliteration |
| Pharisees | Φαρισαῖοι | Pharisaioi | Pharisees (a Jewish sect) | mga Pariseo | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 3,5,9,12,15,16,19,21,22,23 | Established transliteration |
| Hypocrite | ὑποκριτής | hypokritēs | stage-actor, pretender | mapagkunwari | High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 6,7,15,22,23,24 | Critique performative religiosity generally, not one denomination’s practice specifically |
| Repent / Repentance | μετανοέω / μετάνοια | metanoeō / metanoia | to turn, change one’s mind | magsisi / pagsisisi | High | (foundational to Kingdom + Righteousness doctrines) | 3,4,11,12 | Distinguish from sacramental confession (kumpisal) as the mechanism of forgiveness |
| Baptize / Baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα | baptizō / baptisma | to immerse | binyag / binyagan / bautismuhan | Critical | The Great Commission | 3, 28 | Retain shared cross-denominational term (per Romans convention for kaligtasan/mga banal); mandatory teaching note: baptism signifies a prior repentance/faith decision, does not mechanically confer it |
| Devil | διάβολος | diabolos | slanderer, accuser | diyablo | Medium | (temptation narrative) | 4,13,25 | Established; distinguish in teaching from folk spirit-categories |
| Demon-possessed | δαιμονίζομαι | daimonizomai | under a demon’s power | sinaniban ng demonyo | High | (miracles/authority) | 4,8,9,10,12,15,17 | Distinguish from Filipino folk-spirit taxonomy (engkanto, aswang, anito); never confuse with Espiritu Santo’s work |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | son of man | Anak ng Tao | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age; Deity of Christ | 8,9,10,11,12,13,16,17,19,20,24,25,26 | Daniel 7 apocalyptic judge-title; must not be flattened to mean “merely human” |
| Parable | παραβολή | parabolē | comparison, extended story | talinghaga | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 13,15,18,20,21,22,24,25 | Established Filipino Bible term |
| Mystery/Mysteries | μυστήριον | mystērion | hidden thing revealed | hiwaga | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 13 | Not occult/esoteric secret knowledge |
| Tradition | παράδοσις | paradosis | that handed down | tradisyon | High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 15 | Parallels Romans’ Scripture-vs-tradition distinction (Inspiration of Scripture doctrine) |
| Commandment | ἐντολή | entolē | commandment | utos | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 15,19,22 | |
| Church (founding statement) | ἐκκλησία | ekklēsia | assembly | iglesia (reused) | Critical at 16:18 | The Church and Church Discipline | 16,18 | Petra/Petros wordplay requires mandatory theologian note re: Petrine-primacy association in Filipino Catholic tradition |
| Keys of the kingdom | κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας | kleis tēs basileias | keys | mga susi ng kaharian | Critical | The Church and Church Discipline | 16 | High collision risk with papal-keys iconography; mandatory theologian review every occurrence |
| Bind / Loose | δέω / λύω | deō / lyō | to bind / to release | itali / kalagan | Critical | The Church and Church Discipline | 16,18 | Teach as authority exercised corporately by the gathered church, not a unique single-office prerogative |
| Forgive / Forgiveness | ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις | aphiēmi / aphesis | to release, let go | magpatawad / kapatawaran | High | The Church and Church Discipline; Grace | 6,9,18,26 | Relational reality flowing from received mercy, not primarily a sacramental transaction |
| Cause to stumble | σκανδαλίζω | skandalizō | to trip, entrap | magdulot ng katitisuran | Medium | Discipleship | 18 | |
| Confess / Deny (Christ) | ὁμολογέω / ἀρνέομαι | homologeō / arneomai | acknowledge / disown | ipahayag / itatwa | High | Discipleship; Lordship of Christ | 10, 26 | Same verb family as Romans 10:9’s salvation confession; keep rendering consistent across curricula |
| Take up his cross | ἄρας τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ | arai ton stauron autou | to lift up one’s cross | pasanin ang kanyang krus | High | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 10,16 | Not a metaphor for generic hardship; willing costly allegiance to Christ |
| Deny himself | ἀπαρνέομαι ἑαυτόν | aparneomai heauton | to disown oneself | itakwil ang kanyang sarili | High | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 16 | |
| Follow | ἀκολουθέω | akoloutheō | to follow, accompany | sumunod | Medium | Discipleship | 4,8,9,10,16,19,20 | |
| Blessed | μακάριος | makarios | blessed, flourishing by divine favor | Mapalad | High | Kingdom of Heaven (Beatitudes) | 5 (core) | Not swerte/luck; anchored to God’s declared favor |
| Poor in spirit | πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι | ptōchos + pneuma | destitute in spirit | mga dukha sa espiritu | High | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core) | Not economic poverty as inherent virtue; spiritual destitution/dependence |
| Meek | πραΰς | praus | gentle, controlled strength | mapagpakumbaba | High | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core), 11:29, 21:5 | Not weakness; strength under control |
| Mourn / Comforted | πενθέω / παρακαλέω | pentheō / parakaleō | to grieve / to console | nagdadalamhati / aaliwin | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core) | Comfort sense here, distinct from Romans’ exhort sense of same Greek root |
| Inherit | κληρονομέω | klēronomeō | to receive as heir | magmana | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven; Adoption (thematic link) | 5 (core), 19:29; 25:34 | Guaranteed by promise, not present social maneuvering |
| Hunger and thirst (for righteousness) | πεινάω / διψάω | peinaō / dipsaō | to hunger / to thirst | magutom / mauhaw | Low | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core) | Standard idiom |
| Merciful | ἐλεήμων | eleēmōn | compassionate, active mercy | maawain | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core), 9:13 | Not merit-reciprocity (utang na loob) |
| Pure in heart | καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ | katharos + kardia | clean of heart | malinis ang puso | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core), 23:25-28 | Inward motive-integrity, not ritual cleanliness |
| Peacemaker | εἰρηνοποιός | eirēnopoios | one who makes peace | tagapagpayapa | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 5 (core) | Active reconciling work |
| Sons of God (believers, plural) | υἱοὶ θεοῦ | huioi theou | sons of God | mga anak ng Diyos | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven; Adoption | 5 (core) | Never blur with the Critical-risk singular “Anak ng Diyos” (Christ’s unique Sonship) |
| Persecuted | διώκω | diōkō | to pursue, persecute | pinag-uusig | Medium | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 5 (core), 10 | |
| Reward | μισθός | misthos | wages, reward | gantimpala | High | Kingdom of Heaven; Grace | 5 (core), 6:1-18 | Gracious reward within a grace relationship, not a wage that establishes standing |
| Genealogy | γένεσις | genesis | origin, genealogy | talaangkanan | Medium | Jesus as Promised Messiah and Son of David | 1 | |
| Virgin | παρθένος | parthenos | virgin | birhen | High | Incarnation (Romans baseline doctrine, new occurrence) | 1 | Risk of Marian-devotional overshadowing; keep focus on the historical, unique conception |
| Emmanuel | Ἐμμανουήλ | Emmanouēl | God with us | Emmanuel (transliterated) | High | Incarnation | 1 | Gloss: “Diyos na kasama natin” |
| Magi | μάγοι | magoi | astrologer-scholars | mga Mago | High | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 2 | Not “Tatlong Hari” (Three Kings) — text does not call them kings or fix the number at three |
| Worship | προσκυνέω | proskyneō | to bow down, worship | sumamba | High | Deity of Christ | 2,14,28 | Reserved for divine worship only |
| Perfect | τέλειος | teleios | complete, whole | sakdal / ganap | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5 | Covenant wholeness, not flawless sinlessness by effort |
| Mammon | μαμωνᾶς | mamōnas | wealth (personified) | Mamon (transliterated) | Medium | (contrast term) | 6 | |
| False prophets | ψευδοπροφῆται | pseudoprophētai | false spokesperson | mga bulaang propeta | Medium | Judgment and the End of the Age | 7,24 | |
| False christs | ψευδόχριστοι | pseudochristoi | false anointed ones | mga bulaang Kristo | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24 | |
| Compassion | σπλαγχνίζομαι | splagchnizomai | moved with compassion | nahabag | Low/Medium | (ministry motivation) | 9,14,15,20 | |
| Yoke | ζυγός | zygos | a wooden yoke | pamatok | Medium | Discipleship | 11 | Contrast with Pharisaic legalism |
| Sabbath | σάββατον | sabbaton | Sabbath, rest day | Sabbath / Araw ng Pamamahinga | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 12 | Handle with awareness of SDA doctrinal sensitivity |
| Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit | βλασφημία εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα | blasphēmia | slander against the Spirit | kalapastanganan sa Espiritu Santo | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 12 | Careful pastoral framing to avoid inducing false despair |
| Greatest commandment | ἐντολὴ μεγάλη | entolē megalē | great commandment | pinakadakilang utos | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 22 | |
| Servant | διάκονος / δοῦλος | diakonos / doulos | servant, slave | lingkod | Medium | (leadership/greatness reversal) | 20,23 | |
| End of the Age | συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος | synteleia tou aiōnos | completion of the age | katapusan ng panahon | High | Judgment and the End of the Age; Great Commission | 13,24,28 | Not “katapusan ng mundo” (annihilation of the world) |
| Coming / Parousia | παρουσία | parousia | arrival, presence | pagparito / pagbabalik | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24 | Personal, visible, literal return of Christ |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | life without end | buhay na walang hanggan | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 19,25 | Not earned through rule-keeping |
| Eternal punishment | κόλασις αἰώνιος | kolasis aiōnios | endless punishment | walang hanggang parusa | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 25 | Not a temporary purificatory state (distinct from folk purgatory concept) |
| Gehenna / hell | γέεννα | geenna | Gehenna, place of judgment | impiyerno | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 5,10,18,23 | Distinguish from folk-metaphorical or purgatory-adjacent usage; retain final, serious eschatological force |
| Hades | ᾅδης | hadēs | realm of the dead | Hades (transliterated) | Medium | Judgment and the End of the Age; Church | 11,16 | Distinct from Gehenna (final punishment) |
| Ransom | λύτρον | lytron | price paid to redeem | pantubos | Critical | Discipleship; Judgment (atonement background) | 20 | Substitutionary price paid; “tubos” (redeeming pawned goods) is a helpful cultural bridge but core substitution sense must be retained |
| Talents (parable) | τάλαντα | talanta | monetary unit; entrusted resource | talento | Low | (stewardship, loosely adjacent to Spiritual Gifts) | 25 | Distinguish from Romans’ specific “kaloob na espirituwal” category |
| Betrayed | παραδίδωμι | paradidōmi | to hand over | ipinagkanulo / ibinigay | Medium | (Passion narrative) | 26 | |
| Passover | πάσχα | pascha | Passover feast | Paskuwa (transliterated) | Critical | (Last Supper setting) | 26 | MUST NOT render as “Pasko” (= Christmas in Filipino) — mandatory review every occurrence |
| Institution of the Lord’s Supper | τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου / τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης | ”this is my body / my blood of the covenant” | Ito ang aking katawan… Ito ang aking dugo ng tipan | Critical | The Great Commission (sacramental teaching); collides with Eucharist doctrine | 26 | Mandatory theologian review; render literally, leave theological interpretation (transubstantiation vs. memorial) to teaching materials, not to the translation itself | |
| Crucify | σταυρόω | stauroō | to crucify | ipako sa krus | Medium | (Passion narrative; atonement background Critical) | 27 | |
| Teaching them to observe | διδάσκοντες τηρεῖν | didaskō + tēreō | teaching to keep | turuang sundin | High | The Great Commission | 28 | Connects to obedience-of-faith principle (Romans baseline) |
Glossary Governance Notes
- All [NEW] terms above must be written into
translation_memory.json(version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation of Matthew begins, per the AI Translation Requirements’ Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions. - Every Critical-risk new term (Kingdom of Heaven, Baptize/Baptism, Son of Man, Church [16:18], Keys of the kingdom, Bind/Loose, Passover, Institution of the Lord’s Supper, Eternal punishment, Gehenna/hell, Ransom, Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit) requires mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence, consistent with the Romans package’s escalation rules.
- High-risk new terms follow the same “established shared term + mandatory teaching/contextual-framing note” pattern the Romans package already uses for kaligtasan, mga banal, pamamagitan, and katuwirang ibinilang — this pattern is extended here to Kaharian ng Langit, binyag, mapalad, mga dukha sa espiritu, awtoridad, tradisyon, gantimpala, buhay na walang hanggan, katapusan ng panahon, and pagparito/pagbabalik.
- No chapter of Matthew was omitted from this glossary’s source analysis; chapters contributing no new terms (ch.14) are documented as such in
07_semantic_analysis.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Baptism
Approved rendering: binyag / binyagan / bautismuhan
Transliteration: binyag
Doctrine: Baptism
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Sacrament
Immersion signifying repentance and inclusion in the kingdom community; one of three participles in the Great Commission (28:19), also 3:6-17. Retained as the shared cross-denominational Filipino term (per the Romans package’s convention for kaligtasan/mga banal), but folk-Catholic usage strongly associates binyag with infant sacramental baptism understood as itself conferring/removing original sin apart from personal faith. Every occurrence needs a teaching note: baptism signifies a prior repentance/faith decision (3:6-8; 28:19-20); it does not mechanically confer standing apart from that faith.
Bind Loose
Approved rendering: itali / kalagan
Transliteration: itali / kalagan
Doctrine: Church Discipline, Binding, and Loosing
Original: δέω / λύω
Category: Church
Authority to declare things bound or freed, repeated of the whole church corporately (18:18). Same collision risk as keys_of_the_kingdom; must be taught as authority exercised corporately by the gathered church (18:15-20), not a unique prerogative of a single office.
Blasphemy Against Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: kalapastanganan sa Espiritu Santo
Transliteration: kalapastanganan sa Espiritu Santo
Doctrine: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Original: βλασφημία εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα
Category: Sin
The unforgivable sin: settled, willful rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ (12:31-32). Requires careful pastoral framing in every occurrence to avoid inducing false despair in sincere believers who fear they have committed it.
Church
Approved rendering: iglesia
Transliteration: iglesia
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: simbahan
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated to Critical specifically at 16:18 because the Greek petra/Petros wordplay is frequently read in Filipino Catholic tradition as establishing Peter’s (and the papacy’s) unique governing authority. Mandatory human-theologian teaching note required at 16:18 and 18:17 distinguishing the text’s own meaning from that later doctrinal development, without changing the correct rendering of ekklesia as iglesia.
Eternal Punishment
Approved rendering: walang hanggang parusa
Transliteration: walang hanggang parusa
Doctrine: Eternal Punishment and Hell
Rejected alternatives: temporary purgative suffering (purgatoryo-adjacent framing)
Original: κόλασις αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
Endless, final judgment paired directly with eternal life in the same verse (25:46). Must retain the everlasting, irreversible force of the judgment; must not be softened into a temporary purificatory suffering, a meaning wrongly importable from the folk-Catholic purgatory concept, absent from this text.
Gehenna
Approved rendering: impiyerno
Transliteration: impiyerno
Doctrine: Eternal Punishment and Hell
Original: γέεννα
Category: Eschatology
Gehenna, the place of final divine judgment, used repeatedly by Jesus as the destination of the unrepentant (5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33). Must be distinguished from folk-metaphorical usage (‘impiyerno ang buhay ko’) or any purgatory-adjacent reading.
God
Approved rendering: Diyos
Transliteration: Diyos
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Bathala
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never Bathala (pre-colonial Tagalog supreme-being concept, different cosmological framework than the biblical Creator).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espiritu Santo
Transliteration: Espiritu Santo
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: anito, kaluluwa
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never anito or bare kaluluwa. Active at Mateo 1:18,20; 3:11,16; 4:1; 12:31-32; 28:19.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Jesus
Transliteration: Jesus
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Established Filipino Protestant spelling; not Hesus (Catholic-tradition spelling).
Keys Of The Kingdom
Approved rendering: mga susi ng kaharian
Transliteration: mga susi ng kaharian
Doctrine: The Founding and Authority of the Church
Original: κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας
Category: Church
Symbolic authority to open/close access to the kingdom, given to Peter (16:19). Extremely high collision risk with Roman Catholic papal-authority iconography (the crossed-keys papal symbol, Petrine primacy doctrine) in a majority-Catholic culture; mandatory theologian review required for every occurrence.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Kaharian ng Diyos
Transliteration: Kaharian ng Diyos
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated to Critical in this curriculum because this phrase must be taught as strictly synonymous with the far more frequent ‘Kaharian ng Langit’ (6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31,43). Failing to teach the synonym pattern risks learners perceiving two separate kingdoms.
Kingdom Of Heaven
Approved rendering: Kaharian ng Langit
Transliteration: Kaharian ng Langit
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven
Original: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
Category: Kingdom
Matthew’s characteristic and most frequent phrase for God’s present-and-coming reign. Filipino ‘langit’ carries strong folk-Catholic afterlife-destination weight (‘pupunta sa langit kapag namatay’); every occurrence needs a teaching note clarifying this names God’s active reign breaking into history through Jesus, not merely a postmortem destination reached through merit or sacramental standing. Must be taught as synonymous with Kaharian ng Diyos. Occurs chs.3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,13,16,18,19,20,21,22,23,25.
Lord
Approved rendering: Panginoon
Transliteration: Panginoon
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Exclusive, supreme Lordship, not diluted by devotional attention shared with Mary and the saints. Key Matthew verses: 7:21-22; 8:25; 22:41-45; 24:42.
Lords Supper Institution
Approved rendering: Ito ang aking katawan… Ito ang aking dugo ng tipan
Transliteration: Ito ang aking katawan… Ito ang aking dugo ng tipan
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper and the Passover
Original: τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου / τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Sacrament
The institution of the Lord’s Supper (26:26-28). Direct collision zone with the Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation/the Mass as a re-presented sacrifice versus memorial or spiritual-presence understandings common in Filipino Protestant/evangelical tradition. Render the text plainly and literally; leave theological interpretation to teaching materials; every occurrence requires mandatory human theologian review.
Passover
Approved rendering: Paskuwa
Transliteration: Paskuwa
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper and the Passover
Rejected alternatives: Pasko
Original: πάσχα
Category: Covenant
The Jewish Passover feast, the narrative setting for the Last Supper and the crucifixion (26:2,17-19). MUST NOT be rendered ‘Pasko,’ which in Filipino means Christmas; this collision must be flagged for mandatory review at every occurrence. Use the transliterated form Paskuwa exclusively.
Ransom
Approved rendering: pantubos
Transliteration: pantubos
Doctrine: Ransom and Atonement
Original: λύτρον
Category: Salvation
The price paid to redeem/release a captive; used of Christ’s substitutionary self-giving ‘for many’ (20:28). Must retain the sense of a price paid in substitution, not merely generic ‘help’ or ‘rescue.’ Filipino ‘tubos’ (redeeming a pawned item) offers a resonant bridge image, but the substitutionary core must not be lost.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: pagkabuhay na mag-uli
Transliteration: pagkabuhay na mag-uli
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Bodily, historical, once-for-all; debated with the Sadducees (22:23-33), predicted (12:39-40; 17:9,23), narrated at the book’s climax (27:53; 28:1-10). Never a term for reincarnation or a cyclical rebirth.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Anak ng Diyos
Transliteration: Anak ng Diyos
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Reserved for Christ’s unique, eternal, singular Sonship; never diluted into the plural ‘mga anak ng Diyos’ used of believers (see sons_of_god_plural). Key Matthew occurrences: 3:17; 4:3-6; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; 26:63; 27:40,43,54.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Anak ng Tao
Transliteration: Anak ng Tao
Doctrine: Son of Man and the Authority of Judgment
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Jesus’ preferred self-designation, drawn from Daniel 7:13-14’s exalted, judgment-bearing figure — not primarily an emphasis on mere humanity (8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 12:8; 13:41; 16:27-28; 17:9; 19:28; 20:28; 24:27-44; 25:31; 26:64). Ordinary Filipino usage would flatten ‘Anak ng Tao’ to mean simply ‘a human being’; every occurrence requires a teaching note anchoring the title to Daniel 7’s divine, glorified, judgment-authority figure.
High Risk Terms
Authority
Approved rendering: awtoridad
Transliteration: awtoridad
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Rejected alternatives: kapangyarihan
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
Delegated right and standing to act, teach, or command (exousia) — distinct from dynamis (raw power/might, kapangyarihan ng Diyos). Deliberately rendered awtoridad rather than kapangyarihan to avoid collision with the power_of_god entry; using the same word for both would blur Jesus’ unique teaching/forgiving authority with generic miraculous power. Must be used consistently at every occurrence: 7:29; 8:9; 9:6,8; 21:23-27; 28:18.
Blessed
Approved rendering: Mapalad
Transliteration: Mapalad
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Rejected alternatives: maligaya, masaya, swerte
Original: μακάριος
Category: Kingdom
A present divine verdict of favor and flourishing pronounced over kingdom members (5:3-11), not merely an emotional state. Must not be reduced to maligaya/masaya (mere happiness) nor to the swerte/fatalistic-luck sense already excluded elsewhere in this Language Package for election and providence; must be anchored to God’s declared favor, not fortune.
Called
Approved rendering: tinawag
Transliteration: tinawag
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Used of the calling of the first disciples (4:21); context-sensitive (cf. 22:14 general invitation).
Calling
Approved rendering: pagkatawag
Transliteration: pagkatawag
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form of God’s summons; sovereign, not human-initiated or fate-based.
Christ
Approved rendering: Kristo
Transliteration: Kristo
Doctrine: Jesus as Promised Messiah and Son of David
NEW for the Matthew curriculum, extending the inherited ‘messiah’ (Mesiyas) entry. Kristo used where functioning as part of Jesus’ name/title (1:1,16-18; 11:2; 16:20; 22:42; 24:5,23; 26:68; 27:17,22); Mesiyas reserved for explicit ‘the Messiah’ title-claims (16:16; 26:63). Filipino Catholic tradition has no rival messianic figure; the teaching task is connecting the term to its OT covenant roots.
Confess Deny
Approved rendering: ipahayag / itatwa
Transliteration: ipahayag / itatwa
Doctrine: Confession and Denial of Christ
Original: ὁμολογέω / ἀρνέομαι
Category: Discipleship
To publicly acknowledge Christ or to disown him (10:32-33; 26:69-75). Same verb family (homologeō) as the Romans-baseline Romans 10:9 salvation confession (‘Si Jesus ay Panginoon’); rendering must remain consistent across curricula so the theological weight of public confession is not diluted.
Covenant
Approved rendering: tipan
Transliteration: tipan
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper and the Passover
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. ‘Dugo ng tipan’ at the Last Supper (26:28).
Demon Possessed
Approved rendering: sinaniban ng demonyo
Transliteration: sinaniban ng demonyo
Doctrine: Son of Man and the Authority of Judgment
Original: δαιμονιζόμενος / δαιμονίζομαι
Category: Sin
Under a demon’s direct oppressive power, requiring Jesus’ authority to expel (4:24; 8:16,28,33; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; 17:18). Filipino folk cosmology includes rival spirit categories (engkanto, aswang, multo, ancestor-spirit belief); teaching must clarify biblical demonic affliction operates under a distinct, personal-God-centered cosmology and must never be confused with the Holy Spirit’s work.
Deny Himself
Approved rendering: itakwil ang kanyang sarili
Transliteration: itakwil ang kanyang sarili
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν
Category: Discipleship
To disown one’s own self-interest and self-rule as the precondition for following Christ (16:24). Must be taught alongside take_up_cross as a unified statement of discipleship’s total cost, not a call to mere self-denial in an ascetic or self-help sense.
Emmanuel
Approved rendering: Emmanuel
Transliteration: Emmanuel
Doctrine: Virgin Birth and the Incarnation
Original: Ἐμμανουήλ
Category: Christology
‘God with us’ — a direct incarnational statement of the eternal Son’s presence among humanity (1:23). Retain the transliteration with the gloss ‘Diyos na kasama natin’; must not be treated as a mere honorific title separate from the historical event.
End Of The Age
Approved rendering: katapusan ng panahon
Transliteration: katapusan ng panahon
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Rejected alternatives: katapusan ng mundo
Original: συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος
Category: Eschatology
The completion/conclusion of the present age at Christ’s return, not the annihilation of creation (13:39-40,49; 24:3; 28:20). Must not be rendered ‘katapusan ng mundo’ (end of the world/planet), which would wrongly suggest annihilation of the physical world.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: buhay na walang hanggan
Transliteration: buhay na walang hanggan
Doctrine: Eternal Life
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
Unending resurrection life, entered through following Christ rather than through rule-keeping alone (19:16-29; 25:46). Must be kept distinct from a merit-based ‘earning eternal life through good deeds/rule-keeping’ reading that the rich young man passage (19:16-26) itself corrects.
False Christs
Approved rendering: mga bulaang Kristo
Transliteration: mga bulaang Kristo
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: ψευδόχριστοι
Category: Eschatology
Deceptive figures falsely claiming to be the Messiah, warned against before the end (24:24). Must not be read as suggesting any ambiguity about the uniqueness of the true Mesiyas/Kristo; this term names counterfeits, not rivals of equal legitimacy.
Father
Approved rendering: Ama
Transliteration: Ama
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Distinct from Padre (priest) and from petitions directed toward deceased relatives in folk ancestor veneration. Key verses: 5:16,45,48; 6:9; 7:21; 11:27; 28:19.
Forgiveness
Approved rendering: kapatawaran / magpatawad
Transliteration: kapatawaran
Doctrine: Forgiveness
Original: ἄφεσις / ἀφίημι
Category: Salvation
Release/letting go of a debt or offense; forgiveness received from God that must produce forgiveness extended to others (6:12-15; 9:2-6; 18:21-35; 26:28). Must be distinguished from a folk-Catholic understanding of forgiveness as primarily a sacramental transaction (absolution granted through confession) rather than a relational reality flowing from having received God’s mercy.
Glory
Approved rendering: kaluwalhatian
Transliteration: kaluwalhatian
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. God’s radiant majesty, disclosed at the Transfiguration (17:2) and at Christ’s return (16:27; 24:30; 25:31).
Grace
Approved rendering: biyaya
Transliteration: biyaya
Doctrine: Grace and Reward
Rejected alternatives: utang na loob
Original: χάρις (thematic; cf. the Laborers in the Vineyard, 20:1-16)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Never utang na loob. Thematic in the Laborers in the Vineyard parable (20:1-16), a strong narrative reinforcement of the grace-vs-utang-na-loob distinction.
Hypocrite
Approved rendering: mapagkunwari
Transliteration: mapagkunwari
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ὑποκριτής
Category: Righteousness
Stage-actor/pretender; outward religious performance without inward reality (6:1-18; 15:7; 22:18; ch.23; 24:51). Must critique performative religiosity in general without being read as a blanket attack on any single Filipino denomination’s specific devotional practices.
Magi
Approved rendering: mga Mago
Transliteration: mga Mago
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: Tatlong Hari
Original: μάγοι
Category: Prophecy
Persian/Babylonian astrologer-scholars who recognize and worship the infant King while Israel’s own leaders do not (ch.2). Filipino Catholic folk tradition (‘Tatlong Hari,’ Feast of the Three Kings, Jan. 6) adds royal-kingship detail and a fixed number of three not present in the Greek text. Never substitute ‘Tatlong Hari’ for ‘mga Mago.‘
Make Disciples
Approved rendering: gawing alagad
Transliteration: gawing alagad
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: μαθητεύσατε
Category: Discipleship
The Great Commission’s central imperative (28:19), built on ‘alagad.’ Must convey ongoing formation into an enduring disciple relationship with Christ, not a single conversion event or mere transfer of information.
Meek
Approved rendering: mapagpakumbaba
Transliteration: mapagpakumbaba
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Rejected alternatives: mahina, maamo
Original: πραΰς
Category: Kingdom
Strength held under God’s control, not weakness or passivity; the same word used of Jesus himself (5:5; 11:29; 21:5). Rendering as mahina/maamo alone risks suggesting weakness; a clarifying note (‘lakas na pinipigilan, hindi kahinaan’) is recommended.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesiyas
Transliteration: Mesiyas
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Inherited from Romans package. Reserved for explicit ‘the Messiah’ title-claims (e.g., Mateo 16:16 confession, 26:63 high priest’s question). Paired in this curriculum with the new ‘christ’ entry (Kristo) used for name/title usage — see christ term below.
Parousia
Approved rendering: pagparito / pagbabalik
Transliteration: pagparito / pagbabalik
Doctrine: The Second Coming
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
Christ’s personal, visible, future arrival/return at the end of the age (24:3,27,37,39). Must be rendered as Christ’s own personal, visible return, not a vague future improvement of circumstances or a purely spiritual, non-visible ‘coming.‘
Poor In Spirit
Approved rendering: mga dukha sa espiritu
Transliteration: mga dukha sa espiritu
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι
Category: Kingdom
Conscious spiritual destitution and total dependence on God, the entry disposition of the kingdom (5:3). Two failure modes must be guarded against: collapsing this into economic poverty alone, or reading it as generic humility detached from utter dependence on God.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: kapangyarihan ng Diyos
Transliteration: kapangyarihan ng Diyos
Doctrine: Son of Man and the Authority of Judgment
Rejected alternatives: anting-anting
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ / δυνάμεις
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never anting-anting. Must be kept distinct from the new term ‘awtoridad’ (exousia, delegated right to act) — dynamis and exousia are separate Greek concepts requiring separate Filipino terms. Displayed in miracles 11:20-23; 13:54,58; 14:2; at Christ’s return 24:30.
Providence
Approved rendering: kalinga ng Diyos
Transliteration: kalinga ng Diyos
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven (thematic overlap)
Rejected alternatives: bahala na
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Matthew 6:25-34; 10:29-31)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Never bahala na. Taught in the ‘do not be anxious’ discourse (6:25-34) and the sparrows saying (10:29-31).
Repentance
Approved rendering: pagsisisi
Transliteration: pagsisisi
Doctrine: Repentance
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Sin
Inward turning/change of mind from sin toward God, preceding and distinct from any external ritual (3:1-12; 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41). Must be distinguished from the folk-Catholic sacramental confession (kumpisal); metanoia is the inward turning that true confession and faith express, not a ritual substitute for it.
Reward
Approved rendering: gantimpala
Transliteration: gantimpala
Doctrine: Grace and Reward
Original: μισθός
Category: Kingdom
God’s gracious eschatological reward for faithfulness, granted within an existing grace relationship (5:12; 6:1-18). Gantimpala carries strong merit/earning connotations in ordinary Filipino usage; needs a teaching note distinguishing this reward from a wage earned to establish standing with God, harmonizing with the grace-vs-utang-na-loob distinction.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: katuwiran
Transliteration: katuwiran
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew’s usage (5:6,10,20; 6:1,33) leans more ethical/behavioral than Romans’ predominantly forensic usage; context must govern which sense is in view, and 5:20 must never be read as ‘slightly better rule-keeping.‘
Sin
Approved rendering: kasalanan
Transliteration: kasalanan
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Relational offense against a personal God, not merely a ritual category. Key verses: 1:21; 3:6; 9:2-6; 26:28.
Take Up Cross
Approved rendering: pasanin ang kanyang krus
Transliteration: pasanin ang kanyang krus
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἄρας τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ
Category: Discipleship
To willingly accept the shame and cost of public execution as a condition of following Jesus (10:38; 16:24). Must not be softened into the existing colloquial Filipino idiom for enduring generic hardship or misfortune (illness, poverty, a difficult relationship); requires a teaching note distinguishing willing, costly, public allegiance to Christ from that idiom.
Teaching To Observe
Approved rendering: turuang sundin
Transliteration: turuang sundin
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: διδάσκοντες τηρεῖν
Category: Great Commission
The Great Commission’s third participle: teaching new disciples to keep/obey Christ’s commands (28:20). Connects to the obedience-of-faith principle already established in the Romans package (pagsunod na mula sa pananampalataya); must convey obedience flowing from taught, internalized conviction, not rote compliance.
Tradition
Approved rendering: tradisyon
Transliteration: tradisyon
Doctrine: Human Tradition versus God’s Commandment
Original: παράδοσις
Category: Covenant
Human teaching handed down through generations, contrasted with God’s actual commandment (15:3-6). Directly parallel to the Romans package’s Scripture-vs-tradition distinction under Inspiration of Scripture; should be cross-referenced in teaching materials for a majority-Catholic context.
Transfigured
Approved rendering: nagbagong-anyo
Transliteration: nagbagong-anyo
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: μετεμορφώθη
Category: Christology
Christ’s inherent glory momentarily visibly disclosed to Peter, James, and John (17:2). Connects to the Romans-baseline kaluwalhatian (glory); must be kept anchored to this one historical event and not generalized into a repeatable mystical experience available to ordinary believers.
Virgin
Approved rendering: birhen
Transliteration: birhen
Doctrine: Virgin Birth and the Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: dalaga
Original: παρθένος
Category: Christology
An unmarried woman who has not had sexual relations; the sign of the miraculous, historically unique conception fulfilling Isaiah 7:14 (1:23). Birhen overwhelmingly evokes ‘Birhen Maria’; teaching must keep focus on the historical uniqueness of the virgin conception itself, not broader Marian devotion. Do not adopt older ADB-edition ‘dalaga’ (young woman), which undercuts the virgin-conception claim.
Worship
Approved rendering: sumamba
Transliteration: sumamba
Doctrine: Worship of Christ
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Christology
To bow down/prostrate in worship, reserved elsewhere in Scripture for God alone; directed at Jesus (2:11; 14:33; 28:9,17) as an implicit deity claim. Must be reserved for worship of God/Christ alone and must not be diluted into the same register as reverence customarily shown to images, the saints, or Mary.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: apostol
Transliteration: apostol
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Distinct from alagad (disciple, new term); the Twelve’s commissioned office is a subset of the general call to discipleship (10:2).
Betrayed
Approved rendering: ipinagkanulo / ibinigay
Transliteration: ipinagkanulo
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper and the Passover (Passion narrative)
Original: παρέδωκεν
Category: Passion
To hand over/deliver up; used of Judas’s betrayal (26:14-16,21-25,45-49). Standard term; low ambiguity at the lexical level though it carries significant narrative weight.
Cause To Stumble
Approved rendering: magdulot ng katitisuran
Transliteration: magdulot ng katitisuran
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus (church discipline context)
Original: σκανδαλίζω
Category: Discipleship
To trip up, entrap, or lead into sin, especially the vulnerable (‘little ones,’ 18:6-9). Standard term; low ambiguity, taught alongside church-discipline material in ch.18.
Commandment
Approved rendering: utos
Transliteration: utos
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ἐντολή
Category: Righteousness
God’s actual revealed instruction, as opposed to accumulated human tradition (15:3-6; 19:16-19; 22:36-40).
Compassion
Approved rendering: nahabag
Transliteration: nahabag
Doctrine: Mercy and Compassion
Original: σπλαγχνίζομαι
Category: Ethics
To be moved in one’s inward parts with deep compassion; Jesus’ recurring motivation for ministry to the crowds (9:36; 14:14; 15:32; 20:34). Should be taught alongside maawain (merciful) as the same character quality in narrative form.
Crucify
Approved rendering: ipako sa krus
Transliteration: ipako sa krus
Doctrine: Ransom and Atonement (Passion narrative)
Original: σταυρόω / ἐσταύρωσαν
Category: Passion
To execute by nailing to a cross; the central historical event of the book’s climax (ch.27). Established, well-understood term; the event’s doctrinal weight (atonement) is Critical and should be taught alongside the pantubos (ransom) term.
Devil
Approved rendering: diyablo
Transliteration: diyablo
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability (temptation narrative)
Original: διάβολος
Category: Sin
The slanderer/accuser, the personal spiritual adversary who tempts Jesus and opposes the kingdom (4:1-11; 13:39; 25:41). Teaching should distinguish this personal-God-centered adversary from Filipino folk-spirit categories (engkanto, aswang, anito) so the cosmologies are not merged.
Disciple
Approved rendering: alagad
Transliteration: alagad
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μαθητής
Category: Discipleship
Committed learner/follower of Jesus, distinct from the general crowd (mga tao/karamihan) and from the commissioned apostolic office (apostol). Chs.5(core),8,9,10,11,14,16,17,20,26,28. Collapsing alagad and apostol into synonyms would blur Matthew’s distinction between the general call to discipleship (5:1; 28:19) and the specific apostolic office (10:1-4).
Faith
Approved rendering: pananampalataya
Transliteration: pananampalataya
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Object of faith always Christ; healing narratives 8:10; 9:2,22,29; 15:28; mustard-seed teaching 17:20; 21:21.
False Prophets
Approved rendering: mga bulaang propeta
Transliteration: mga bulaang propeta
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: ψευδοπροφῆται
Category: Eschatology
Deceptive religious teachers falsely claiming to speak for God, warned against especially near the end of the age (7:15; 24:11,24). Built on the established propeta root.
Follow
Approved rendering: sumunod
Transliteration: sumunod
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἀκολουθέω
Category: Discipleship
To accompany and obey as a disciple; the basic verb of discipleship throughout the Gospel (4:20-22; 8:19-23; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21-29).
Fulfilled
Approved rendering: natupad / katuparan
Transliteration: natupad
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: naganap, nagkatotoo
Original: πληρόω / ἐπληρώθη
Category: Covenant
Matthew’s recurring fulfillment formula (chs.1,2,4,5,8,12,13,21,26-27). Fix natupad/katuparan as the sole rendering — do not vary stylistically — to preserve recognition of the recurring literary/doctrinal device across lessons.
Genealogy
Approved rendering: talaangkanan
Transliteration: talaangkanan
Doctrine: Jesus as Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: βίβλος γενέσεως
Category: Covenant
The record of Jesus’ Davidic/Abrahamic lineage opening the book (1:1-17). Standard genre term; low syncretism risk, grounds the Son of David and Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrines from the first verse.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: mga Hentil
Transliteration: mga Hentil
Doctrine: Mission to the Gentiles and Unity of the Nations
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Non-Jewish peoples; recipients of the gospel’s universal scope, especially 28:19. Also 4:15; 10:5,18; 12:18,21.
Greatest Commandment
Approved rendering: pinakadakilang utos
Transliteration: pinakadakilang utos
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ἐντολὴ μεγάλη
Category: Righteousness
Love of God and neighbor, summarizing the whole Law (22:37-40). Directly relevant to the Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees doctrine (heart-orientation over rule-multiplication).
Hades
Approved rendering: Hades
Transliteration: Hades
Doctrine: Eternal Punishment and Hell
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
The realm of the dead, distinct from Gehenna’s final-punishment sense (11:23; 16:18). Transliterated and kept visibly distinct from impiyerno so the two are not treated as interchangeable synonyms.
Holy
Approved rendering: banal
Transliteration: banal
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Used of God’s own name (6:9, ‘banal ang pangalan mo’) and of what must not be given to unholy use (7:6).
Inherit
Approved rendering: magmana
Transliteration: magmana
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: κληρονομέω
Category: Kingdom
To receive as a rightful heir, not something earned by labor (5:5; 19:29; 25:34). Connects conceptually to the Romans-baseline pag-ampon (adoption) doctrine; teaching emphasis must be that this inheritance is guaranteed by divine promise, not present social/legal maneuvering common in Filipino inheritance disputes.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Established form; referenced throughout in relation to Jesus’ identity and mission (2:6,20-21; 8:10; 9:33; 10:6,23; 15:24,31; 19:28).
Law
Approved rendering: kautusan
Transliteration: kautusan
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Mosaic Law; ‘I have not come to abolish the Law… but to fulfill it’ (5:17-18); also 7:12; 22:36-40; 23:23.
Mammon
Approved rendering: Mamon
Transliteration: Mamon
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees (contrast term)
Original: μαμωνᾶς
Category: Ethics
Wealth personified as a rival master/idol, contrasted with serving God (6:24). Established transliteration; personification preserved rather than flattened into an abstract noun like ‘kayamanan.‘
Merciful
Approved rendering: maawain
Transliteration: maawain
Doctrine: Mercy and Compassion
Original: ἐλεήμων
Category: Kingdom
Active compassion expressed in concrete acts, not mere pity; a kingdom-citizen character trait (5:7; 9:13). Teaching should clarify this is not merit-earning reciprocity, avoiding drift toward the utang-na-loob framing already excluded for grace.
Mission
Approved rendering: misyon
Transliteration: misyon
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω (thematic; cf. chs. 10, 28)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Carries residual historical association with Spanish colonial-era friar orders; teaching should keep the focus on proclamation by ordinary believers (chs.10, 28:19-20), not an institutional missionary enterprise.
Mourn Comforted
Approved rendering: nagdadalamhati / aaliwin
Transliteration: nagdadalamhati / aaliwin
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: πενθέω / παρακαλέω
Category: Kingdom
Godly grief over sin and brokenness, answered by divine consolation (5:4). The comfort/consolation sense of parakaleō here is distinct from the exhort/pasiglahin sense of the same root used elsewhere; translators must select the consolation sense.
Mystery
Approved rendering: hiwaga
Transliteration: hiwaga
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Kingdom
A hidden divine truth now disclosed to disciples concerning the kingdom (13:11). Must not be confused with the esoteric/occult sense of hiwaga in Filipino folk usage; this is revealed divine truth, not hidden occult knowledge.
Parable
Approved rendering: talinghaga
Transliteration: talinghaga
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven
Original: παραβολή
Category: Kingdom
An extended comparison/story, Jesus’ primary teaching mode for kingdom truths (ch.13 and elsewhere). Well-established Filipino Bible term; low ambiguity risk.
Peace
Approved rendering: kapayapaan
Transliteration: kapayapaan
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Relational peace with God presupposed as background; must be kept distinct from the social/family-peace referent at 10:34 (‘I have not come to bring peace, but a sword’).
Peacemaker
Approved rendering: tagapagpayapa
Transliteration: tagapagpayapa
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: εἰρηνοποιός
Category: Kingdom
One who actively makes/produces peace, not merely one who avoids conflict (5:9). Built on the Romans-established root kapayapaan; conveys active peace-making rather than passive non-conflict.
Perfect
Approved rendering: sakdal / ganap
Transliteration: sakdal / ganap
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: τέλειος
Category: Righteousness
Complete, mature, whole covenant faithfulness, modeled on the Father’s own character (5:48). Should be taught as complete covenant faithfulness/wholeness, not flawless sinlessness achieved by human effort, to avoid legalistic misapplication.
Persecuted
Approved rendering: pinag-uusig
Transliteration: pinag-uusig
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: δεδιωγμένοι / διώκω
Category: Discipleship
Actively pursued with hostility on account of righteousness or Christ (5:10-12; ch.10). Should be taught alongside the fuller cost-of-discipleship material at ch.10 so it is not read as an abstract hypothetical.
Pharisees
Approved rendering: mga Pariseo
Transliteration: mga Pariseo
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: Φαρισαῖοι
Category: Righteousness
Jewish religious sect emphasizing detailed legal observance and oral tradition. Established transliteration; should not be taught as standing for any present-day Filipino denomination by extension. Chs.3,5,9,12,15,16,19,21,22,23.
Pure In Heart
Approved rendering: malinis ang puso
Transliteration: malinis ang puso
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ
Category: Kingdom
Undivided inner moral/spiritual integrity of motive, not merely outward ritual cleanliness (5:8; contrasted at 23:25-28). Malinis carries strong ritual-cleanliness connotations in everyday and folk-religious Filipino usage; teaching must clarify this is inward moral/motivational integrity.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: Sabbath / Araw ng Pamamahinga
Transliteration: Sabbath
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: σάββατον
Category: Righteousness
The seventh-day rest commanded in the Law; Jesus claims authority over the Sabbath as ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ (12:1-8). Should be handled with awareness of the Seventh-day Adventist Sabbath-observance emphasis present within Philippine Christianity.
Scribes
Approved rendering: mga eskriba
Transliteration: mga eskriba
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: γραμματεῖς
Category: Righteousness
Jewish legal scholars/copyists of the Law, frequently paired with the Pharisees. Established Filipino Bible transliteration; load-bearing when paired with hypocrite/tradition terms. Chs.5,7,9,12,15,16,17,20,21,22,23,26,27.
Servant
Approved rendering: lingkod
Transliteration: lingkod
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: διάκονος / δοῦλος
Category: Discipleship
One who serves; greatness in the kingdom is redefined as servanthood (20:26-27; 23:11). Doctrinally significant as a reversal of worldly status categories.
Son Of David
Approved rendering: Anak ni David
Transliteration: Anak ni David
Doctrine: Jesus as Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: υἱὸς Δαυίδ
Category: Christology
Royal-messianic confessional title of address (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42-45). Must be kept distinct from the Romans-baseline ‘lahi ni David’ (seed of David, physical descent, Romans 1:3) — this is a confessional title used in direct address/acclamation, not merely a genealogical note.
Sons Of God Plural
Approved rendering: mga anak ng Diyos
Transliteration: mga anak ng Diyos
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: υἱοὶ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Believers’ filial identity as God’s children, evidenced by kingdom character such as peacemaking (5:9). Must never blur with the Critical-risk singular ‘Anak ng Diyos’ (Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship); proximity risk especially acute since 3:17 and 5:9 fall within a few chapters of each other.
Yoke
Approved rendering: pamatok
Transliteration: pamatok
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ζυγός
Category: Discipleship
A wooden yoke for draft animals; Jesus’ ‘easy yoke’ contrasted with the burdensome yoke of Pharisaic legal tradition (11:29-30). Should be taught in contrast with Pharisaic legalism (ch.23) to carry its full doctrinal weight.
Low Risk Terms
David
Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Established form (1:1,6,17,20; 9:27; 12:3,23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42-45).
Exhort
Approved rendering: pasiglahin
Transliteration: pasiglahin
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω (general encouragement sense)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Not a fixed Matthean lexeme; contextual use only, kept distinct from the comfort/consolation sense of the same Greek root used at 5:4 (see mourn_comforted).
Hunger Thirst Righteousness
Approved rendering: nagugutom at nauuhaw
Transliteration: nagugutom at nauuhaw
Doctrine: The Beatitudes and Kingdom Character
Original: πεινῶντες καὶ διψῶντες
Category: Kingdom
Intense, all-consuming longing for righteousness, expressed through the metaphor of physical hunger and thirst (5:6). Standard Filipino idiom, well understood.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: propesiya
Transliteration: propesiya
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. God-inspired declaration fulfilled throughout Matthew’s fulfillment formulas.
Prophet
Approved rendering: propeta
Transliteration: propeta
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: manghuhula
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Not manghuhula. Occurs chs.1-2; 5:12; 7:15; 11:9; 13:57; 23:29-37; 24:11.
Talents
Approved rendering: talento
Transliteration: talento
Doctrine: Kingdom of Heaven (stewardship parable)
Original: τάλαντα
Category: Kingdom
A large unit of money; by extension, resources/responsibility entrusted by a master to servants (25:14-30). Naturalized Filipino loanword; teaching should distinguish this general stewardship parable from the Romans-baseline ‘kaloob na espirituwal’ (spiritual gifts) category.
Referenced passages