Core Glossary

Core Glossary: Ezra (Esdras)

English → French | Language Package Extension

Curriculum: Ezra Baseline authority: translation_memory.json (Romans, French) — all baseline terms below are reused exactly as recorded there; only new terms introduced by Ezra receive full new entries. Book name convention: Ezra = Esdras in French Bible citation (e.g., “Esdras 1:1”). The prophet-scribe Ezra is also Esdras. Original language note: Ezra is Hebrew, with Aramaic sections at 4:8–6:18 and 7:12–26. Original-language columns reflect this; a Greek (LXX) cross-reference is given where it aids continuity with the Greek-sourced Romans baseline.

Section 1 — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (no new entry required)

Term (EN)	French Rendering	Doctrine Risk (baseline)	Ezra Occurrences	Note
God	Dieu	Medium	throughout	Reuse exactly; distinguish from pagan “dieux” (lowercase, plural) at 1:7
grace	grâce	High	9:8	Strong forward-echo of Romans’ grace doctrine; flag per baseline
law	loi / la Loi	High	7:6, 10, 12, 14, 21, 25–26; 10:3	Mosaic Torah referent identical to baseline; capitalize “la Loi”
covenant	alliance	High	10:3	Covenant renewal, not a new covenant
prophet	prophète	Low	5:1–2; 6:14	Haggai (Aggée) and Zechariah (Zacharie)
prophecy	prophétie	Low	1:1; 6:14	Fulfillment-of-prophecy framing (Jeremiah)
israel	Israël	Medium	1:3; 2:2, 59, 70; 6:16–17, 21–22; 7:6–7, 10, 13; 8:35; 9:1, 15; 10:1, 2, 5, 10, 25	Covenant people referent, not the modern state
david	David	Low	3:10	”according to the order of David”
holy	saint	Medium	9:2 (as “semence sainte,” see new entry)	Underlying concept reused; phrase itself is a new High-risk entry below
sanctification	sanctification	Medium	— (not used; ritual purification in ch. 6 is a distinct term, see below)	Explicitly NOT to be used for Ezra 6’s ritual purification
election	élection	High	(conceptually background to “remnant”/“called,” no direct lexical occurrence)	No direct textual trigger in Ezra; retain baseline caution if referenced in teaching notes

Section 2 — New Terms Introduced by Ezra (Full Entries)

LORD (YHWH)

Original: יְהוָה (YHWH) — Hebrew; LXX: Κύριος (Kyrios)
Transliteration: YHWH / Adonai
French rendering: l’Éternel (primary); “le SEIGNEUR” noted as the acceptable TOB/Bible de Jérusalem ecumenical variant
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Risk: Critical — NEW
Alternatives rejected: “Seigneur” (reserved exclusively for the NT Lordship-of-Christ confession per baseline Romans 10:9 usage; using it here would flatten two distinct theological registers into one French word)
Notes: The single highest-stakes new rendering decision in this package. Apply consistently across every future OT curriculum in this language pair. Occurs throughout Ezra (1:1–5; 2:68; 3:10–11; 6:12, 14, 21–22; 7:6, 27–28; 8:18, 22, 31; 9:1–15; 10:1, 3).

God of heaven

Original: אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם (Elohei HaShamayim); Aramaic אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא (Elah Shemayin)
French rendering: Dieu des cieux
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Title used in/about pagan courts (1:2; 5:11–12; 6:9–10; 7:12, 21, 23); narrator-level absolute monotheism vs. character-level (pagan) limited understanding must be distinguished in teaching.

house of the LORD / Temple

Original: בֵּית יְהוָה (beit YHWH) / בָּיִת (bayit)
French rendering: la maison de l’Éternel / le Temple (capitalized when referring to the built structure)
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: High — NEW
Alternatives rejected: bare lowercase “temple” without clarifying gloss (collides with French Protestant usage of “temple” for a church building, and with generic pagan-temple associations)
Notes: Foundational term for the whole book; gloss on first occurrence.

stirred up (the spirit)

Original: הֵעִיר (he’ir)
French rendering: réveilla l’esprit (de…)
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Must use lowercase “esprit”; never conflate with “Esprit Saint” (baseline term).

edict / proclamation (royal decree)

Original: קוֹל (qol, Cyrus); Aramaic נִשְׁתְּוָן (nishtevan, general correspondence); Aramaic פִּתְגָם (pitgam, Darius’s/Artaxerxes’ decrees)
French rendering: édit / décret / proclamation
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Keep one consistent noun for “royal decree” across Cyrus (ch. 1), Artaxerxes (ch. 4, 7), and Darius (ch. 6) to preserve the decree-motif for students.

remnant

Original: נִשְׁאָר / שְׁאָר (sha’ar root); also פְּלֵטָה (peletah, “escaped remnant,” 9:8, 13–15)
French rendering: le reste
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History; Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Technical prophetic-theology term; flag every recurrence (1:4; 9:8, 13–15).

freewill offering

Original: נְדָבָה (nedavah)
French rendering: offrande volontaire
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Keep distinct from baseline “dons spirituels” (unrelated concept).

vessels / articles (Temple vessels)

Original: כֵּלִים (kelim)
French rendering: ustensiles
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Structural motif spanning 1:6–11; 5:14; 6:5; 7:19; 8:25–30. Must render identically every occurrence.

captivity / exile community

Original: גּוֹלָה (golah)
French rendering: la captivité / les fils (gens) de la captivité
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History; Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Community self-designation; keep terminology consistent, avoid synonym drift (“exilés,” etc.).

priests (OT sacrificial priesthood)

Original: כֹּהֲנִים (kohanim)
French rendering: prêtres (also noted: “sacrificateurs,” the Segond-tradition term distinguishing OT priests from NT/Catholic clerical office)
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Consider “sacrificateurs” in more technical teaching contexts to avoid Catholic sacramental-priesthood conflation.

assembly / congregation

Original: קָהָל (qahal); LXX: ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia)
French rendering: assemblée
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Etymological link to NT “Église” is a valuable advanced-teaching note but must not be used interchangeably with baseline’s “Église” in ordinary rendering.

Nethinim (temple servants)

Original: נְתִינִים (netinim)
French rendering: Netinim (transliterated; glossed “serviteurs du temple”)
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Low — NEW

Urim and Thummim

Original: אוּרִים וְתֻמִּים
French rendering: Urim et Thoummim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Low — NEW

altar

Original: מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)
French rendering: autel
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Medium — NEW

burnt offering

Original: עֹלָה / עֹלוֹת (olah / olot)
French rendering: sacrifice entièrement consumé par le feu (recommended); “holocauste” avoided in primary teaching text
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Critical — NEW
Alternatives rejected: “holocauste” as the primary/default rendering (retained only as an annotated traditional-liturgical variant)
Notes: French-specific WWII/Shoah association; mandatory theologian review every occurrence.

sin offering

Original: חַטָּאת (chattat)
French rendering: sacrifice pour le péché
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship (linking forward to atonement theology)
Risk: High — NEW

Feast of Tabernacles

Original: חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת (Chag HaSukkot)
French rendering: la fête des Tabernacles
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Medium — NEW

Passover

Original: פֶּסַח (Pesach)
French rendering: la Pâque
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship; Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Distinguish from “Pâques” (Christian Easter) for unchurched readers.

dedication

Original: חֲנֻכָּה (chanukkah)
French rendering: la dédicace
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Medium — NEW

purified / purification (ritual)

Original: טָהֵר (taher)
French rendering: se purifièrent / purification
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Risk: Medium — NEW
Alternatives rejected: “sanctification” (per baseline’s own rejected-alternatives note — the two concepts are distinct)

scribe

Original: סוֹפֵר (sopher)
French rendering: scribe
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Collision with Gospels’ polemical “scribes et pharisiens”; requires explicit teaching contrast.

prepared his heart to seek (the Law)

Original: הֵכִין לְבָבוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ (hekhin levavo lidrosh, root darash)
French rendering: il avait résolu / préparé son cœur à chercher (la Loi)
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Risk: Medium — NEW

hand of the LORD was upon him

Original: יַד־יְהוָה עָלָיו (yad-YHWH alav)
French rendering: la main de l’Éternel était sur lui
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Risk: Medium — NEW

fasting

Original: צוֹם (tzom)
French rendering: jeûne
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: Medium — NEW

prayer

Original: תְּפִלָּה (tefillah) / verbal forms of פָּלַל (palal)
French rendering: prière
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance; The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Risk: Medium — NEW
Notes: Genuine gap in the inherited baseline glossary; recommend formal addition to translation_memory.json going forward.

mingled / intermarried (with peoples of the land)

Original: הִתְעָרְבוּ / הִתְחַתְּנוּ (hitarevu / hitchatnu)
French rendering: se mêler à / prendre pour épouses (des peuples étrangers)
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Concern is religious syncretism, not ethnicity; mandatory clarifying note every occurrence.

peoples of the land

Original: עַם־הָאָרֶץ / עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת (am ha’aretz / amei ha’aratsot)
French rendering: les peuples du pays / les peuples étrangers
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Risk: High — NEW

holy seed

Original: זֶרַע הַקֹּדֶשׁ (zera haqodesh)
French rendering: semence sainte (glossed: peuple consacré / postérité consacrée à Dieu)
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Risk: Critical — NEW
Notes: Highest ethnic-misreading risk term in the book; mandatory human theologian review every occurrence, framed strictly as covenantal-religious, never biological/racial, identity.

confession

Original: הִתְוַדָּה (hitvadah, root yadah)
French rendering: confession (publique) / confession communautaire
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: Critical — NEW
Alternatives rejected: unqualified “la confession” standing alone (collides with the Catholic sacrament of Penance)
Notes: Public, God-directed, non-sacramental corporate confession; qualify every occurrence.

abominations

Original: תּוֹעֵבֹת (to’evot)
French rendering: abominations
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Risk: Medium — NEW

put away (foreign wives)

Original: הוֹצִיא (hotsi)
French rendering: renvoyer / se séparer de
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism; Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: High — NEW
Notes: Requires pastoral-application contextualization distinguishing this unique covenant-community episode from a general NT marriage ethic.

shame / ashamed

Original: בּוֹשׁ (bosh)
French rendering: honte
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Risk: Medium — NEW

wisdom

Original: חָכְמָה (chokmah)
French rendering: sagesse
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Risk: Low — NEW

Section 3 — Proper Names (French Bible Forms)

English	French Form	Risk	Note
Ezra (book and man)	Esdras	Low	Book citation form: “Esdras”
Cyrus	Cyrus	Low	Unchanged
Darius	Darius	Low	Unchanged
Artaxerxes	Artaxerxès	Low
Nebuchadnezzar	Nebucadnetsar	Low	Not the English spelling
Zerubbabel	Zorobabel	Low
Jeshua/Joshua (high priest)	Josué	Low	Homonymous with the Book of Joshua; context disambiguates
Sheshbazzar	Sheshbatsar	Low
Haggai	Aggée	Medium	Frequently mis-transliterated from English; correct French Bible form required
Zechariah	Zacharie	Low
Tattenai	Tattenaï	Low
Mithredath	Mithredath / Mithredate	Low
Jerusalem	Jérusalem	Low
Babylon	Babylone	Low
Judah	Juda	Low
Benjamin	Benjamin	Low

Section 4 — Chapters Reviewed with No New Load-Bearing Terms

None. Every chapter of Ezra (1–10) introduces at least one new load-bearing term or proper name requiring a translation decision, as documented above. Chapters 2, 5, and 8 contribute the fewest new doctrinally weighted terms (mostly administrative/genealogical vocabulary of Low risk) but each still introduces at least one Medium-or-higher term (Chapter 2: assembly, Nethinim; Chapter 5: God of heaven title variant, governor; Chapter 8: fasting, prayer, sin offering) and is therefore included in full above rather than being marked as a no-new-vocabulary chapter.

Critical Risk Terms

Lord Yhwh

Approved rendering: l’Éternel
Transliteration: YHWH / Adonai
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Rejected alternatives: Seigneur (reserved exclusively for NT κύριος/Kyrios as Christ’s Lordship confession, Romans 10:9, per the baseline), le SEIGNEUR (acceptable TOB/Bible de Jérusalem ecumenical variant for reviewer notes only; never substituted into running teaching text)
Original: יְהוָה (YHWH)
Category: God

NEW — the single most consequential rendering decision in the Ezra package. French Bible tradition splits between ‘l’Éternel’ (Segond) and ‘le SEIGNEUR’ (TOB/BJ, often small caps). This curriculum reserves ‘Seigneur’ exclusively for the NT Christological confession; YHWH must render as ‘l’Éternel’ throughout Ezra to avoid collapsing the OT covenant name into that distinct NT title. Occurs over 40 times (1:1-5; 3:10-11; 6:12-22; 7:6-28; 9:1-15; 10:1-3). Apply this convention to all future OT curricula in this language pair.

Burnt Offering

Approved rendering: sacrifice entièrement consumé par le feu
Transliteration: olah
Doctrine: Sacrificial Worship and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: holocauste (as primary/default rendering — now overwhelmingly associated in contemporary French with la Shoah/l’Holocauste)
Original: עֹלָה / עֹלוֹת (olah / olot)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW, CRITICAL, French-specific. ‘Holocauste’ is now inseparable from the WWII genocide of European Jews in ordinary French usage; unqualified use in Bible-study material risks a jarring, inappropriate association absent from the source text. Render as ‘sacrifice entièrement consumé par le feu’ or ‘offrande consumée tout entière’ in primary teaching text; ‘holocauste’ may be noted parenthetically only as the traditional liturgical-lexical term for advanced readers. Mandatory human theologian review every occurrence (3:2-6; 6:9; 8:35).

Confession

Approved rendering: confession (publique / communautaire)
Transliteration: hitvadah (root yadah)
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘la confession’ standing alone (collides with the Catholic sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation)
Original: הִתְוַדָּה (hitvadah, root יָדָה yadah)
Category: Repentance

NEW, CRITICAL. Unqualified ‘la confession’ overwhelmingly denotes the Catholic sacrament of Penance in ordinary French usage — private, priest-mediated, ending in sacramental absolution. Ezra’s confession is public, corporate, and addressed directly to God without priestly mediation of absolution, the opposite emphasis. Every occurrence must carry the qualifier. Mandatory human theologian review (9:6-15; 10:1,11).

Holy Seed

Approved rendering: semence sainte
Transliteration: zera qadosh
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: unglossed bare ‘semence sainte’ standing without a clarifying note
Original: זֶרַע הַקֹּדֶשׁ (zera haqodesh)
Category: Syncretism

NEW, CRITICAL — the highest ethnic-misreading risk term in the book. Read superficially by a modern French audience attuned to live domestic debates about ethnic nationalism and racial purity, this phrase risks a serious and damaging misreading as a biological/racial-purity claim rather than the covenantal-religious fidelity concern the text intends (the same conceptual category as the baseline’s ‘saints’ doctrine, applied corporately to pre-exilic Israel). Always gloss: ‘peuple consacré / postérité consacrée à Dieu’. Mandatory human theologian review every occurrence (9:2).

High Risk Terms

Grace

Approved rendering: grâce
Transliteration: grâce
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: faveur, mérite
Original: χάρις / חֵן (chen)
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Same word used by Catholic and Protestant traditions, but the theology differs: Catholic catechesis ties grâce to sacramental mediation; Reformed/Segond tradition insists on grâce apart from any ecclesial mediation. Must render as wholly unmerited, per Romans’ contrast with works. In Ezra 9:8, the survival of a remnant despite deserved judgment (‘a brief moment of grace’) is a strong forward echo of Romans’ grace doctrine — a valuable cross-curricular teaching bridge; apply the same Critical/High handling as the baseline entry.

Law

Approved rendering: loi / la Loi
Transliteration: loi (la Loi)
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy; The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Original: νόμος / תּוֹרָה (Torah)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. Capitalize as ‘la Loi’ for Torah/Mosaic law to distinguish from civil ‘loi’. Ezra’s Torah (7:6,10,12,14,21,25-26; 10:3) and Paul’s ‘la Loi’ are the same referent; Ezra’s positive, community-restoring use of Torah should be read as consonant with, not contradicting, the Romans exposition of the Law’s role and limits — a good discipleship bridge point between the two curricula.

Covenant

Approved rendering: alliance
Transliteration: alliance
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Rejected alternatives: contrat
Original: διαθήκη / בְּרִית (berit)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. Relational covenant bond, more than a legal contract. In Ezra 10:3 the community ‘cuts a covenant’ (karat berit) to recommit to the EXISTING Sinai covenant terms; this is covenant RENEWAL, not the institution of a new covenant, and must never be read through the lens of the baseline’s NT ‘nouvelle alliance’ framing.

Election

Approved rendering: élection
Transliteration: élection
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: chance, destin
Original: ἐκλογή / בָּחַר (bachar)
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. HIGH RISK: ‘élection’ is the everyday word for political/democratic elections in French, risking a reading of God’s choice as competitive or merit-based rather than sovereign and gracious. No direct lexical occurrence in Ezra’s Hebrew/Aramaic text, but the concept underlies Ezra’s ‘remnant’ theology; retain baseline caution if a teaching note explicitly bridges Ezra to Romans 9-11.

God Of Heaven

Approved rendering: Dieu des cieux
Transliteration: Elohei HaShamayim / Elah Shemayin
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם / אֱלָהּ שְׁמַיָּא
Category: God

NEW. A title emphasizing YHWH’s transcendence and universal sovereignty, used especially in reports of or addresses to pagan rulers (1:2; 5:11-12; 6:9-10; 7:12,21,23). Narrator-level absolute monotheism vs. Cyrus’s/pagan officials’ own limited (likely Zoroastrian) understanding must be distinguished in teaching notes.

House Of The Lord Temple

Approved rendering: la maison de l’Éternel / le Temple
Transliteration: beit YHWH / bayit
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Rejected alternatives: bare lowercase ‘temple’ without a clarifying gloss
Original: בֵּית יְהוָה / בַּיִת
Category: Temple Worship

NEW, foundational term for the whole book. French Protestants historically reserve ‘temple’ for their own church building (cf. baseline ‘church’ entry); Catholic/secular readers default to a generic pagan-temple association. Gloss on first use per lesson: ‘le Temple de Jérusalem, la maison de l’Éternel’.

Stirred Up Spirit

Approved rendering: réveilla l’esprit (de…)
Transliteration: he’ir
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: הֵעִיר (he’ir, root עוּר)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Must use lowercase ‘esprit’; never conflate with baseline’s capitalized ‘Esprit Saint’ — this is God’s sovereign action on a pagan king’s natural disposition, not Trinitarian indwelling. Secular readers may also flatten ‘réveilla’ into mere psychological motivation. Occurs 1:1,5.

Remnant

Approved rendering: le reste
Transliteration: sha’ar / peletah
Doctrine: Remnant Theology
Original: נִשְׁאָר / שְׁאָר / פְּלֵטָה (sha’ar / peletah)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW, load-bearing technical prophetic-theology category (cf. Isaiah, Jeremiah), forward-echoing Romans 9-11’s remnant theology. Must be flagged wherever it recurs (1:4; 9:8,13-15) as a covenant-identity term, not a casual reference to leftover people.

Temple Vessels

Approved rendering: ustensiles
Transliteration: kelim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: כֵּלִים (kelim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW, structural narrative motif bracketing the exile-and-restoration arc. Must be rendered identically at every recurrence (1:6-11; 5:14; 6:5; 7:19; 8:25-30).

Sin Offering

Approved rendering: sacrifice pour le péché
Transliteration: chattat
Doctrine: Sacrificial Worship and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: holocauste (avoid entirely), conflation with burnt_offering’s ‘sacrifice entièrement consumé par le feu’
Original: חַטָּאת (chattat)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. A sacrifice specifically addressing sin/guilt, distinct from the burnt offering’s total-consecration sense. Directly linked to atonement theology carried forward into Romans 3:25 (already an escalation trigger in the baseline package). Occurs 8:35.

Scribe

Approved rendering: scribe
Transliteration: sopher
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Original: סוֹפֵר (sopher)
Category: Scripture

NEW. Major cross-testament collision risk: in the Gospels ‘les scribes et les pharisiens’ are cast as legalistic opponents of Jesus. Requires an explicit teaching note distinguishing Ezra’s positive, Spirit-enabled scribal office (7:6,10-12,21) from the Gospels’ polemical usage of the identical French word.

Mingled Intermarried

Approved rendering: se mêler à / prendre pour épouses
Transliteration: hitarevu / hitchatnu
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Original: הִתְעָרְבוּ / הִתְחַתְּנוּ (hitarevu / hitchatnu)
Category: Syncretism

NEW. The concern is religious syncretism and covenant fidelity, NOT ethnic purity. Every occurrence requires a clarifying note to forestall an ethno-nationalist or xenophobic misreading in the French cultural context, historically and currently sensitive to such rhetoric. Occurs 9:1-2.

Peoples Of The Land

Approved rendering: les peuples du pays
Transliteration: am ha’aretz / amei ha’aratsot
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Rejected alternatives: étrangers (parallel caution to the baseline’s ‘gentiles’ entry)
Original: עַם־הָאָרֶץ / עַמֵּי הָאֲרָצוֹת (am ha’aretz / amei ha’aratsot)
Category: Syncretism

NEW. The doctrinal point is theological (idolatrous syncretism, covenant unfaithfulness), not ethnic; careless rendering emphasizing bloodline over religious practice risks feeding contemporary ethno-nationalist or xenophobic misreadings in a French cultural context sensitive to such rhetoric. Occurs 4:1-4; 9:1,11; 10:2,11.

Put Away Wives

Approved rendering: renvoyer / se séparer de
Transliteration: hotsi
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Original: הוֹצִיא (hotsi)
Category: Syncretism

NEW. Sensitive pastoral content: the text’s concern is covenant fidelity and the religious formation of the next generation (cf. 9:2, ‘holy seed’), not a general model for modern interfaith/intercultural marriage. Mandatory human theologian review with an explicit pastoral-application note distinguishing this unique, unrepeatable covenant-community episode from an NT marriage ethic. Occurs 10:3,11,19.

Medium Risk Terms

God

Approved rendering: Dieu
Transliteration: Dieu
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Secularization risk: ‘Dieu’ is used as a casual interjection (‘Mon Dieu!’) and, in academic/philosophical French, can be treated as an abstract deist concept rather than the personal, triune God of Scripture. In Ezra, ‘Dieu’ renders the generic Hebrew אֱלֹהִים (Elohim); the covenant name YHWH is rendered separately as ‘l’Éternel’ (see lord_yhwh below) so the OT covenant name is never collapsed into the NT Christological ‘Seigneur’ confession fixed by the Romans baseline.

Israel

Approved rendering: Israël
Transliteration: Israël
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra’el)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. Contemporary Middle East politics and France’s significant Jewish community make it easy for readers to conflate biblical Israel (the covenant people) with the modern nation-state; keep the referent historical/theological throughout Ezra (1:3; 2:2,59,70; 6:16-17,21-22; 7:6-7,10,13; 8:35; 9:1,15; 10:1-25).

Holy

Approved rendering: saint
Transliteration: saint
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: pur
Original: ἅγιος / קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh)
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. Set apart for God and morally pure; ‘pur’ alone loses the set-apart sense. Underlies the corporate identity term ‘holy seed’ (zera haqodesh, Ezra 9:2), which is treated as a separate Critical-risk entry below (see holy_seed) because it requires a stronger clarifying gloss than the bare adjective.

Sanctification

Approved rendering: sanctification
Transliteration: sanctification
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy; ‘purification’ risks a ritual-cleansing reading. This term must NOT be used to render Ezra 6:20’s ritual purification (taher), a distinct Mosaic ceremonial-cleanness concept preserved separately (see ritual_purification below) — the fence established by the baseline must hold in both directions.

Spirit Human Disposition

Approved rendering: esprit
Transliteration: ruach
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Rejected alternatives: Esprit (capitalized, reserved exclusively for baseline’s Esprit Saint)
Original: רוּחַ (ruach)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. The human will/inner disposition, distinct from the Holy Spirit. Always lowercase in this sense; must be visually and doctrinally distinguished from ‘Esprit Saint’ throughout Ezra. Occurs 1:1,5.

Royal Edict Decree

Approved rendering: édit / décret
Transliteration: qol / nishtevan / pitgam
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: קוֹל (qol) / Aramaic נִשְׁתְּוָן (nishtevan) / פִּתְגָם (pitgam)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Use ONE consistent French noun for the recurring royal-decree motif across Cyrus (ch.1), Artaxerxes (ch.4,7), and Darius (ch.6) so students can track the decree-motif across the book.

Kingdom Pagan

Approved rendering: royaume
Transliteration: malkut
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: מַלְכוּת (malkut)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Lowercase always. Must remain visually and doctrinally distinct from the baseline’s capitalized ‘Royaume de Dieu’ — this is a pagan empire under God’s sovereign rule, not God’s own eschatological kingdom.

Word Of The Lord

Approved rendering: parole de l’Éternel
Transliteration: devar-YHWH
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: דְּבַר־יְהוָה (devar-YHWH)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Ties Cyrus’s decree to Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10. Low OT literacy among readers makes an explicit cross-reference gloss advisable. Occurs 1:1.

Hand Of The Lord

Approved rendering: la main de l’Éternel
Transliteration: yad-YHWH
Doctrine: God’s Providential Enablement
Original: יַד־יְהוָה (yad-YHWH)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Idiom for God’s enabling favor and protective empowerment, distinguishing success from mere human competence. Risk of being read as a crude anthropomorphism; a brief gloss on first occurrence suffices. Distinct from the purely administrative idiom ‘by the hand of’ (see by_the_hand_of_agency). Occurs 7:6,9,28; 8:22,31.

Freewill Offering

Approved rendering: offrande volontaire
Transliteration: nedavah
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: נְדָבָה (nedavah)
Category: Covenant Renewal

NEW. Keep distinct from baseline’s ‘dons spirituels’ (unrelated concept — Spirit enablement, not material giving). Occurs 1:4; 2:68-69; 3:5.

Captivity Exile Community

Approved rendering: la captivité / les fils de la captivité
Transliteration: golah
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Rejected alternatives: exilés (avoid synonym drift mid-document)
Original: גּוֹלָה (golah)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Core self-identity designation of the post-exilic community. Keep terminology consistent throughout; students track this as a technical identity-marker.

Priests Ot

Approved rendering: prêtres
Transliteration: kohanim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: כֹּהֲנִים (kohanim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Render ‘prêtres’ for readability; the Segond tradition alternative ‘sacrificateurs’ distinguishes OT sacrificial priests from the NT/Catholic ministerial ‘prêtre’ office and should be used in doctrinally sensitive passages, given the audience includes practicing Catholics.

Assembly Qahal

Approved rendering: assemblée
Transliteration: qahal
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Rejected alternatives: Église (reserved by the baseline for the NT ekklēsia/body-of-Christ sense)
Original: קָהָל (qahal)
Category: Covenant Renewal

NEW. The LXX renders qahal with ekklēsia — valuable for advanced teaching, but the OT rendering must remain visually and doctrinally distinct from baseline ‘Église’ in ordinary use. Occurs 2:64; 10:1,8,12,14.

Altar

Approved rendering: autel
Transliteration: mizbeach
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: מִזְבֵּחַ (mizbeach)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Rebuilt before the Temple building itself (3:2-3), showing worship’s priority over construction — a sequencing point worth preserving in teaching notes.

Feast Of Tabernacles

Approved rendering: la fête des Tabernacles
Transliteration: Chag HaSukkot
Doctrine: Restored Worship Calendar and Feasts
Original: חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת (Chag HaSukkot)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Risk is cultural obscurity (‘tabernacle’ archaic in secular French), not doctrinal distortion; gloss on first use. Occurs 3:4.

Passover

Approved rendering: la Pâque
Transliteration: Pesach
Doctrine: Restored Worship Calendar and Feasts
Original: פֶּסַח (Pesach)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Singular ‘la Pâque’, kept distinct from plural ‘Pâques’ (Christian Easter); must be explicitly noted for biblically unchurched readers unfamiliar with the connection. Occurs 6:19-22.

Dedication

Approved rendering: la dédicace
Transliteration: chanukkah
Doctrine: Restored Worship Calendar and Feasts
Rejected alternatives: Hanoukka (would wrongly import the much later Maccabean festival’s cultural apparatus into this earlier, unrelated Temple-dedication event)
Original: חֲנֻכָּה (chanukkah)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Cf. John 10:22’s ‘fête de la Dédicace’ for future NT cross-reference value; a brief historical note prevents anachronistic conflation with the Maccabean Hanukkah festival. Occurs 6:16-18.

Ritual Purification

Approved rendering: se purifièrent / purification
Transliteration: taher
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Rejected alternatives: sanctification (per the baseline’s own rejected-alternatives note for ‘sanctification’, the reverse fence must also hold: this ritual concept must never be rendered ‘sanctification’)
Original: טָהֵר (taher)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Mosaic ceremonial cleanness enabling participation in sacred acts, distinct from the NT doctrine of the Spirit’s progressive moral sanctification. Occurs 6:20.

Prepared Heart To Seek

Approved rendering: préparer son cœur à chercher (la Loi)
Transliteration: hekhin levavo lidrosh (root darash)
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Original: הֵכִין לְבָבוֹ לִדְרוֹשׁ (hekhin levavo lidrosh, root darash)
Category: Scripture

NEW. Earnest, disciplined personal inquiry into and application of Torah, the pattern of Ezra’s own devotion. No lexical ambiguity; a doctrinal emphasis point for teaching. Occurs 7:10.

Fasting

Approved rendering: jeûne
Transliteration: tzom
Doctrine: Prayer, Fasting, and Dependence on God
Original: צוֹם (tzom)
Category: Repentance

NEW. Contemporary secular French discourse associates fasting strongly with Catholic Lenten ‘le Carême’ or Islamic Ramadan observance; teaching context should specify this is a specific act of dependent prayer before a journey (8:21-23).

Prayer

Approved rendering: prière
Transliteration: tefillah / palal
Doctrine: Prayer, Fasting, and Dependence on God
Original: תְּפִלָּה (tefillah) / verbal forms of פָּלַל (palal)
Category: Repentance

NEW — genuine gap in the inherited baseline glossary; recommended for formal addition to the shared Romans-package translation_memory.json going forward, since this term will recur in every OT curriculum this language pair processes. Distinct from baseline’s narrower ‘intercession’ (praying on behalf of others); this is personal/corporate petition for one’s own community’s need. Occurs 8:21-23; 9:5-15; 10:1.

Abominations

Approved rendering: abominations
Transliteration: to’evot
Doctrine: Separation from Syncretism
Original: תּוֹעֵבֹת (to’evot)
Category: Syncretism

NEW. Must not be softened per the baseline’s doctrinal-preservation rule against minimizing doctrinal statements; explain as covenant-idolatry language, not general moral disgust. Occurs 9:1,11,14.

Shame

Approved rendering: honte
Transliteration: bosh
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Original: בּוֹשׁ (bosh)
Category: Repentance

NEW. An honor-shame cultural dynamic that may read as private embarrassment in individualist, guilt-oriented French culture; flag for native speaker review to preserve corporate, covenantal weight. Occurs 9:6.

House Of His Gods

Approved rendering: la maison de ses dieux
Transliteration: beit elohav
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: בֵּית אֱלֹהָיו (beit elohav)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Plural lowercase ‘dieux’, visually and doctrinally distinct from ‘Dieu’/‘l’Éternel’; a deliberate narrative contrast between the singular true God’s house and plural false gods’ house. This capitalization discipline must be maintained consistently. Occurs 1:7.

Great God Title

Approved rendering: le grand Dieu
Transliteration: Elaha rabba
Doctrine: God’s Providential Enablement
Original: אֱלָהָא רַבָּא (Elaha rabba, Aramaic)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. A title of divine transcendence used by/to pagan Persian officials; same apologetic function as ‘Dieu des cieux’ — pagan officials unwittingly testify to YHWH’s supremacy. Occurs 5:8; cf. 6:8.

Haggai

Approved rendering: Aggée
Transliteration: Chaggai
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Rejected alternatives: Haggai (direct English transliteration, incorrect French Bible form)
Original: חַגַּי (Chaggai)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Frequently mis-transliterated from the English ‘Haggai’ by translators unfamiliar with French OT book-name conventions; the correct French form ‘Aggée’ must be enforced. Occurs Ezra 5:1;6:14.

Low Risk Terms

Prophet

Approved rendering: prophète
Transliteration: prophète
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: voyant
Original: προφήτης / נָבִיא (navi)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. God’s spokesperson; avoid ‘voyant’ (fortune-teller connotation). Refers in Ezra to Haggai (Aggée) and Zechariah (Zacharie), whose ministries urged resumption of the Temple’s rebuilding (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14).

Prophecy

Approved rendering: prophétie
Transliteration: prophétie
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία / נְבוּאָה (nevu’ah)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. God-inspired declaration, not astrological prediction. Ezra 1:1 explicitly ties Cyrus’s decree to the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s earlier prophecy (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10).

David

Approved rendering: David
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: דָּוִד (Dawid)
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. Standard proper name form across all French Bible traditions. Referenced at Ezra 3:10 (‘according to the order of David’) regarding worship arrangements.

By The Hand Of Agency

Approved rendering: par la main de
Transliteration: beyad
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: בְּיַד (beyad)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Standard idiom of human agency (‘through the agency of’), purely administrative in 1:8; must not be conflated with the theologically loaded ‘hand of the LORD’ idiom.

Levites

Approved rendering: lévites
Transliteration: Leviyim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: לְוִיִּם (Leviyim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Stable, transliterated term with no French ambiguity.

Singers Musicians

Approved rendering: chantres
Transliteration: meshorerim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: מְשֹׁרְרִים (meshorerim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Standard, unambiguous term for Temple musicians/singers.

Nethinim

Approved rendering: Netinim
Transliteration: netinim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: נְתִינִים (netinim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Transliterate, glossed ‘serviteurs du temple’ on first use; unfamiliar term for French readers but doctrinally uncomplicated.

Urim Thummim

Approved rendering: Urim et Thoummim
Transliteration: Urim veTummim
Doctrine: Covenant Community Governance and Genealogical Legitimacy
Original: אוּרִים וְתֻמִּים (Urim veTummim)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Standard French Bible transliteration; a priestly oracular device used (2:63) to test unverifiable priestly genealogical claims.

Wisdom

Approved rendering: sagesse
Transliteration: chokmah
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Original: חָכְמָה (chokmah)
Category: Scripture

NEW. Standard wisdom-tradition vocabulary; no lexical ambiguity in French. Occurs 7:25.

Trembling

Approved rendering: tremblement
Transliteration: charadah
Doctrine: Confession and Corporate Repentance
Original: חֲרָדָה (charadah)
Category: Repentance

NEW. Fear-of-God trembling in response to confronting corporate sin; do not flatten into mere anxiety. Occurs 10:3,9.

Heads Of Families

Approved rendering: chefs des maisons paternelles
Transliteration: rashei avot
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת (rashei ha’avot)
Category: Covenant Renewal

NEW. Standard genealogical vocabulary recurring in ch. 2, 8, 10; no doctrinal risk beyond consistency.

Encouraged Strengthened

Approved rendering: encouragèrent / fortifièrent
Transliteration: chizeku bideihem
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: חִזְּקוּ בִּידֵיהֶם (chizeku bideihem)
Category: Covenant Renewal

NEW. Idiom for material and moral support enabling someone to act; render idiomatically, not literally ‘strengthened their hands’. Occurs 1:6; cf. 6:22.

Treasurer

Approved rendering: trésorier
Transliteration: gizbar
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: הַגִּזְבָּר (hagizbar)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Standard administrative term. Occurs 1:8.

Prince Civic Leader

Approved rendering: prince
Transliteration: nasi
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: הַנָּשִׂיא (hanasi)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Title used of Sheshbazzar; text-critical note for reviewers regarding possible identification with Zerubbabel’s Persian court title, not a translation risk per se. Occurs 1:8.

Adversaries

Approved rendering: adversaires
Transliteration: tsarim
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: צָרִים (tsarim)
Category: Covenant Renewal

NEW. Standard vocabulary; no doctrinal ambiguity. Occurs 4:1.

Official Letter

Approved rendering: lettre officielle
Transliteration: nishtevan
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: Aramaic נִשְׁתְּוָן (nishtevan)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Structural note: 4:8-6:18 and 7:12-26 are Biblical Aramaic; use a more formal, chancery-style French register in these royal-correspondence sections.

Governor

Approved rendering: gouverneur
Transliteration: pachat
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: Aramaic פַּחַת (pachat)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Standard administrative term, no ambiguity.

Province

Approved rendering: province
Transliteration: medinah
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: מְדִינָה (medinah)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Standard administrative term.

Weighed Vessels

Approved rendering: pesèrent
Transliteration: shaqal
Doctrine: Historical Record and Inventory of the Return
Original: שָׁקַל (shaqal)
Category: Temple Worship

NEW. Reinforces the temple_vessels motif’s theme of careful, accountable stewardship of sacred property. Occurs 8:25-30.

Fulfilled Accomplished

Approved rendering: s’accomplir
Transliteration: kalah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: כָּלָה (kalah, form לִכְלוֹת)
Category: Sovereignty

NEW. Stable, shared vocabulary, continuous with the baseline’s Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine. Occurs 1:1.

Ezra Esdras

Approved rendering: Esdras
Transliteration: Ezra
Doctrine: Proper Names
Original: עֶזְרָא (Ezra)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. French Bible citation form for both the book and the man is ‘Esdras’. Book citation format: ‘Esdras 1:1’.

Cyrus

Approved rendering: Cyrus
Transliteration: Koresh
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: כֹּרֶשׁ (Koresh)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Unchanged transliteration in French Bible tradition.

Darius

Approved rendering: Darius
Transliteration: Daryavesh
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: דָּרְיָוֶשׁ (Daryavesh)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Unchanged transliteration in French Bible tradition.

Artaxerxes

Approved rendering: Artaxerxès
Transliteration: Artachshasta
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: אַרְתַּחְשַׁשְׂתָּא (Artachshasta)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Nebuchadnezzar

Approved rendering: Nebucadnetsar
Transliteration: Nevukhadnetsar
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Rejected alternatives: Nebuchadnezzar (English spelling)
Original: נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר (Nevukhadnetsar)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. French Bible form is ‘Nebucadnetsar’, not the English spelling.

Zerubbabel

Approved rendering: Zorobabel
Transliteration: Zerubavel
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: זְרֻבָּבֶל (Zerubavel)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. French Bible form ‘Zorobabel’.

Jeshua Joshua

Approved rendering: Josué
Transliteration: Yeshua
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshua)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Homonymous with the Book of Joshua; context disambiguates.

Sheshbazzar

Approved rendering: Sheshbatsar
Transliteration: Sheshbatsar
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: שֵׁשְׁבַּצַּר (Sheshbatsar)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. French Bible form ‘Sheshbatsar’.

Zechariah

Approved rendering: Zacharie
Transliteration: Zekharyah
Doctrine: The Role of Scripture in Community Renewal
Original: זְכַרְיָה (Zekharyah)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Tattenai

Approved rendering: Tattenaï
Transliteration: Tattenai
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: תַּתְּנַי (Tattenai)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Mithredath

Approved rendering: Mithredath
Transliteration: Mithredath
Doctrine: Persian Imperial Administration as the Stage for God’s Sovereignty
Original: מִתְרְדָת (Mithredath)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. French Bible form ‘Mithredath’ or ‘Mithredate’.

Jerusalem

Approved rendering: Jérusalem
Transliteration: Yerushalayim
Doctrine: Restoration of Temple Worship
Original: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalayim)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Babylon

Approved rendering: Babylone
Transliteration: Bavel
Doctrine: God’s Sovereignty over Pagan Nations and History
Original: בָּבֶל (Bavel)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Judah

Approved rendering: Juda
Transliteration: Yehudah
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: יְהוּדָה (Yehudah)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form.

Benjamin

Approved rendering: Benjamin
Transliteration: Binyamin
Doctrine: Rebuilding and Covenant Renewal
Original: בִּנְיָמִן (Binyamin)
Category: Proper Names

NEW. Standard French Bible form, unchanged.

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