Semantic Analysis — Ephesians (Full Book) | English → Fulfulde

Method and Scope

This analysis covers Ephesians chapter 1 through chapter 6 in full, in the original Koine Greek. The core passage, Ephesians 2:1–10, receives full verse-by-verse treatment of every load-bearing term. Every other chapter receives a chapter-level study of its load-bearing theological terms using the same field set. Where a chapter reuses vocabulary already treated (in this document or in the baseline Romans Language Package), it is noted as reused rather than re-analyzed in full.

Baseline enforcement: Any term already recorded in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json MUST be reused exactly as recorded there (e.g. grace = Arjunde, faith = gomɗinal, salvation = kisal, church = kawtal, Holy Spirit = Ruuhu Ceniiɗo). This document flags such reuse explicitly and does not propose alternatives for those terms. New terms required by Ephesians’ distinctive vocabulary (mystery, body of Christ, armor of God, household codes, etc.) are proposed here provisionally, consistent with the thinner Fulfulde Bible-translation tradition documented in the baseline, and flagged for the same tier of native-speaker/theologian review.

Field set used per term: Original (Greek) · Transliteration · Literal meaning · Semantic range · English variants · Contextual theological meaning · Fulfulde rendering (risk tier + rationale).

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PART A — CORE PASSAGE: Ephesians 2:1–10 (Verse-by-Verse)

Ephesians 2:1

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…”

Field	Content
Original	νεκρός (nekrous, acc. pl.)
Transliteration	nekros
Literal meaning	Dead, lifeless, without vital function
Semantic range	Physically dead; metaphorically dead in relation to God (spiritually unresponsive, cut off from divine life)
English variants	dead, deadened
Contextual theological meaning	Describes the pre-conversion state of every believer: not merely sick or weakened but spiritually lifeless before God, setting up the “made alive” contrast in v.5. Foundational to Salvation by Grace through Faith.
Fulfulde rendering	maayɗo (base form of “one who has died,” from maay-, “to die”), qualified as maayɗo ka bakkaatu (“dead in sin”). Risk: High. Fulfulde maayɗo defaults to literal physical death; the metaphorical sense of spiritual deadness is not automatic and must be taught explicitly, distinct from any folk notion of a “living-dead” ancestral spirit state.

Field	Content
Original	παράπτωμα (paraptōmasin, dat. pl.)
Transliteration	paraptōma
Literal meaning	A false step, a fall beside the mark
Semantic range	Trespass, transgression, wrongdoing, moral failure
English variants	trespasses, transgressions, offenses
Contextual theological meaning	Specific acts of wrongdoing, paired with hamartia (sin, general condition) to give the full weight of human guilt before God.
Fulfulde rendering	tooñe (wrongs/offenses, from tooñ-, “to wrong someone”). Risk: Medium. Provisional — not yet a crystallized fixed theological term; distinguish from ordinary interpersonal offense in the moral-before-God sense Paul intends.

Field	Content
Original	ἁμαρτία (hamartiais, dat. pl.)
Transliteration	hamartia
Literal meaning	Missing the mark
Semantic range	Sin, moral transgression, offense against God
English variants	sins, sin
Contextual theological meaning	As in Romans, moral transgression before a personal, holy God.
Fulfulde rendering	bakkaatu — baseline term, reused exactly. Risk: High (per baseline registry).

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Ephesians 2:2

“…in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience…”

Field	Content
Original	περιπατέω (periepatēsate, aor.)
Transliteration	peripateō
Literal meaning	To walk around, to walk about
Semantic range	Metaphor for lifestyle/conduct: “to walk” = to live one’s daily life in a habitual pattern
English variants	walked, lived, conducted yourselves
Contextual theological meaning	A key Ephesians motif (recurs 4:1, 4:17, 5:2, 5:8, 5:15) contrasting the “walk” of death (2:2) with the “walk” of the new life prepared beforehand (2:10) and later ethical walking (ch. 4–5).
Fulfulde rendering	yahdu (“to walk/go about,” extended to conduct of life). Risk: Medium. Must be taught explicitly as a recurring ethical metaphor across the book (Walking in Newness of Life doctrine), not a one-off phrase; confirm regional naturalness of the metaphor with native speakers.

Field	Content
Original	αἰών (aiōna, acc. sg.)
Transliteration	aiōn
Literal meaning	An age, a long duration of time
Semantic range	Age, era, “this present age” as a moral-spiritual order opposed to God
English variants	course, age, world
Contextual theological meaning	The “present evil age,” the fallen world-order under which humanity once lived, distinct from kosmos (the created world itself).
Fulfulde rendering	jamaanu (era/age, Arabic-derived). Risk: Medium. Jamaanu is shared vocabulary with regional Islamic eschatological usage (e.g. “end of an age”); the qualifier “of this world” (jamaanu aduna hannde) must be retained to keep the moral-spiritual sense distinct from a purely chronological one.

Field	Content
Original	ἄρχων (archonta, acc. sg.)
Transliteration	archōn
Literal meaning	Ruler, chief, first one
Semantic range	A ruler with delegated authority; here, Satan as ruler of demonic powers
English variants	ruler, prince
Contextual theological meaning	Identifies a personal evil power actively opposing God, foundational to the Spiritual Warfare doctrine developed fully in ch. 6.
Fulfulde rendering	hooreejo (chief/ruler) qualified hooreejo semmbe bonɗe (“ruler of evil power”). Risk: High. Must not be confused with legitimate human political rulers (laamɓe) nor collapse this figure’s identity into folk-Islamic notions of a lesser malevolent spirit; this is Satan, the singular chief adversary.

Field	Content
Original	ἐξουσία (exousias, gen. sg.)
Transliteration	exousia
Literal meaning	Authority, right, power to act
Semantic range	Legitimate authority; delegated power; here, demonic dominion
English variants	power, authority, dominion
Contextual theological meaning	Paired with archōn to describe an organized demonic dominion “of the air” — the unseen spiritual realm.
Fulfulde rendering	semmbe (strength/power). Risk: High. Deliberately distinct from doole Alla (God’s power, baseline term) to avoid implying demonic power rivals God’s; must be explicitly subordinated to God’s power in teaching.

Field	Content
Original	πνεῦμα (pneumatos, gen. sg., referring to the evil spirit/Satan, not the Holy Spirit)
Transliteration	pneuma
Literal meaning	Spirit, breath, wind
Semantic range	Here, an evil spiritual force/personality actively at work in unbelief
English variants	spirit
Contextual theological meaning	Deliberately unnamed evil spirit-agency energizing disobedience — distinct from the Holy Spirit.
Fulfulde rendering	ruuhu bonɗo (“evil spirit,” lower-case ruuhu, never capitalized or paired with Ceniiɗo). Risk: Critical. Ruuhu alone is already flagged in the baseline as ambiguous; here the referent is genuinely evil, raising real risk of conflation with jinna/jinnaaji (jinn) in West African Islamic and traditional folk belief. This passage must be taught with direct distinction: biblical evil-spirit teaching is not identical to the jinn framework, and the Holy Spirit (Ruuhu Ceniiɗo) must never be confused with this term even by proximity of vocabulary.

Field	Content
Original	ἀπείθεια (apeitheias, gen. sg.)
Transliteration	apeitheia
Literal meaning	Non-persuadability, disobedience
Semantic range	Willful disobedience, unbelief expressed as resistance
English variants	disobedience
Contextual theological meaning	”Sons of disobedience” describes those characterized by, and destined under, this resistance to God prior to salvation.
Fulfulde rendering	ɗoftantaagu (negated form of ɗoftaade, “to obey”; “non-obedience/disobedience”). Risk: Medium. Provisional compound; confirm regional currency.

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Ephesians 2:3

“…among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”

Field	Content
Original	ἐπιθυμία (epithymiais, dat. pl.)
Transliteration	epithymia
Literal meaning	A strong desire, a craving
Semantic range	Neutral “desire” or, as here, disordered/sinful craving
English variants	passions, lusts, desires
Contextual theological meaning	Describes the disordered inner cravings that drove pre-conversion life, part of the universal diagnosis grounding Salvation by Grace through Faith.
Fulfulde rendering	jiɓɓe bonɗe (“evil desires/cravings”). Risk: Medium. Descriptive compound; must be distinguished from ordinary appetite (hunger, thirst) which carries no moral weight.

Field	Content
Original	σάρξ (sarkos, gen. sg.)
Transliteration	sarx
Literal meaning	Flesh, physical body tissue
Semantic range	Literal body/flesh; Pauline theological sense: fallen human nature in its rebellion against God, distinct from mere physicality
English variants	flesh, sinful nature, body
Contextual theological meaning	Not the physical body as such but the fallen orientation of human nature apart from the Spirit — a distinction central to the Household Codes and Walking in Newness of Life doctrines later in the letter.
Fulfulde rendering	teew (flesh/meat, literal body). Risk: High. Fulfulde teew defaults to the literal physical body; the Pauline moral sense (“fallen nature”) requires an explicit qualifying gloss (teew bonɗo, “sinful flesh”) every time, since no single crystallized term for this abstract Pauline category exists in the current translation tradition.

Field	Content
Original	ὀργή (orgēs, gen. sg.)
Transliteration	orgē
Literal meaning	Settled anger, wrath
Semantic range	Human anger; God’s righteous, judicial wrath against sin
English variants	wrath, anger
Contextual theological meaning	”Children of wrath by nature” describes humanity’s just liability to God’s judgment prior to grace — essential backdrop for v.4’s “But God.”
Fulfulde rendering	tikkere (anger/wrath). Risk: High. Must be qualified as God’s righteous judicial wrath (tikkere Alla nunɗunde), not petty or capricious anger, and distinguished from purely human-relational anger.

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Ephesians 2:4

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us…”

Field	Content
Original	ἔλεος (eleei, dat. sg.)
Transliteration	eleos
Literal meaning	Compassion shown to one in need
Semantic range	Mercy, pity, compassion
English variants	mercy, compassion
Contextual theological meaning	God’s compassionate disposition toward those under wrath (v.3), the ground on which grace (v.5, 8) is then extended.
Fulfulde rendering	yurmeende — baseline term (recorded in baseline as the term reserved for “mercy/compassion generally,” explicitly distinct from arjunde). Reused exactly. Risk: Medium, per baseline note that it must be kept distinct from arjunde (unmerited favor) even though closely related here.

Field	Content
Original	ἀγάπη (agapēn, acc. sg.)
Transliteration	agapē
Literal meaning	Selfless, willed love
Semantic range	God’s self-giving love; love among believers; marital love (ch. 5)
English variants	love
Contextual theological meaning	The great, active love that moved God to act in mercy and grace; recurs as the ground of the Household Codes (5:25, 33) and Church unity (4:2, 4:15-16).
Fulfulde rendering	yiɗde (to love / love, standard Fulfulde verbal noun). Risk: Medium. Confirm that this general term for love carries sufficient theological weight for God’s self-giving love as opposed to ordinary affection; may require a qualifying phrase (yiɗde mawnde Alla, “God’s great love”) on first use per document.

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Ephesians 2:5

“…even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—“

Field	Content
Original	συζωοποιέω (synezōopoiēsen, aor.)
Transliteration	syzōopoieō
Literal meaning	To make alive together with
Semantic range	A compound coined by Paul: to give life jointly, in union with another
English variants	made alive together with, quickened together with
Contextual theological meaning	Believers’ new life is not independent but in union with Christ’s own resurrection life — anchoring Salvation by Grace and, implicitly, the resurrection doctrine already established in the baseline.
Fulfulde rendering	wuurtinaa e Kiristu (“made to live together with Christ,” descriptive compound built on wuur-, “to live”). Risk: Critical. No single crystallized Fulfulde term exists for this compact Pauline compound; the union-with-Christ dimension must be explicitly taught, not left to the compound alone, and flagged for theologian confirmation before wide use given the doctrine’s centrality to Christian Identity in Christ.

Field	Content
Original	χάρις (chariti, dat. sg.)
Transliteration	charis
Literal meaning	Favor, gift
Semantic range	Unmerited favor from God
English variants	grace
Contextual theological meaning	The explicit basis of salvation, immediately reinforced in v.8; central to the doctrine Salvation by Grace through Faith.
Fulfulde rendering	Arjunde — baseline term, reused exactly. Risk: Critical (per baseline registry). The “apart from works” contrast (v.9) must be stated explicitly per baseline instruction, since arjunde risks being read as favor responsive to piety within regional Islamic usage.

Field	Content
Original	σῴζω (sesōsmenoi, perf. pass. ptc.)
Transliteration	sōzō
Literal meaning	To save, rescue, deliver
Semantic range	Physical rescue; theological salvation from sin and wrath
English variants	saved
Contextual theological meaning	Perfect tense: a completed action with continuing effect — you have been saved, a settled status, not an ongoing uncertain process.
Fulfulde rendering	kisal — baseline term, reused exactly (kisaama, “has been saved,” as the verbal form). Risk: Critical (per baseline registry). The completed, settled nature of this salvation must be stated explicitly to counter a deeds-weighing framework in which final salvation-status always remains uncertain until final judgment.

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Ephesians 2:6

“…and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”

Field	Content
Original	συνεγείρω (synēgeiren, aor.)
Transliteration	synegeirō
Literal meaning	To raise up together with
Semantic range	Joint resurrection, sharing in another’s rising
English variants	raised up with
Contextual theological meaning	Believers share, in a present spiritual sense, in Christ’s own resurrection — extending the baseline’s Resurrection doctrine into believers’ identity.
Fulfulde rendering	immintinaa e Kiristu (“raised up together with Christ,” built on baseline immorde e maayde, “rising from death”). Risk: Critical. This is a distinct theological claim from Christ’s own historical resurrection (already flagged Critical in the baseline for its direct collision with Quran 4:157’s denial of the crucifixion); here the claim is that believers already share that risen life, which must be taught as a present spiritual reality, not confused with a future-only resurrection hope.

Field	Content
Original	συγκαθίζω (synekathisen, aor.)
Transliteration	synkathizō
Literal meaning	To seat together with
Semantic range	To share a seat/position of honor and rest
English variants	seated with
Contextual theological meaning	Believers already share Christ’s position of victorious authority — a strong assurance statement.
Fulfulde rendering	jooɗinaa e Kiristu (“made to sit together with Christ,” descriptive). Risk: High. Provisional compound; the positional/authority sense (not literal physical seating) must be taught explicitly.

Field	Content
Original	ἐπουράνιος (epouraniois, dat. pl.)
Transliteration	epouranios
Literal meaning	Above the heaven, heavenly
Semantic range	The unseen spiritual realm above/beyond the visible sky; also the realm of hostile powers in 6:12
English variants	heavenly places, heavenly realms
Contextual theological meaning	The spiritual dimension where both Christ’s triumph (1:20-21, 2:6) and the spiritual conflict of 6:12 take place — a key term connecting Salvation, Election, and Spiritual Warfare doctrines.
Fulfulde rendering	ka kammuuli (“in the heavens/skies,” plural of kammu, “sky/heaven”). Risk: Medium. Must be distinguished from the ordinary physical sky and from popular cosmologies of a layered spirit-world (relevant also to Ephesians 6); confirm regional theological currency.

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Ephesians 2:7

“…so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Field	Content
Original	πλοῦτος (ploutos, nom. sg.)
Transliteration	ploutos
Literal meaning	Wealth, riches
Semantic range	Material wealth; metaphorical abundance
English variants	riches, wealth
Contextual theological meaning	God’s grace described in terms of lavish, immeasurable abundance — a deliberate contrast to the “children of wrath” poverty of v.3.
Fulfulde rendering	ngalu (wealth/riches, standard Fulfulde word with strong cultural resonance in cattle-wealth-based Fulani pastoralist identity). Risk: Medium. Positive cultural resonance point; ensure the metaphorical (spiritual) sense of “riches” is not flattened into literal material wealth or prosperity-gospel expectation.

Field	Content
Original	χρηστότης (chrēstotēti, dat. sg.)
Transliteration	chrēstotēs
Literal meaning	Usefulness, goodness, kindness
Semantic range	Kindness, benevolence, moral goodness in action
English variants	kindness
Contextual theological meaning	The relational warmth with which God’s grace is expressed toward believers “in Christ Jesus.”
Fulfulde rendering	moƴƴere (goodness/kindness). Risk: Low. Standard term.

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Ephesians 2:8

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,“

Field	Content
Original	χάρις / σῴζω / πίστις (repeated from vv. 5, cf. baseline)

Field	Content
Original	δῶρον (dōron, nom. sg.)
Transliteration	dōron
Literal meaning	A gift, an offering
Semantic range	A freely given gift; a temple offering (in other NT contexts)
English variants	gift
Contextual theological meaning	Salvation itself — not merely grace in the abstract — is explicitly named a gift, reinforcing that it is not self-generated.
Fulfulde rendering	dokkal (gift, from dokk-, “to give”; already used compounded in baseline’s dokkal Ruuhu, “gift of the Spirit”). Risk: High. Must not be confused with reciprocal gift-exchange customs common in Sahelian social life (where gifts often create an obligation of return); this gift is emphatically one-directional and unearned, echoed by the next verse’s explicit denial of works.

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Ephesians 2:9

“not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Field	Content
Original	ἔργον (ergōn, gen. pl.)
Transliteration	ergon
Literal meaning	Work, deed, labor
Semantic range	Any human deed; specifically, in Paul, deeds done to earn standing before God
English variants	works, deeds
Contextual theological meaning	The explicit exclusion of works from the ground of salvation — the verse the entire doctrine of Salvation by Grace through Faith turns on, directly confronting a deeds-weighing soteriology.
Fulfulde rendering	golle (works/deeds, standard Fulfulde word). Risk: Critical. This is the single point where the curriculum must state, unmistakably and without softening, that salvation is not a result of golle — deliberately confronting the deeds-weighing framework at the heart of regional Islamic soteriology (as already flagged Critical for “salvation” in the baseline registry).

Field	Content
Original	καυχάομαι (kauchēsētai, aor. subj.)
Transliteration	kauchaomai
Literal meaning	To boast, to glory in
Semantic range	Boasting, whether legitimate (in the Lord) or illegitimate (in self)
English variants	boast
Contextual theological meaning	Grace excludes self-congratulation before God — connects to the honor/dignity (teddungal) values of Pulaaku culture, where boasting and humility are both socially significant categories.
Fulfulde rendering	mantaade (to boast/praise oneself). Risk: Medium. Should be taught with sensitivity to teddungal (Pulaaku honor/dignity): this is not a condemnation of legitimate honor but specifically of self-generated claims before God.

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Ephesians 2:10

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Field	Content
Original	ποίημα (poiēma, nom. sg.)
Transliteration	poiēma
Literal meaning	A thing made, a work of craftsmanship
Semantic range	An artifact, a product of skilled making; (English “poem” derives from this word)
English variants	workmanship, handiwork, masterpiece
Contextual theological meaning	Believers are God’s own skilled creative work — a direct answer to v.9’s exclusion of self-generated works: what we could not achieve, God has already made us to be.
Fulfulde rendering	tagoore Alla (“God’s creation/handiwork,” from tag-, “to create/make”). Risk: Medium. Provisional; ensure the sense of skilled, purposeful craftsmanship (not accidental formation) is retained.

Field	Content
Original	κτίζω (ktisthentes, aor. pass. ptc.)
Transliteration	ktizō
Literal meaning	To create, to found
Semantic range	Creation from nothing (Genesis-type creation); founding of a city/institution
English variants	created
Contextual theological meaning	A “new creation” language, tying salvation to the same divine creative power at work in Genesis 1 — connects to Walking in Newness of Life.
Fulfulde rendering	tagaa (created, passive of tag-). Risk: Medium. Standard verb; ensure “in Christ Jesus” is retained as the locus of this new creation.

Field	Content
Original	ἔργα ἀγαθά (erga agatha)
Transliteration	erga agatha
Literal meaning	Good works
Semantic range	Deeds that are morally good, done as fruit rather than as the ground of salvation
English variants	good works
Contextual theological meaning	The crucial distinction of Ephesians 2: works are excluded as the ground of salvation (v.9) but affirmed as its fruit and purpose (v.10) — a distinction that must be preserved with precision.
Fulfulde rendering	golle moƴƴe (good works/deeds). Risk: High. Must always be paired with explicit teaching that these are the result, never the basis, of salvation, to prevent readers from re-collapsing v.10 back into a deeds-weighing framework the moment works are mentioned again.

Field	Content
Original	προετοιμάζω (proētoimasen, aor.)
Transliteration	proetoimazō
Literal meaning	To prepare beforehand
Semantic range	Advance preparation, planning ahead
English variants	prepared beforehand
Contextual theological meaning	God’s sovereign forethought in preparing believers’ good works — connects to Election and Predestination in Christ (ch. 1) and Providence (per baseline).
Fulfulde rendering	hebbinaa gadano (“prepared in advance,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Should echo the baseline’s welsindiigal Alla (providence) register without collapsing into natal (fate/al-qadar), which the baseline flags as more impersonally fatalistic.

Field	Content
Original	περιπατέω (peripatēsōmen, aor. subj., repeated from v.2)

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PART B — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY OF THE WHOLE BOOK

Chapter 1 (Ephesians 1:1–23)

Doctrines: Election and Predestination in Christ; The Mystery of Christ Revealed (introduced).

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
εὐλογία	eulogia	a speaking-well-of, blessing	Spiritual/material blessing bestowed by God	blessing	”Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (1:3) — opens the letter’s praise of God’s saving plan	dokkal kammuwal (“heavenly gift”). Risk: Critical. NEVER render as barka/barke — the widespread West African Islamic-Sufi blessing concept forbidden elsewhere in the baseline for the same reason (person-mediated, reciprocal blessing via marabouts). A native compound avoiding this root is required.
προορίζω	proorizō	to mark out/decide beforehand	God’s sovereign predetermination of believers’ adoption and inheritance	predestined, foreordained	1:5, 1:11 — grounds Election and Predestination in Christ	suɓaa ado tagoore (“chosen before creation,” built on baseline suɓagol, election). Risk: Critical. Must be kept distinct from natal (fate/al-qadar), the Islamic predetermination concept flagged in the baseline as more impersonally fatalistic than Romans/Ephesians’ personal, relational election; this doctrine requires explicit theological framing every time it appears.
μυστήριον	mystērion	a secret, a hidden thing now disclosed	God’s previously hidden, now-revealed saving plan centered in Christ	mystery, secret	1:9 — first occurrence of the letter’s central Mystery of Christ Revealed doctrine	gundu (secret/hidden thing, native Fulfulde word), full form gundu Alla suuɗaaɗo feeñinaango (“God’s hidden secret, now revealed”). Risk: Critical. Must NOT be rendered sirru, the Arabic-derived term for esoteric/mystical secret knowledge central to regional Sufi devotional practice (parallel risk to barke): using sirru would suggest Paul is describing privileged mystical knowledge for spiritual elites, exactly the opposite of Ephesians’ point that this mystery is now openly proclaimed to all.
ἀπολύτρωσις	apolytrōsis	a buying back, ransoming	Redemption through Christ’s blood (1:7)	redemption	Grounds forgiveness in a costly transaction, not a mere pardon	soodaandi (“ransom/redemption,” from sood-, “to buy/ransom”). Risk: High. Provisional; risk of being heard as an ordinary commercial purchase unless the “through his blood” clause is retained explicitly alongside it.
ἄφεσις	aphesis	a release, a sending away	Forgiveness of sins	forgiveness	1:7 — the immediate content of redemption	yaafuyee (forgiveness). Risk: Medium. Standard term; per baseline, must not be used as a substitute for waɗugol peewal (justification) elsewhere, but is correct here for forgiveness itself.
σφραγίζω	sphragizō	to seal, to stamp	The Spirit’s sealing mark of ownership and security on believers	sealed	1:13 — assurance dimension tied to the Holy Spirit	notaa e Ruuhu Ceniiɗo (“sealed with the Holy Spirit”). Risk: High. Nota (seal/stamp) is provisional and not yet a crystallized theological term; must always retain Ruuhu Ceniiɗo in full per baseline, never abbreviated.
ἀρραβών	arrabōn	a pledge, down payment, guarantee	The Spirit as the first installment guaranteeing future inheritance	guarantee, down payment, deposit	1:14 — ties Holy Spirit to future inheritance	hoolaare adiindi (“advance assurance/pledge,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Provisional descriptive compound.
κληρονομία	klēronomia	inheritance, allotted portion	Believers’ inheritance in Christ; also God’s “inheritance” in the saints (1:18)	inheritance	1:14, 1:18 — connects to baseline’s Adoption doctrine and its inheritance-rights emphasis	ndonu (inheritance/heritage, standard Fulfulde word with strong cultural resonance given Fulani lineage/cattle-inheritance customs). Risk: Medium. Good cultural fit; ensure the spiritual inheritance (not literal property/cattle) is clear from context.
σοφία	sophia	wisdom	Wisdom and revelation given to know God better (1:17)	wisdom	Prayer for spiritual insight	ñeeñal (wisdom/skill, standard). Risk: Medium. Deliberately distinct from hakkille, the Pulaaku pillar-virtue of practical wisdom/self-control, to avoid collapsing divine revelatory wisdom into a human cultural virtue category (parallel to the baseline’s manaango/teddungal distinction for glory).
ἀποκάλυψις	apokalypsis	an uncovering, unveiling	Revelation, disclosure of what was hidden	revelation	1:17 — paired with wisdom in Paul’s prayer	feeñinaandi (“a revealing,” from feeñ-, “to appear/become visible”). Risk: Medium. Standard derived form.
πλήρωμα	plērōma	fullness, that which fills	The church as Christ’s fullness (1:23); also used of Christ filling all things	fullness	Ecclesiological climax of ch. 1 — ties to The Church as the Body of Christ	timmal (fullness/completeness). Risk: High. Abstract theological use (the church as Christ’s “fullness”) is not self-evident from the word alone and requires explicit teaching.
κεφαλή	kephalē	head (body part)	Christ as head over the church (1:22); reused in household code sense (5:23)	head	Introduces headship Christology, foundational to The Church as the Body of Christ	hoore (head, standard Fulfulde word, also idiomatically “leader/self”). Risk: Medium. Natural lexical fit; note this same word will recur with different relational stakes in the household-code context of ch. 5 (husband as head of wife), requiring care to keep the two uses theologically distinct.
δύναμις / ἐνέργεια / κράτος / ἐξουσία (power-word stack, 1:19-21)	dynamis / energeia / kratos / exousia	might / working / strength / authority	Four near-synonymous power terms stacked to describe the surpassing greatness of God’s power in raising Christ	power, working, might, dominion	Anchors Christ’s resurrection and exaltation as the pattern of believers’ own hope (echoes baseline’s doole Alla, “power of God”)	doole (baseline, reused) / semmbe / kattanɗe / laamu (baseline, reused for dominion). Risk: High. Fulfulde’s thinner theological vocabulary does not have four crystallized distinct near-synonyms for “power” in this register; some compression/overlap is likely and should be flagged for theologian review rather than forced into artificial distinctions.

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Chapter 2 (Ephesians 2:11–22 — remainder beyond the core passage)

Doctrines: Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity; The Church as the Body of Christ.

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
περιτομή / ἀκροβυστία	peritomē / akrobystia	circumcision / foreskin (uncircumcision)	The Jew/Gentile identity marker under the old covenant	circumcision, uncircumcision	2:11 — the concrete marker of the division Christ abolishes	kaɗgol gaawol (“cutting of the foreskin,” literal/descriptive) recommended over the Arabic-derived sunna. Risk: Critical. Sunna is the term most readily available in regional usage, but it is also the term for the Islamic Sunnah (Muhammad’s normative practice/tradition) broadly, of which circumcision is one instance; using it risks readers hearing Paul’s argument as being about Sunnah-observance generally rather than the specific OT covenant-sign Paul has in view. A literal/descriptive rendering is recommended pending native-speaker confirmation.
ξένος / πάροικος	xenos / paroikos	stranger / one dwelling alongside (resident alien)	Gentiles’ former exclusion from Israel’s covenants	strangers, aliens, sojourners	2:12, 2:19 — describes Gentile alienation now overcome	koɗo (foreigner/guest, standard Fulfulde word). Risk: Medium. Positive cultural resonance: koɗo status carries strong hospitality obligations in Fulani pastoralist custom, which can be used pastorally to illustrate the warmth of the “no longer strangers” declaration in 2:19.
πολιτεία	politeia	citizenship, commonwealth	Israel’s covenant community/commonwealth, from which Gentiles were formerly excluded	commonwealth, citizenship	2:12	jeyal Israa’iila (“belonging to Israel,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Modern political “citizenship” is not a close cultural analogy; the covenantal-community sense must be taught explicitly.
ἔχθρα	echthra	hostility, enmity	The hostility between Jew and Gentile, and between humanity and God, both abolished by the cross	hostility, enmity	2:14, 2:16	ngayngu (hatred/enmity, standard). Risk: Medium. Standard term.
μεσότοιχον τοῦ φραγμοῦ	mesotoichon tou phragmou	the middle wall of the fence	The Jew/Gentile dividing barrier, now broken down in Christ	dividing wall	2:14 — vivid architectural metaphor for Unity of Jews and Gentiles	well seerndoowo (“a wall that separates,” descriptive). Risk: High. Should be taught with sensitivity to real, present-day inter-ethnic tension in the Sahel (Fulani pastoralist vs. neighboring farming communities), per the baseline’s caution on “no distinction” language, without appearing to erase legitimate Pulaaku ethnic identity.
εἷς καινός ἄνθρωπος	heis kainos anthrōpos	one new man/humanity	A genuinely new, single humanity created in Christ out of formerly hostile groups	one new man, one new humanity	2:15 — the doctrinal heart of Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity	neɗɗo kesum gooto (“one new person/humanity,” descriptive compound). Risk: High. No crystallized single term exists; must be taught as a genuinely new corporate identity created by Christ, not a mere alliance or truce between two groups that remain fundamentally separate.
σῶμα	sōma	body	Christ’s physical body on the cross (2:16 v.l. contexts); the church as one body (2:16, and structurally throughout the letter)	body	Reconciliation “in one body through the cross”	ɓalndu (body, standard). Risk: High. The corporate/ecclesial sense of “one body” (distinct from a literal physical body) recurs across chs. 2–5 and anchors The Church as the Body of Christ doctrine; must be introduced with explicit teaching on first occurrence.
προσαγωγή	prosagōgē	a bringing near, access	Access to the Father, granted through Christ by the Spirit	access	2:18	dañgol naatude (“obtaining entrance,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Provisional.
ναός	naos	temple, sanctuary	The church corporately as God’s holy temple/dwelling	temple	2:21	suudu Alla senaande (“God’s holy house”). Risk: Medium. Must remain clearly distinct from moosaale (mosque, forbidden per baseline for “church”).
θεμέλιος / ἀκρογωνιαῖος (λίθος)	themelios / akrogōniaios (lithos)	foundation / cornerstone	The apostles and prophets as foundation; Christ as cornerstone	foundation, cornerstone	2:20	fuɗnorde (foundation) / hayre fuɗnaande (“founding stone,” descriptive for cornerstone). Risk: Medium. Provisional descriptive compounds.
κατοικητήριον	katoikētērion	dwelling place, habitation	God’s Spirit-dwelling among his gathered people	dwelling place	2:22	ñiiɓirde (“a place of residing,” from ñiiɓ-, “to dwell/reside”). Risk: High. Must NOT use any term built on or resembling the root for jinna/jinnaaji (jinn), given the real risk of readers hearing “spirit-dwelling-place” language through a folk-Islamic/traditional spirit-world lens; ñiiɓirde is recommended specifically to avoid that collision.

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Chapter 3 (Ephesians 3:1–21)

Doctrines: The Mystery of Christ Revealed (developed); Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One New Humanity (continued).

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
μυστήριον / οἰκονομία	mystērion / oikonomia	secret / stewardship-plan	Reused from ch.1; “the stewardship/administration of the mystery” (3:2, 3:9)	mystery, stewardship, plan	Paul’s apostolic ministry is specifically to make this mystery known	gundu (reused from ch.1) / welsindiigal Alla (baseline providence term, extended here to God’s ordered saving plan). Risk: Critical (mystery, as in ch.1).
συγκληρονόμος	synklēronomos	fellow-heir	Gentiles as co-heirs with Jewish believers of the same promise	fellow heirs	3:6 — the concrete content of the mystery	wonduɓe e ndonu (“sharers together in the inheritance,” built on ndonu). Risk: High. Descriptive compound; must retain the equal-standing sense (not a lesser share).
σύσσωμος	syssōmos	fellow-member of one body	Gentiles as full members of the same one body as Jewish believers	of the same body	3:6	wonduɓe e ɓalndu gootel (“sharers together in one body,” built on ɓalndu). Risk: High. Descriptive compound reinforcing Unity of Jews and Gentiles.
συμμέτοχος	symmetochos	fellow-partaker	Gentiles as co-partakers of the promise in Christ	fellow partakers	3:6	wonduɓe e fodoore (“sharers together in the promise”). Risk: Medium. Descriptive compound.
πολυποίκιλος σοφία	polypoikilos sophia	many-colored/varied wisdom	God’s rich, multifaceted wisdom displayed through the church to hostile spiritual powers	manifold wisdom	3:10 — connects the church’s existence to Spiritual Warfare (made known “to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places”)	ñeeñal Alla ngal yaajɗi (“God’s wisdom which is vast/varied”). Risk: Medium. Reuses ñeeñal, kept distinct from hakkille per ch.1 note.
παρρησία	parrēsia	boldness, freedom of speech	Confident access to God in prayer, grounded in Christ	boldness, confidence	3:12	fittaandu (boldness/courage, standard root). Risk: Low.
πλάτος, μῆκος, ὕψος, βάθος	platos, mēkos, hypsos, bathos	breadth, length, height, depth	The four-dimensional vastness of Christ’s love (3:18)	breadth, length, height, depth	Poetic climax of Paul’s prayer	yaajeendi, juutéendi, toowéendi, lunndeendi (standard Fulfulde dimensional nouns). Risk: Low. Natural fit; no significant doctrinal risk.
ἀγάπη … ὑπερβάλλουσα τῆς γνώσεως	agapē hyperballousa tēs gnōseōs	love surpassing knowledge	Christ’s love, which exceeds full intellectual comprehension	love that surpasses knowledge	3:19	yiɗde ɓurndi anndal (“love exceeding knowledge”). Risk: Low. Standard descriptive construction.

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Chapter 4 (Ephesians 4:1–32)

Doctrines: The Church as the Body of Christ; Gifts for Building Up the Church; Walking in Newness of Life.

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
κλῆσις	klēsis	calling	Reused from Romans/baseline; “the calling to which you have been called” (4:1)	calling	Opens the ethical section: live worthy of your calling	noddaandi — baseline, reused exactly. Risk: High (per baseline registry).
ταπεινοφροσύνη	tapeinophrosynē	lowliness of mind, humility	A virtue required for unity (4:2)	humility	Foundational relational virtue for church unity	yankinaare (humility, Arabic-derived, standard). Risk: Low.
πραΰτης	prautēs	gentleness, mildness	Paired with humility (4:2)	gentleness	Relational virtue for unity	newaare (gentleness). Risk: Low.
μακροθυμία	makrothymia	long-temperedness, patience	Bearing with one another patiently (4:2)	patience, longsuffering	Key relational virtue for maintaining unity	munyal (patient endurance). Risk: High. Munyal is one of the four core pillars of Pulaaku (alongside semteende, hakkille, teddungal) explicitly documented in the baseline notes as a deep, independent Fulani identity value. Using it here is a strong natural lexical fit, but this curriculum must teach makrothymia here as Spirit-empowered fruit flowing from union with Christ (4:1-3), not merely as the pre-existing stoic pastoralist virtue of munyal practiced for its own sake or for ethnic-honor reasons.
ἑνότης	henotēs	oneness, unity	Unity of the Spirit (4:3); unity of the faith (4:13)	unity	Central relational goal of the chapter, distinct from kawtal (the gathered assembly itself)	wootaagu (oneness/unity, from wooto, “one”). Risk: Medium. Kept intentionally distinct from kawtal (baseline “church”), which names the gathered people rather than their internal unity as a quality.
σύνδεσμος τῆς εἰρήνης	syndesmos tēs eirēnēs	bond of peace	The unifying bond that holds the church together, using baseline jam	bond of peace	4:3	haɓɓoore jam (“bond/tie of peace,” from haɓɓ-, “to tie/bind,” + baseline jam). Risk: Medium. Descriptive compound.
ἀπόστολος / προφήτης / εὐαγγελιστής / ποιμήν / διδάσκαλος	apostolos / prophētēs / euangelistēs / poimēn / didaskalos	apostle / prophet / evangelist / shepherd / teacher	The five ministry-gifts given to equip the church (4:11)	apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers	Core list for Gifts for Building Up the Church	nulaaɗo (baseline, reused) / annabi (baseline, reused) / waajoowo Linjiila (“proclaimer of the Gospel,” built on baseline Linjiila) / gaynaako (“herder/shepherd,” standard Fulfulde pastoralist term) / jannginoowo (“teacher,” standard). Risk: Medium overall; gaynaako in particular is a strong, positive cultural-resonance opportunity, since shepherding/herding imagery, per the AI instruction set’s own tone guidance, “resonates strongly with Fulani cultural identity” — flag as a positive point, but confirm the term does not carry any unwanted association with a purely occupational/economic role divorced from spiritual oversight.
καταρτισμός	katartismos	equipping, outfitting	The purpose of the ministry-gifts: to equip believers for ministry (4:12)	equipping	Ties gift-list to the goal of the whole body’s growth	hertinirgol (“equipping/preparing tool/means,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Provisional.
οἰκοδομή τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ	oikodomē tou sōmatos tou Christou	building up of the body of Christ	The corporate growth-goal of the gifts	building up the body of Christ	4:12	mahgol ɓalndu Kiristu (“building of the body of Christ,” from mah-, “to build”). Risk: High. Combines ɓalndu (already flagged High in ch.2) with a construction metaphor; the corporate/ecclesial sense must be taught explicitly rather than assumed.
νήπιος	nēpios	infant, small child	Spiritual immaturity, tossed about by false teaching (4:14)	children, infants	Contrast to mature unity in the faith	suka (child, standard). Risk: Low.
κλυδωνίζομαι	klydōnizomai	to be tossed by waves	Instability caused by false doctrine	tossed by the waves	4:14	wullinaa e ndiyam (“tossed about by water,” descriptive). Risk: Low. Standard descriptive image.
παλαιὸς ἄνθρωπος / καινὸς ἄνθρωπος	palaios anthrōpos / kainos anthrōpos	old man / new man	The former sinful self vs. the new self created in Christ’s likeness	old self, old man, new self, new man	4:22-24 — core to Walking in Newness of Life	neɗɗo mo yeeso (“the former/old person”) / neɗɗo kesum (“the new person”). Risk: High. Distinct from heis kainos anthrōpos (2:15, corporate “one new humanity”); this is the individual-ethical counterpart and must be taught as a related but distinct application of the same “new creation” theme.
ἀνακαίνωσις τοῦ νοῦς	anakainōsis tou noos	renewal of the mind	The Spirit’s ongoing renewing work in the believer’s thinking (4:23)	renewal of the mind	Connects Sanctification (baseline) to practical ethical transformation	kesal hakkille (“renewal of the mind/inner disposition”). Risk: Medium. Here hakkille is used in its ordinary sense of “mind/inner faculty,” not the Pulaaku pillar-virtue sense flagged in ch.1 for sophia; context disambiguates, but this dual usage of the same word for two different concepts should be flagged for theologian awareness.
ἀποτίθεμαι / ἐνδύομαι	apotithemai / endyomai	to put off (clothing) / to put on (clothing)	Clothing metaphor for decisive moral change	put off / put on	4:22, 4:24-25	boortude (“to take off [clothing]”) / sokde (“to put on [clothing]”). Risk: Low. Natural clothing-metaphor fit.
λυπέω τὸ Πνεῦμα	lypeō to pneuma	to grieve the Spirit	Sin as a relational offense against the Holy Spirit personally	grieve the Holy Spirit	4:30	sunnude Ruuhu Ceniiɗo (“to grieve/sadden the Holy Spirit”). Risk: High. Must retain Ruuhu Ceniiɗo in full per baseline; the personal, relational nature of the Spirit (able to be grieved) must be taught, distinct from any impersonal spirit-force notion.
χαρίζομαι	charizomai	to show favor, to forgive	”Forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (4:32) — shares a root with charis (grace)	forgive	Ties congregational forgiveness directly to God’s own gracious forgiveness	yaafaade (to forgive, standard). Risk: Medium. Note for theologian awareness: the Greek wordplay linking charizomai to charis (grace) is not recoverable in Fulfulde, since yaafaade and Arjunde do not share a root; the connection should be made explicit in teaching rather than assumed from the vocabulary.

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Chapter 5 (Ephesians 5:1–33)

Doctrines: Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships; Walking in Newness of Life.

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
μιμηταὶ Θεοῦ	mimētai theou	imitators of God	Believers called to imitate God’s character, specifically his love (5:1)	imitators of God	Grounds ethical exhortation in God’s own character	jokkuɓe Alla (“followers/imitators of God,” descriptive). Risk: Medium. Provisional.
προσφορὰ καὶ θυσία	prosphora kai thysia	offering and sacrifice	Christ’s self-giving as a fragrant sacrificial offering (5:2)	offering and sacrifice	Christological ground for sacrificial love	sadaka (offering/sacrifice, Arabic-derived, shared with Islamic sadaqa, charitable almsgiving). Risk: High. Sadaka in regional Islamic usage typically denotes voluntary charitable giving, not a unique, once-for-all atoning sacrifice; this must be explicitly distinguished — Christ’s offering is not comparable to almsgiving but a singular, sufficient atoning act.
πορνεία	porneia	sexual immorality, prostitution	Any sexual immorality outside marriage	sexual immorality	5:3	jina (Arabic-derived, shared with Islamic zina). Risk: Medium. Good shared moral vocabulary; ensure the “against God personally” dimension (not merely social/legal transgression) is taught.
ἀκαθαρσία	akatharsia	uncleanness, impurity	Moral impurity, broader than sexual sin alone	impurity	5:3	tuundi (impurity/filth). Risk: Low. Must be distinguished from ritual impurity categories (laaɓal, per baseline) — this is moral, not ceremonial.
πλεονεξία	pleonexia	greediness, covetousness	Insatiable desire for more, especially wealth	covetousness, greed	5:3	hirjinaari (greed, provisional). Risk: Low. Provisional term; confirm regional currency.
εἰδωλολάτρης	eidōlolatrēs	idol-worshipper	One who serves material gain as an idol (5:5, applied metaphorically to the greedy)	idolater	Paul applies “idolatry” metaphorically to covetousness	dewoowo sanamji (“worshipper of idols,” from sanam, idol, Arabic-derived). Risk: Medium. Good point of contact with the Islamic anti-shirk framework (idolatry as a serious sin), but the metaphorical extension to covetousness (not literal physical idol-worship) must be taught explicitly.
υἱοὶ τῆς ἀπειθείας	huioi tēs apeitheias	sons of disobedience	Those characterized by disobedience to God (cf. 2:2)	sons of disobedience	5:6	ɓiɓɓe ɗoftantaagu (reused compound from 2:2). Risk: Medium.
φῶς / σκότος	phōs / skotos	light / darkness	Moral-spiritual metaphor: believers as light, their former life as darkness	light, darkness	5:8 — central metaphor for Walking in Newness of Life	annoora (light, Arabic-derived) / niɓe (darkness, standard). Risk: Medium. Annoora carries some resonance with Islamic “Nur” (divine light) vocabulary — a point of contact, but ensure it does not import unrelated theological associations from that tradition.
καρπὸς τοῦ φωτός	karpos tou phōtos	fruit of light	The good, visible outcomes of a Spirit-filled life	fruit of light	5:9	dimɗe annoora (“fruits of light,” from dimɗe, “fruits”). Risk: Low. Natural compound.
πληρόω ἐν Πνεύματι	plēroō en pneumati	to be filled in/with the Spirit	The command to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit, contrasted with drunkenness (5:18)	be filled with the Spirit	Central Spirit-empowerment command	heɓɓinaa e Ruuhu Ceniiɗo (“be filled with the Holy Spirit,” from heɓɓin-, “to fill”). Risk: High. Must retain Ruuhu Ceniiɗo in full; must be distinguished from any ecstatic/trance-possession framework familiar from regional spirit-possession or Sufi devotional practice — this is ongoing Spirit-empowered obedience, not a one-time ecstatic experience.
ψαλμοί, ὕμνοι, ᾳδαὶ πνευματικαί	psalmoi, hymnoi, ōdai pneumatikai	psalms, hymns, spiritual songs	Corporate worship expressions flowing from Spirit-filling (5:19)	psalms, hymns, spiritual songs	Practical fruit of being Spirit-filled	jimooli Ruuhu (“spiritual songs,” collective descriptive covering the whole triad). Risk: Low.
ὑποτάσσω	hypotassō	to submit, to arrange under	Mutual and specific submission within household relationships (5:21, 5:22, 5:24)	submit, be subject to	Central verb of Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships	jebbilaade (to submit/yield). Risk: High. Both regional Islamic household norms and traditional Pulaaku gender/household expectations already carry strong submission expectations; this curriculum must teach the specifically Christ-centered, mutual, sacrificial framing of Ephesians 5:21-33 (submission paired with Christlike self-giving love, not mere hierarchical authority) rather than letting the term default unexamined into either existing cultural framework.
κεφαλή	kephalē (reused from 1:22)	head	Christ as head of the church, applied to husband as head of wife (5:23)	head	Household code application of headship Christology	hoore (reused). Risk: High in this specific application — must be paired explicitly with the sacrificial, self-giving love standard of 5:25 (“as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her”), so headship is not heard as unqualified authority divorced from that self-giving standard.
μυστήριον (reused, applied to marriage)	mystērion	secret/mystery	Marriage as a picture of the “great mystery” of Christ and the church (5:32)	mystery	Ties Household Codes back to The Mystery of Christ Revealed	gundu (reused). Risk: High. Same critical avoidance of sirru applies here as in ch. 1 and 3.

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Chapter 6 (Ephesians 6:1–24)

Doctrines: Household Codes and Christ-Centered Relationships (continued); Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God.

Term (Greek)	Translit.	Literal meaning	Semantic range	English variants	Contextual theological meaning	Fulfulde rendering & risk
ὑπακούω	hypakouō	to obey, to listen under	Children’s obedience to parents “in the Lord” (6:1)	obey	Household code for children	ɗoftaade (to obey, standard). Risk: Low.
τιμάω	timaō	to honor, to value	Honoring father and mother (6:2, citing the Ten Commandments)	honor	Household code for children, with an OT covenant citation	teddinde (to honor, from the same root family as teddungal, Pulaaku dignity/honor). Risk: Low, and a positive resonance point: honoring parents maps naturally onto the existing Pulaaku value of teddungal — this alignment should be used pastorally rather than flagged as a collision.
δοῦλος	doulos	slave, bondservant	Household slaves addressed directly (6:5); also used elsewhere in Paul for believers as Christ’s “slaves”	slave, bondservant, servant	6:5-8 — historically specific to the Greco-Roman household, requiring careful contextualization	maccuɗo (slave/bondservant, standard Fulfulde word). Risk: Critical. Maccuɗo carries live, present-day social-caste connotations in many Fulani communities, tied to historic slave-descent lineage status still socially significant in parts of the Sahel (including legacies of the trans-Saharan slave trade and caste structures within some Fulani social hierarchies). This term must never be used casually; the passage requires explicit historical contextualization (first-century Greco-Roman household slavery, not a present-day social category) and should be flagged for human theologian review given the real potential for this vocabulary to reopen or reinforce painful social-caste associations among readers.
κύριος (of a human master, distinct from divine Lord)	kyrios	lord, master, owner	The human master of household slaves (6:5, 6:9)	master	Same Fulfulde word as Christ’s title, creating a disambiguation challenge	Joom (reused from baseline “Lord”). Risk: High. Using the identical word for both the divine Lord and a human household master requires explicit disambiguation in every instance (e.g., capitalization conventions, added modifiers) to prevent readers from hearing an implied equivalence between a human slaveholder’s authority and Christ’s own exclusive Lordship.
πανοπλία τοῦ Θεοῦ	panoplia tou theou	full armor/equipment of God	The complete set of spiritual armor God provides for the battle (6:11, 6:13)	armor of God, full armor	Central image of Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God	kaake hare Alla (“God’s war-equipment,” from kaake, “tools/equipment,” + hare, “war/fight”). Risk: High. Descriptive compound; must be taught as spiritual (not physical/military) equipment, distinct from literal weaponry and from protective amulets/charms sought from marabouts (a real, active regional practice already flagged for barke elsewhere in the baseline).
πάλη	palē	wrestling, hand-to-hand struggle	The nature of the spiritual conflict: close, personal struggle, not open warfare (6:12)	struggle, wrestling	Distinguishes the nature of spiritual conflict from literal armed conflict	hare (fight/struggle, standard). Risk: Medium.
ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι, κοσμοκράτορες τοῦ σκότους τούτου, τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις	archai, exousiai, kosmokratores tou skotous toutou, ta pneumatika tēs ponērias en tois epouraniois	rulers, authorities, world-rulers of this darkness, spiritual [forces] of evil in the heavenly places	A stacked description of organized, personal, hostile spiritual powers opposing believers	rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, spiritual forces of evil	6:12 — the doctrinal core of Spiritual Warfare and the Armor of God	laamɓe, kattanɗe, hooreeɓe niɓe aduna, ruuhuuji bonɗi ka kammu (descriptive compounds built on existing terms: rulers, powers/authorities, chiefs-of-the-darkness-of-this-world, evil spirits in the heavens). Risk: Critical. This is the single highest cultural-collision point newly introduced by Ephesians beyond the baseline’s existing risk map: West African traditional and folk-Islamic belief in an active, populated spirit world (jinn, ancestral spirits, witchcraft) — and the associated practice of seeking protection through marabouts, amulets, and gris-gris (already flagged in the baseline for barke) — gives readers a ready-made, well-articulated competing framework for exactly this passage. This doctrine requires its own dedicated theological framing distinguishing biblical spiritual warfare (fought through Christ’s finished victory, truth, prayer, and the listed armor-pieces, not amulets or ritual protection) from folk-Islamic/traditional protective practice, and must never use jinna/jinnaaji vocabulary for these powers.
ζώνη τῆς ἀληθείας	zōnē tēs alētheias	belt of truth	First armor piece: truth as a girding belt (6:14)	belt of truth		bagga goonga (“belt of truth,” bagga = belt/girdle, a familiar item of Fulani men’s dress). Risk: Medium. Good natural cultural fit.
θώραξ τῆς δικαιοσύνης	thōrax tēs dikaiosynēs	breastplate of righteousness	Second armor piece, using baseline peewal (righteousness)	breastplate of righteousness		kaɓirgel becce peewal (“chest-protector of righteousness,” built on baseline peewal). Risk: Medium. Good reuse of an already-established baseline term.
ἑτοιμασία τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς εἰρήνης	hetoimasia tou euangeliou tēs eirēnēs	readiness of the gospel of peace	Third armor piece: gospel-readiness as footwear, using baseline Linjiila and jam	shoes of the gospel of peace, readiness of the gospel		paɗe Linjiila jam (“shoes/readiness of the gospel of peace,” built on baseline Linjiila and jam). Risk: Medium. Good reuse of established baseline terms.
θυρεὸς τῆς πίστεως	thyreos tēs pisteōs	shield of faith	Fourth armor piece, using baseline gomɗinal	shield of faith		kaake dandal gomɗinal (“shield/protection-equipment of faith,” built on baseline gomɗinal). Risk: Medium.
περικεφαλαία τοῦ σωτηρίου	perikephalaia tou sōtēriou	helmet of salvation	Fifth armor piece, using baseline kisal	helmet of salvation		kaake hoore kisal (“head-covering of salvation,” built on baseline kisal). Risk: High. Given kisal’s Critical risk tier in the baseline (deeds-weighing soteriology collision), this specific compound should reinforce, not dilute, that salvation is already secured/settled — appropriate for protective imagery.
μάχαιρα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστιν ῥῆμα Θεοῦ	machaira tou pneumatos, ho estin rhēma theou	sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God	Sixth armor piece: God’s own word, wielded by/through the Spirit	sword of the Spirit, word of God	The only offensive weapon in the list	kaafa Ruuhu Ceniiɗo (“sword of the Holy Spirit”) paired with konngol Alla (“word of God”). Risk: High. Must retain Ruuhu Ceniiɗo in full per baseline.
προσευχή / δέησις	proseuchē / deēsis	prayer / petition, request	Praying “at all times in the Spirit,” with all kinds of prayer and petition (6:18)	prayer, petition	Closes the armor passage; the sustaining discipline behind all the armor-pieces	torgol (prayer) / torgol wonande (baseline “intercession,” reused for petition on behalf of others). Risk: Medium. Per baseline note, must be kept distinct from salaa (the highly ritualized Islamic five-times-daily prayer) and from marabout-mediated petitionary practice.
ἀγρυπνέω	agrypneō	to be sleepless, watchful	Staying spiritually alert in prayer (6:18)	watchful, alert	Companion command to prayer	gaynaade (“to watch/keep guard,” resonant with herding vocabulary — watching over a flock). Risk: Low. Positive cultural-resonance opportunity: watchfulness maps naturally onto the vigilance required of Fulani herders guarding livestock.
πρεσβεύω	presbeuō	to be an elder/ambassador, to represent	Paul as “an ambassador in chains” for the gospel (6:20)	ambassador	Closing self-description tying Paul’s imprisonment to his gospel mission	nelaaɗo (“sent representative,” distinct from baseline nulaaɗo, “apostle,” though related in root sense). Risk: Medium. Should be kept visually/aurally distinct from nulaaɗo in written materials to avoid confusion between the general “ambassador/representative” sense here and the specific office of apostle.

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Summary of Newly Introduced Doctrine-Critical Terms Not Present in the Baseline Romans Package

The following concepts are new to this curriculum and require dedicated registry entries beyond the baseline: mystery (gundu), body of Christ / one new humanity (ɓalndu Kiristu / neɗɗo kesum gooto), armor of God / spiritual forces of evil (kaake hare Alla / ruuhuuji bonɗi ka kammu), household slave (maccuɗo), blessing (dokkal kammuwal, deliberately avoiding barka/barke), circumcision (kaɗgol gaawol, deliberately avoiding an unqualified sunna), and headship in marriage (hoore, applied to Ephesians 5). Each is carried forward into 08_core_glossary.md and must be added to an updated translation_memory.json and doctrine_risk_registry.json in a subsequent step.