Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Matthew (Full Book) for Hebrew Translation
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, covering Matthew 1–28 in full. It extends, and never contradicts, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. Terms already established in the baseline are marked [BASELINE] and reused exactly. Terms newly required for Matthew are marked [NEW] and proposed here for formal addition to translation_memory.json prior to Phase 2.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision risk; automated review sufficient.
Section 1 — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (Occurring in Matthew)
| Term (EN) | Hebrew | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine Link | Representative Matthew Occurrences | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus | ישוע | Yeshua | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 1:1, 1:21, throughout | Never ישו. Reuse baseline exactly. |
| God | אלוהים | Elohim | Critical | Deity of Christ | throughout | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Messiah/Christ | משיח | Mashiach | Critical | Messianic Promise | 1:1, 16:16, 26:63, throughout | Reuse baseline exactly; Matthew’s expanded messianic-title vocabulary (son_of_david, son_of_man) supplements but does not replace this term. |
| Holy Spirit | רוח הקודש | Ruach HaKodesh | Critical | Sanctification / Deity | 1:18, 1:20, 3:16, 12:31-32, 28:19 | Reuse baseline exactly; blasphemy-against-the-Spirit passage (12:31-32) requires theologian review per baseline escalation rule. |
| Son of God | בן האלוהים | Ben ha-Elohim | Critical | Sonship of Christ | 3:17, 14:33, 16:16, 17:5, 26:63, 27:54 | Reuse baseline exactly for the unique, singular Christological sense; do NOT use unqualified for the plural/corporate sense at 5:9 (see son_of_god_corporate, Section 2). |
| Lord | אדון | Adon | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 7:21-22, 22:44, throughout | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| David | דוד | David | Medium | Davidic Covenant | 1:1, 1:6, 1:17, 22:42-45 | Reuse baseline exactly; typological link to son_of_david (Section 2) must be taught explicitly. |
| Israel | ישראל | Yisra’el | Critical | Unity of Jews and Gentiles | 2:6, 2:20-21, 8:10, 10:6, 15:24, 19:28 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Gentiles/nations | גויים | goyim | Medium-High | Great Commission / Mission | 4:15, 10:5, 12:18, 20:19, 28:19 | Reuse baseline exactly; at 28:19 “all nations” (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη) grammatically includes Israel — flag for teaching note. |
| Law | תורה | Torah | Critical | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 5:17-18, 7:12, 11:13, 22:36-40, 23:23 | Reuse baseline exactly; the Matthew 5:17 “fulfill, not abolish” framing rule governs every occurrence throughout the Gospel. |
| Sin | חטא | chet | High | Universal accountability (implicit) | 1:21, 9:2-6, 18:15, 26:28 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Righteousness | צדק | tzedek | Critical | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 3:15, 5:6, 5:10, 5:20, 6:33, 21:32 | Reuse baseline exactly; never צדקה except at 6:2-4 (alms, correctly rendered as tzedakah — see Section 2) or in a direct Genesis 15:6 quotation context. |
| Faith | אמונה | emunah | High | Faith | 8:10, 9:2, 9:22, 15:28, 17:20, 21:21 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Kingdom of God | מלכות האלוהים | malchut ha-Elohim | High | Kingdom Mission | 6:33, 12:28, 19:24, 21:31, 21:43 | Reuse baseline exactly; distinct Hebrew form from kingdom_of_heaven (Section 2) — see translation rule there. |
| Covenant | ברית | brit | High | Davidic Covenant / New Covenant | 26:28 | Reuse baseline exactly; “blood of the covenant” intensifies the same Jeremiah 31:31 tension already flagged in the baseline. |
| Church | קהילה | kehilah | Critical | Church and Church Discipline | 16:18, 18:17 | Reuse baseline exactly; never עדה; never framed as replacing Israel. |
| Resurrection | תחיית המתים | techiyat hametim | Critical | Resurrection / Judgment | 22:23-31, 27:53, 28:6-7 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Prophet | נביא | navi | Low | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 1:22, 2:15, 2:17, 2:23, 5:12, 7:15, 11:9, 13:57, 21:11, 23:29-37 | Reuse baseline exactly; extremely frequent in Matthew given the fulfillment-formula pattern. |
| Prophecy | נבואה | nevu’ah | Low | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | thematic throughout | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Apostle | שליח | shaliach | Medium | Apostleship | 10:2 | Reuse baseline exactly; Matthew’s only noun occurrence. |
| Called/Calling | קרוא / קריאה | karu / keri’ah | High | Effectual Calling | 22:14 (“many are called, few chosen”) | Reuse baseline exactly; context-sensitive per baseline note. |
| Election | בחירה | bechirah | High | Effectual Calling | 24:22, 24, 31; 22:14 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Holy | קדוש | kadosh | Medium | Sanctification | 4:5 (“holy city”), 7:6, 24:15 (“holy place”), 27:52-53 | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Glory | כבוד | kavod | Medium | Deity of Christ / Transfiguration | 6:29, 16:27, 17:2 (implicit), 19:28, 24:30, 25:31 | Reuse baseline exactly; heavily relevant to the Transfiguration new entry (Section 2). |
| Father | אבינו | Avinu | Medium | Adoption / Lord’s Prayer | 5:16, 5:45, 6:9, 6:26, 7:11, throughout | Reuse baseline exactly. |
| Peace | שלום | shalom | Medium | (contrast use) | 10:34 (“not peace but a sword”) | Reuse baseline exactly; note ironic/contrastive use at 10:34 differs from the baseline’s positive “peace with God” sense. |
Section 2 — New Terms Required for Matthew (Proposed for Translation Memory)
| # | Term (EN) | Hebrew | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine Link | Key Occurrences | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingdom of Heaven | מלכות השמים | malchut hashamayim | Critical | The Kingdom of Heaven | 3:2, 4:17, 5:3, 5:10, 5:19-20, 13:11ff, 18:1-4, throughout (~32x) | מלכות האלוהים (reserved for Matthew’s own, rarer, βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ occurrences) | Genuine positive Rabbinic category (“accepting the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,” Shema liturgy) but denotes present Torah-submission, not Matthew’s inaugurated-yet-future redemptive reign. Must be kept lexically distinct from מלכות האלוהים even though both denote the same underlying theological referent — Matthew’s Greek text itself distinguishes the two phrases. |
| 2 | Son of David | בן דוד | ben David | High | Jesus as Promised Messiah / Davidic Covenant | 1:1, 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30-31, 21:9, 21:15, 22:42 | — | Existing Rabbinic messianic title (Mashiach ben David) but tied to a Rabbinic single-reign, national-political job description; distinct from, though related to, the baseline’s seed_of_david. |
| 3 | Son of Man | בן אדם | ben Adam | Critical | Jesus as Promised Messiah / Judgment | 8:20, 9:6, 12:8, 16:13, 16:27-28, 17:9, 17:22, 19:28, 20:28, 24:27-44, 25:31, 26:64 | — | Dual register: humble self-designation AND, via Daniel 7:13-14, an exalted heavenly figure receiving universal dominion. Risk: the generic Hebrew idiom “ben adam” (= simply “a human being/mortal,” Ezekiel, Psalm 8:4) may cause the Danielic exaltation-sense to be missed if unqualified by context. |
| 4 | Repentance | תשובה | teshuvah | High | Discipleship / Kingdom entry | 3:2, 3:8, 3:11, 4:17, 11:20-21, 12:41 | — | Strong existing High Holy Day category (return via prayer/charity/ethical amendment); must be anchored as decisive turning toward the in-breaking kingdom and the Messiah specifically, not generic annual renewal. |
| 5 | Blessed (Beatitude) | אשרי | ashrei | High | The Kingdom of Heaven (Beatitudes) | 5:3-11 | מבורך (rejected: too weak/generic, loses the performative-pronouncement force) | Strong liturgical resonance (Psalm 1:1, Ashrei prayer) is an asset; risk is domestication into a mere devotional formula rather than Jesus’ authoritative eschatological pronouncement. |
| 6 | Poor in Spirit | עניי רוח | aniyei ruach | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven | 5:3 | — | Echoes Isaiah 66:2 directly; must not be flattened to economic poverty alone. |
| 7 | Fulfill (Torah/Prophets) | למלא | le-male | Critical | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy / Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 5:17 | הגשמה / התגשמות (rejected for this specific verse — reserved for the separate fulfillment-formula sense, item 8) | The single most doctrinally sensitive verse in Matthew for a Hebrew-speaking reader; mandatory translator note required; must never read as “abolish/cancel the Torah.” |
| 8 | Fulfilled (prophecy-citation formula) | להתגשם / התגשמות | le-hitgashem / hitgashmut | High | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 1:22, 2:15, 2:17, 2:23, 4:14, 8:17, 12:17, 13:35, 21:4, 26:56, 27:9 | — | Reuses the root already established in the baseline doctrine name “fulfillment_of_prophecy” (התגשמות הנבואה); distinct usage from item 7. |
| 9 | Authority | סמכות | samchut | High | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 7:29, 8:9, 9:6, 9:8, 10:1, 21:23-27, 28:18 | — | Positive resource: resonates with rabbinic semichah (ordination/transmitted-authority chain); Jesus’ authority is presented as self-derived/divine, not transmission-derived — a deliberate, teachable contrast. |
| 10 | Disciple | תלמיד | talmid | High | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 5:1, 8:21-23, 10:1ff, 28:19 | — | Existing positive rav-talmid category; risk is scope — Matthew’s demand for total, exclusive allegiance exceeds the ordinary talmid-rav bond. |
| 11 | Mercy | רחמים | rachamim | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5:7, 9:13, 12:7, 23:23 | — | Must be kept distinct from baseline חסד (grace/covenant-loyalty); rachamim is compassion-toward-suffering, related but conceptually different. |
| 12 | Pure in Heart | טהורי לב | tehorei lev | Medium | Kingdom of Heaven / Sanctification | 5:8 | — | Echoes Psalm 24:4; must avoid collapsing into ritual-purity sense (same risk flagged at baseline “holy” entry). |
| 13 | See God | יראו את האלוהים | yir’u et ha-Elohim | Critical | Kingdom of Heaven (eschatology) | 5:8 | — | Tension with Exodus 33:20 (“no man shall see me and live”) requires explicit eschatological (not present-life) framing. |
| 14 | Sons of God (corporate/plural) | בני האלוהים | benei ha-Elohim | Critical | Kingdom of Heaven / distinct from Sonship of Christ | 5:9 | — | Must be kept visibly distinct (plural form, contextual notes) from the Critical, singular, unique בן האלוהים (Son of God) Christological title — do not conflate. |
| 15 | Reward | שכר | sachar | Medium | Discipleship / Grace-works balance | 5:12, 5:46, 6:1-18 | — | Flag alongside grace/faith Critical baseline entries to prevent a works-earns-salvation misreading. |
| 16 | Alms/Charity | צדקה | tzedakah | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 6:1-4 | — | Correct use of tzedakah (charity is its actual Modern Hebrew meaning) — the one context besides Genesis 15:6 quotations where tzedakah, not tzedek, is required. Cross-reference baseline righteousness entry so this is not confused with the forbidden general substitution. |
| 17 | Mammon | ממון | mamon | Low | Discipleship (divided loyalty) | 6:24 | — | Already a native Hebrew/Aramaic cognate; minimal lexical risk. |
| 18 | Narrow Gate/Way | שער צר / דרך צרה | sha’ar tzar / derech tzarah | Medium | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 7:13-14 | — | Low lexical risk; standard vocabulary. |
| 19 | Yoke | עול | ol | High | Discipleship / Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 11:29-30 | — | Directly engages existing rabbinic “yoke of Torah/commandments” idiom; must be taught as reframing, not abolition. |
| 20 | Rest | מנוחה | menuchah | Medium | Discipleship | 11:28-29 | — | Positive resource (Sabbath-rest theology, Psalm 95); low collision risk. |
| 21 | Sabbath | שבת | Shabbat | High | Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 12:1-14 | — | Must be taught as authoritative interpretation/priority-ordering of Sabbath law, not abrogation. |
| 22 | Parable | משל | mashal | Low-Medium | Kingdom of Heaven (teaching form) | 13:1-52, throughout | — | Strong positive existing wisdom-literature resource; minimal collision risk. |
| 23 | Tradition of the Elders | מסורת הזקנים | masoret ha-zekenim | Medium-High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 15:1-9 | — | Historically accurate precursor to Oral Torah/Mishnah; must not be caricatured as inherently negative. |
| 24 | Clean/Unclean (moral) | טהור / טמא | tahor / tamei | High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 15:10-20 | — | Relocates defilement to the heart in this specific teaching; must not be read as abolishing kashrut categories wholesale. |
| 25 | Bind and Loose | לאסור ולהתיר | le’esor ul’hatir | High | Church and Church Discipline | 16:19, 18:18 | — | Direct halakhic terminology (rabbinic permit/prohibit rulings); must be taught in its ecclesial-authority context, not as unlimited personal office. |
| 26 | Keys of the Kingdom | מפתחות המלכות | mafte’chot ha-malchut | High | The Church and Church Discipline | 16:19 | — | Stewardship-authority image; scope must not be overextended beyond immediate scriptural context. |
| 27 | Cross-bearing | לשאת את צלבו | la-set et tzlavo | High | Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | 16:24-26, 10:38 | — | Lexically simple (צלב); cultural-sensitivity flag required given the cross symbol’s association with historic antisemitic violence in Jewish memory. |
| 28 | Transfiguration | השתנות פניו / התהפכות דמותו | hishtanut panav / hitapchut demuto | Critical | Deity of Christ | 17:1-8 | הגשמה (rejected — reserved-negative per baseline incarnation caution) | Temporary unveiling of preexistent glory (kavod), distinct from the permanent Incarnation; heavy reuse of כבוד recommended. |
| 29 | Ransom | כופר | kofer | Critical | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees / Atonement (implicit) | 20:28 | — | Cognate with kapparah/Yom Kippur atonement vocabulary (Exodus 30:12); mechanism connecting Christ’s death to justification — must be taught explicitly, not left isolated. |
| 30 | Hosanna | הושענא | hoshana | Low | Jesus as Promised Messiah | 21:9, 21:15 | — | Already native to Hebrew liturgy (Sukkot); strong positive resource. |
| 31 | End of the Age | קץ העולם / אחרית הימים | ketz ha-olam / acharit hayamim | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24:3, 13:39-40, 28:20 | — | Strong existing eschatological category; risk is the same two-comings mismatch flagged in the baseline for messiah/resurrection. |
| 32 | Abomination of Desolation | שקוץ משומם | shikkutz meshomem | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24:15 | — | Direct citation of Daniel’s existing Hebrew text; layered historical/eschatological fulfillment must be taught explicitly. |
| 33 | Elect (adj., plural) | נבחרים / בחירים | nivcharim / bechirim | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24:22, 24, 31 | — | Reuses baseline בחירה root. |
| 34 | Wise/Foolish Virgins | בתולות/עלמות (חכמות/כסילות) | betulot/almot (chachamot/kesilot) | Low | Judgment and the End of the Age | 25:1-13 | — | Note: same Greek word (parthenos) as the Critical Isaiah 7:14 flag (item “virgin,” below) but an unrelated, non-controversial usage here — do not over-apply that controversy. |
| 35 | Gehenna/Hell | גהינום | Gehinnom | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 5:22, 29-30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33; 25:41, 46 | — | Mainstream Rabbinic tradition holds generally finite/purifying duration; Matthew’s pairing with αἰώνιος (“eternal”) implies unending duration — a genuine doctrinal divergence requiring explicit teaching. |
| 36 | Passover | פסח | Pesach | High | Jesus as Promised Messiah (typology) | 26:2, 17-19 | — | Must be taught as typological deepening/fulfillment, never as replacement erasing Pesach’s ongoing Jewish observance. |
| 37 | Body/Blood of the Covenant | גופי / דמי הברית | gufi / dami ha-brit | Critical | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy / Davidic-New Covenant | 26:26-28 | — | Institution of the Lord’s Supper; joins covenant (baseline High) and ransom/atonement (item 29); mandatory theologian review. |
| 38 | Scribes and Pharisees | סופרים ופרושים | soferim u-Ferushim | High (framing) | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5:20, 23:1-36, throughout | — | Historically the precursor movement to Rabbinic Judaism; Matthew’s polemic is intra-Jewish covenant critique, never to be rendered/taught as anti-Judaism polemic. Mandatory theologian review for ch.23 material. |
| 39 | Hypocrite | צבוע | tzavu’a | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 6:2, 6:5, 6:16, 7:5, 23:13-29 | — | Standard Modern Hebrew term; cultural-historical sensitivity flag applies given later misuse in antisemitic rhetoric. |
| 40 | Virgin (Isaiah 7:14 citation) | בתולה | betulah | Critical | Jesus as Promised Messiah / Incarnation | 1:23 | — | Masoretic Isaiah 7:14 uses עַלְמָה (almah, “young woman”), not בְּתוּלָה; the LXX’s parthenos (followed by Matthew) is narrower. One of the oldest Jewish-Christian textual disputes; mandatory explicit translator’s note, not silent harmonization. |
| 41 | Immanuel | עמנואל | Immanu El | Critical | Jesus as Promised Messiah / Incarnation | 1:23, thematically 28:20 | — | Direct recitation of existing Masoretic Isaiah 7:14 text; risk entirely interpretive, tied to item 40. |
| 42 | Son of David (see #2) | — | — | — | — | — | — | (cross-reference; not duplicated) |
| 43 | Great Commission (baptismal formula) | לך… עשה תלמידים בכל הגויים, והטבל אותם בשם האב והבן ורוח הקודש | lech… aseh talmidim be-chol ha-goyim, ve-hatbel otam be-shem ha-Av ve-ha-Ben ve-Ruach ha-Kodesh | Critical | The Great Commission | 28:18-20 | — | Trinitarian baptismal formula; mandatory theologian review per baseline’s Deity-of-Christ/Trinitarian-language escalation rule; “all nations” scope note (includes Israel) required. |
| 44 | Baptism (John’s, repentance) | טבילה / להטביל | tevilah / le-hatvil | Medium-High | Discipleship / Repentance | 3:6, 3:11, 3:13-17 | — | Existing mikveh-immersion resource (purification, proselyte conversion); must be distinguished from its later Trinitarian, Christ-uniting sense (item 43). |
| 45 | Lost Sheep of Israel | הצאן האובדות של בית ישראל | ha-tzon ha-ovdot shel beit Yisra’el | High | Great Commission (staged mission scope) | 10:6, 15:24 | — | Establishes Israel-first staged mission strategy; must be held together with, not against, the ch.28 universal Great Commission. |
| 46 | Worship (ambiguous → full) | להשתחוות / סגידה | le-hishtachavot / segidah | High | Deity of Christ | 2:2, 2:11, 8:2, 9:18, 14:33, 15:25, 20:20, 28:9, 28:17 | — | Register ambiguity (bowing to a dignitary vs. full worship of deity) resolves unambiguously to full worship only by 28:9/17; flag each occurrence for theologian review regarding register. |
| 47 | Rejected Stone/Cornerstone | האבן אשר בזו הבונים היתה לראש פינה | ha-even asher bazu ha-bonim hayta le-rosh pinah | High | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 21:42 | — | Direct citation of existing Psalm 118:22-23 Hebrew text; novel messianic (re)application requires explicit teaching. |
| 48 | Stumbling Block | מכשול | mikshol | Medium | Church and Church Discipline | 18:6-9 | — | Direct Torah-cognate (Leviticus 19:14); low collision, positive resource. |
| 49 | Ten/Seventy-Sevenfold Forgiveness | שבעים ושבעה | shiv’im ve-shiv’ah | Low-Medium | Church and Church Discipline | 18:21-22 | — | Deliberate echo/reversal of Genesis 4:24 (Lamech’s vengeance boast). |
Section 3 — Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference (Curriculum’s Nine Doctrines)
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary Terms (this glossary) | Risk Ceiling |
|---|---|---|
| The Kingdom of Heaven | kingdom_of_heaven, blessed/ashrei, poor_in_spirit, parable/mashal | Critical |
| Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David | messiah [BASELINE], son_of_david, son_of_man, seed_of_david [BASELINE], immanuel, virgin/betulah | Critical |
| Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy | fulfilled-formula, fulfill-Torah (5:17), abomination_of_desolation, rejected_stone/cornerstone, prophet/prophecy [BASELINE] | Critical |
| The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | authority/samchut, sabbath, yoke, disciple/talmid | High |
| Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | righteousness/tzedek [BASELINE], mercy/rachamim, alms/tzedakah, tradition_of_the_elders, clean/unclean, scribes_and_pharisees, hypocrite | Critical |
| The Church and Church Discipline | church/kehilah [BASELINE], bind_and_loose, keys_of_the_kingdom, stumbling_block, seventy-sevenfold | Critical |
| The Great Commission | great_commission/baptismal formula, lost_sheep_of_israel, gentiles/goyim [BASELINE], baptism/tevilah | Critical |
| Judgment and the End of the Age | end_of_the_age, gehenna, elect, resurrection [BASELINE] | Critical |
| Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus | disciple/talmid, cross-bearing, narrow_gate, ransom/kofer | Critical |
Section 4 — Forbidden Substitutions Extended for Matthew (in addition to baseline list)
| Never use | For | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| הגשמה (hagshamah) | Fulfill-Torah (5:17), Transfiguration | Trivializes into “self-actualization” — baseline caution extended here. |
| עדה (edah) | Church (all Matthew occurrences: 16:18, 18:17) | Implies Israel’s replacement — baseline rule extended. |
| צדק (tzedek) | Alms/charity (6:1-4) | This is the one correct exception where tzedakah (not tzedek) is required — do not force the general-righteousness rule here. |
| ישו (Yeshu) | Jesus, all occurrences | Baseline rule; absolute throughout Matthew. |
| bare השגחה | (any providence-adjacent phrasing, e.g. 6:25-34, 10:29-31) | Baseline rule extended; use השגחה פרטית if the concept is invoked. |
| unqualified בן האלוהים | Corporate “sons of God” (5:9) | Must be distinguished (plural בני האלוהים) from the unique Christological title. |
This glossary is proposed for formal merge into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment required) prior to Phase 2 segment translation of the Matthew curriculum. All Critical and High risk items require human theologian review per doctrine_risk_registry.json escalation rules, extended here to Matthew’s nine curriculum doctrines. See analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md for full verse- and chapter-level context on every term listed above.
Critical Risk Terms
Jesus
Approved rendering: ישוע
Transliteration: Yeshua
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ / Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ישו
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1:21 explicitly ties the name to the ישע root shared with ישועה (salvation) — teach as intentional etymology, not incidental. Never ישו throughout Matthew’s frequent occurrences.
God
Approved rendering: אלוהים
Transliteration: Elohim
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. No new risk beyond baseline; frequency increases across Matthew’s narrative material.
Messiah
Approved rendering: משיח
Transliteration: Mashiach
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew intensifies the baseline caution: the Rabbinic single-reign job description (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 11-12) is directly engaged repeatedly (11:2-6; 21:1-11; 26:63-64), not referenced once as in Romans.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: בן האלוהים
Transliteration: Ben ha-Elohim
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Recurs at Matthew’s structural high points (3:17; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; 26:63; 27:54). Must never be used unqualified for the plural corporate sense of 5:9 — see son_of_god_corporate below.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: רוח הקודש
Transliteration: Ruach HaKodesh
Doctrine: Sanctification / Deity of Christ
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 12:31-32’s blasphemy warning intensifies the baseline caution, presupposing the Spirit as a distinct personal divine agent, against the mainstream Rabbinic view of an impersonal influence departed since the last prophets (Yoma 9b).
Lord
Approved rendering: אדון
Transliteration: Adon
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 7:21-23’s warning against confessing ‘Lord, Lord’ without obedience must not devalue the אדון confession itself but demand it be matched by a transformed life.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: התגלמות
Transliteration: hitgalmut
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Birth (Immanuel)
Rejected alternatives: הגשמה
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (theological category; cf. Matt 1:18-23)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew supplies the baseline’s abstract doctrine with its concrete narrative anchor (1:18-23, virgin conception and Immanuel).
Israel
Approved rendering: ישראל
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew’s staged mission language (10:6 ‘lost sheep of Israel’ toward 28:19 ‘all nations’) intensifies the baseline caution against any implication of displacement.
Law
Approved rendering: תורה
Transliteration: Torah
Doctrine: Torah Fulfillment, Not Abolition
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 5:17 is the single most doctrinally sensitive verse in the book for a Hebrew reader; every later occurrence (7:12; 11:13; 22:36-40; 23:23) is governed by this fulfillment-not-abolition framing.
Church
Approved rendering: קהילה
Transliteration: kehilah
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: עדה
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 16:18 and 18:17 are the NT’s first uses of this word; never עדה; never framed as Israel’s replacement, per the Romans 11 grafting-in rule.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: תחיית המתים
Transliteration: techiyat hametim
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 22:23-33 additionally engages a distinct internal Jewish debate (Sadducee denial vs. Pharisaic affirmation of resurrection generally) separate from the messianic-job-description problem; teach both as related but distinct.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: צדק
Transliteration: tzedek
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Rejected alternatives: צדקה
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Never צדקה except the alms exception (6:1-4, see below) or a direct Genesis 15:6 quotation. Matthew 5:20 names this curriculum’s own doctrine directly.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ישועה
Transliteration: yeshu’ah
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: גאולה
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1:21’s naming etymology makes the ישע root connection to Yeshua’s own name explicit — a genuine teaching asset, not merely a risk.
Justification
Approved rendering: ההצדקה
Transliteration: ha-hatzdakah
Doctrine: Atonement Through the Ransom of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Not a lexical item in Matthew, but the ransom saying (20:28) and the Last Supper’s institution words (26:26-28) supply the narrative mechanism Paul later names with this term; teach the two together per the ransom entry’s cross-reference requirement.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: נחשבת לו לצדקה
Transliteration: nechshevet lo li-tzedakah
Doctrine: Atonement Through the Ransom of Christ
Rejected alternatives: צדק מוענק
Inherited from Romans package. Not directly cited in Matthew, but retained because the ransom (כופר, 20:28) doctrine must be taught in explicit connection with this baseline Critical entry, not left as an isolated financial metaphor.
Kingdom Of Heaven
Approved rendering: מלכות השמים
Transliteration: malchut hashamayim
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: מלכות האלוהים (reserved for Matthew’s own rarer βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ occurrences)
Original: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
Category: Kingdom
Matthew’s strongly preferred phrase (~32 occurrences, first at 3:2). A genuine, strong Rabbinic category (‘accepting the yoke of the kingdom of heaven,’ Shema liturgy) that denotes present Torah-submission, not Matthew’s inaugurated-yet-future redemptive reign. Keep lexically distinct from kingdom_of_god across every occurrence.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: בן אדם
Transliteration: ben Adam
Doctrine: Son of Man
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
Matthew’s most frequent self-designation for Jesus. The bare Hebrew idiom is generic (‘a human being,’ Ezekiel; Psalm 8:4); the exalted Danielic dominion-figure sense (Daniel 7:13-14) must be surfaced by context/notes at every structurally significant occurrence (9:6; 16:27-28; 24:30; 25:31; 26:64), never assumed automatic.
Fulfill Torah
Approved rendering: למלא
Transliteration: le-male
Doctrine: Torah Fulfillment, Not Abolition
Rejected alternatives: הגשמה/התגשמות (reserved for fulfilled_formula, see below)
Original: πληρῶσαι
Category: Covenant
Jesus’ own stated relationship to the Law and Prophets (Matthew 5:17). Must use a distinct verb from fulfilled_formula and never read as ‘cancel/replace’ Torah. Pair ‘abolish’ (καταλῦσαι) with לַהֲרוֹס, not the halakhically loaded לְבַטֵּל (annul a ruling). Mandatory translator note at every occurrence of this specific sense.
See God
Approved rendering: יראו את האלוהים
Transliteration: yir’u et ha-Elohim
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: ὄψονται τὸν Θεόν
Category: Faith
Stands in tension with Exodus 33:20 (‘no man shall see me and live’); must be taught explicitly as eschatological, not present-life, fulfillment (Matthew 5:8).
Son Of God Corporate
Approved rendering: בני האלוהים
Transliteration: benei ha-Elohim
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱοὶ Θεοῦ
Category: Christology
The plural, derivative, ethical/familial status granted to peacemaking believers (Matthew 5:9), distinct from Christ’s unique ontological Sonship. Must never be conflated visually or doctrinally with the singular בן האלוהים.
Transfiguration
Approved rendering: השתנות פניו
Transliteration: hishtanut panav
Doctrine: The Transfiguration
Rejected alternatives: הגשמה, מטמורפוזה
Original: μετεμορφώθη
Category: Christology
Temporary unveiling of preexistent glory (כבוד), distinct from the permanent Incarnation and the resurrection’s permanent transformation (Matthew 17:1-8). Echoes Moses’ shining face at Sinai (Exodus 34:29-35).
Ransom
Approved rendering: כופר
Transliteration: kofer
Doctrine: Atonement Through the Ransom of Christ
Original: λύτρον
Category: Salvation
Cognate with kapparah/Yom Kippur vocabulary (Exodus 30:12) — a genuine positive resource — but must be taught explicitly alongside the baseline’s justification/imputed_righteousness entries as the mechanism, not left as an isolated financial metaphor (Matthew 20:28).
Gehenna
Approved rendering: גהינום
Transliteration: Gehinnom
Doctrine: Gehenna and Eternal Judgment
Original: γέεννα
Category: Eschatology
Mainstream Rabbinic tradition holds Gehinnom as generally finite/purifying (commonly capped at twelve months, m.Eduyot 2:10); Matthew’s pairing with ‘eternal’ (25:46) implies unending duration — a genuine divergence requiring explicit teaching, not silent vocabulary transfer (5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; 25:41,46).
Eternal Punishment Life
Approved rendering: עונש עולם / חיי עולם
Transliteration: onesh olam / chayei olam
Doctrine: Gehenna and Eternal Judgment
Original: κόλασιν αἰώνιον / ζωὴν αἰώνιον
Category: Eschatology
Matthew 25:46’s closing antithesis uses the identical Greek adjective for both outcomes; preserve the matched pair in Hebrew (same duration-word, עולם, on both sides) to retain the grammatical parallelism supporting unending duration for both.
Body Blood Covenant
Approved rendering: גופי / דמי הברית
Transliteration: gufi / dami ha-brit
Doctrine: Atonement Through the Ransom of Christ
Original: τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ σῶμά μου… τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Covenant
Last Supper institution words (Matthew 26:26-28), directly invoking Jeremiah 31:31 at the Passover table. Mandatory theologian review; must never be rendered with sacrificial-cultic vocabulary in ways that echo historic blood-libel-adjacent distortions.
Virgin
Approved rendering: בתולה
Transliteration: betulah
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Birth (Immanuel)
Original: παρθένος
Category: Christology
The Masoretic Isaiah 7:14 reads עַלְמָה (almah, ‘young woman’), not the narrower בְּתוּלָה that the LXX’s parthenos supplies and Matthew follows (1:23). One of the oldest Jewish-Christian textual disputes; mandatory explicit translator’s note, never silent harmonization. Not to be confused with the unrelated, non-controversial use at 25:1-13 (wise/foolish virgins).
Immanuel
Approved rendering: עמנואל
Transliteration: Immanu El
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Birth (Immanuel)
Original: Ἐμμανουήλ
Category: Christology
Direct recitation of existing Masoretic Isaiah 7:14 text (1:23); risk is entirely interpretive. Deliberately echoed at 28:20 (‘I am with you always’) as the Gospel’s inclusio.
Great Commission
Approved rendering: לך… עשה תלמידים בכל הגויים, והטבל אותם בשם האב והבן ורוח הקודש
Transliteration: lech… aseh talmidim be-chol ha-goyim, ve-hatbel otam be-shem ha-Av ve-ha-Ben ve-Ruach ha-Kodesh
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: πορευθέντες… μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Mission
Matthew 28:18-20. ‘All nations’ (כל הגויים) grammatically includes Israel among the peoples being discipled, not exclusively Gentiles — explicit teaching note required. The singular grammatical construct ‘in the name’ (בְּשֵׁם, not plural) governing all three Persons is doctrinally load-bearing and must be preserved exactly. Mandatory theologian review.
His Blood Be On Us
Approved rendering: דמו עלינו ועל בנינו
Transliteration: damo aleinu ve-al banenu
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Matthew 27:25. Arguably the single most historically dangerous verse in the book for a Hebrew-speaking, largely Jewish-heritage readership, given centuries of weaponization to justify pogroms and violence. Render literally and accurately, but every occurrence requires mandatory theologian-authored notes situating all humanity’s, not one people’s, culpability in the passion narrative, per the baseline’s universal_human_accountability doctrine and the Romans 11 grafting-in framework. Flagged for formal addition to doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Cry Of Dereliction
Approved rendering: אלי אלי למה עזבתני
Transliteration: Eli Eli lama azavtani
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Matthew 27:46, direct quotation of Psalm 22:2. Must render using the existing Hebrew of Psalm 22:2 rather than a fresh translation, given the direct textual citation. Mandatory theologian review given its weight for both Deity of Christ and the humanity of Christ held together.
High Risk Terms
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: זרע דוד
Transliteration: zera David
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1’s genealogy is the fullest narrative unpacking of this term in the NT; reuse without modification.
Covenant
Approved rendering: ברית
Transliteration: brit
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 26:28 directly invokes Jeremiah 31:31 at the Passover table itself, intensifying the baseline caution about the covenant’s extension to Gentiles apart from Torah observance.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: מלכות האלוהים
Transliteration: malchut ha-Elohim
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Must be kept lexically distinct from the new kingdom_of_heaven entry even though both denote the same referent, since Matthew’s own Greek text distinguishes the two phrases (6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:31; 21:43).
Sin
Approved rendering: חטא
Transliteration: chet
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 9:2-6’s direct linkage of sin-forgiveness to the Son of Man’s divine authority intensifies the baseline’s doctrinal-framework caution.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: גויים
Transliteration: goyim
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Rejected alternatives: עמים
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Mission
Inherited from Romans package; risk elevated from Romans’ Medium to High for this curriculum. Matthew’s Great Commission (28:19) commands discipling this very group with dignity — the everyday pejorative shade is a substantive risk at the Gospel’s climactic verse.
Election
Approved rendering: בחירה
Transliteration: bechirah
Doctrine: Election and the Elect
Original: ἐκλογή (concept; cf. οἱ ἐκλεκτοί, ὁ κλητός)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 22:14 and the Olivet Discourse’s ‘elect’ (24:22,24,31) move toward a narrower remnant/individual sense that must be taught against Israel’s automatically-corporate chosenness default.
Faith
Approved rendering: אמונה
Transliteration: emunah
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 8:10’s Gentile-Israel comparison (‘not even in Israel have I found such great faith’) requires care not to flatten Israel’s distinct redemptive-historical priority affirmed elsewhere (10:6; 15:24).
Called
Approved rendering: קרוא
Transliteration: karu
Doctrine: Election and the Elect
Original: κλητός / κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 22:14’s ‘many are called, but few are chosen’ requires care to distinguish the wide invitation from the narrower elect group.
Calling
Approved rendering: קריאה
Transliteration: keri’ah
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Inherited from Romans package. Noun form; context-sensitive as in the baseline.
Grace
Approved rendering: חסד
Transliteration: chesed
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: חן
Inherited from Romans package. Not a frequent lexical item in Matthew’s Greek, but conceptually underlies the parable of the workers in the vineyard (20:1-16), which anticipates the grace-versus-merit tension Paul develops fully in Romans; flag for theologian review alongside that parable.
Son Of David
Approved rendering: בן דוד
Transliteration: ben David
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: υἱὸς Δαυίδ
Category: Christology
Existing Rabbinic messianic title (Mashiach ben David) tied to a single-reign, this-worldly national-deliverer job description (Rambam, Laws of Kings 11-12). Every direct-address occurrence (9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42) requires the two-comings teaching note.
Repentance
Approved rendering: תשובה
Transliteration: teshuvah
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Salvation
Strong existing High Holy Day category of ethical/ritual ‘return’; must be anchored explicitly to the in-breaking kingdom and to the Messiah specifically (3:2; 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41), not left as generic annual renewal.
Blessed
Approved rendering: אשרי
Transliteration: ashrei
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: מבורך
Original: μακάριος
Category: Faith
Strong liturgical resonance (Psalm 1:1, the daily Ashrei prayer) is an asset, but risks domestication into a routine devotional formula rather than Jesus’ authoritative, paradox-laden reversal-pronouncement (5:3-11). Never substitute מבורך, which flattens the performative force.
Fulfilled Formula
Approved rendering: להתגשם / התגשמות
Transliteration: le-hitgashem / hitgashmut
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν
Category: Covenant
Matthew’s recurring citation formula (‘that it might be fulfilled which was spoken,’ ~11 occurrences: 1:22; 2:15,17,23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9). Must be kept lexically distinct from fulfill_torah.
Authority
Approved rendering: סמכות
Transliteration: samchut
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Discipleship
Resonates positively with rabbinic semichah (ordination via a transmitted chain), sharpening Matthew’s deliberate contrast: Jesus teaches with unmediated, self-derived authority, ‘not as their scribes’ (7:29). Contrast must be carried in teaching notes, not left implicit.
Disciple
Approved rendering: תלמיד
Transliteration: talmid
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μαθητής
Category: Discipleship
Robust existing talmid/rav category; risk is scope, not absence — Matthew demands more total, exclusive allegiance than the ordinary talmid-rav bond (8:19-22; 10:37-39; 16:24-26).
Yoke
Approved rendering: עול
Transliteration: ol
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Original: ζυγός
Category: Discipleship
Directly engages the existing rabbinic idiom of the ‘yoke of Torah/commandments.’ Must be taught as Jesus offering his own yoke — a positive reframing — never yokelessness or Torah’s cancellation (Matthew 11:29-30).
Sabbath
Approved rendering: שבת
Transliteration: Shabbat
Doctrine: Sabbath Authority
Original: σάββατον
Category: Discipleship
The most observance-central commandment in lived Jewish practice. ‘Lord of the Sabbath’ (12:8) must be taught as authoritative priority-ordering/interpretation, never abrogation.
Tradition Of Elders
Approved rendering: מסורת הזקנים
Transliteration: masoret ha-zekenim
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: παράδοσις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
Category: Sanctification
Historically accurate precursor to the Oral Torah/Mishnah (Matthew 15:1-9); must not be caricatured as inherently negative — critique targets a specific application, not tradition itself.
Clean Unclean
Approved rendering: טהור / טמא
Transliteration: tahor / tamei
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: καθαρός / ἀκάθαρτος (κοινόω)
Category: Sanctification
Direct Torah-cognate terms (Matthew 15:10-20). Must not be presented as abolishing kashrut wholesale, but as prioritizing moral over ritual defilement in this specific teaching context.
Bind And Loose
Approved rendering: לאסור ולהתיר
Transliteration: le’esor ul’hatir
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Original: δήσῃς…λύσῃς
Category: Church
Direct halakhic ruling-terminology (Matthew 16:19; 18:18); must be bounded to its immediate ecclesial-discipline context, not read as an unbounded perpetual office.
Keys Of Kingdom
Approved rendering: מפתחות המלכות
Transliteration: mafte’chot ha-malchut
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Original: κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας
Category: Church
Stewardship-authority image granted to Peter (Matthew 16:19); scope must be taught alongside bind_and_loose, not overextended beyond the immediate scriptural context.
Cross Bearing
Approved rendering: לשאת את צלבו
Transliteration: la-set et tzlavo
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἄρας τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ
Category: Discipleship
Lexically simple (צלב); the required flag is cultural-historical — the cross symbol’s documented association with periods of antisemitic violence in Jewish collective memory requires explicit sensitivity notes at every occurrence (10:38; 16:24-26).
End Of Age
Approved rendering: קץ העולם / אחרית הימים
Transliteration: ketz ha-olam / acharit hayamim
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος
Category: Eschatology
Strong existing eschatological category; risk is the two-comings mismatch already flagged for messiah/resurrection — Matthew’s inaugurated-yet-future framework does not map onto a single unbroken Messianic Age (24:3; 13:39-40; 28:20).
Abomination Of Desolation
Approved rendering: שקוץ משומם
Transliteration: shikkutz meshomem
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως
Category: Covenant
Direct citation of Daniel’s existing Hebrew text (Matthew 24:15); the layered historical (Antiochus IV) and eschatological double-fulfillment must be taught explicitly.
Elect
Approved rendering: נבחרים / בחירים
Transliteration: nivcharim / bechirim
Doctrine: Election and the Elect
Original: οἱ ἐκλεκτοί
Category: Eschatology
Reuses the baseline’s בחירה root (Matthew 24:22,24,31); must be taught against Israel’s automatically-corporate chosenness default.
Passover
Approved rendering: פסח
Transliteration: Pesach
Doctrine: Passover Typology
Original: πάσχα
Category: Covenant
Must be taught as typological deepening/fulfillment of Pesach’s existing meaning, never replacement erasing the festival’s ongoing Jewish observance (Matthew 26:2,17-19).
Scribes And Pharisees
Approved rendering: סופרים ופרושים
Transliteration: soferim u-Ferushim
Doctrine: Scribes and Pharisees Polemic — Historical Framing
Original: γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι
Category: Sanctification
The Pharisaic movement is the direct historical precursor to Rabbinic Judaism itself. Matthew 23’s woes are intra-Jewish prophetic critique, never outsider polemic against Judaism as a whole. Mandatory theologian review for all ch.23 material.
Baptism
Approved rendering: טבילה / להטביל
Transliteration: tevilah / le-hatvil
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Mission
Genuine existing mikveh-immersion resource (purification, proselyte conversion); John’s and the later Trinitarian baptism’s specific meaning must be taught as distinct from ritual mikveh purification, not assumed identical (ch.3; 28:19).
Lost Sheep Of Israel
Approved rendering: הצאן האובדות של בית ישראל
Transliteration: ha-tzon ha-ovdot shel beit Yisra’el
Doctrine: Staged Mission Scope (Lost Sheep of Israel)
Original: τὰ πρόβατα τὰ ἀπολωλότα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ
Category: Mission
Establishes an Israel-first staged mission strategy (10:5-6; 15:24); must be held together with, not read as contradicted by, the universal Great Commission of ch.28 — preserving the baseline’s ‘to the Jew first’ priority as a starting point, not a superseded phase.
Worship
Approved rendering: להשתחוות / סגידה
Transliteration: le-hishtachavot / segidah
Doctrine: Worship of Christ
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Christology
Register-ambiguous verb spanning bowing to a human dignitary and full worship of God, applied to Jesus throughout Matthew (2:2,11; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; 20:20; 28:9,17). Each occurrence must be individually assessed for register; unambiguous full worship only resolves by 28:9,17.
Rejected Stone Cornerstone
Approved rendering: האבן אשר בזו הבונים היתה לראש פינה
Transliteration: ha-even asher bazu ha-bonim hayta le-rosh pinah
Doctrine: The Rejected Stone Applied to Christ
Original: λίθον ὃν ἀπεδοκίμασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες, οὗτος ἐγενήθη εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας
Category: Covenant
Direct citation of the existing Hebrew Psalm 118:22-23 text (Matthew 21:42); Psalm 118 in its original context concerns Israel’s own corporate vindication, so its individual-messianic reapplication is a novel interpretive move requiring explicit teaching.
Blasphemy Against Spirit
Approved rendering: חילול/גידוף רוח הקודש
Transliteration: chillul/giduf Ruach HaKodesh
Doctrine: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Matthew 12:31-32. Presupposes the Ruach HaKodesh as a distinct, personal divine agent capable of being personally sinned against, against the mainstream Rabbinic view of an impersonal influence departed since the last prophets (Yoma 9b).
Greatest Commandment
Approved rendering: ואהבת את ה’ אלהיך בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך ובכל מאדך… ואהבת לרעך כמוך
Transliteration: ve-ahavta et Adonai Elohecha be-khol levavcha… ve-ahavta le-re’acha kamocha
Doctrine: Torah Fulfillment, Not Abolition
Matthew 22:36-40, direct quotation of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:5) and Leviticus 19:18. Must render using the existing, familiar Hebrew of both texts verbatim, not a paraphrase, given their centrality to Jewish daily liturgy and identity.
King Of The Jews
Approved rendering: מלך היהודים
Transliteration: Melech ha-Yehudim
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Matthew 27:11,29,37; Roman mockery unintentionally states the Gospel’s own messianic claim — preserve the dramatic irony in teaching notes.
Temple Veil Torn
Approved rendering: פרוכת המקדש נקרעה
Transliteration: parochet ha-mikdash nikre’ah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Matthew 27:51, direct Torah-cognate term (פרוכת). Theological weight (new access to God’s presence) must be taught with sensitivity to ongoing Jewish Temple-centered hope, ties to the see_god tension flagged at Matthew 5:8.
One Who Is To Come
Approved rendering: הבא
Transliteration: ha-ba
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Matthew 11:3, John the Baptist’s question from prison; directly engages the Messianic Promise doctrine and its unmet-expectations tension.
Medium Risk Terms
David
Approved rendering: דוד
Transliteration: David
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Typological link to son_of_david must be taught explicitly since Jewish usage applies Davidic messianism robustly but to a still-future, different figure.
Apostle
Approved rendering: שליח
Transliteration: shaliach
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew’s only noun-form occurrence: ‘the twelve apostles’ (10:2).
Glory
Approved rendering: כבוד
Transliteration: kavod
Doctrine: The Transfiguration
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Heavy reuse recommended in surrounding phrasing for the new transfiguration entry, given shared theological content (17:2; also 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31).
Father
Approved rendering: אבינו
Transliteration: Avinu
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the Lord’s Prayer and Sermon on the Mount (5:16,45; 6:9,26; 7:11).
Holy
Approved rendering: קדוש
Transliteration: kadosh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Used of the ‘holy city’ (4:5), the ‘holy place’ (24:15), and the risen saints (27:52-53); no new risk beyond baseline.
Providence
Approved rendering: השגחה פרטית
Transliteration: hashgachah pratit
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: השגחה
Original: πρόνοια (concept; cf. Matt 6:25-34; 10:29-31)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Use the fuller phrase whenever this concept is invoked in Matthew 6:25-34 and 10:29-31 to avoid the kosher-supervision-label reading of bare hashgachah.
Mission
Approved rendering: שליחות
Transliteration: shlichut
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω (concept; cf. Matt 10, 28)
Category: Mission
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies both the ch.10 and ch.28 sendings; context must make clear this is gospel proclamation, not Jewish Agency emissary work.
Peace
Approved rendering: שלום
Transliteration: shalom
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 10:34’s ‘not peace but a sword’ is a contrastive, this-worldly relational-cost use distinct from the baseline’s positive ‘peace with God’ sense — do not confuse the two.
Gospel
Approved rendering: הבשורה
Transliteration: ha-besorah
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: חדשות טובות
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew’s distinctive compound ‘gospel of the kingdom’ (4:23; 9:35; 24:14) ties this term directly to kingdom_of_heaven; also used absolutely at 26:13. Must remain qualified as the specific proclamation of the kingdom’s arrival through the Messiah.
Saints
Approved rendering: קדושים
Transliteration: kedoshim
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 27:52’s ‘many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised’ is the sole occurrence; low collision risk, strong positive resonance with Leviticus 19’s Kedoshim portion.
Poor In Spirit
Approved rendering: עניי רוח
Transliteration: aniyei ruach
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι
Category: Faith
Directly echoes Isaiah 66:2; must not be flattened to mere economic poverty (Matthew 5:3).
Mercy
Approved rendering: רחמים
Transliteration: rachamim
Doctrine: Mercy Over Sacrifice
Original: ἔλεος
Category: Faith
Genuine positive resource (Exodus 34:6’s ‘רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן’); must be kept lexically distinct from the baseline’s חסד (grace/covenant-loyalty) — related but different divine attributes.
Pure In Heart
Approved rendering: טהורי לב
Transliteration: tehorei lev
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ
Category: Kingdom
Echoes Psalm 24:4; risk is that Hebrew טהור/טהרה carries heavy ritual-purity connotations (kashrut, family purity) in contemporary practice — the moral/relational sense must be made clear from context (Matthew 5:8).
Reward
Approved rendering: שכר
Transliteration: sachar
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μισθός
Category: Salvation
A plain, secular Hebrew word for an earned wage; must be flagged alongside the baseline’s grace/faith Critical entries at every occurrence (5:12; 5:46; 6:1-18) to prevent a works-earns-salvation misreading.
Alms
Approved rendering: צדקה
Transliteration: tzedakah
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ἐλεημοσύνη
Category: Salvation
The one context (besides direct Genesis 15:6 citation) where tzedakah, not tzedek, is CORRECT and required, since almsgiving is precisely tzedakah’s Modern Hebrew meaning (Matthew 6:1-4). Must never be flagged as an error against the general righteousness rule.
Narrow Gate
Approved rendering: שער צר
Transliteration: sha’ar tzar
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: στενὴ πύλη
Category: Discipleship
Low lexical risk; standard Hebrew vocabulary suffices (Matthew 7:13-14).
Rest
Approved rendering: מנוחה
Transliteration: menuchah
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἀνάπαυσις
Category: Discipleship
Strong positive resource (Sabbath-rest theology, Psalm 95); low collision risk (Matthew 11:28-29).
Hypocrite
Approved rendering: צבוע
Transliteration: tzavu’a
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ὑποκριτής
Category: Sanctification
Standard Modern Hebrew term; carries the same cultural-historical sensitivity flag as scribes_and_pharisees given later antisemitic-polemic misuse (6:2,5,16; 7:5; 23:13-29).
Stumbling Block
Approved rendering: מכשול
Transliteration: mikshol
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Original: σκάνδαλον
Category: Church
Direct Torah-cognate (Leviticus 19:14); low collision, positive resource (Matthew 18:6-9).
Peter Rock Wordplay
Approved rendering: פטרוס / סלע (או צור)
Transliteration: Petros / Sela (or Tzur)
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Matthew 16:18. The Greek Petros/petra wordplay is not reproducible in Hebrew (Peter’s own Aramaic/Hebrew name is כֵּיפָא/Kefa); translator note required so the theological point (the confession Peter has just made) carries the weight instead of the pun.
Two Or Three Gathered
Approved rendering: שנים או שלושה מתאספים
Transliteration: shnayim o shlosha mit’asfim
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Matthew 18:20. Numerically distinct from, though comparable to, the Rabbinic minyan quorum concept (ten) — worth noting as comparison, not identity.
Devil Satan
Approved rendering: השטן
Transliteration: ha-Satan
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Existing Tanakh category (Job 1-2; Zechariah 3); NT usage develops a more clearly personal, cosmically opposed figure than some earlier OT usage — note this development explicitly (Matthew 4).
Temptation
Approved rendering: ניסיון
Transliteration: nisayon
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Strong existing resource (Abraham’s ‘ten trials,’ nisyonot); positive typological overlap with the wilderness generation (Matthew 4).
Nazarene
Approved rendering: נצרי
Transliteration: Notzri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Matthew 2:23’s prophetic citation has no single clear OT source and has long puzzled interpreters. Also the standard Modern Hebrew word for ‘Christian’ generally (נוצרי) — care needed so the geographic/prophetic sense is not read circularly.
New Wine Old Wineskins
Approved rendering: יין חדש בנאדות ישנים
Transliteration: yayin chadash be-no’dot yeshanim
Doctrine: Torah Fulfillment, Not Abolition
Matthew 9:16-17; must be taught carefully so as not to imply wholesale rejection of the ‘old’ (Torah/Israel), consistent with the 5:17 fulfillment-not-abolition framing.
Not Peace But Sword
Approved rendering: לא באתי להביא שלום אלא חרב
Transliteration: lo bati le-havi shalom ela cherev
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Matthew 10:34. Must not be confused with the baseline’s positive ‘peace with God’ (שלום) sense; this is a distinct, this-worldly relational-cost metaphor.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: נביא
Transliteration: navi
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely frequent given Matthew’s ~14-fold fulfillment-citation pattern; frequency, not category, differs from Romans.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: נבואה
Transliteration: nevu’ah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package.
Mammon
Approved rendering: ממון
Transliteration: mamon
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μαμωνᾶς
Category: Discipleship
Already a native Hebrew/Aramaic cognate (Matthew 6:24); minimal lexical risk.
Parable
Approved rendering: משל
Transliteration: mashal
Doctrine: Parables as Kingdom Teaching Form
Original: παραβολή
Category: Kingdom
Strong positive existing wisdom-literature resource (Proverbs); minimal collision risk across Matthew 13 and throughout.
Hosanna
Approved rendering: הושענא
Transliteration: hoshana
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: Ὡσαννά
Category: Christology
Already native to Hebrew liturgy (Sukkot); strong positive resource (Matthew 21:9,15).
Seventy Sevenfold
Approved rendering: שבעים ושבעה
Transliteration: shiv’im ve-shiv’ah
Doctrine: Mutual Forgiveness Within the Community
Original: ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά
Category: Church
Deliberate positive echo/reversal of Lamech’s vengeance boast (Genesis 4:24, Matthew 18:21-22).
Fishers Of Men
Approved rendering: דיגי אנשים
Transliteration: dayagei anashim
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Transparent metaphor at the call of the first disciples (Matthew 4:19); early seed of the Great Commission doctrine.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: מלאך ה’
Transliteration: malach Adonai
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Birth (Immanuel)
Existing OT category (Matthew 1:20,24; 2:13,19); low risk.
Eunuchs For Kingdom
Approved rendering: סריסים למען מלכות השמים
Transliteration: sarisim le-ma’an malchut hashamayim
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Matthew 19:12; low overall doctrinal weight, minority-application teaching, not silently omitted.
Talents Parable
Approved rendering: טלנטים
Transliteration: talantim
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Matthew 25:14-30; a monetary-weight unit, treated as a loanword; minimal doctrinal risk beyond the stewardship/accountability theme.
Wise Foolish Virgins
Approved rendering: בתולות חכמות וכסילות
Transliteration: betulot chachamot u-khesilot
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Matthew 25:1-13; same Greek word (parthenos) as the Critical Isaiah 7:14 flag but an unrelated, non-controversial usage here — do not over-apply the virgin/almah controversy to this passage.
Hen Gathers Chicks
Approved rendering: תרנגולת האוספת את אפרוחיה
Transliteration: tarnegolet ha-osefet et efrocheha
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Matthew 23:37-39; tender maternal lament closing the woes — emotional register (grief, not triumph) must be preserved in surrounding translation choices.
Referenced passages