Core Glossary
Philippians — Core Glossary (English → Hebrew)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning Philippians 1-4. Terms marked REUSED carry over the exact rendering from the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and must not be altered. Terms marked NEW are proposed for this curriculum and require review/ratification before Phase 2 translation begins, per the escalation rules in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md. Risk tiers (Critical/High/Medium/Low) follow the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly.
A. Reused Terms (Baseline Romans TM — No Change Permitted)
| English Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Risk | Greek Original | Chapters | Doctrine Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | הבשורה | ha-besorah | Medium | εὐαγγέλιον | 1, 4 | Partnership in the Gospel | Must be qualified as the specific proclamation of salvation, not generic good news. |
| Grace | חסד | chesed | High | χάρις | 1, 4 | (undergirds all doctrines) | Sharpen to convey favor apart from Torah-observance. |
| Faith | אמונה | emunah | High | πίστις | 1, 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | Anchor as personal trust in Messiah, not bundled with continued Torah-observance. |
| Righteousness | צדק | tzedek | Critical | δικαιοσύνη | 1, 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | Never צדקה outside a Genesis 15:6-style direct quotation. |
| Salvation | ישועה | yeshu’ah | Critical | σωτηρία | 2 | (undergirds Kenosis/Citizenship doctrines) | Shares root with Yeshua and with σωτήρ (Savior, 3:20) — teach the etymological link. |
| Peace | שלום | shalom | Medium | εἰρήνη | 4 | Contentment in All Circumstances | Weight risks dilution via everyday greeting use; 4:7’s “surpassing understanding” clause helps mark it as extraordinary. |
| Fellowship | שותפות | shutafut | Low | κοινωνία | 1, 2, 3, 4 | Partnership in the Gospel | Reused as base for all κοινωνία compounds throughout the book (2:1, 1:5, 3:10, 4:15). |
| Law | תורה | Torah | Critical | νόμος | 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | Never framed as an attack on Torah itself; risk is entirely in framing. |
| Lord | אדון | Adon | Critical | Κύριος | 2 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | Phil 2:11’s confession must harmonize with Romans 10:9’s fixed rendering. |
| Messiah/Christ | משיח | Mashiach | Critical | Χριστός | 1-4 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | Standard, unavoidable, correct rendering throughout. |
| Jesus | ישוע | Yeshua | Critical | Ἰησοῦς | 1-4 | (all Christological doctrines) | NEVER ישו; always full spelling with final ayin. |
| God | אלוהים | Elohim | Critical | θεός | 1-4 | Deity of Christ (via 2:6) | No alternative exists; risk is entirely in content — see 2:6, 2:9. |
| Holy Spirit | רוח הקודש | Ruach HaKodesh | Critical | Πνεῦμα | 1, 2 | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:1’s “fellowship of the Spirit” inherits the Romans TM’s personal/present-vs-impersonal/departed risk. |
| Glory | כבוד | kavod | Medium | δόξα | 2 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | 2:11’s “glory of God the Father” must retain manifest-presence weight, not collapse into colloquial “respect.” |
| Saints | קדושים | kedoshim | Medium | ἅγιοι | 1, 4 | Unity and Humility in the Church | No elite/ascetic-class implication. |
| Father | אבינו | Avinu | Medium | πατήρ | 2 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | 2:11’s Trinitarian balance clause. |
| Church (community) | קהילה | kehilah | Critical | ἐκκλησία (implied) | (general) | Unity and Humility in the Church | Never עדה; never framed as replacing Israel. |
B. New Terms Proposed for Philippians (Require Ratification)
| English Term | Hebrew | Transliteration | Risk | Greek Original | Chapter(s) | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joy | שמחה | simchah | Medium | χαρά | 1, 2, 4 | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | — | Rich, positive, but ubiquitous everyday/festival word; must be anchored as joy independent of, even amid, suffering and imprisonment. |
| Form of God | תבנית אלוהים | tavnit Elohim | Critical | μορφή θεοῦ | 2 (core) | Incarnation/Kenosis; Deity of Christ | דמות אלוהים; צלם אלוהים | Must stay lexically distinct from דמות (used for ὁμοίωμα) and צלם (reserved for Genesis 1:27 usage) to preserve Paul’s three-term structure in 2:6-7. |
| Grasped/exploited (thing to be) | (phrase) דבר לנצל לתועלתו / לאחוז בו בקנאות | davar l’natzel le-to’elato | Critical | ἁρπαγμός | 2 (core) | Incarnation/Kenosis | single-word renderings (all rejected as insufficient) | Phrase-level only; must clearly support “already possessed, not exploited” reading over “not yet attained, refused to seize” reading. |
| Emptied himself / Kenosis | ריקן את עצמו (verb); התרוקנות עצמית (doctrinal noun) | reken et atzmo; hitrokenut atzmit | Critical | ἐκένωσεν (κενόω) | 2 (core) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | קנוזיס (transliteration); הגשמה | No settled Hebrew Christian precedent (same absence-of-tradition gap as “incarnation”/hitgalmut). Must be taught as emptying of divine privilege/status, not divine essence. |
| Form of a servant | תבנית עבד | tavnit eved | Critical | μορφὴν δούλου | 2 (core) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | דמות עבד | Deliberately reuses תבנית (not דמות) to preserve the 2:6/2:7 antithesis; עבד positively echoes Isaiah 53’s עבד ה’ (Servant of the LORD). |
| Likeness of men | דמות בני אדם | demut b’nei adam | Critical | ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπων | 2 (core) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | תבנית בני אדם | Deliberately uses דמות (not תבנית) to preserve Paul’s own μορφή/ὁμοίωμα distinction. |
| Found in human appearance | מראה (כאדם) | mar’eh (ke-adam) | High | σχῆμα | 2 (core), 3:21 (μετασχηματίσει) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | — | Marks the shift from essential form-language (תבנית/דמות) to observable/historical appearance; shares a root-connection with 3:21’s future body-transformation. |
| Humbled himself | השפיל/הכניע את עצמו | hishpil / hichni’a et atzmo | High | ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν | 2 (core) | Unity and Humility in the Church | — | Must share a visible Hebrew root with ענווה (2:3) to preserve Paul’s ταπειν- wordplay linking command (2:3) to example (2:8). |
| Humility | ענווה | anavah | Medium | ταπεινοφροσύνη | 2 (core) | Unity and Humility in the Church | שפלות רוח | Strong positive Jewish resource (Moses, Numbers 12:3; Pirkei Avot); teach Christ’s self-emptying (2:6-8) as its supreme paradigm, not generic modesty. |
| Selfish ambition | אנוכיות / יריבות אנוכית | anochiyut / yerivut anochit | Medium | ἐριθεία | 2 (core) | Unity and Humility in the Church | שאפתנות (too neutral/positive in Modern Hebrew) | Avoid a term that reads as ordinary, positively-valenced workplace “ambition.” |
| Empty conceit | יוהרה / כבוד ריק | yohara / kavod reik | Medium | κενοδοξία | 2 (core) | Unity and Humility in the Church | — | “Kavod reik” (“empty glory”) deliberately contrasts with the TM’s true כבוד (God’s glory) elsewhere — a built-in teaching contrast. |
| Cross | צלב | tzlav | Critical | σταυρός | 2 (core, v.8), 3 (3:18 ×2) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | — | Risk category is historical-cultural trauma (Crusades, pogroms, blood libel under the cross symbol), not lexical ambiguity — no substitute term exists; requires sensitive pastoral framing at every occurrence. |
| Highly exalted | רוממו לגובה / העלהו מעל לכל | romemo le-govah / he’elahu me’al lechol | Critical | ὑπερύψωσεν | 2 (core) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ | — | Reuses the Psalms’ רומם root (used exclusively of exalting YHWH); doctrinally precise (the Father exalting the Son) but requires the same careful framing as the “lord” TM entry. |
| The Name above every name | השם אשר מעל לכל שם | ha-shem asher me’al le-chol shem | Critical | τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᶰᶰ ὄνομα | 2 (core) | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ; Lordship of Christ | — | Activates “HaShem” as the reverential substitute for the Tetragrammaton — doctrinally intentional, requires explicit teaching. |
| Every knee shall bow | כל ברך תכרע | kol berech tikhra | Critical | πᶰᶰ γόνυ κάμψῃ | 2 (core) | Lordship of Christ; Deity of Christ | — | Direct citation of Isaiah 45:23 MT (already in the reader’s own Hebrew Bible as a YHWH self-declaration) — maximal teaching leverage and maximal doctrinal exposure simultaneously. |
| Every tongue confess | כל לשון תודה | kol lashon todeh | Critical | πᶰᶰ γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται | 2 (core) | Lordship of Christ; Deity of Christ | — | Completes the Isaiah 45:23 citation begun in v.10; wording should track the source text closely. |
| Jesus Christ is Lord | ישוע המשיח הוא האדון | Yeshua ha-Mashiach hu ha-Adon | Critical | Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός | 2 (core) | Lordship of Christ | — | Extends the fixed Romans 10:9 confession formula (ישוע הוא האדון) with המשיח added to match this verse’s fuller title; any wording variance between the two passages requires theologian review. |
| Work out your salvation | עשו את ישועתכם | asu et yeshu’atchem | Critical | κατεργάζεσθε τὴν σωτηρίαν | 2 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (context); Righteousness by Faith versus the Law (guard rail) | — | Must be paired tightly with 2:13’s “God who works in you” to avoid a works-righteousness misreading. |
| Fear and trembling | יראה ורעדה | yir’ah va-re’adah | Low-Medium | φόβος καὶ τρόμος | 2 | (supports 2:12 above) | — | יראה carries strong positive “yirat Shamayim” resonance. |
| God who works in you | אלוהים הפועל בכם | Elohim ha-po’el bachem | High | ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν | 2 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law (guard rail) | — | The necessary qualifying clause for κατεργάζεσθε above. |
| Children of God (believers) | בני האלוהים | b’nei ha-Elohim | High | τέκνα θεοῦ | 2 | Unity and Humility in the Church | — | Must not be confused with Christ’s unique בן האלוהים (Romans TM, singular/ontological) nor Israel’s OT corporate “sons of God” usage (Exodus 4:22); denotes plural adoptive sonship of all believers. |
| A crooked and perverse generation | דור עקש ופתלתל | dor ikesh u-fetaltol | Low | γενεὰ σκολιά καὶ διεστραμμένη | 2 | Unity and Humility in the Church | — | Exact positive echo of Deuteronomy 32:5 — strong existing resource. |
| Word of life | דבר החיים | devar ha-chayim | Low-Medium | λόγος ζωῆς | 2 | Partnership in the Gospel | — | Some resonance with “Torah as tree of life,” Proverbs 3:18. |
| Poured out as a libation | ניסוך / נשפך כניסוך | nisukh / nishpach ke-nisukh | Medium | σπένδομαι | 2 | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | — | Genuine OT sacrificial term (drink-offering, Numbers 28:7); must be distinguished from Christ’s unique atoning sacrifice. |
| Minister (Epaphroditus) | משרת | mesharet | Medium | λειτουργός | 2 | Partnership in the Gospel | שליח (reserved for apostle) | Retains a service register without competing with the established apostle glossary entry. |
| Overseers | פקידי הקהילה | pakidei ha-kehilah | Medium | ἐπίσκοπος | 1 | Unity and Humility in the Church | משגיח (kosher-supervision collision, per Romans TM’s providence entry) | Church-office term; avoid the kosher-certification reading. |
| Deacons | משרתי הקהילה | mesharetei ha-kehilah | Medium | διάκονος | 1 | Unity and Humility in the Church | שמש (Hanukkah “helper candle” collision) | Church-office term; avoid the Hanukkah-candle reading. |
| Chains/imprisonment | כבלים / מאסר | kevalim / ma’asar | Low-Medium | δεσμά | 1 | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | — | Must be surrounded by text conveying Paul’s reframing of chains as gospel-advancing. |
| Day of Christ | יום המשיח | yom ha-Mashiach | High/Critical | ἡμέρα Χριστοῦ | 1 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Christ’s deity, by category-transfer) | — | Parallels the OT prophetic “Yom Adonai” (Day of the LORD) category, now applied to Christ; same pattern as the “lord” TM entry. |
| To die is gain | למות זה רווח | lamut zeh revach | Medium-High | τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος | 1 | Contentment in All Circumstances; Joy in Suffering | — | רווח’s commercial register risks trivializing eternal gain into a transactional idea. |
| Conduct yourselves as citizens | התנהלו כאזרחים | hitnahalu ke-ezrachim | High | πολιτεύεσθε | 1 | Citizenship in Heaven | — | Sets up 3:20’s noun form; vocabulary should be compatible across both occurrences. |
| Circumcision | מילה / ברית מילה | milah / brit milah | High | περιτομή | 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | — | Central, cherished Jewish covenant marker; Paul relativizes it as grounds of righteousness, not the rite’s legitimacy or heritage value. |
| Rubbish/dung | זבל / פסולת | zevel / pesolet | Medium-High | σκύβαλα | 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | דברים חסרי ערך (too decorous/soft) | Deliberately crude register must be preserved, not softened. |
| Knowledge of Christ | דעת המשיח | da’at ha-Mashiach | Medium | γνῶσις | 3 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | — | Echoes OT “da’at Elohim” (Hosea 6:6) — relational, not merely propositional, knowledge. |
| Fellowship of his sufferings | שותפות בסבלו | shutafut be-sivlo | High | κοινωνία παθημάτων αὐτοῦ | 3 | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | — | Real participatory union with Christ’s suffering, not mere sympathetic solidarity. |
| Press on / pursue | לרדוף | lirdof | Medium | διώκω | 3 | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | — | Athletic-pursuit imagery; shares a conceptual root-link with σκοπέω in 2:4. |
| Goal/mark | מטרה | matarah | Medium | σκοπός | 3 | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | — | Neutral, low-collision “aim/objective” term. |
| Prize | פרס | pras | Medium-High | βραβεῖον | 3 | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | — | Risk of flattening into a secular achievement-award register (cf. “Pras Nobel,” “Pras Yisrael”); must retain eschatological weight. |
| Mature/perfect | שלמים / בוגרים באמונה | shelemim / bogrim ba-emunah | Medium | τέλειοι | 3 | Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ | — | Must not imply sinless perfection, which 3:12 explicitly denies. |
| Citizenship in heaven | אזרחות (שבשמים) | ezrachut (she-bashamayim) | Critical/High | πολίτευμα | 3 | Citizenship in Heaven | עם השמיים | Politically loaded in contemporary Israeli Hebrew (Israeli ezrachut, Law of Return); requires joint theologian + native-speaker review; consider supplementing with “מולדתנו האמיתית בשמים” (our true homeland is in heaven). |
| Savior | מושיע | moshi’a | Medium | σωτήρ | 3 | Citizenship in Heaven | — | Shares root with ישועה and ישוע; positive etymological teaching asset. |
| Enemies of the cross | אויבי הצלב | oyvei ha-tzlav | High | ἐχθροὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ | 3 | The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (cross collision) | — | Compounds the σταυρός historical-trauma risk with a second and third occurrence in the same chapter. |
| Transform the body | יהפוך/ישנה את גופנו | yahafoch/yeshaneh et gufeinu | Medium | μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα | 3 | Citizenship in Heaven | — | Should echo 2:8’s מראה/appearance vocabulary where feasible. |
| Contentment | הסתפקות | histapkut | Medium | αὐτάρκης / ἔμαθον | 4 | Contentment in All Circumstances | — | Strong positive Rabbinic resource (Pirkei Avot 4:1) but must retain Christ-empowered source (4:13), not assimilate to Stoic or Rabbinic self-sufficiency alone. |
| Him who strengthens me | המחזק אותי | ha-mechazek oti | Medium | ἐνδυναμοῦντί με | 4 | Contentment in All Circumstances | — | Use מחזק/כוח-family vocabulary; never גבורה (Kabbalistic sefirah collision, per Romans TM). |
| Giving and receiving | נתינה וקבלה | netinah u-kabalah | Low-Medium | δόσις καὶ λήψις | 4 | Partnership in the Gospel | — | Plain, accurate commercial idiom; low collision risk. |
| Sacrifice pleasing to God | קרבן/זבח רצוי לאלוהים | korban/zevach ratzui l’Elohim | Medium | θυσία δεκτή, εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ | 4 | Partnership in the Gospel | — | Rich Temple resource; must be distinguished from Christ’s unique atoning sacrifice. |
| Struggle/conflict | מאבק | ma’avak | Low | ἀγών | 1 | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | — | Plain, well-understood term. |
| Fruit of righteousness | פרי הצדק | peri ha-tzedek | Medium | καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης | 1 | Righteousness by Faith versus the Law | — | Reuses צדק (never צדקה) per TM forbidden-substitution rule. |
| Partnership in the gospel | שותפות בבשורה | shutafut ba-besorah | Medium | κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον | 1, 4 | Partnership in the Gospel | — | Compound of two reused TM terms; doctrine requires teaching active, costly, ongoing partnership, not passive shared belief. |
C. Chapters Reviewed with No New Theological Vocabulary
None. Every chapter of Philippians (1-4) introduces at least one new load-bearing term beyond the baseline Romans TM, as documented above; no chapter is silently omitted.
D. Risk Summary for This Curriculum
| Risk Tier | Count (New Terms) | Count (Reused Terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 12 | 8 | Human theologian review required |
| High | 10 | 0 | Human theologian review required |
| Medium | 17 | 6 | Native speaker review recommended |
| Low | 4 | 3 | Automated review sufficient |
Notable pattern for this curriculum: unlike most Romans-package terms, several Philippians-specific Critical risks (cross/σταυρός, citizenship/πολίτευμα) are driven primarily by historical-cultural trauma or contemporary political resonance rather than purely doctrinal/theological ambiguity. These require distinct handling guidance from the doctrinal-precision-focused Critical terms (e.g. the μορφή-family terms, the kenosis verb, the Isaiah 45:23 citation) and should be flagged as a distinct sub-category in doctrine_risk_registry.json when it is extended for this curriculum in a subsequent step.
This glossary must be merged into an extended translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for Philippians before Phase 2 translation begins, per the Pre-flight Checklist in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: צדק
Transliteration: tzedek
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: צדקה
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never צדקה (narrowed to ‘charity’ in Modern Hebrew) outside a direct Genesis 15:6-style quotation. Governs Phil 1:11 (פרי הצדק) and 3:9’s autobiographical contrast.
Salvation
Approved rendering: ישועה
Transliteration: yeshu’ah
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (context of 2:12)
Rejected alternatives: גאולה
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:12’s ‘work out your own salvation’ must be paired tightly with 2:13’s divine-agency clause (see god_who_works_in_you) to avoid a works-righteousness misreading. Shares root with ישוע and with 3:20’s מושיע (savior).
Law
Approved rendering: תורה
Transliteration: Torah
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 3:5-9’s autobiographical contrast must never be taught as an attack on Torah itself; risk is entirely in framing, not vocabulary.
Lord
Approved rendering: אדון
Transliteration: Adon
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:11’s climactic confession ‘ישוע המשיח הוא האדון’ must harmonize exactly with the fixed Romans 10:9 confession-formula rendering (‘ישוע הוא האדון’).
Messiah
Approved rendering: משיח
Transliteration: Mashiach
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Philippians 1-4, including the 2:6-11 kenosis hymn’s climactic Christological title.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ישוע
Transliteration: Yeshua
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ישו
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER the truncated ישו; always ישוע in full, with the final ayin, at every occurrence across all four chapters.
God
Approved rendering: אלוהים
Transliteration: Elohim
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:6’s ‘form of God’ and 2:9’s exaltation ‘by God’ are the doctrinal center of the core passage.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: רוח הקודש
Transliteration: Ruach HaKodesh
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:1’s ‘fellowship of the Spirit’ and 1:19’s ‘help of the Spirit’ both require the Spirit be read as a personal, present, active agent, against the mainstream Rabbinic ‘departed Spirit’ default (Yoma 9b).
Church
Approved rendering: קהילה
Transliteration: kehilah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: עדה
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Never עדה; never framed as replacing Israel. Underlies Phil 1:1’s address to ‘saints… with the overseers and deacons’ and the letter’s communal address throughout.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: תחיית המתים
Transliteration: techiyat hametim
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 3:10-11’s ‘power of his resurrection’ (present) and ‘attaining to the resurrection’ (future), plus 3:21’s bodily transformation, require the same already-not-yet, two-comings framework established in Romans, now applied to both Christ and believers.
Equal With God
Approved rendering: שווה לאלוהים
Transliteration: shaveh l’Elohim
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
NEW TERM (ἴσα θεῷ, Phil 2:6). Stated even more explicitly than Romans 9:5; sits directly against the Shema’s ‘Hashem Echad.’ Must be taught as compatible with, not a departure from, absolute divine unity — an intra-Trinitarian question, not an interfaith one.
Form Of God
Approved rendering: תבנית אלוהים
Transliteration: tavnit Elohim
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: דמות אלוהים, צלם אלוהים
Original: μορφή θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (μορφή θεοῦ, Phil 2:6). No settled Hebrew Christian term exists (same absence-of-tradition gap as hitgalmut in Romans). תבנית is deliberately fenced off from דמות (reserved for ὁμοίωμα, 2:7) and צלם (reserved exclusively for Genesis 1:27 usage) so the reader tracks that Christ shares God’s own essential form, not merely a demut or tzelem likeness as humanity does.
Thing To Be Grasped
Approved rendering: דבר לנצל לתועלתו / לאחוז בו בקנאות
Transliteration: davar l’natzel le-to’elato
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: single-word renderings of ἁρπαγμός
Original: ἁρπαγμός
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ἁρπαγμός, Phil 2:6). Phrase-level only; must clearly support ‘already possessed, not exploited’ over ‘not yet attained, refused to seize’ — the exegetical choice determines whether the verse teaches orthodox pre-existent equality or a subordinationist Christology (cf. NWT Hebrew rendering, which must not be echoed).
Kenosis Self Emptying
Approved rendering: ריקן את עצמו (verb); התרוקנות עצמית (doctrinal noun)
Transliteration: reken et atzmo; hitrokenut atzmit
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: קנוזיס (bare transliteration, in-text), הגשמה
Original: ἐκένωσεν (κενόω)
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ἐκένωσεν, Phil 2:7). No continuous Hebrew-speaking Christian tradition bridges the apostolic era to Hebrew’s modern revival. הגשמה rejected as it trivializes into ‘actualizing a dream’ in Modern Hebrew (same rejection reasoning as Romans TM’s incarnation entry). Must be taught as emptying of divine privilege/status, never of divine essence — Christ does not stop being God.
Form Of A Servant
Approved rendering: תבנית עבד
Transliteration: tavnit eved
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: דמות עבד
Original: μορφὴν δούλου
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (μορφὴν δούλου, Phil 2:7). Deliberately reuses תבנית (not דמות) to preserve the antithesis with 2:6’s תבנית אלוהים exactly as in the Greek. עבד positively echoes Isaiah 53’s עבד ה’ (Servant of the LORD) — worth teaching explicitly, paralleling the Romans TM’s intercession entry.
Likeness Of Men
Approved rendering: דמות בני אדם
Transliteration: demut b’nei adam
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: תבנית בני אדם
Original: ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπων
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ὁμοίωμα ἀνθρώπων, Phil 2:7). Uses דמות, distinct from תבנית used for both μορφή occurrences, preserving Paul’s own three-stage descent structure; collapsing all three terms into one Hebrew word erases a deliberate structure.
Cross
Approved rendering: צלב
Transliteration: tzlav
Doctrine: The Cross as Instrument of Christ’s Suffering (Historical-Trauma Risk)
Original: σταυρός
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (σταυρός, Phil 2:8; also 3:18 twice). Risk category is historical-cultural trauma, not lexical ambiguity: for many Hebrew-speaking Jewish readers צלב is inescapably linked to centuries of Christian-perpetrated violence (Crusades, pogroms, blood libels, forced conversions). No substitute exists; every occurrence requires sensitive pastoral framing distinguishing the cross as the instrument of Christ’s own suffering from its later, tragic misuse.
Highly Exalted
Approved rendering: רוממו לגובה שאין למעלה ממנו / העלהו מעל לכל
Transliteration: romemo le-govah / he’elahu me’al lechol
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: ὑπερύψωσεν
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ὑπερύψωσεν, Phil 2:9). רומם is the root used throughout the Psalms exclusively for exalting YHWH himself (Psalm 99:5, 34:4). Applying it to a crucified human figure’s exaltation, by God, is doctrinally precise but requires the same careful framing already given the Romans TM’s lord entry.
Name Above Every Name
Approved rendering: השם אשר מעל לכל שם
Transliteration: ha-shem asher me’al le-chol shem
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᶰᶰ ὄνομα, Phil 2:9). ‘HaShem’ is the standard Jewish reverential substitute-title for the unpronounced divine Name, exactly as ‘Adonai’ functions for the Tetragrammaton in the Romans TM’s lord entry; the doctrinal payoff is exact but requires explicit teaching.
Every Knee Shall Bow
Approved rendering: כל ברך תכרע
Transliteration: kol berech tikhra
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (πᶰᶰ γόνυ κάμψῃ, Phil 2:10). Direct citation of Isaiah 45:23 MT, already in the reader’s own Hebrew Bible as a YHWH self-declaration (‘כי לי תכרע כל ברך’). The single highest-stakes rendering decision in this book; must not be softened or hedged.
Every Tongue Confess
Approved rendering: כל לשון תודה
Transliteration: kol lashon todeh
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (πᶰᶰ γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσηται, Phil 2:11). Completes the Isaiah 45:23 citation begun in v.10; ‘todeh’ (root ידה, also behind ‘hodayah’/thanksgiving) fits well but must track the Isaiah source-text wording closely.
Jesus Christ Is Lord
Approved rendering: ישוע המשיח הוא האדון
Transliteration: Yeshua ha-Mashiach hu ha-Adon
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ (Isaiah 45:23 Fulfillment)
Original: Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Phil 2:11). Extends the fixed Romans 10:9 confession formula (‘ישוע הוא האדון’) with המשיח added to match this verse’s fuller title. Any wording variance between Romans 10:9 and Phil 2:11 must be flagged for human theologian review.
Work Out Your Salvation
Approved rendering: עשו את ישועתכם
Transliteration: asu et yeshu’atchem
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law (guard rail)
Original: κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν, Phil 2:12). Reuses ישועה exactly, but must be paired tightly with 2:13’s god_who_works_in_you clause, with hard proximity/formatting enforcement, to avoid a works-righteousness misreading.
Day Of Christ
Approved rendering: יום המשיח
Transliteration: yom ha-Mashiach
Doctrine: The Day of Christ and Eschatological Hope
Original: ἡμέρα Χριστοῦ
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM (ἡμέρα Χριστοῦ, Phil 1:6, 1:10, 2:16). Parallels the OT prophetic category ‘Yom Adonai’ (Day of the LORD — Joel 2:31, Amos 5:18, Zephaniah 1:14) now applied to Christ; this category-transfer requires explicit teaching that it reflects Christ’s full deity, not a diminished or derivative ‘day.‘
Righteousness By Faith Versus Law Phrase
Approved rendering: צדק מהתורה / צדק על ידי אמונה במשיח
Transliteration: tzedek me-ha-Torah / tzedek al yedei emunah ba-Mashiach
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου / διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου / διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ, Phil 3:9). Must reuse the Romans TM terms exactly (צדק not צדקה; תורה; אמונה); flagged for the same theologian-review escalation the Romans package requires whenever grace/faith is contrasted with works of the law.
Citizenship In Heaven
Approved rendering: אזרחות (שבשמים)
Transliteration: ezrachut (she-bashamayim)
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Rejected alternatives: עם השמיים
Original: πολίτευμα
Category: Church
NEW TERM (πολίτευμα, Phil 3:20). אזרחות is legally precise but politically loaded in contemporary Israeli Hebrew (Law of Return, Israeli citizenship debates) — risks activating a contemporary political frame instead of Paul’s earthly-vs-heavenly civic contrast. Must be paired with the supplemental phrase מולדתנו האמיתית בשמים at first occurrence in any lesson; requires joint theologian + native-speaker review.
Fellowship Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: שותפות רוח הקודש
Transliteration: shutafut Ruach HaKodesh
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
NEW COMPOUND TERM (κοινωνία πνεύματος, Phil 2:1). Combines two reused Romans TM terms (שותפות, רוח הקודש) into the compound opening clause of the unity appeal. Critical risk inherited from the Holy Spirit entry: mainstream Rabbinic tradition treats Ruach HaKodesh as an impersonal influence that ‘departed’ after the last prophets (Yoma 9b); here the Spirit is the living, present, unifying divine Person and ground of the appeal that follows in 2:2-4.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: חסד
Transliteration: chesed
Doctrine: Grace (undergirds all Philippians doctrines)
Rejected alternatives: חן
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Frames the letter’s opening and closing salutations (1:2, 4:23). Never חן (drifted to ‘charm/cuteness’ in Modern Hebrew).
Faith
Approved rendering: אמונה
Transliteration: emunah
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: ביטחון
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Philippians 3:9’s righteousness-from-law-versus-faith-in-Christ contrast; must be anchored as personal trust in the Messiah, not bundled with continued Torah-observance.
Saints
Approved rendering: קדושים
Transliteration: kedoshim
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Addressed directly in Phil 1:1 and 4:21-22; must not imply an elite ascetic class.
Father
Approved rendering: אבינו
Transliteration: Avinu
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:11’s Trinitarian balance clause requires the Father’s glory be seen as served, not diminished, by the Son’s exaltation.
Found In Human Appearance
Approved rendering: מראה (כאדם)
Transliteration: mar’eh (ke-adam)
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: σχῆμα
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (σχῆμα, Phil 2:8; also 3:21’s μετασχηματίσει). Marks the shift from essential-nature vocabulary (תבנית/דמות) to the observable/historical register; shares a root-connection with 3:21’s future body-transformation worth preserving in translator notes.
Humbled Himself
Approved rendering: השפיל / הכניע את עצמו
Transliteration: hishpil / hichni’a et atzmo
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν, Phil 2:8). Must share a visible Hebrew root with ענווה (2:3) to preserve Paul’s own ταπειν- wordplay linking the command of 2:3 to Christ’s own enacted example; kenosis and this further self-humbling are two distinct theological moments and must not be collapsed into one.
Obedient Unto Death
Approved rendering: נשמע / ציית עד מוות
Transliteration: nishma / tzayat ad mavet
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith (Christological ground)
Original: ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ὑπήκοος μέχρι θανάτου, Phil 2:8). Reuse of the ציית root from the Romans TM’s ציות האמונה entry is deliberate; this passage supplies the Christological ground for that ethical term.
God Who Works In You
Approved rendering: אלוהים הפועל בכם
Transliteration: Elohim ha-po’el bachem
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law (guard rail)
Original: ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (ὁ ἐνεργῶν ἐν ὑμῖν, Phil 2:13). The necessary theological guard-rail clause qualifying work_out_your_salvation; must appear with sufficient clarity and immediate proximity to 2:12.
Children Of God Believers
Approved rendering: בני האלוהים
Transliteration: b’nei ha-Elohim
Doctrine: Adoption and Sonship of Believers
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Church
NEW TERM (τέκνα θεοῦ, Phil 2:15). Must not be confused with the Romans TM’s singular, ontological בן האלוהים (Christ’s unique Sonship, Critical) nor with Israel’s OT corporate ‘sons of God’ designation (Exodus 4:22); denotes the plural, adoptive sonship of all believers (cf. Romans TM’s אימוץ).
To Die Is Gain
Approved rendering: לחיות זה המשיח, ולמות זה רווח
Transliteration: lichyot zeh ha-Mashiach, u-lamut zeh revach
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (τὸ ζῆν Χριστός, τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος, Phil 1:21). רווח is the ordinary Modern Hebrew word for financial/commercial profit; this commercial register risks trivializing the eternal, relational gain Paul describes unless carefully framed by surrounding catechesis.
Conduct As Citizens
Approved rendering: התנהלו כאזרחים
Transliteration: hitnahalu ke-ezrachim
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Original: πολιτεύεσθε
Category: Church
NEW TERM (πολιτεύεσθε, Phil 1:27). Sets up the noun πολίτευμα in 3:20; vocabulary must remain compatible across both occurrences so the reader connects the verb form here with the later citizenship claim.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: מילה / ברית מילה
Transliteration: milah / brit milah
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
NEW TERM (περιτομή, Phil 3:5). Brit milah is among the most central, cherished covenant markers in Jewish identity and practice; Paul relativizes it as grounds of righteousness before God, never the rite’s legitimacy or heritage value, per the Romans TM’s law-entry framing rule.
Rubbish Dung
Approved rendering: זבל / פסולת
Transliteration: zevel / pesolet
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: דברים חסרי ערך
Original: σκύβαλα
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (σκύβαλα, Phil 3:8). דברים חסרי ערך rejected as too decorous/soft — Paul’s deliberately crude, visceral word must retain its low register; the rhetorical force depends on it, not on politeness.
Fellowship Of His Sufferings
Approved rendering: שותפות בסבלו
Transliteration: shutafut be-sivlo
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: κοινωνία [τῶν] παθημάτων αὐτοῦ
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (κοινωνία παθημάτων αὐτοῦ, Phil 3:10). Reuses שותפות exactly per the Romans TM; must be read as real participatory union with Christ’s own suffering, not merely sympathetic solidarity.
Prize
Approved rendering: פרס
Transliteration: pras
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: βραβεῖον
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (βραβεῖον, Phil 3:14). פרס is the ordinary Modern Hebrew word for secular awards (‘Pras Nobel,’ ‘Pras Yisrael’) — a high-prestige but this-worldly, competitive-achievement register that risks flattening the eschatological prize unless surrounding text restores its resurrection-oriented weight.
Enemies Of The Cross
Approved rendering: אויבי הצלב
Transliteration: oyvei ha-tzlav
Doctrine: The Cross as Instrument of Christ’s Suffering (Historical-Trauma Risk)
Original: ἐχθροὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ
Category: Christology
NEW TERM (ἐχθροὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ, Phil 3:18). Compounds the σταυρός historical-trauma risk already flagged for 2:8 with a second and third occurrence in the same chapter; the same pastoral-framing caution applies at each occurrence.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: הבשורה
Transliteration: ha-besorah
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: חדשות טובות
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In Philippians describes Paul’s imprisonment serving gospel advance (1:12-14), the Philippians’ partnership (1:5, 4:15), and proclamation amid rival motives (1:15-18). Must be qualified as the specific proclamation of salvation through the Messiah, never generic good news.
Peace
Approved rendering: שלום
Transliteration: shalom
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 4:7’s ‘peace… surpassing all understanding’ helps mark this occurrence as extraordinary against everyday-greeting dilution. See also peace_surpassing_understanding compound entry below.
Glory
Approved rendering: כבוד
Transliteration: kavod
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Phil 2:11’s ‘glory of God the Father’ must retain manifest-presence weight, not collapse into colloquial ‘kol hakavod’ respect. Deliberately contrasted in 2:3 with the constructed compound כבוד ריק (empty glory, see empty_conceit).
Joy
Approved rendering: שמחה
Transliteration: simchah
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
NEW TERM. Rich, positive, extremely frequent Jewish liturgical/festival word (Sukkot as ‘z’man simchateinu’) — a genuine asset, but its ubiquity risks flattening Paul’s specific claim that this joy is produced by gospel partnership and persists through, not because of the absence of, suffering and imprisonment (1:18, 2:17-18, 3:1, 4:4). Every suffering-context occurrence must carry explicit surrounding hardship-language.
Encouragement In Christ
Approved rendering: נחמה
Transliteration: nechamah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: עידוד
Original: παράκλησις
Category: Church
NEW TERM (Phil 2:1, παράκλησις). נחמה carries strong Isaiah 40:1 resonance (‘Nachamu nachamu ami’) — a genuine positive asset — but must be anchored ‘in Christ’ so as not to be read as generic consolation detached from union with the Messiah.
Same Mind
Approved rendering: הלך רוח / דעה אחת
Transliteration: helech ruach / de’ah achat
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: φρονέω / τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (φρονέω, Phil 2:2, hinge-linked to 2:5). Must use the same Hebrew root in both 2:2 and 2:5 so the reader sees the deliberate verbal link between the unity appeal and Christ’s own example; two unrelated Hebrew roots would sever Paul’s argument structure.
Unity Of Soul
Approved rendering: מאוחדים בנפש
Transliteration: me’uchadim ba-nefesh
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: σύμψυχοι
Category: Church
NEW TERM (σύμψυχοι, Phil 2:2). נפש is a strong OT term (Genesis 2:7) for the whole living person; medium risk, good conceptual match — soul-level unity, not mere cooperation.
Selfish Ambition
Approved rendering: אנוכיות / יריבות אנוכית
Transliteration: anochiyut / yerivut anochit
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: שאפתנות
Original: ἐριθεία
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (ἐριθεία, Phil 2:3). שאפתנות rejected because it reads as ordinary, positively-valenced workplace ambition in Modern Hebrew, undercutting Paul’s warning against factional self-interest.
Empty Conceit
Approved rendering: יוהרה / כבוד ריק
Transliteration: yohara / kavod reik
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: κενοδοξία
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (κενοδοξία, Phil 2:3). ‘Kavod reik’ (empty glory) deliberately borrows the root of the reused כבוד (God’s true glory, 2:11) to construct a built-in Hebrew contrast between hollow human self-glorification and God’s substantive glory. Must never be simplified to an unrelated plain ‘vanity’ word that loses this connection.
Humility
Approved rendering: ענווה
Transliteration: anavah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: שפלות רוח
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (ταπεινοφροσύνη, Phil 2:3). Deeply established, positive Jewish virtue (Moses, Numbers 12:3; central in Pirkei Avot) — a genuine asset. Must be taught with Christ’s self-emptying (2:6-8) as its supreme paradigm, never reduced to generic modesty or personality trait.
Glory To God The Father
Approved rendering: לכבוד האלוהים האב
Transliteration: le-khevod ha-Elohim ha-Av
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ
Original: εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός
Category: God
NEW TERM (εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πατρός, Phil 2:11). Must retain the sense of purpose/result (‘for the glory of’) so the passage’s careful Trinitarian balance is not lost — Christ’s exaltation serves, not competes with, the Father’s glory.
Fear And Trembling
Approved rendering: יראה ורעדה
Transliteration: yir’ah va-re’adah
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law (guard rail)
Original: φόβος καὶ τρόμος
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (φόβος καὶ τρόμος, Phil 2:12). יראה carries strong positive OT resonance (‘yirat Shamayim,’ fear of Heaven); supports a reverential, not anxious/terrified, sense.
Word Of Life
Approved rendering: דבר החיים
Transliteration: devar ha-chayim
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: λόγος ζωῆς
Category: Church
NEW TERM (λόγος ζωῆς, Phil 2:16). Some positive resonance with the ‘Torah as tree of life’ tradition (Proverbs 3:18); plain, medium-low risk phrase.
Poured Out As Libation
Approved rendering: ניסוך / נשפך כניסוך
Transliteration: nisukh / nishpach ke-nisukh
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: σπένδομαι
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (σπένδομαι, Phil 2:17). נסך is a genuine, strong OT sacrificial term (the drink-offering, Numbers 28:7); must be clearly distinguished from Christ’s own unique atoning sacrifice so as not to imply Paul’s death carries independent atoning value.
Minister Service
Approved rendering: משרת
Transliteration: mesharet
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: שליח
Original: λειτουργός
Category: Church
NEW TERM (λειτουργός, Phil 2:25, Epaphroditus). Distinguished from שליח (reserved exclusively for ‘apostle’ per the Romans TM); retains a service register without competing with that entry.
Overseers
Approved rendering: פקידי הקהילה
Transliteration: pakidei ha-kehilah
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Order
Rejected alternatives: משגיח
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
NEW TERM (ἐπίσκοπος, Phil 1:1). משגיח rejected because in everyday Israeli Hebrew it means specifically kosher-supervision certification on food packaging — the same collision already flagged for the Romans TM’s providence/hashgachah entry.
Deacons
Approved rendering: משרתי הקהילה
Transliteration: mesharetei ha-kehilah
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Order
Rejected alternatives: שמש
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church
NEW TERM (διάκονος, Phil 1:1). שמש rejected because in everyday Hebrew it denotes specifically the Hanukkah ‘helper candle’; משרת avoids that collision while retaining the service sense.
Chains And Imprisonment
Approved rendering: כבלים / מאסר
Transliteration: kevalim / ma’asar
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: δεσμά
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (δεσμά, Phil 1:7, 13-14, 17). Plain, well-understood vocabulary; the doctrinal risk is ensuring surrounding text conveys Paul’s reframing of chains as gospel-advancing, not merely endured.
Knowledge Of Christ
Approved rendering: דעת המשיח
Transliteration: da’at ha-Mashiach
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: γνῶσις
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (γνῶσις, Phil 3:8). Echoes the strong OT ‘da’at Elohim’ tradition (Hosea 6:6) — relational, not merely propositional, knowledge; a genuine positive resource.
Press On Pursue
Approved rendering: לרדוף
Transliteration: lirdof
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: διώκω
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (διώκω, Phil 3:12-14). Athletic-pursuit imagery; shares a conceptual root-link with σκοπέω in 2:4, worth flagging in translator notes even where a single Hebrew root cannot carry both senses gracefully.
Goal Mark
Approved rendering: מטרה
Transliteration: matarah
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: σκοπός
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (σκοπός, Phil 3:14). A neutral, widely used term for any aim or objective; comparatively low risk, though its shared Greek root with σκοπέω in 2:4 is a cross-chapter thread worth noting.
Mature Perfect
Approved rendering: שלמים / בוגרים באמונה
Transliteration: shelemim / bogrim ba-emunah
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: τέλειοι
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (τέλειοι, Phil 3:15). שלם carries a ‘complete/whole’ sense close to shalom’s wholeness root; must not imply sinless perfection, which 3:12 explicitly denies.
Savior
Approved rendering: מושיע
Transliteration: moshi’a
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (σωτήρ, Phil 3:20). Shares its root with both ישועה (salvation) and ישוע (Jesus), reinforcing the etymological teaching point already flagged in the Romans TM’s salvation entry (Matthew 1:21’s naming pun).
Transform The Body
Approved rendering: יהפוך / ישנה את גופנו
Transliteration: yahafoch / yeshaneh et gufeinu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ and Believers
Original: μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα
Category: Eschatology
NEW TERM (μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα, Phil 3:21). Shares a root with 2:8’s σχῆμα; should echo the מראה/appearance vocabulary of that verse where feasible to preserve the cross-reference within the book.
Contentment
Approved rendering: הסתפקות
Transliteration: histapkut
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: αὐτάρκης / ἔμαθον
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (αὐτάρκης / ἔμαθον, Phil 4:11-12). Strong positive Rabbinic resource (Pirkei Avot 4:1, ‘Eizehu ashir? Ha-sameach be-chelko’) but must retain Christ-empowered source (4:13), not assimilate to Stoic or Rabbinic self-sufficiency alone. 4:11-13 should be translated as one continuous unit.
Him Who Strengthens Me
Approved rendering: המחזק אותי
Transliteration: ha-mechazek oti
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Rejected alternatives: גבורה-family terms
Original: ἐνδυναμοῦντί με
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (ἐνδυναμοῦντί με, Phil 4:13). Use מחזק/כוח-family vocabulary consistent with the Romans TM’s power_of_god forbidden-substitution rule — never גבורה (Kabbalistic sefirah); must not be detached from its contentment-in-hardship context and used as a generic achievement slogan.
Sacrifice Pleasing To God
Approved rendering: קרבן / זבח רצוי לאלוהים
Transliteration: korban / zevach ratzui l’Elohim
Doctrine: Sacrificial Generosity as Worship
Original: θυσία δεκτή, εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ
Category: Church
NEW TERM (θυσία δεκτή, εὐάρεστος τῷ θεῷ, Phil 4:18). קרבן is an extremely rich, positive OT/Temple resource but must be clearly distinguished from Christ’s own unique, once-for-all atoning sacrifice.
Fruit Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: פרי הצדק
Transliteration: peri ha-tzedek
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης
Category: Salvation
NEW TERM (καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης, Phil 1:11). Must reuse צדק (never צדקה) per the Romans TM’s Critical forbidden-substitution rule for general righteousness.
Partnership In The Gospel
Approved rendering: שותפות בבשורה
Transliteration: shutafut ba-besorah
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Church
NEW TERM (κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, Phil 1:5; cf. 4:15). Compound of two terms reused exactly from the Romans TM; the doctrine requires teaching that this is active, costly, ongoing partnership, not passive shared belief.
Peace Surpassing Understanding
Approved rendering: שלום העולה על כל שכל
Transliteration: shalom ha-oleh al kol sechel
Doctrine: The Peace of God and Prayer
NEW COMPOUND TERM (εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν, Phil 4:7). Reinforces the reused שלום entry with an added clause marking this occurrence as extraordinary, supra-rational, and gift-given, counteracting shalom’s everyday-greeting dilution risk.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: שותפות
Transliteration: shutafut
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: קהילה
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Base root for all κοινωνία compounds throughout Philippians: 1:5 gospel partnership, 2:1 fellowship of the Spirit, 3:10 fellowship of his sufferings, 4:15 giving/receiving partnership.
Affection And Compassion
Approved rendering: רחמים וחמלה
Transliteration: rachamim ve-chemlah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί
Category: Church
NEW TERM (Phil 2:1, σπλάγχνα καὶ οἰκτιρμοί). רחמים has strong OT resonance (Exodus 34:6, the same verse underlying the חסד entry); low collision risk, a positive resource.
Crooked Generation
Approved rendering: דור עקש ופתלתל
Transliteration: dor ikesh u-fetaltol
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη
Category: Sanctification
NEW TERM (γενεὰ σκολιὰ καὶ διεστραμμένη, Phil 2:15). Exact positive intertextual match with Deuteronomy 32:5, already present in the reader’s own Hebrew Bible; low collision risk, strong existing resource.
Giving And Receiving
Approved rendering: נתינה וקבלה
Transliteration: netinah u-kabalah
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: δόσις καὶ λήψις
Category: Church
NEW TERM (δόσις καὶ λήψις, Phil 4:15). A plain, accurate commercial idiom with no significant collision; reuses שותפות per the Romans TM for the surrounding partnership language.
Struggle Conflict
Approved rendering: מאבק
Transliteration: ma’avak
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: ἀγών
Category: Christian Living
NEW TERM (ἀγών, Phil 1:30). Plain, well-understood term with no significant collision; the shared struggle believers face for the gospel’s sake, corporate suffering in mission.
Discernment
Approved rendering: דעת / הכרה מלאה
Transliteration: da’at / hakarah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
NEW TERM (ἐπίγνωσις, Phil 1:9). Echoes the strong OT ‘da’at Elohim’ tradition (Hosea 6:6) — love is not sentiment alone but paired with moral discrimination; a positive, low-risk resource.
Paul
Approved rendering: פאולוס / שאול התרסי
Transliteration: Pa’ulos / Sha’ul ha-Tarsi
Doctrine: N/A (proper name)
Inherited naming convention from Romans package. Prefer שאול in narrative contexts introducing him as the letter’s author (Phil 1:1).
Timothy
Approved rendering: טימותיוס
Transliteration: Timotheos
Doctrine: N/A (proper name)
NEW proper name (Phil 1:1, 2:19-23). Standard Hebrew Bible-translation-tradition transliteration.
Epaphroditus
Approved rendering: אפפרודיטוס
Transliteration: Epafroditos
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
NEW proper name (Phil 2:25-30, 4:18). Standard transliteration; associated with the minister_service (λειτουργός) term entry.
Caesar
Approved rendering: קיסר
Transliteration: Kaisar
Doctrine: N/A (proper/political name)
NEW proper name (Phil 4:22, ‘Caesar’s household’). Standard Hebrew historical/political term.
Euodia And Syntyche
Approved rendering: אֶוְודְיָה וְסִינְטִיכָה
Transliteration: Evodyah ve-Syntichah
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
NEW proper names (Phil 4:2-3). The concrete pastoral application-case of the ch.2 unity/humility doctrine; standard transliteration, no lexical risk beyond consistent spelling.
Referenced passages