Semantic Analysis
Semantic Analysis — Acts (Koine Greek → Hindi)
How to read this document
Each load-bearing term is analyzed with seven fields: Original word (Greek), Transliteration, Literal meaning, Semantic range, English variants (how English versions render it), Contextual theological meaning (what it does in Acts), and Destination-language rendering risk (the Hindi collision risk and recommended rendering). Where a term duplicates a baseline Romans/Galatians entry, the table states “REUSE — baseline TM” and gives the locked Hindi rendering; no new rendering decision is made for these.
PART 1 — Core Passage: Acts 2:1-41 (verse-by-verse)
Acts 2:1 — “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.”
| Terms | Variants | Contextual Theological Meaning | Hindi Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost πεντηκοστή pentēkostē ”fiftieth [day]“ | The Jewish harvest feast (Shavuot), 50 days after Passover; by NT usage, the specific calendar day of the Spirit’s outpouring Pentecost, Feast of Weeks | Historical-liturgical anchor: the Spirit is given on an already-appointed covenant feast day, showing continuity with, not replacement of, Israel’s calendar | NEW TERM. Transliterate: पिन्तेकुस्त (Pintekusta). Risk: Medium. Must not be rendered with a generic “festival” (त्योहार) which would erase its OT covenantal specificity; keep transliterated as an established Christian calendar term, with a gloss (“फसल का यहूदी पर्व”) on first use. |
| together / one place ὁμοῦ homou ”together, in the same place” | Physical and communal togetherness together, in one place | Sets the corporate, not individualistic, context for the Spirit’s coming — foundational for the Church as Community doctrine | Render with एक स्थान पर इकट्ठे — descriptive, Low risk. |
Acts 2:2 — “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| from heaven ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ex ouranou ”out of heaven” | Divine origin, not earthly or human-generated from heaven | Marks the event as God’s own sovereign initiative, not human religious achievement or techniques of spiritual attainment | स्वर्ग से — Low risk; consistent with existing Hindi Christian usage of स्वर्ग for God’s dwelling, distinct from Hindu svarga (a temporary heavenly abode within samsara) — gloss recommended on first doctrinal use. |
| wind/breath πνοή pnoē ”breath, blowing, wind” | Related to but distinct from πνεῦμα (Spirit); a physical sound-phenomenon signifying the Spirit’s arrival wind, breath | The audible sign accompanying (not identical to) the Spirit’s outpouring — echoes Genesis 2:7 and Ezekiel 37 breath-of-life imagery | प्रचण्ड वायु / झोंका — Low-Medium risk; keep as a natural-phenomenon word, distinct from आत्मा (Spirit) itself, to avoid conflating the sign with the divine Person. |
Acts 2:3 — “And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them, and rested on each one of them.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| tongues as of fire γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός glōssai hōsei pyros ”tongue-shaped flames” | Visual sign resembling flame-tongues, distinct from the “other tongues” (languages) of v.4 tongues of fire, flames | Visible, individualized manifestation resting on “each one” — the Spirit is given personally, not only corporately | अग्नि की सी जीभें — Medium risk. Must not be confused with sacred-fire (यज्ञ अग्नि / होम अग्नि) imagery central to Vedic ritual, where fire is itself an object of reverence/offering-medium; the fire here is a sign accompanying the Spirit, not a worshipped element. Recommend a translator note distinguishing this from agni-worship on first occurrence. |
Acts 2:4 — “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| filled with the Holy Spirit ἐπλήσθησαν πνεύματος ἁγίου eplēsthēsan pneumatos hagiou ”were filled/completely filled” | A repeatable NT experience (also 4:8,31; 9:17) of the Spirit’s empowering fullness for witness, distinct from the once-for-all indwelling at conversion filled with the Holy Spirit | The initiating and paradigmatic instance of Spirit-empowerment for bold gospel proclamation — foundational for the Holy Spirit and Pentecost doctrine | NEW TERM. पवित्र आत्मा से भर गए (pavitra ātmā se bhara gae). Risk: High. Must use पवित्र आत्मा (locked baseline term for the third Person of the Trinity, never ब्रह्म/परमात्मा). Must be clearly distinguished from Hindu आवेश (spirit-possession/trance-oracle phenomena) in which a person’s own consciousness is displaced by an external spirit-force acting involuntarily; here the person remains a responsible moral agent, speaking coherently, still “themselves.” Theologian review required every occurrence. |
| other tongues ἑτέραις γλώσσαις heterais glōssais ”different/other languages” | Real, existing human languages (confirmed by v.6,8,11 — hearers recognize their own native tongues), NOT ecstatic unintelligible speech in this passage other tongues, other languages | The miracle is intelligible cross-language communication of God’s mighty works — a reversal of Babel’s confusion (Genesis 11), symbolizing the gospel’s reach to every nation (Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine; Great Commission) | NEW TERM. अन्य भाषाएँ (anya bhāṣāeṃ). Risk: High. Must render as actual human languages, not a vague phrase suggestive of ecstatic glossolalia divorced from meaning (which some Hindi charismatic usage assumes uniformly for all “tongues” passages in Acts, including 10:46 and 19:6 where the referent may be less explicit). A translator note should distinguish Acts 2’s confirmed-intelligible instance from the less-specified later instances. |
| the Spirit gave them utterance τὸ πνεῦμα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι to pneuma edidou apophthengesthai ”the Spirit was giving [them] to declare/utter” | Divine enablement of specific speech-content; ἀποφθέγγομαι implies solemn, weighty pronouncement (used of oracles) as the Spirit gave them utterance/enabled them | The speech is Spirit-sourced, not self-generated devotional ecstasy or the speaker’s own attained spiritual insight | पवित्र आत्मा जैसा चाहता था वैसा बोलने की सामर्थ्य देता था — Medium risk; keep the Spirit as grammatical agent enabling speech, not the speaker’s own मन्त्र-सिद्धि (mantra-attainment). |
Acts 2:5-11 — “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven… each one was hearing them speak in his own language… Parthians and Medes and Elamites…”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| devout εὐλαβεῖς eulabeis ”reverent, taking hold well [of God]“ | Sincere, God-fearing piety; used elsewhere of Simeon (Luke 2:25) devout, God-fearing | Establishes the audience as sincerely religious diaspora Jews — the gospel’s first hearers are not pagans but covenant people, important for the Gospel-to-Jews-first pattern | भक्तिमान् / श्रद्धालु — Low-Medium risk; prefer भक्तिमान् (devoted to God) over श्रद्धालु to avoid confusion with generic Hindu bhakti/devotional-piety vocabulary; context (यहूदी) disambiguates. |
| own language/dialect ἰδία διάλεκτος idia dialektos ”one’s own dialect/tongue” | The mother-tongue of each hearer’s specific region own language, native tongue | Confirms the miracle’s nature: comprehensible proclamation, not ecstatic unintelligibility — reinforces the अन्य भाषाएँ entry above | अपनी ही भाषा — Low risk, descriptive. |
| every nation under heaven παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν pantos ethnous tōn hypo ton ouranon ”every nation under heaven” | Comprehensive geographic/ethnic scope every nation under heaven | Anticipates the universal, all-nations reach of the gospel that Acts will trace to “the ends of the earth” (1:8) — Great Commission Fulfilled doctrine | REUSE baseline अन्यजाति (gentiles) family for “nations” sense where applicable; here render literally आकाश के नीचे की हर एक जाति — Low risk. |
Acts 2:12-13 — “All were amazed and perplexed, saying… but others mocking said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| amazed / perplexed ἐξίσταντο… διηπόρουν existanto… diēporoun ”were beside themselves… were greatly puzzled” | Strong astonishment bordering on disorientation amazed, astonished, perplexed | Genuine, not staged, public reaction — sets up Peter’s explanatory sermon | चकित होकर उलझन में पड़ गए — Low risk, narrative description. |
| mocking / new wine διαχλευάζοντες… γλεύκους μεμεστωμένοι diachleuazontes… gleukous memestōmenoi ”jeering… filled up with sweet new wine” | Dismissive accusation of drunkenness mocking, sneering; “filled with new wine” | The opposition motif begins immediately — misunderstanding/rejection of Spirit-empowered witness, anticipating the Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine | उपहास करना / नई मय से भरे होने का आरोप — Low risk. |
Acts 2:14-15 — “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice… these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| lifted up his voice / declared ἐπῆρεν τὴν φωνὴν… ἀπεφθέγξατο epēren tēn phōnēn… apephthenxato ”raised his voice… solemnly declared” | Formal, authoritative public address (same weighty verb as v.4) raised his voice, addressed | Peter’s Spirit-given boldness (παρρησία, see below) — the first apostolic sermon; anchors Apostolic Authority doctrine | ऊँची आवाज़ में बोलना/घोषित करना — Low risk. |
Acts 2:16-21 — “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh… and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| last days ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις eschatais hēmerais ”final/last days” | The inaugurated eschatological era beginning with Christ’s resurrection and the Spirit’s outpouring, not a distant future event only last days, latter days | Fulfillment of prophecy doctrine: Pentecost itself is proof that the promised eschatological age has begun — linear, historical fulfillment, not a cyclical yuga-turn | अन्तिम दिनों में — Medium risk; must convey a linear, historically-anchored eschatological inauguration, distinct from Hindu cyclical yuga (कलियुग आदि) cosmology in which “ages” recur; gloss recommended. |
| pour out ἐκχεῶ ekcheō ”I will pour out” | God’s own sovereign, generous, effusive giving of the Spirit — an OT prophetic idiom (Joel 2:28-29; cf. Ezekiel 39:29) pour out, pour forth | God as the acting subject; the Spirit is given, not attained through ascetic practice or merit — directly relevant to Grace doctrine intersecting Pentecost | NEW TERM. उंडेलना / बहा देना (uṇḍelanā). Risk: Medium. God (the grammatical subject, “I”) pours; recipients receive — must not be rendered so passively that it reads as a natural/impersonal outflow (as of a cosmic energy field, e.g. shakti/prana), but as the personal God’s deliberate gift. |
| on all flesh ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα epi pasan sarka ”upon all flesh/humanity” | Universal scope — “flesh” here means “humankind” generically, not the technical Pauline sarx (sinful nature) on all people, on all flesh | Anticipates the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine: the Spirit is not reserved for a priestly or ethnic elite | REUSE baseline शरीर entry’s guidance: here render as सब मनुष्यों पर (not the technical “sinful nature” sense) — Medium risk; a translator note should distinguish this generic “all humanity” sense of σάρξ from the Romans/Galatians technical sense already documented in the baseline. |
| sons and daughters shall prophesy προφητεύσουσιν prophēteusousin ”they will prophesy” | Spirit-given proclamation of God’s word/purposes prophesy | Democratization of the prophetic gift across gender, age, and social status (sons/daughters, young/old, even male and female servants) — a direct anticipation of the unity-across-categories theme also seen in Galatians 3:28 | REUSE baseline भविष्यवाणी — Low risk (already established). |
| everyone who calls on the name of the Lord πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου pas hos an epikalesētai to onoma kyriou ”everyone who calls upon the Lord’s name” | Universal, unrestricted salvation-offer language, quoting Joel 2:32 everyone who calls, whoever calls | The thesis-verse anticipating v.38’s altar-call and Romans 10:13’s identical citation — universality of the gospel’s offer, no distinction | REUSE baseline प्रभु (Lord) and उद्धार (salvation) family. Render: जो कोई प्रभु का नाम लेगा, वह उद्धार पाएगा. Risk: High — per the baseline’s consistency rule, this citation must match Romans 10:13’s Hindi wording exactly, since both curricula quote the identical OT text (Joel 2:32). |
Acts 2:22-24 — “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs… this Jesus… you crucified… but God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| mighty works and wonders and signs δυνάμεσι καὶ τέρασι καὶ σημείοις dynamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois ”powers/mighty-deeds and wonders and signs” | Triad describing miraculous authentication: δύναμις (act of power), τέρας (astonishing event), σημεῖον (meaningful pointer to God) mighty works, wonders, and signs; miracles | God’s own authentication of Jesus’ ministry — foundational for Apostolic Authority and Miracles doctrine, since the apostles will perform the same triad (2:43; 5:12) | NEW TERM. चिन्ह, अद्भुत काम और सामर्थ के काम (cinha, adbhuta kāma aura sāmartha ke kāma). Risk: Medium. Must be read as evidentiary acts pointing to and authenticated by the one true God, not as generic siddhi (yogic supernatural power) attainable through spiritual discipline; keep सामर्थ (from the baseline सामर्थ्य entry), never शक्ति. |
| delivered up ἔκδοτον ekdoton ”handed over, given up” | Judicial/betrayal handing-over delivered up, handed over | Divine plan and human culpability held together (“God’s definite plan and foreknowledge” alongside “you crucified”) | दिया गया / पकड़वाया गया — Medium risk; must preserve the double-agency (divine sovereignty + human responsibility) without collapsing into pure fatalism (भाग्य), consistent with the baseline providence/sovereignty cautions. |
| God raised him up ὁ θεὸς ἀνέστησεν ho theos anestēsen ”God raised/stood [him] up” | The specific verb of bodily resurrection, cognate with ἀνάστασις God raised him up | Core kerygma — REUSE baseline resurrection doctrine | REUSE baseline पुनरुत्थान term-family exactly (परमेश्वर ने उसे जिलाया / उठाया). Risk: Critical, per baseline — NEVER पुनर्जन्म. |
| loosing the pangs of death λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου lysas tas ōdinas tou thanatou ”having loosed the birth-pangs/pains of death” | Vivid OT-echoing imagery (Psalm 18:4-5 LXX) of death’s grip being broken freed from death’s agony, loosing the pains of death | Death is personified as a captor whose hold is broken — resurrection as victorious release, not escape from an impersonal cycle | मृत्यु की पीड़ाओं से मुक्त करना — Medium risk. Note: मुक्त here is the ordinary Hindi verb “to free” in a narrow, non-technical sense (freed FROM death’s grip specifically), and does NOT invoke the forbidden मुक्ति/मोक्ष (liberation from samsara) doctrine — keep the object (मृत्यु की पीड़ा) explicit so the phrase cannot be heard as a moksha-statement. |
Acts 2:25-31 — Quotation of Psalm 16:8-11 concerning David, and Peter’s argument that David “spoke of the resurrection of the Christ.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holy One ὅσιόν σου hosion sou ”your Holy One” | Messianic title drawn from Psalm 16:10, applied to Christ Holy One, your Holy One | Ties to Messianic Promise doctrine — David prophetically speaks beyond himself of the Messiah | REUSE baseline पवित्र term for the adjective; render title as तेरा पवित्र जन/मसीह — High risk given baseline’s Messianic Promise designation; must clearly identify Christ, not David, as ultimate referent. |
| corruption / decay διαφθοράν diaphthoran ”decomposition, decay” | Bodily decay after death, which Christ’s body did not undergo corruption, decay | Bodily, historical resurrection before decay set in — anti-docetic, anti-mythological emphasis | विनाश/सड़ना — Medium risk; must stay concrete/bodily, reinforcing REUSE baseline पुनरुत्थान. |
Acts 2:32-33 — “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| witnesses μάρτυρες martyres ”witnesses” (forensic/legal term) | Eyewitness testifiers to a fact, with the NT-specific development toward “martyr” (one who testifies even unto death) witnesses | Core apostolic function — grounding all preaching in verified eyewitness testimony to the resurrection; anchors Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine (the word’s later “martyr” sense develops directly from this) | NEW TERM. गवाह / साक्षी (gavāha/sākṣī). Risk: High. Must convey courtroom-grade eyewitness testimony to a historical, bodily event, not a generic devotional “witness” of subjective religious experience (which would parallel Hindu sākṣī-bhāva, the “witness-consciousness” of Vedantic meditation, an entirely different concept: the impersonal awareness underlying the self, not testimony to an external historical fact). साक्षी risks this collision more than गवाह; prefer गवाह in doctrinal contexts and gloss साक्षी carefully if used. Theologian review recommended given the term’s centrality to Acts 1:8 and its development into Christian “martyrdom.” |
| exalted at the right hand τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑψωθείς tē dexia tou theou hypsōtheis ”having been exalted by/to the right hand of God” | Enthronement imagery (Psalm 110:1), signifying supreme authority and honor exalted at the right hand | Christ’s post-resurrection exaltation — ties to Lordship of Christ and Deity of Christ baseline doctrines | REUSE baseline महिमा and प्रभु term-families: परमेश्वर के दहिने हाथ महिमा में बैठाया गया — Critical per baseline Lordship-of-Christ tier. |
| promise of the Holy Spirit τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου tēn epangelian tou pneumatos tou hagiou ”the promise of the Holy Spirit” | The Spirit himself as the content of a specific divine promise (cf. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5) the promised Holy Spirit | Fulfillment-of-promise pattern — REUSE Galatians baseline प्रतिज्ञा term exactly for “promise,” combined with पवित्र आत्मा | REUSE: पवित्र आत्मा की प्रतिज्ञा — High risk (compound of two High/Critical baseline terms; must not substitute वरदान for “promise” per the Galatians baseline prohibition). |
Acts 2:34-35 — Quotation of Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lord…my Lord Κύριος…τῷ κυρίῳ μου Kyrios… tō kyriō mou ”LORD [YHWH]… my Lord [Messiah]“ | Double use of κύριος: God the Father and the Messiah, distinct persons, both called “Lord” The Lord said to my Lord | Foundational OT proof-text for the Deity and Lordship of Christ, quoted again at Romans-adjacent contexts | REUSE baseline प्रभु exactly for both occurrences, retaining the distinct-Persons structure. Risk: Critical per baseline. |
Acts 2:36 — “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| God has made him Lord and Christ ἐποίησεν… κύριον καὶ Χριστόν epoiēsen… kyrion kai Christon ”[God] made/appointed [him] Lord and Christ” | Not “made” in the sense of promoting a mere human to deity, but a public, resurrection-vindicated installation/declaration of what was eternally true of the Son — parallel to “declared” language in Romans 1:4 made, appointed, declared | The climactic conclusion of the sermon: Jesus’ identity as both Lord (प्रभु, exclusive divine authority) and Christ/Messiah (मसीह) is publicly vindicated by the resurrection — the direct target of the salvation-confession in v.38 and Romans 10:9 | REUSE baseline प्रभु and मसीह exactly. Risk: Critical. Must render एपोइएसेन (“made/appointed”) in a way that does not suggest Jesus became divine at this point (adoptionism) — pair with a translator note tying this to the baseline Sonship-of-Christ/Deity-of-Christ cautions (an eternal identity publicly vindicated, not newly conferred). Human theologian review mandatory. |
Acts 2:37 — “Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| cut to the heart κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν katenygēsan tēn kardian ”were pierced/stabbed in the heart” | Vivid metaphor for sharp conviction of conscience cut to the heart, pierced to the heart | Genuine Spirit-produced conviction preceding repentance — distinguish from mere emotional remorse or ritual guilt | REUSE baseline विवेक (conscience) framing where relevant; render हृदय में बेधे गए — Medium risk; keep as an inward, conscience-level conviction, not a superstitious omen or ritual-impurity reaction. |
Acts 2:38 — “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”
This is the doctrinal hinge-verse of the whole curriculum (Repentance and Baptism doctrine).
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| repent μετανοήσατε metanoēsate ”change your mind/whole orientation” | A decisive reorientation of the whole person toward God, not mere emotional remorse repent, turn | REUSE baseline Romans मन फिराव (turning of the whole mind/life toward God) | REUSE मन फिराव exactly. Risk: High per baseline. Never पश्चाताप (remorse-feeling only) or ritual-penance vocabulary. |
| be baptized βαπτισθήτω baptisthētō ”let each be baptized” | The specific Christian rite of water-immersion signifying union with Christ’s death/resurrection and public identification with him be baptized | REUSE baseline बपतिस्मा | REUSE exactly. Risk: Medium per baseline; never स्नान (ritual bathing) or दीक्षा (initiation) — the baseline’s existing prohibition is directly load-bearing here since 2:38 is the paradigm baptism text of the whole NT. |
| in the name of Jesus Christ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ epi tō onomati Iēsou Christou ”upon/in the name of Jesus Christ” | Invocation of Christ’s authority and identity over the person being baptized; “name” (ὄνομα) represents the whole person and authority in the name of Jesus Christ, invoking the name | Distinguishes Christian baptism from John’s baptism (see ch.19) and from any generic ritual; the baptized person is placed under Christ’s specific lordship/ownership | NEW TERM. यीशु मसीह के नाम में/से (Yīśu Masīha ke nāma meṃ/se). Risk: High. In popular Hindi religious usage, invoking a deity’s “name” (नाम जपना, नाम-स्मरण) is a devotional repetition-practice believed to generate spiritual merit or power through repetition itself (japa). Here “the name” functions instead as a legal/relational identity-marker — the person is baptized under Christ’s own authority and ownership, not performing a merit-generating repetition. A translator note distinguishing these two uses of “the name” is required at every occurrence (2:38; 3:6,16; 4:12; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; 22:16). Theologian review mandatory. |
| for the forgiveness of your sins εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν eis aphesin tōn hamartiōn hymōn ”unto [the] release/forgiveness of your sins” | ἄφεσις: a legal-financial term for release from a debt or bondage; here, God’s judicial pardon for the forgiveness of sins, for the remission of sins | Sins as a debt/bondage from which God releases the penitent believer — REUSE baseline पाप for “sins” | NEW TERM (compound). पापों की क्षमा के लिये (pāpoṇ kī kṣamā ke liye). Risk: High. क्षमा (forgiveness/pardon) must be understood as a personal God’s judicial pardon of moral guilt before himself, not karma being “cancelled” or “burned off” through ritual/ascetic practice — a live collision given the popular Hindi concept of पाप-नाश (destruction of sin) through pilgrimage, penance, or ritual bathing. Pair explicitly with REUSE baseline मन फिराव and धर्मी ठहराया जाना so the passage is not read as a self-performed purification rite. |
| the gift of the Holy Spirit τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος tēn dōrean tou hagiou pneumatos ”the free gift of the Holy Spirit” | δωρεά: an unearned, freely-given gift (cognate with baseline “grace” vocabulary) the gift of the Holy Spirit | The Spirit himself, not merely spiritual power, is given freely — REUSE baseline पवित्र आत्मा and the grace-word-family | REUSE पवित्र आत्मा exactly; render वरदान (गिफ्ट) carefully: baseline’s spiritual_gifts entry forbids बare वरदान for spiritual enablements without आत्मिक; here, since the gift IS the Spirit himself (not a charism distributed by him), render as पवित्र आत्मा का वरदान with a note that this is the Giver-as-gift, distinct from the आत्मिक वरदान (spiritual enablements) the Spirit later distributes. Risk: High. |
Acts 2:39 — “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the promise ἡ ἐπαγγελία hē epangelia ”the promise” | REUSE baseline/Galatians प्रतिज्ञा — God’s own unilateral, unconditional covenant pledge the promise | Extends the Abrahamic/Davidic promise-line to “all who are far off” — Gentiles included; core text for Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine | REUSE प्रतिज्ञा exactly. Risk: High per Galatians baseline; never वरदान. |
| far off τοῖς εἰς μακράν tois eis makran ”those at a distance” | Idiom for Gentiles/those outside ethnic Israel (Isaiah 57:19; Ephesians 2:13,17) far off, those far away | Explicit inclusion of Gentiles within the promise’s scope, prophetically anticipating chs. 10-15 | दूर के लोग — Medium risk; must be read as “Gentiles/those outside the covenant people,” not merely geographic distance — gloss recommended. |
| calls προσκαλέσηται proskalesētai ”shall call/summon to himself” | REUSE baseline बुलाए हुए / बुलाहट — God’s own sovereign, personal summons calls, will call | Effectual, sovereign divine calling — REUSE baseline Divine Calling doctrine | REUSE बुलाहट family exactly. Risk: High per baseline. |
Acts 2:40 — “And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation.’”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| bore witness διεμαρτύρατο diemartyrato ”solemnly testified” | Intensified form of the μάρτυς root (witness) — see v.32 entry bore witness, testified solemnly | Ties Peter’s sermon to the eyewitness-testimony pattern of apostolic authority | REUSE the NEW गवाह/साक्षी term-family established at v.32 — गवाही दी — High risk (same collision cautions apply). |
| exhort παρεκάλει parekalei ”was urging/encouraging” | REUSE baseline प्रोत्साहित करना / विनती (context-sensitive: entreaty vs. encouragement) exhort, urge, encourage | Pastoral urgency accompanying doctrinal proclamation | REUSE baseline exactly; here the sense is urgent entreaty (विनती की) — Low risk. |
| crooked generation γενεᾶς σκολιᾶς geneas skolias ”twisted/crooked generation” | OT idiom (Deuteronomy 32:5) for a morally perverse, unfaithful covenant generation this crooked/perverse generation | Universal Human Accountability doctrine echo — moral corruption requiring rescue, not a class-based judgment | टेढ़ी पीढ़ी / कुटिल पीढ़ी — Low-Medium risk; must remain a moral-spiritual indictment, not read as a caste/class insult in the Indian social context — flag for native speaker review of tone. |
Acts 2:41 — “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.”
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| received his word οἱ ἀποδεξάμενοι τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ hoi apodexamenoi ton logon autou ”those who welcomed/accepted his word” | Genuine reception of the gospel message received the word, welcomed the message | REUSE baseline सुसमाचार-adjacent “word” vocabulary — the response of faith to proclamation | उसका वचन ग्रहण किया — Low risk. |
| were added προσετέθησαν prosetethēsan ”were added [to the number]“ | Numerical/corporate incorporation into the believing community were added, joined | Church as Community doctrine begins here: individual response leads immediately to corporate incorporation, not isolated private faith | जुड़ गए / मिला लिये गए — Medium risk; must convey incorporation into a defined community (REUSE baseline कलीसिया-adjacent sense), not a loose informal association. |
| souls ψυχαί psychai ”souls, persons, lives” | Whole persons, not merely “souls” in a body/soul-dualism sense; a Hebraic idiom (nephesh) for whole living beings souls, people, persons | Emphasizes that whole persons — not disembodied spirits — were converted; a corrective against any tendency (common in some Hindu-background readings) to hear “soul” (आत्मा) as the deathless, transmigrating self detachable from the body | प्राण / लोग/ मनुष्य — Medium risk. Recommend लोग (people) or जन rather than आत्मा-based vocabulary, to avoid collision with the baseline’s careful reservation of आत्मा for the Holy Spirit and to avoid suggesting a doctrine of the soul’s independent transmigration. |
PART 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Semantic Study, Acts 1–28
Chapter 1 — Ascension, the Promise of the Spirit, Matthias
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| baptized with/in the Holy Spirit βαπτισθήσεσθε ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ baptisthēsesthe en pneumati hagiō ”you will be baptized in [the] Holy Spirit” | Metaphorical extension of βαπτίζω beyond water-rite to Spirit-immersion, fulfilled at Pentecost baptized with/in the Holy Spirit | Distinguishes John’s water baptism from Spirit-baptism (1:5) — sets up the ch.19 Apollos/Ephesian-disciples contrast | Combine REUSE बपतिस्मा + पवित्र आत्मा: पवित्र आत्मा का बपतिस्मा. Risk: High — must be read as a distinct empowering/incorporating work of the Spirit, not a second ritual bath. |
| power δύναμιν dynamin ”power, capability” | REUSE baseline परमेश्वर की सामर्थ्य term-family power | ”You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (1:8) — foundational verse for Apostolic Authority doctrine | REUSE सामर्थ्य exactly. Risk: High per baseline; never शक्ति. |
| witnesses…to the ends of the earth μάρτυρες… ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς martyres… heōs eschatou tēs gēs ”witnesses…to the extremity of the earth” | REUSE the NEW witness-term (v.32 core-passage entry) combined with universal geographic scope witnesses to the ends of the earth | The programmatic verse (1:8) for the entire book — Great Commission Fulfilled doctrine’s governing text; structures Acts’ geography (Jerusalem→Judea→Samaria→ends of earth) | गवाह…पृथ्वी की छोर तक. Risk: High (matches v.32 witness-term risk); this verse should be flagged for cross-document consistency, parallel to the baseline’s Romans 1:16-17/8:28/10:9-10 consistency rule. |
| restore the kingdom ἀποκαταστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν apokatastaneis tēn basileian ”will you restore the kingdom” | The disciples’ politically-inflected question about Israel’s national restoration restore the kingdom to Israel | REUSE baseline परमेश्वर का राज्य doctrine — Jesus redirects from political timeline-speculation to Spirit-empowered mission | REUSE परमेश्वर का राज्य. Risk: Medium per baseline; must not be rendered as a this-worldly political-nationalist restoration, consistent with the baseline’s kingdom_mission caution. |
| taken up / ascension ἀνελήφθη / ἀνάλημψις anelēphthē / analēmpsis ”was taken up” | Christ’s bodily, visible, upward departure into heaven, distinct from his resurrection-appearance and from a mythological deity’s ascent ascended, was taken up | NEW TERM/DOCTRINE. A distinct historical event from the resurrection, marking the end of Christ’s earthly post-resurrection appearances and his heavenly enthronement (cf. 2:33-35) | ऊपर उठा लिया गया / स्वर्ग पर उठाया जाना. Risk: High. Must not be assimilated to Hindu narratives of a deity’s or sage’s ascent/departure from earthly form (which sometimes imply a return to an undifferentiated divine state), nor confused with the baseline’s पुनरुत्थान (resurrection) — these are two distinct, sequential events. Theologian review recommended for first occurrence and 2:33. |
| casting lots ἔβαλον κλήρους ebalon klērous ”they cast lots” | Ancient method of determining God’s choice by a randomizing physical procedure (cf. Proverbs 16:33) cast lots | Matthias chosen by lot after prayer — God’s sovereignty exercised through, not replaced by, a procedure | पर्ची/चिट्ठी डालना. Risk: Medium. Must be framed as prayer-governed submission to God’s sovereign choice (v.24’s prayer precedes it), not divination or fortune-telling (भविष्यफल, already flagged as forbidden in the baseline प्रोफेसी entry) — a translator note distinguishing this from astrological/occult lot-casting practices is recommended. |
Chapter 2 — (Core passage vv.1-41 treated above; additional material vv.42-47)
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the apostles’ teaching τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων tē didachē tōn apostolōn ”the apostles’ doctrine/teaching” | Authoritative instruction from the apostles, the foundation of church practice the apostles’ teaching, doctrine | REUSE baseline प्रेरित term; establishes doctrinal authority structure — Apostolic Authority doctrine | प्रेरितों का सिद्धान्त/शिक्षा. Risk: Medium; REUSE प्रेरित. |
| fellowship κοινωνία koinōnia ”shared participation” | REUSE baseline संगति exactly fellowship | Corporate life marker alongside teaching, breaking of bread, prayer — Church as Community doctrine’s key text | REUSE संगति. Risk: Low per baseline. |
| breaking of bread κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου klasis tou artou ”the breaking of the loaf” | Shared communal meal with likely eucharistic significance (cf. Luke 22:19; Acts 20:7) breaking of bread | Distinct from a ritual food-offering (प्रसाद) presented to and returned from a deity — here believers together consume a shared meal recalling Christ’s death | NEW TERM. रोटी तोड़ना. Risk: Medium. Must not be assimilated to प्रसाद (temple-offering food distributed as blessed remnant) — the meal’s meaning centers on communal remembrance of Christ’s broken body, not a deity-to-devotee food exchange. |
| all things in common ἅπαντα κοινά hapanta koina ”all things common/shared” | Voluntary economic sharing among believers had everything in common, held all things in common | Radical, voluntary generosity flowing from new community identity — not a mandated communism nor a caste-based almsgiving system | NEW TERM. सब कुछ मिलकर बांटना / सब कुछ सांझा रखना. Risk: Medium. Should be read as voluntary Spirit-motivated generosity (cf. 4:32-35; 5:4’s “was it not at your own disposal?”), not compulsory redistribution — clarify to avoid an over-literal communal-property mandate reading. |
| one heart and soul (parallel, 4:32) μία καρδία καὶ ψυχή mia kardia kai psychē ”one heart and soul” | Corporate unity of purpose and affection of one heart and soul, of one mind | Corporate, relational unity — NOT individual ego-dissolution into an impersonal universal Self | एक मन और एक प्राण. Risk: Medium. This is a corporate solidarity statement among distinct persons, not a metaphysical merging of individual आत्मा into one — pair mentally with the baseline’s christ_lives_in_me caution (though the collision risk here is lower since the subject is plural believers, not a single “I”). |
| praising God, favor with all the people αἰνοῦντες τὸν θεόν… ἔχοντες χάριν πρὸς ὅλον τὸν λαόν ainountes ton theon… echontes charin pros holon ton laon ”praising God…having favor/goodwill toward all the people” | χάρις here = social favor/goodwill, a distinct sense from the theological “grace” praising God and having favor with all the people | Per the baseline’s kindness_of_god note, कृपा is explicitly permitted for this non-salvific “favor/goodwill” sense of χάρις | परमेश्वर की स्तुति करते और सब लोगों में कृपा पाते. Risk: Low; consistent with baseline’s allowance. |
Chapter 3 — Healing of the Lame Man; Peter’s Temple Sermon
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| in the name of Jesus Christ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ en tō onomati Iēsou Christou ”in the name of Jesus Christ” | REUSE the NEW name-of-Jesus term established at 2:38 in the name of Jesus Christ | The healing (3:6,16) is performed by Christ’s authority, not Peter’s own power or a magical incantation-formula | REUSE NEW term यीशु मसीह के नाम में/से. Risk: High (same as 2:38 entry) — this is the first of many healing/exorcism invocations that must consistently avoid a japa/mantra-repetition reading. |
| Author/Prince of life ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ζωῆς archēgon tēs zōēs ”founder/originator/leader of life” | ἀρχηγός: pioneer, source, champion — one who both originates and leads the way for others (cf. Hebrews 2:10; 12:2) Author of life, Prince of life | A Christological title unique to Acts (also 5:31, “Author/Prince and Savior”) — Christ as the source and forerunner of resurrection-life for others | NEW TERM. जीवन का कर्ता/प्रधान (jīvana kā kartā/pradhāna). Risk: High. Must not collapse into a generic “great leader” title; conveys Christ as both the originating source of life and the pioneering forerunner into it — theologian review recommended given its Christological weight, adjacent to the baseline’s Deity-of-Christ cautions. |
| times of refreshing / restoration of all things καιροὶ ἀναψύξεως / ἀποκατάστασις πάντων kairoi anapsyxeōs / apokatastasis pantōn ”seasons of refreshing / restoration of all things” | Eschatological renewal accompanying the Messiah’s return times of refreshing, restoration of all things | REUSE-adjacent to baseline बहाली (restoration, Romans 11 entry) but here cosmic/eschatological in scope, not Israel-specific | ताज़गी के दिन / सब बातों की बहाली. Risk: Medium; distinguish from cyclical cosmic renewal (yuga-restoration) — this is a once-for-all consummation tied to Christ’s return, not a repeating cosmic cycle. |
| ignorance κατὰ ἄγνοιαν kata agnoian ”because of/in ignorance” | Peter’s pastoral softening toward the crowd’s culpability (3:17) in ignorance, not knowing | Grace-toned appeal preceding the call to repent (3:19) — REUSE baseline मन फिराव | अज्ञानता से. Risk: Low. |
Chapter 4 — Peter and John before the Sanhedrin; Prayer for Boldness
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanhedrin Συνέδριον Synedrion ”council, sitting-together body” | The supreme Jewish judicial-religious council in Jerusalem Sanhedrin, council | Institutional opposition to apostolic witness — Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine’s recurring antagonist body | NEW TERM. महासभा. Risk: Low-Medium; transliterate/describe as a specific historical council, not to be confused with any contemporary religious body; gloss on first use. |
| boldness παρρησία parrēsia ”freedom/boldness of speech” | Fearless, unrestrained public speech, often in the face of danger or social pressure boldness, confidence | Spirit-given courage to proclaim, contrasted with fear of authorities — central to the Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine | NEW TERM. निडरता / साहस (nidaratā/sāhasa). Risk: Medium. Should be tied explicitly to Spirit-empowerment (4:31, “filled with the Holy Spirit… spoke the word of God with boldness”), not natural human courage or stoic self-mastery achievable by discipline alone. |
| salvation in no other name οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία ouk estin en allō oudeni hē sōtēria ”there is not salvation in any other” | REUSE baseline उद्धार exactly, combined with an exclusivity claim there is salvation in no one else | The exclusivist counterpart to the false_gospel doctrine already flagged in the Galatians baseline — salvation is exclusively through Christ’s name, not one path among many | REUSE उद्धार exactly. Risk: Critical per baseline salvation tier; the exclusivity clause (“no other name,” 4:12) must not be softened toward religious pluralism, paralleling the baseline’s caution on “many paths” assumptions. |
| unschooled, common men ἀγράμματοί… καὶ ἰδιῶται agrammatoi… kai idiōtai ”unlettered and untrained/ordinary” | The Sanhedrin’s surprised assessment of Peter and John’s boldness despite lacking formal rabbinic training uneducated, common men | Apostolic authority derives from having “been with Jesus” (4:13) and Spirit-empowerment, not scholastic credentials or guru-lineage | अनपढ़ और सामान्य मनुष्य. Risk: Low; contrast with guru/pandit-credentialing models may be worth a brief native-speaker note but carries no doctrinal-term risk itself. |
Chapter 5 — Ananias and Sapphira; Apostles Persecuted; Gamaliel’s Counsel
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| lie to the Holy Spirit ψεύσασθαι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον pseusasthai to pneuma to hagion ”to lie to the Holy Spirit” | Deceiving/testing a personal divine Being, not merely breaking a communal rule lie to the Holy Spirit, test the Spirit | Sin against the Spirit is sin against God himself (5:4, “you have not lied to man but to God”) — reinforces the Spirit’s full personal deity, guarding against any impersonal-force reading | NEW TERM. पवित्र आत्मा से झूठ बोलना. Risk: High. REUSE baseline पवित्र आत्मा exactly; the phrase must convey lying to a personal divine Person who can be sinned against relationally, not violating an impersonal moral/cosmic law (which a karma-frame reading might suggest). Theologian review recommended. |
| great fear φόβος μέγας phobos megas ”great fear” | Reverential awe/dread produced by an encounter with God’s holiness and judgment great fear came upon | REUSE-adjacent to baseline holiness doctrine — appropriate awe before a holy, personal God, distinguished from superstitious dread of an impersonal or capricious power | बड़ा डर/भय. Risk: Low-Medium; keep tied to God’s holiness (REUSE पवित्र), not generalized supernatural fear. |
| if this plan is of God εἰ δὲ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐστιν ei de ek theou estin ”but if it is from God” | Gamaliel’s counsel weighing whether a movement’s origin is divine or merely human if it is of God | REUSE-adjacent to baseline परमेश्वर का विधान (providence) — discernment of divine action in history versus human scheming | यदि यह परमेश्वर की ओर से है. Risk: Low. |
Chapter 6 — Choosing of the Seven; Stephen Accused
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| serve tables / this ministry διακονεῖν τραπέζαις / τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην diakonein trapezais / tēn diakonian tautēn ”to serve/wait on tables” | διακονία root — REUSE baseline deacon term-family (सेविका/सेवक) serve, this ministry | The first formal delegated ministry office, distinguishing word-ministry (apostles) from practical-service ministry (the Seven) without ranking one as spiritually inferior — foundational for Church as Community’s structured mutual care | REUSE baseline सेविका/सेवक term-family. Risk: Medium per baseline. |
| full of the Spirit and of wisdom πλήρεις πνεύματος καὶ σοφίας plēreis pneumatos kai sophias ”full of Spirit and wisdom” | Qualification criteria for the Seven; REUSE filled with the Holy Spirit term-family from 2:4 full of the Spirit and wisdom | Wisdom (σοφία) paired with Spirit-fullness — practical, godly discernment, not merely mystical experience | REUSE NEW पवित्र आत्मा से भर गए + बुद्धि (wisdom). Risk: Medium. |
Chapter 7 — Stephen’s Speech and Martyrdom
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Son of Man υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου huios tou anthrōpou ”son of man” | A Danielic (Daniel 7:13-14) exalted, enthroned, divine-human figure; Jesus’ own preferred self-designation in the Gospels Son of Man | ”Behold, I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (7:56) — Stephen’s dying vision confirms Christ’s continuing exalted, enthroned identity from 2:33-35 | NEW TERM. मनुष्य का पुत्र. Risk: Critical. Must NOT be rendered as a mere generic phrase for “a human being” (which a literal word-for-word Hindi rendering might suggest); this is a specific exalted-divine-figure title drawn from Daniel 7, directly tied to the baseline’s Deity-of-Christ and Sonship-of-Christ Critical-tier cautions. A translator/theologian note explaining the Daniel 7 background is required on first occurrence. |
| stiff-necked / resist the Holy Spirit σκληροτράχηλοι… τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ ἀντιπίπτετε sklērotrachēloi… tō pneumati tō hagiō antipiptete ”stiff-necked…you resist/oppose the Holy Spirit” | OT covenant-rebellion idiom (Exodus 32:9 etc.), applied to persistent resistance to the Spirit’s work stiff-necked, you always resist the Holy Spirit | The climax of Stephen’s speech linking Israel’s historic pattern of resisting God’s messengers to the present rejection of the Messiah — the Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine’s clearest OT-rooted indictment | हठी/कठोर गर्दन वाले… पवित्र आत्मा का विरोध करना. Risk: Medium-High; keep as resistance to the personal Holy Spirit’s initiative (REUSE पवित्र आत्मा), not a vague “stubbornness” devoid of the pneumatological weight. |
| falling asleep / martyrdom ἐκοιμήθη ekoimēthē ”he fell asleep [died]“ | Euphemism for a believer’s death, implying a temporary rest before resurrection, not annihilation or transmigration fell asleep, died | Stephen’s death as the prototype Christian martyrdom — his dying prayer parallels Jesus’ own (Luke 23:34,46) | सो गया (मर गया). Risk: Low-Medium; the “sleep” euphemism must not be over-literalized into a doctrine of soul-sleep, nor confused with any transmigration-adjacent “resting between lives” concept — a brief translator note is advisable given the term’s recurrence at 1 Thessalonians-adjacent contexts. |
Chapter 8 — Persecution Scatters the Church; Philip in Samaria; Simon Magus; the Ethiopian Eunuch
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| gift of God ἡ δωρεὰ τοῦ θεοῦ hē dōrea tou theou ”the gift of God” | REUSE the compound established at 2:38 (δωρεά, free/unearned gift) the gift of God | Simon’s attempt to purchase spiritual power/the Spirit’s gift with money (8:18-20) is rebuked as a category error — the Spirit’s gift cannot be bought | REUSE वरदान (with पवित्र आत्मा qualifier per baseline). Risk: High. Must explicitly exclude any merit-purchase or transactional-devotion framing (paralleling Hindu practices where ritual payment/offering is understood to secure a deity’s favor or spiritual power) — Peter’s rebuke (8:20-21, “your heart is not right before God”) should be rendered with full force. |
| sorcery / magic μαγεία / ἐξιστάνων… ταῖς μαγείαις mageia / existanōn… tais mageiais ”magic/sorcery… amazing [them] with his magic arts” | REUSE Galatians baseline जादू-टोना (sorcery) term sorcery, magic arts | Simon the sorcerer’s prior occult practice, contrasted with the true Spirit-power that cannot be manipulated or purchased | REUSE जादू-टोना. Risk: Medium per Galatians baseline. |
| eunuch εὐνοῦχος eunouchos ”eunuch, castrated court official” | A high-ranking royal treasury official, physically a eunuch (barred from full Israelite temple worship per Deuteronomy 23:1) eunuch | The Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion and baptism (8:26-39) is a pointed anticipation of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine — full inclusion of one previously excluded by both ethnicity and physical condition from covenant worship (cf. Isaiah 56:3-5) | NEW TERM. खोजा / हिजड़ा. Risk: Medium, with cultural-sensitivity flag. India has a distinct hijra community with its own religious/social associations; recommend खोजा (the established BSI-tradition term for a court eunuch-official) over हिजड़ा to avoid unintended contemporary social-identity connotations, and route to native speaker review for tone, consistent with the baseline’s honor/shame routing convention. |
| what prevents me from being baptized? τί με κωλύει βαπτισθῆναι ti me kōlyei baptisthēnai ”what hinders/prevents me from being baptized?“ | κωλύω (“hinder”) recurs pointedly at 10:47 and 11:17 regarding Gentile inclusion, and its negation ἀκωλύτως closes the whole book (28:31) what hinders me? | An early instance of the “nothing hinders” motif that structures the book’s Gospel-to-Gentiles argument, climaxing in the unhindered gospel of 28:31 | मुझे बपतिस्मा लेने से कौन रोकता है? Risk: Medium; flag as part of the ἀκωλύτως (“unhindered”) word-family for cross-document consistency (see ch.28 entry). |
Chapter 9 — Conversion of Saul; Ananias; Saul’s Early Preaching
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| light from heaven φῶς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ phōs ek tou ouranou ”light out of heaven” | A visible, blinding divine manifestation accompanying Christ’s direct appearance to Saul a light from heaven | The Conversion of Paul doctrine’s inaugurating event — direct, personal, sovereign divine confrontation, not a gradual religious search or self-attained enlightenment | स्वर्ग से ज्योति. Risk: High. Per the baseline’s glory entry caution, light-imagery must avoid conflating with Hindu divine-light/enlightenment concepts (e.g., a guru’s or deity’s darshan-light, or the “inner light” of self-realization); this is Christ’s own objective, external appearing to a specific historical person, not an interior illumination Saul generates or attains. |
| scales fell from his eyes ἀπέπεσαν… αἱ λεπίδες apepesan… hai lepides ”the scales fell off” | Vivid physical/spiritual metaphor for restored sight and removed spiritual blindness the scales fell from his eyes | Physical healing paired with spiritual transformation — REUSE-adjacent to the “eyes opened” motif recurring at 26:18 | आँखों से परत/छिलके गिर गए. Risk: Low-Medium; keep the physical-then-spiritual double meaning intact. |
| chosen instrument σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς skeuos eklogēs ”vessel/instrument of choosing” | REUSE baseline परमेश्वर का चुनाव (election) term-family chosen instrument | Saul’s calling is God’s own sovereign election, not human merit or religious achievement (in fact the opposite — he was persecuting the church) — the strongest possible anti-merit case-study for the Grace doctrine | REUSE परमेश्वर का चुनाव + चुना हुआ पात्र. Risk: High per baseline election tier. |
| Why do you persecute me? τί με διώκεις ti me diōkeis ”why are you persecuting me?” | Christ personally identifies with his persecuted church (cf. Matthew 25:40-45) Why do you persecute me? | Persecution of the church is persecution of Christ himself — deepens the Church as Community and Persecution doctrines’ theological ground | तू मुझे क्यों सताता है? Risk: Medium; the identification of Christ with his suffering people should be preserved, not flattened to “why do you persecute my followers.” |
Chapter 10 — Cornelius; Peter’s Vision; the Spirit Given to Gentiles
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| God-fearer φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν phoboumenos ton theon ”one fearing/reverencing God” | A technical term for a Gentile sympathetic to and worshiping the God of Israel without full conversion/circumcision God-fearing, devout | Cornelius’s status as the paradigm Gentile convert — the hinge-figure of the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles doctrine | NEW TERM. परमेश्वर से डरनेवाला. Risk: Medium. “Fear” here (REUSE-adjacent to baseline’s caution on wrath/fear vocabulary) denotes reverent awe, not terror; gloss to clarify this is a positive designation, not condemnation. |
| clean / unclean καθαρόν / κοινόν katharon / koinon ”clean/pure” vs. “common, [ritually] defiled” | Levitical dietary and ritual-purity categories, extended metaphorically in the vision to Gentile inclusion (“What God has made clean, do not call common,” 10:15) clean / unclean, common | The vision’s declaration directly overturns a ceremonial-purity boundary to establish full Gentile inclusion without distinction — the single most direct biblical text confronting purity-based social/religious hierarchy | NEW TERM. शुद्ध / अशुद्ध. Risk: High. This pairing directly parallels — and must be handled with the same rigor as — India’s caste-purity (शुद्धता/अशुद्धता, स्पर्श-दोष) categories, in which certain persons, foods, or contacts are considered ritually defiling by birth or occupation. The text’s entire force is that God himself abolishes this boundary for the gospel’s sake; a softened or merely dietary-only rendering would blunt Acts 10-11’s central social-theological claim. Human theologian review mandatory, paired with the REUSE of the baseline’s impartiality_of_god entry (see below). |
| God shows no partiality οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos ”God is not a respecter of faces/persons” | REUSE the Galatians baseline impartiality_of_god term exactly God shows no partiality, is not one to show favoritism | Peter’s own doctrinal conclusion from the vision and Cornelius encounter (10:34-35) — direct textual confirmation of the caste-confronting force of the clean/unclean vision | REUSE baseline exactly: परमेश्वर किसी का पक्षपात नहीं करता. Risk: High per Galatians baseline; render unqualified, as instructed there. |
| the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard ἐπέπεσεν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐπὶ πάντας epepesen to pneuma to hagion epi pantas ”the Holy Spirit fell upon all” | REUSE the filled-with-the-Spirit term-family; here given to Gentiles identically to Jewish believers at Pentecost the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word | The Gentile-Pentecost — proof that God has granted Gentiles the identical gift, “just as we have,” with no distinction (cf. 15:8-9) | REUSE NEW पवित्र आत्मा (गिर पड़ना/उतरना) exactly. Risk: High. Must convey theological parity with Acts 2, not a lesser or different Gentile-grade experience. |
Chapter 11 — Report to Jerusalem; Antioch; “Christians” First Named
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who was I to stand in God’s way? ἐγὼ τίς ἤμην δυνατὸς κωλῦσαι τὸν θεόν egō tis ēmēn dynatos kōlysai ton theon ”who was I, able to hinder God?” | REUSE the κωλύω (“hinder”) word-family flagged at ch.8 who was I to stand in God’s way? | Peter’s own theological conclusion; the church in Jerusalem then “fell silent and glorified God” — corporate doctrinal reception of Gentile inclusion | मैं परमेश्वर को कैसे रोक सकता था? Risk: Medium; part of the ἀκωλύτως word-family, flag for consistency with ch.28. |
| Christians Χριστιανοί Christianoi ”followers/partisans of Christ” | The first use of this now-standard label, coined by outside observers at Antioch Christians | Emerging distinct communal identity, no longer merely a Jewish sect — Church as Community doctrine’s identity-marker | NEW TERM. मसीही (masīhī). Risk: Low; already the established Hindi Christian self-designation. |
| repentance that leads to life μετάνοιαν εἰς ζωήν metanoian eis zōēn ”repentance unto life” | REUSE baseline मन फिराव combined with REUSE Galatians baseline eternal_life family repentance unto life, repentance leading to life | Gentile repentance recognized by the Jerusalem church as granted by God himself (11:18), paralleling Jewish repentance in dignity and source | REUSE both exactly: मन फिराव…जीवन के लिये. Risk: High (compound of two High-risk baseline terms). |
Chapter 12 — Herod’s Persecution; Peter’s Deliverance; Herod’s Death
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| angel of the Lord ἄγγελος κυρίου angelos kyriou ”messenger/angel of the Lord” | A divine agent of deliverance and judgment angel of the Lord | REUSE-adjacent to established Hindi Christian usage; God’s sovereign intervention amid persecution — Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine’s rescue-motif | प्रभु का दूत. Risk: Low; established term, no new risk. |
| the word of God increased ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ηὔξανεν ho logos tou theou ēuxanen ”the word of God was growing” | Organic-growth metaphor for the gospel’s spread despite persecution and political opposition (Herod’s death immediately follows) the word of God continued to increase | Recurs as a refrain (6:7; 12:24; 19:20) marking major narrative divisions — the Great Commission Fulfilled doctrine’s structural heartbeat | परमेश्वर का वचन बढ़ता गया. Risk: Low; consistent rendering recommended across all four refrain-occurrences for reader recognition. |
Chapter 13 — Barnabas and Saul Set Apart; First Missionary Journey; Antioch Sermon
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| set apart ἀφορίσατε aphorisate ”set apart, separate off” | The Holy Spirit’s own command to designate Barnabas and Saul for a specific mission set apart, separate | REUSE-adjacent to baseline separation_unto_gods_service doctrine (Romans 1:1); here the Spirit himself, not human ecclesiastical hierarchy alone, initiates the sending | NEW use of established sense. अलग करना / नियुक्त करना. Risk: High per the baseline’s separation-unto-God’s-service doctrine tier; must not be read as renunciation of ordinary life (sannyasa) but as a specific, temporary, Spirit-initiated commissioning for mission. |
| fasting νηστεία nēsteia ”fasting” | Voluntary abstention from food accompanying prayer and seeking God’s guidance fasting | Precedes and accompanies major decisions (13:2-3; 14:23) — spiritual discipline oriented toward discerning God’s will, not merit-accumulation or ascetic self-purification | NEW TERM. उपवास. Risk: Medium. Must be distinguished from Hindu व्रत (vow-fasting undertaken to earn merit, fulfill a vow to a deity, or secure a boon) — biblical fasting here accompanies prayer for guidance and is not itself meritorious or a bargaining device with God. |
| everyone who believes is justified… from all which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων δικαιοῦται… ἀπὸ πάντων ὧν οὐκ ἠδυνήθητε ἐν νόμῳ Μωϋσέως δικαιωθῆναι pas ho pisteuōn dikaioutai… apo pantōn hōn ouk ēdynēthēte en nomō Mōuseōs dikaiōthēnai ”everyone who believes is justified/declared righteous…from all things by which you could not be justified in the Law of Moses” | REUSE baseline धर्मी ठहराया जाना (justification) and व्यवस्था (law) exactly is justified, is freed | The Justification apart from the Law doctrine’s key Acts text (13:38-39) — the same forensic-declaration doctrine as Romans/Galatians, preached by Paul in his very first recorded missionary sermon | REUSE both baseline terms exactly. Risk: Critical per baseline justification_by_faith tier; this passage should be cross-checked against the Galatians rendering of the identical doctrine for absolute consistency. |
Chapter 14 — Lystra; Mistaken for Gods; Stoning at Lystra
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the gods have come down in the likeness of men οἱ θεοὶ ὁμοιωθέντες ἀνθρώποις κατέβησαν hoi theoi homoiōthentes anthrōpois katebēsan ”the gods, having become like men, came down” | The Lystran crowd’s polytheistic interpretation of the healing miracle — Barnabas identified as Zeus, Paul as Hermes the gods have come down to us in human form | CRITICAL COLLISION POINT. This is the exact pagan concept the baseline’s incarnation/देहधारण vs. अवतार distinction was built to guard against: a deity temporarily descending in human disguise, one of many such appearances, reversible and non-unique — the polar opposite of the one true God’s unique, unrepeatable, permanent incarnation in Christ | देवता मनुष्यों के रूप में उतर आए हैं. Risk: Critical. Paul and Barnabas’s horrified refusal of worship (tearing their garments, 14:14-15) must be rendered with full force as a rejection of exactly this अवतार-like framework; pair explicitly with the baseline’s incarnation entry’s caution. This passage is the single clearest place in Acts where the avatar-collision the baseline warns about is dramatized within the text itself — mandatory theologian review. |
| Lord, Creator κύριος… ζῶντα… ὃς ἐποίησεν kyrios… zōnta… hos epoiēsen ”the living God who made…” | Paul’s corrective proclamation (14:15) of the one Creator God, in contrast to the many gods just invoked the living God who made heaven and earth | REUSE baseline सृजनहार (Creator) and परमेश्वर exactly — the direct theological antidote to the preceding verse’s polytheism | REUSE सृजनहार exactly. Risk: High per baseline. |
Chapter 15 — The Jerusalem Council
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are πιστεύομεν σωθῆναι διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, καθ’ ὃν τρόπον κἀκεῖνοι pisteuomen sōthēnai dia tēs charitos tou kyriou Iēsou, kath’ hon tropon kakeinoi ”we believe to be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same manner as they also [are]“ | REUSE baseline अनुग्रह (grace), उद्धार (salvation), प्रभु (Lord) exactly we are saved through grace, just as they are | The Council’s doctrinal resolution (15:11) — Jewish and Gentile believers saved identically, by grace, with no distinction of law-observance required; the Council’s answer to the Judaizing controversy that Galatians also addresses | REUSE all three baseline terms exactly. Risk: Critical — this verse is Acts’ direct narrative counterpart to the Galatians law_and_grace doctrine; cross-check Hindi wording against the Galatians baseline’s parallel verses for absolute consistency. |
| God, who knows the heart ὁ καρδιογνώστης θεός ho kardiognōstēs theos ”the heart-knowing God” | A striking compound title emphasizing God’s direct, unmediated knowledge of inner disposition (cf. baseline “known_by_god” caution) God, who knows the heart | Peter’s argument (15:8) that God’s giving of the Spirit to Gentiles proves his own prior, direct knowledge and acceptance of their hearts — no external ritual marker (circumcision) needed to certify what God has already discerned | हृदय के जाननेवाला परमेश्वर. Risk: Medium; keep as God’s own relational, personal knowledge of persons, not a claim about universal impersonal omniscience abstracted from relationship. |
| a yoke… that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear ζυγὸν… ὃν οὔτε οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν οὔτε ἡμεῖς ἰσχύσαμεν βαστάσαι zygon… hon oute hoi pateres hēmōn oute hēmeis ischysamen bastasai ”a yoke…which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” | REUSE the Galatians baseline yoke_of_slavery (दासत्व का जूआ) term-family a yoke we could not bear | Peter’s rhetorical question (15:10) applies the identical yoke-metaphor Galatians 5:1 uses for law-observance imposed as a requirement for salvation — direct intertextual link between the two curricula’s central doctrine | REUSE दासत्व का जूआ metaphor-family. Risk: High, matching the Galatians baseline tier for this metaphor. |
Chapter 16 — Lydia; the Philippian Jailer; Paul and Silas Imprisoned
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| what must I do to be saved? τί με δεῖ ποιεῖν ἵνα σωθῶ ti me dei poiein hina sōthō ”what must I do that I may be saved?” | REUSE baseline उद्धार exactly what must I do to be saved? | The Philippian jailer’s question (16:30) — the personal, existential form of the Repentance and Baptism doctrine’s central question, paralleling 2:37’s “what shall we do?” | REUSE उद्धार. Risk: Critical per baseline salvation tier. |
| believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household πίστευσον ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ σωθήσῃ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου pisteuson epi ton kyrion Iēsoun kai sōthēsē sy kai ho oikos sou ”believe on/in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” | REUSE baseline विश्वास, प्रभु, उद्धार exactly believe and you will be saved, you and your household | The classic salvation-formula verse (16:31), heavily used pastorally; must be rendered identically wherever it recurs in study materials, per the baseline’s cross-document consistency principle | REUSE all three exactly: प्रभु यीशु पर विश्वास कर, तो तू और तेरा घराना उद्धार पाएगा. Risk: Critical; flag for the same verbatim cross-document consistency treatment the baseline gives Romans 10:9-10. |
Chapter 17 — Thessalonica, Berea, Athens (Areopagus Sermon)
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| unknown god ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ agnōstō theō ”to an unknown god” | Inscription on an actual Athenian altar, cited by Paul as a rhetorical bridge, NOT an endorsement that the Athenians already worshiped the true God under a hidden name an unknown god | Paul’s rhetorical strategy: using a point of cultural contact to introduce, not affirm, the true God’s identity (“what you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you,” 17:23) | NEW TERM. अनजाना परमेश्वर. Risk: High. Must be handled so as NOT to imply religious-pluralist equivalence (“you already worship the true God, just without knowing his name”) — a reading uncomfortably close to the popular Hindu inclusivist claim that all worship ultimately reaches the same one God under different names. Paul’s proclamation that follows (17:24-31) explicitly corrects, not affirms, the Athenians’ prior worship. Theologian review recommended with an explanatory translator note. |
| in him we live and move and have our being ἐν αὐτῷ ζῶμεν καὶ κινούμεθα καὶ ἐσμέν en autō zōmen kai kinoumetha kai esmen ”in him we live and move and are” | A quotation from a Greek Stoic poet, affirming God’s sustaining nearness to all creation, used by Paul in a modified sense in him we live and move and have our being | Divine immanence/sustaining presence — but framed within a clear Creator/creature distinction (17:24-25’s “God who made the world… does not live in temples”) to avoid pantheistic collapse | NEW TERM. उसी में हम जीवित हैं, चलते-फिरते हैं, और स्थिर हैं. Risk: High. This phrase, read in isolation, risks a pantheistic/monist reading (God = the totality of existence, resonant with certain Advaitic formulations that “all is Brahman”) — the surrounding verses’ insistence on a transcendent Creator distinct from and not contained within creation must be kept in view; a translator note is required distinguishing biblical divine immanence from pantheistic identity. |
| times of ignorance…now commands all people everywhere to repent χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας… νῦν παραγγέλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πᾶσιν πανταχοῦ μετανοεῖν chronous tēs agnoias… nyn parangellei tois anthrōpois pasin pantachou metanoein ”times of ignorance…now he commands all people everywhere to repent” | REUSE baseline मन फिराव exactly, universalized to “all people everywhere” now commands all to repent | Direct call to universal repentance grounded in coming judgment and the resurrection (17:31) — the climax of the Areopagus sermon and a key Gospel-to-Gentiles/universal-accountability text | REUSE मन फिराव exactly. Risk: High per baseline; the universal scope (“all people everywhere”) must not be softened. |
Chapter 18 — Corinth; Aquila and Priscilla; Apollos
Chapter 18 introduces no new load-bearing theological terms; it reuses मन फिराव (implicitly), विश्वास, मसीह, मार्ग (see ch.19 entry for full treatment of “the Way,” first explicit here at 18:25-26 of Apollos), and REUSE baseline बपतिस्मा. Note: Apollos “knew only the baptism of John” (18:25) anticipates the direct treatment in ch.19.
Chapter 19 — Ephesus: Apollos/the Twelve Disciples, Baptism, Riot
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Way ἡ ὁδός hē hodos ”the road, the way” | The early designation for the Christian movement/message (9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22) the Way | Distinct from a philosophical school or one of several religious paths; “the Way” is presented as the exclusive way of salvation (cf. 4:12) — directly load-bearing for the Justification-apart-from-Law and Gospel doctrines’ exclusivity claims | NEW TERM. मार्ग. Risk: High. मार्ग in Hindu religious vocabulary denotes one of several recognized soteriological paths (भक्ति मार्ग, कर्म मार्ग, ज्ञान मार्ग — devotion-path, works-path, knowledge-path — all considered valid routes to the same liberation). Rendering ἡ ὁδός as मार्ग without qualification risks exactly the pluralist “one path among several” reading that the baseline’s false_gospel and truth_of_the_gospel entries were built to prevent. Recommend पारित करना with a bracketed clarifying phrase on first use — e.g., “यह मार्ग” (THIS Way, definite and exclusive) — and mandatory theologian review at every occurrence. |
| John’s baptism vs. baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus βάπτισμα Ἰωάννου / εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ baptisma Iōannou / eis to onoma tou kyriou Iēsou ”John’s baptism” / “into the name of the Lord Jesus” | Two historically and theologically distinct baptisms: John’s was a preparatory repentance-baptism; Christian baptism incorporates the believer into Christ and is accompanied by receiving the Spirit John’s baptism / baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus | The Ephesian disciples’ re-baptism (19:1-5) makes explicit that John’s baptism, though genuine as far as it went, is superseded and incomplete without Christian baptism and the Spirit — directly relevant to the Repentance and Baptism doctrine’s precision | REUSE बपतिस्मा + NEW नाम-term (यीशु मसीह के नाम में). Risk: High; the distinction between the two baptisms must be kept clear and not flattened into a single generic “baptism” concept. |
| burned the scrolls κατέκαυσαν τὰ βιβλία katekausan ta biblia ”they burned the books/scrolls” | Public renunciation of occult/magical texts by new converts (19:19) they burned the scrolls | REUSE Galatians baseline जादू-टोना (sorcery) doctrine; decisive, costly break with prior occult practice as evidence of genuine conversion | REUSE जादू-टोना-adjacent framing; describe concretely as मन्त्र-तन्त्र की पुस्तकें जला दी. Risk: Medium per baseline sorcery tier. |
| Great is Artemis of the Ephesians Μεγάλη ἡ Ἄρτεμις Ἐφεσίων Megalē hē Artemis Ephesiōn ”Great is Artemis of the Ephesians” | The Ephesian riot-cry defending the local goddess-cult and its lucrative idol-trade against the gospel’s advance Great is Artemis of the Ephesians | REUSE baseline मूर्तिपूजा (idolatry) doctrine — direct economic and religious opposition to the gospel from an entrenched goddess-cult, a live parallel to India’s temple-economy and goddess (देवी) traditions | REUSE मूर्तिपूजा framing; render the cry literally (महान है इफिसियों की अर्तिमिस). Risk: Medium-High; flag for native speaker review of tone given the structural parallel to Hindu goddess-devotion — handle pastorally without softening the text’s clear rejection of the cult. |
Chapter 20 — Miletus Farewell Address; Eutychus Raised
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the whole counsel of God πᾶσαν τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ pasan tēn boulēn tou theou ”the whole plan/counsel of God” | Comprehensive, unabridged proclamation of God’s purposes, withholding nothing for fear of offense the whole counsel of God | Paul’s self-defense (20:27) that he did not shrink from declaring the full doctrinal content — ties to the truth_of_the_gospel baseline principle of non-negotiable, complete gospel content | परमेश्वर की सारी मनसा/इच्छा. Risk: Medium. |
| elders / overseers / shepherd the flock πρεσβυτέρους / ἐπισκόπους / ποιμαίνειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν presbyterous / episkopous / poimainein tēn ekklēsian ”elders / overseers / to shepherd the church” | Overlapping leadership titles for the same office in Acts 20:17,28: πρεσβύτερος (elder, age/dignity-based), ἐπίσκοπος (overseer, function-based), ποιμήν (shepherd, care-based) elders, overseers/bishops, shepherd/pastor | Establishes local church governance structure — Church as Community doctrine’s leadership dimension | NEW TERMS. प्राचीन (elder) / अध्यक्ष (overseer) / रखवाली करना, चरवाही करना (shepherd). Risk: Medium. Must convey servant-leadership modeled on Christ (“the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood,” 20:28), not a caste-like hereditary priestly office or an unaccountable guru-figure. |
| ravenous wolves λύκοι βαρεῖς lykoi bareis ”fierce/savage wolves” | Metaphor for false teachers threatening the flock from within and without fierce wolves | Warning against doctrinal corruption — anticipates the false_gospel vigilance the Galatians baseline already documents | दुष्ट/भयंकर भेड़िये. Risk: Low-Medium. |
Chapter 21 — Jerusalem, Nazirite Vow, Paul’s Arrest
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| purify yourself… complete their days of purification ἁγνίσθητι… ἐκείνων τὰς ἡμέρας τοῦ ἁγνισμοῦ hagnisthēti… ekeinōn tas hēmeras tou hagnismou ”purify yourself…their days of purification” | The Jewish ceremonial purification associated with a Nazirite vow (Numbers 6) purify yourself, purification rites | Paul’s culturally sensitive accommodation to Jewish custom (21:23-26) — voluntary, non-salvific ceremonial observance, NOT a reversion to law-righteousness that would contradict the Justification-apart-from-Law doctrine | शुद्धिकरण की विधि / अपने आप को शुद्ध करना. Risk: Medium. Must be framed as a cultural accommodation for the sake of Jewish believers’ consciences (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:20), explicitly not a re-imposition of law as a basis for justification — pair with a brief note referencing the baseline’s law_and_grace caution to prevent this passage from being read as contradicting ch.13/15’s justification-apart-from-law teaching. |
| prophesied through the Spirit προφητεύει διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος prophēteuei dia tou pneumatos ”prophesies through/by the Spirit” | Agabus’s Spirit-given prediction of Paul’s arrest (21:11) prophesied by the Spirit | REUSE baseline भविष्यवाणी and पवित्र आत्मा exactly | REUSE both exactly. Risk: Low-Medium per baseline. |
Chapter 22 — Paul’s Defense Before the Crowd; Roman Citizenship
Chapter 22 largely re-narrates Paul’s conversion (reuse ch.9 terms: light from heaven, “why do you persecute me”). One new term:
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roman citizen Ῥωμαῖος Rhōmaios ”a Roman [citizen]“ | Legal civic status granting protection from summary punishment Roman citizen | Introduces the civil-authority theme (cf. baseline’s governing_authorities, Romans 13) as it intersects the Persecution doctrine — Paul appeals to legitimate civil rights without compromising gospel proclamation | NEW TERM. रोमी नागरिक. Risk: Low; historical-legal, descriptive term. |
Chapter 23 — Sanhedrin Conflict; Plot Against Paul
Chapter 23 reuses महासभा (Sanhedrin, ch.4) and REUSE baseline resurrection (Paul’s Pharisee-Sadducee dispute over the resurrection, 23:6-8, directly reusing the baseline’s पुनरुत्थान, Critical tier — never पुनर्जन्म). No new theological vocabulary beyond these reused terms.
Chapter 24 — Paul Before Felix
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| the Way ἡ ὁδός hē hodos ”the Way” | REUSE the NEW term established at ch.19 (24:14,22) the Way | Tertullus/the Jewish leaders and Felix both use this designation — confirms it as the outsiders’ standard name for the movement | REUSE मार्ग with the same High-risk caution as ch.19. |
| righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐγκρατείας καὶ τοῦ κρίματος τοῦ μέλλοντος peri dikaiosynēs kai egkrateias kai tou krimatos tou mellontos ”concerning righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” | REUSE baseline धार्मिकता (righteousness) exactly righteousness, self-control, judgment to come | Paul’s message to Felix (24:25) — righteousness as right-standing/character before God, never धर्म (cosmic duty) | REUSE धार्मिकता exactly. Risk: Critical per baseline. |
Chapter 25 — Paul Before Festus; Appeal to Caesar
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| I appeal to Caesar Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι Kaisara epikaloumai ”I call upon/appeal to Caesar” | Legal invocation of the right to imperial trial I appeal to Caesar | Continues the civil-authority/legitimate-rights theme from ch.22; sets up Paul’s providentially-directed journey to Rome, fulfilling the “ends of the earth” trajectory of 1:8 | NEW TERM. मैं कैसर से दुहाई देता हूँ / कैसर के सामने अपील करता हूँ. Risk: Low; historical-legal term. |
Chapter 26 — Paul Before Agrippa
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| open their eyes, turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God ἀνοῖξαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν, τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι ἀπὸ τοῦ σκότους εἰς φῶς καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν anoixai tous ophthalmous autōn, tou epistrepsai apo tou skotous eis phōs kai tēs exousias tou Satana epi ton theon ”to open their eyes, to turn from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God” | Christ’s own commissioning-words to Saul (26:18), summarizing the whole conversion/mission call to open their eyes, turn from darkness to light, from Satan’s power to God | REUSE-adjacent to baseline armor_of_light (light/darkness pair, ज्योति/अंधकार) and REUSE मन फिराव (turning); introduces “power/authority of Satan” (ἐξουσία τοῦ Σατανᾶ) as a NEW explicit term | NEW TERM (Satan’s authority): शैतान का अधिकार. Risk: Medium. Must convey a real but limited, personal spiritual authority under God’s ultimate sovereignty, not an equal-and-opposite cosmic dualism (avoiding any parallel to a good-god/evil-god dualistic cosmology) — pair with REUSE baseline light/darkness caution (never extend toward Hindu divine-light concepts per the glory entry). |
| I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision οὐκ ἐγενόμην ἀπειθὴς τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ ouk egenomēn apeithēs tē ouraniō optasia ”I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” | REUSE Galatians baseline revelation (प्रकाशन) term-family — objective divine disclosure grounding apostolic obedience, not a self-attained mystical vision the heavenly vision | Paul’s own retrospective summary of his call — REUSE-adjacent to the baseline’s caution distinguishing प्रकाशन from दर्शन/साक्षात्कार | REUSE प्रकाशन framing: स्वर्गीय दर्शन का अनादर नहीं किया. Risk: High — note the tension: दर्शन here is used in its ordinary Hindi sense of “vision/sight,” but per the Galatians baseline caution, care must be taken that this specific ordinary-language use does not get assimilated to the devotional दर्शन (a deity’s visionary self-disclosure to a devotee) sense the baseline warns against for “revelation” proper; a translator note distinguishing the two senses is recommended. |
Chapter 27 — The Voyage and Shipwreck
Chapter 27 introduces no new theological vocabulary; it reuses baseline परमेश्वर का विधान (providence) implicitly throughout (Paul’s assurance “there will be no loss of life,” 27:22-25, grounded in the angelic message that he must stand before Caesar) and REUSE baseline धन्यवाद (thanksgiving, Paul’s breaking bread and giving thanks, 27:35, echoing REUSE रोटी तोड़ना from ch.2).
Chapter 28 — Malta; Arrival in Rome; the Gospel Unhindered
| Terms | Variants | Theological Meaning | Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| unhindered ἀκωλύτως akōlytōs ”without hindrance” | The final word of the entire book — negation of the κωλύω (“hinder”) root flagged at 8:36 and 11:17 unhindered, without hindrance/obstacle | The book’s triumphant closing note (28:31): Paul preaches “the kingdom of God and teach[es] about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance” — the Great Commission Fulfilled doctrine’s capstone verse, declaring the gospel’s unstoppable advance from Jerusalem to Rome, the imperial capital, despite every obstacle the book has narrated | NEW TERM. निर्बाध रूप से / रोक-टोक के बिना. Risk: Medium. Should be recognized as the deliberate resolution of the κωλύω word-family begun at 8:36 (“what hinders me?”) and 11:17 (“who was I to hinder God?”) — recommend a consistent root-rendering across all three passages (रोकना/रोक-टोक) so the literary pattern remains visible in Hindi. Pair with REUSE baseline परमेश्वर का राज्य (kingdom of God) and प्रभु (Lord Jesus Christ), both exactly as recorded. |
| with all boldness μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας meta pasēs parrēsias ”with all boldness” | REUSE the NEW parrēsia (boldness) term established at 4:13,29,31 with all boldness | Bookends the Persecution and Bold Witness doctrine — the same Spirit-given boldness that began at Pentecost characterizes the gospel’s arrival at the empire’s center | REUSE NEW निडरता/साहस term exactly. Risk: Medium, consistent with ch.4 tier. |
Summary Notes for Phase 2 Preparation
- Highest-stakes NEW terms requiring theologian review at every occurrence: name of Jesus (नाम में/से बपतिस्मा/चंगाई), tongues (अन्य भाषाएँ), filled with the Holy Spirit, witness/martyr (गवाह/साक्षी), Son of Man (मनुष्य का पुत्र), clean/unclean (शुद्ध/अशुद्ध), the Way (मार्ग), the gods-came-down passage at Lystra (ch.14), unknown god / “in him we live and move” (Areopagus), lying to the Holy Spirit.
- Cross-document consistency locks: Acts 2:38-39 (paired with Romans 10:9-10 pattern), Acts 4:12 (paired with the false_gospel/exclusivity doctrine), Acts 13:38-39 and 15:11 (paired verbatim-consistency with the Galatians justification_by_faith and law_and_grace doctrines), Acts 16:31 (salvation-formula, flagged for the same verbatim treatment as Romans 10:9-10), Acts 2:17-21 quoting Joel 2:28-32 (v.21 must match Romans 10:13’s citation of the same OT text exactly).
- Chapters requiring no new theological vocabulary: Chapter 18 (reuses ch.2, ch.9, ch.19 terms); Chapter 23 (reuses ch.4 महासभा and baseline पुनरुत्थान); Chapter 27 (reuses baseline providence/thanksgiving).
- All baseline Romans/Galatians terms appearing in Acts (सुसमाचार, अनुग्रह, विश्वास, धार्मिकता, धर्मी ठहराया जाना, उद्धार, प्रेरित, बुलाए हुए/बुलाहट, पवित्र, पवित्र जन, पवित्रीकरण, पुनरुत्थान, प्रभु, परमेश्वर का पुत्र, देहधारण, मसीह, भविष्यद्वक्ता/भविष्यवाणी, वाचा, परमेश्वर का चुनाव, परमेश्वर का विधान, दाऊद, इस्राएल, यीशु, परमेश्वर, पवित्र आत्मा, अब्बा, मन फिराव, मूर्तिपूजा, सृजनहार, विवेक, बपतिस्मा, खतना, क्रूस, दया/कृपा, परमेश्वर का राज्य, व्यवस्था, पाप, अन्यजाति, महिमा, परमेश्वर की सामर्थ्य, संगति, कलीसिया, परमेश्वर किसी का पक्षपात नहीं करता, जादू-टोना, प्रकाशन, प्रतिज्ञा) are REUSED exactly with no new rendering decisions.
This document feeds directly into analysis/08_core_glossary.md. All risk tiers assigned to NEW terms here are provisional Phase 1 assessments for Phase 2 routing and are subject to confirmation in the doctrine risk registry update.