Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English–Hindi)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, covering all 21 chapters of John. Terms already present in the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked [Reused] and their baseline rendering is repeated exactly, with no alteration. Terms newly identified for John are marked [NEW]. Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions (Critical/High/Medium/Low). This glossary must be loaded alongside the baseline TM files before any Phase 2 segment translation of John begins, and all [NEW] entries below must be added to translation_memory.json (with version increment) before Phase 2 processing.
A. Reused Baseline Terms Appearing in John (no new decision required)
| Term | Hindi | Risk | Key John passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | सुसमाचार | High | 20:30-31 (implicit) | Reused exactly. |
| grace | अनुग्रह | High | 1:14,16,17 | Reused exactly. |
| faith / believe | विश्वास / विश्वास करना | High | Throughout (~98x) | Reused exactly; object of belief must be recoverable in every instance. |
| salvation / save | उद्धार | Critical | 3:17; 4:22,42; 12:47 | Reused exactly. Never मुक्ति/मोक्ष. |
| holy | पवित्र | High | 6:69; 17:11 | Reused exactly. |
| holy_spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Critical | 1:32-33; 3:5-8; 7:39; 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 20:22 | Reused exactly. Never ब्रह्म/परमात्मा. |
| father | पिता | Critical | Throughout, esp. chs.14-17 | Reused exactly. |
| abba | अब्बा | High | Not directly attested in John; John uses πατήρ throughout | Reused if needed in comparative teaching notes. |
| lord | प्रभु | Critical | 20:28; 21:7 etc. | Reused exactly. |
| son_of_god | परमेश्वर का पुत्र | Critical | 1:34,49; 3:18; 20:31 | Reused exactly. |
| incarnation | देहधारण | Critical | 1:14 | Reused exactly; this is the entry’s primary textual anchor. |
| god | परमेश्वर | Critical | Throughout | Reused exactly. |
| jesus | यीशु | Critical | Throughout | Reused exactly. |
| messiah | मसीह | Critical | 1:41; 4:25,29; 7:26,31,41-42; 11:27 | Reused exactly. |
| resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | Critical | 5:29; 11:24-25; 20:1-29 | Reused exactly. Never पुनर्जन्म. |
| glory / glorify | महिमा / महिमान्वित करना | High | 1:14; 2:11; 11:4,40; 12:23,28,41; 13:31-32; 17:1-5,22,24 | Reused exactly. |
| glorification | महिमान्वित किया जाना | High | 12:23; 13:31; 17:1,5 | Reused exactly. |
| peace | शांति | Medium | 14:27; 16:33; 20:19,21,26 | Reused exactly. |
| worship | आराधना | High | 4:20-24; 9:38; 12:20 | Reused exactly. Never पूजा. |
| sin | पाप | High | 1:29; 8:21,24,34,46; 9:41; 15:22-24; 16:8-9; 19:11; 20:23 | Reused exactly. |
| law | व्यवस्था | High | 1:17,45; 7:19,23,49,51; 8:5,17; 19:7 | Reused exactly. Never धर्म. |
| kingdom_of_god | परमेश्वर का राज्य | Medium | 3:3,5; 18:36 | Reused exactly. |
| flesh | शरीर | High | 1:14; 3:6; 6:51-58,63; 8:15 | Reused exactly, with mandatory disambiguating notes — John uses σάρξ in at least four distinct senses (see 08.C below). |
| condemnation | दण्ड की आज्ञा | Critical | Conceptually parallel to 3:18’s κρίμα/κρίσις vocabulary | Reused where κατάκρισις-equivalent sense applies; see also the new judge_condemn entry below for κρίνω. |
| new_birth | नया जन्म | Critical | 3:3,5,7 | Reused exactly from Galatians baseline. Never पुनर्जन्म. |
| wrath_of_god | परमेश्वर का क्रोध | High | 3:36 | Reused exactly. |
| eternal_life | अनन्त जीवन | High | 3:15,16,36; 4:14,36; 5:24,39; 6:27,40,47,54,68; 10:28; 12:25,50; 17:2-3 | Reused exactly from Galatians baseline. Never अमरता/moksha-framing. |
| freedom | स्वतंत्रता | Critical | 8:32,36 | Reused exactly from Galatians baseline. Never मुक्ति/मोक्ष. |
| slavery | दासत्व / दास | Medium | 8:34-35 | Reused exactly from Galatians baseline. |
| in_christ | मसीह में | High | Conceptually parallel to John’s “abide in me” language | Reused as comparative reference; see NEW abide entry below. |
| known_by_god | परमेश्वर ने तुम्हें जान लिया | High | Conceptually parallel to 17:3 (inverse direction: believers knowing God) | Reused as comparative caution; see NEW knowing_god_eternal_life entry below. |
| election | परमेश्वर का चुनाव | High | 6:44 (draw); 15:16,19 (chosen) | Reused exactly. |
| cross | क्रूस | Medium | 19:17-18,25,31,41 | Reused exactly. |
| covenant | वाचा | High | Conceptual background to ch.6 manna/exodus typology | Reused as background reference. |
| apostle | प्रेरित | Medium | Conceptual background to ἀποστέλλω/“sent” vocabulary | Reused as root-concept reference; see NEW sent entry below. |
| kingship_of_jesus | यीशु का राजत्व | High | 1:49; 12:13,15; 18:33,37,39; 19:3,14-15,19-22 | Reused exactly. |
| trinity | त्रिएकता | Critical | 10:30; 14:9-11,16-17,26; 17:21-23 | Reused exactly as the doctrinal frame for John’s unity texts. Never त्रिमूर्ति. |
| sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | High | 17:17,19 | Reused exactly. |
| adoption | दत्तक-पुत्रता | High | 1:12-13 (conceptually) | Reused as conceptual background for “children of God.” |
B. New Terms Established for John (require theologian sign-off before Phase 2)
| Term (English) | Hindi rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Key passages | Rejected alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Word (Logos) | वचन | vacana | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 1:1-3,14 | शब्द-ब्रह्म, नाद-ब्रह्म | Established Hindi Christian term. Never Hindu cosmic-sound/Shabda Brahman vocabulary. Personal, distinct divine Person, not impersonal emanation. |
| Only begotten / only Son | एकलौता पुत्र | ekalautā putra | Critical | Deity/Pre-existence of Christ | 1:14,18; 3:16,18 | अवतार, एकजन्मा | Uniqueness of Sonship, not temporal origination or one avatar among many. |
| World (kosmos) | जगत | jagat | Critical | God’s Love for the World; Judgment | 1:9-10,29; 3:16-17,19; 8:12; 12:31,46-47; 15:18-19; 16:8,11,33; 17:passim; 18:36 | संसार (absolutely forbidden), दुनिया (acceptable only in colloquial narrative contexts) | संसार = Hindu/Buddhist technical term for the cycle of rebirth; would systematically recast the Gospel as a liberation-from-samsara narrative. जगत is the established BSI rendering. |
| Absolute “I Am” | मैं हूँ | maiṃ hūṃ | Critical | Deity of Christ; Seven “I Am” Statements | 8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-6,8 | — | Echoes Exodus 3:14/Isaiah LXX ἐγώ εἰμι, the divine Name. Mandatory translator note distinguishing this from the Advaitic formula “aham brahmāsmi” (I am Brahman). Distinct grammatical/theological category from the predicative I-Am statements below. |
| I am [predicate] statements | मैं … हूँ | maiṃ … hūṃ | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements | 6:35,48,51 (bread); 8:12 (light); 10:7,9 (door); 10:11,14 (shepherd); 11:25 (resurrection/life); 14:6 (way/truth/life); 15:1,5 (vine) | — | Each predicate carries its own component risk (see below); as a set, they form the curriculum’s dedicated “Seven I Am Statements” doctrine and must be rendered consistently across all seven occurrences. |
| Light (phos) | ज्योति | jyoti | High | Deity of Christ; Judgment/Belief | 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46 | प्रकाश (acceptable secondary term in non-technical narrative use) | Extends baseline glory caution against light-metaphors conflating with Hindu divine-light concepts. Moral-relational dualism, not metaphysical guna-substance dualism. |
| Darkness (skotia/skotos) | अंधकार | andhakāra | Medium | Judgment/Belief | 1:5; 3:19-20; 8:12; 12:35,46 | — | Reused consistently with the baseline armor_of_light pairing. Not an independent co-equal metaphysical force; darkness = absence/rejection of light. |
| Witness / testify | गवाही देना / साक्षी | gavāhī denā / sākṣī | Medium-High | Inspiration of Scripture (adjacent); Deity of Christ | 1:7-8,15,19,32,34; 3:11,26-32; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 19:35; 21:24 | — | Forensic, testimonial, objective — not subjective devotional experience (anubhava). Structures the whole Gospel’s argument. |
| Judge / condemn (krinō/krisis) | दोषी ठहराना (verb) / न्याय (noun) | doṣī ṭaharānā / nyāya | Critical | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3:17-19; 5:22,24,27,29-30; 8:15-16,26,50; 9:39; 12:31,47-48; 16:8,11 | निंदा (rejected per baseline’s existing condemnation note) | Deliberately parallel in structure to baseline धर्मी ठहराया जाना (justification), forming a forensic antithesis (condemned/guilty vs. justified/righteous) that must remain audible throughout John. |
| Perish (apollymi) | नाश होना | nāśa honā | Medium-High | Judgment; Eternal Life | 3:16; 6:27,39; 10:10,28; 12:25; 17:12; 18:9 | — | Real, final destruction — not a lesser rebirth or delayed outcome accommodating a reincarnation-friendly reading. |
| Sent (apostellō) | भेजना | bhejnā | Medium-High | Deity/Pre-existence; Unity of Father and Son | 3:17,34; 5:36-38; 6:29,57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3,8,18,21,23,25; 20:21 | — | Commissioned divine mission; does not diminish the Son’s own deity (he is sent, not created or subordinate in essence). |
| Son of Man | मनुष्य का पुत्र | manuṣya kā putra | High | Deity/Pre-existence; Seven “I Am” Statements (adjacent) | 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31 | — | Daniel 7 apocalyptic-authority title; never flattened to a generic “a human being.” |
| Lifted up (hypsōthēnai) | ऊँचे पर उठाया जाना | ūñce para uṭhāyā jānā | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34 | — | Deliberate double meaning: crucifixion AND exaltation/glorification, held together. |
| Sign (sēmeion) | चिन्ह | cinha | Medium | Deity of Christ (evidentiary) | 2:11,18,23; 3:2; 4:48,54; 6:2,14,26,30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18,37; 20:30 | — | Reused consistently with baseline marks_of_jesus usage of चिन्ह. Never astrological/omen vocabulary. |
| Truth (alētheia) | सच्चाई | saccāī | Critical | Judgment/Belief; Seven “I Am” Statements; Holy Spirit as Counselor | 1:14,17; 3:21; 4:23-24; 5:33; 8:32,40,44-46; 14:6,17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17,19; 18:37-38 | सत्य (forbidden) | सत्य carries deep Vedantic freight (Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam Brahma) risking absorption into an impersonal-Absolute framework. सच्चाई, already established in the baseline truth_of_the_gospel entry, is relationally grounded and safer. Highest-density term in the NT (25x). |
| Way, Truth, Life | मार्ग, सच्चाई, जीवन | mārga, saccāī, jīvana | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements; exclusivity of the Gospel | 14:6 | — | मार्ग is itself the Hindu term for religious “paths” (bhakti-mārga etc.) — the exclusive clause (“no one comes to the Father except through me”) must be rendered with full, unqualified exclusive force to resist an inclusivist “one path among many” misreading. |
| Life (zoē, unmodified) | जीवन | jīvana | High | Eternal Life through Faith | 1:4; 5:26; 6:33,35,48,51,63; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6 | प्राण (too weak — mere biological vitality) | The divine life inherent in the Logos/Son, not mere biological animation. |
| Living water | जीवन का जल / जीवित जल | jīvana kā jala / jīvita jala | High | Eternal Life; Holy Spirit | 4:10,14; 7:37-39 | — | Distinguish from sacred-river/ritual-bathing traditions (Ganga water etc.); gift from Christ himself, not a physical/ritual source. |
| Bread of life | जीवन की रोटी | jīvana kī rotī | High | Seven “I Am” Statements; Eternal Life | 6:35,48,51 | — | Person of Christ, not a detachable teaching-metaphor. |
| Flesh and blood (eucharistic sense) | मांस और लोहू | māṅsa aura lohū | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 6:51-58 | — | Distinct 3rd/4th sense of σάρξ from both Pauline “fallen nature” and John 3:6 “natural birth” senses. High pastoral sensitivity: Hindu vegetarian/purity taboos, blood-impurity associations, cannibalism-misreading risk. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review; translator note required distinguishing symbolic-yet-substantial sacrificial appropriation from literal meat-eating. |
| Draw (helkyō) | खींचना | khīñcanā | High | Effectual Calling (extends baseline election) | 6:44 | भाग्य/नियति/किस्मत (forbidden per baseline) | Sovereign, personal, effectual divine initiative — not impersonal magnetism or mere external persuasion. |
| Manna | मन्ना | mannā | Low | Eternal Life (typological background) | 6:31-33,49-51,58 | — | OT background term, transliterated. |
| Holy One of God | परमेश्वर का पवित्र जन | Parameśvara kā pavitra jana | High | Deity of Christ (confession) | 6:69 | — | Parallels the baseline confession_of_faith pattern. |
| Truth sets free | सच्चाई तुम्हें स्वतंत्र करेगी | saccāī tumheṃ svatantra karegī | Critical | Freedom (extends Galatians baseline) | 8:32 | मुक्ति/मोक्ष (forbidden) | Truth-as-Christ’s-person producing a gift of freedom, not truth-as-gnosis producing self-liberation. |
| Devil as father | शैतान | śaitāna | Medium | Sin (adjacent) | 8:44 | — | Real personal being, not an impersonal principle of evil. |
| Good Shepherd | अच्छा चरवाहा | acchā caravāhā | High | Seven “I Am” Statements | 10:11,14 | — | Flag for native-speaker check against competing devotional shepherd-figures (e.g. Krishna as gopala) in local bhakti tradition. |
| Lay down life | अपना प्राण देना / प्राण न्योछावर करना | apanā prāṇa denā | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 10:11,15,17-18 | — | Voluntary, substitutionary, purposeful — distinct from ritual self-immolation/ascetic self-mortification. |
| One flock, one shepherd | एक ही भेड़शाला, एक ही चरवाहा | eka hī bheṛśālā, eka hī caravāhā | High | Unity of Jews and Gentiles (ties to baseline) | 10:16 | — | Reused conceptually alongside baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles. |
| ”The Father and I are one” | पिता और मैं एक हैं | Pitā aura maiṃ eka haiṃ | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10:30 | — | One of the book’s three highest-stakes terms. Grammatically ἕν (neuter, “one thing”), not a claim of monistic identity erasing Persons. Provoked a blasphemy charge (a claim to be a distinct, second divine Person), the opposite of Advaitic ego-dissolution. |
| Blasphemy | निन्दा | nindā | Medium | Deity of Christ (adjacent) | 10:33,36 | — | — |
| Scripture cannot be broken | पवित्रशास्त्र को टाला नहीं जा सकता | pavitraśāstra ko ṭālā nahīṃ jā saktā | Medium-High | Inspiration of Scripture (ties to baseline) | 10:35 | — | Grounds Scripture’s binding authority directly in Jesus’ own stated view. |
| Grain of wheat dies | गेहूं का दाना … मरना … फल लाना | gehūṃ kā dānā … maranā … phala lānā | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death; discipleship | 12:24 | — | फल here = abundant multiplication from sacrificial death, not accumulated personal merit (lower risk than Galatians’ फल-of-the-Spirit passage, but same general caution). |
| Ruler of this world | जगत का हाकिम | jagat kā hākima | Medium-High | Judgment | 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 | — | Satan as real, personal, but ultimately defeated — not an impersonal evil-principle co-equal with God. |
| New commandment | नई आज्ञा | naī ājñā | Medium-High | Mutual love (ties to baseline brotherly_love) | 13:34-35 | — | Christ’s self-giving love as the standard, not merely source, of Christian love. |
| Betray (paradidōmi) | पकड़वाना / धोखा देना | pakaṛvānā / dhokhā denā | Low-Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (narrative) | 13:2,21,26-30; 18:2,5,30,35-36; 19:11,16 | — | Deliberate ambiguity (human treachery within divine sovereign purpose) should be preserved where possible. |
| Father’s house | मेरे पिता का घर | mere Pitā kā ghara | Medium-High | Eternal Life; Adoption (ties to baseline) | 14:2-3 | — | Personal, relational, prepared destiny — not impersonal absorption or reincarnation-cycle stages. |
| Another Counselor / Paraclete | सहायक | sahāyaka | Critical | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7 | — | Established Hindi Christian rendering. Must remain fully personal and divine, “another of the same kind” as Christ — never an impersonal life-force (prāṇa) or diffuse universal consciousness (Paramatma). Mandatory theologian review every occurrence. |
| ”I in the Father, the Father in me” | मैं पिता में हूँ और पिता मुझ में है | maiṃ Pitā meṃ hūṃ aura Pitā mujha meṃ hai | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 14:10-11,20 | — | Mutual, reciprocal, personal indwelling — structurally evidence against monistic collapse. |
| Spirit/wind wordplay (pneuma) | हवा (wind) / पवित्र आत्मा (Spirit) — analogy must be made explicit | havā / Pavitra Ātmā | Critical | New Birth; Holy Spirit | 3:8 | — | No Hindi lexical pun preserves the Greek/Hebrew double sense; requires explicit analogical rendering and mandatory translator note. |
| Abide (menō) | रहना | rahanā | Medium-High | Sanctification (extends baseline in_christ) | 15:4-10 | — | Sustained relational union with a distinct, personal Christ — not mystical merger/absorption. |
| Chosen (eklegomai) | चुनना | cunanā | High | Election (extends baseline election) | 15:16,19 | भाग्य/नियति/किस्मत (forbidden) | Applied here to discipleship/mission, consistent with baseline election vocabulary. |
| Friend (philos) | मित्र | mitra | Low | Fellowship (adjacent) | 3:29; 15:13-15 | — | — |
| Spirit of truth | सच्चाई का आत्मा | saccāī kā ātmā | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14:17; 15:26; 16:13 | — | Combines two Critical component terms; personal Holy Spirit’s ministry into objective truth, never an impersonal “truth-consciousness” resembling Hindu chit/awareness concepts. |
| Convict (elegchō) | दोषी ठहराना / उजागर करना | doṣī ṭaharānā / ujāgara karanā | High | Holy Spirit as Counselor; Judgment | 3:20; 16:8 | — | Links the light’s exposing function (ch.3) to the Spirit’s convicting ministry (ch.16). |
| Ask in my name | मेरे नाम से मांगना | mere nāma se māṅganā | Medium | Prayer/Intercession (ties to baseline) | 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24,26 | — | Relational/representative, not mantra-style name-invocation with automatic ritual power. |
| Overcome the world | जगत पर जय पाना | jagat para jaya pānā | High | Assurance (ties to baseline) | 16:33 | — | Already-accomplished victory (perfect tense), not an uncertain ongoing struggle. |
| Eternal life = knowing God | परमेश्वर को जानना | Parameśvara ko jānanā | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith | 17:3 | ज्ञान-प्राप्ति / आत्म-साक्षात्कार (forbidden framing) | John’s own definition of eternal life. Must be relational, covenantal, personal knowing initiated by God’s self-revelation — never jnāna-mārga self-realization or impersonal metaphysical insight. Extends Galatians baseline known_by_god. |
| ”That they may be one” | वे भी एक हों | ve bhī eka hoṃ | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son (extended to believers) | 17:11,21-23 | — | One of the book’s three highest-stakes terms. Unity of love/purpose/mission modeled on, not identical to, Trinitarian essential unity — not literal ontological merger. |
| Name (onoma, protective/identity sense) | नाम | nāma | Medium | Prayer; Deity of Christ (adjacent) | 17:11-12; 20:31 | — | Represents revealed identity/authority, not a word of magical/ritual power. |
| Kingdom not of this world | मेरा राज्य इस जगत का नहीं है | merā rājya isa jagat kā nahīṃ hai | High | Kingdom (ties to baseline) | 18:36 | — | Combines baseline kingdom_of_god with the John-established जगत entry. |
| ”I am he” (Gethsemane) | मैं हूँ | maiṃ hūṃ | Critical | Deity of Christ | 18:5-6,8 | — | Same entry/caution as the absolute “I Am” above; narrative context (soldiers falling back) suggests the divine-Name echo is active here too. |
| King of the Jews | यहूदियों का राजा | Yahūdiyoṃ kā rājā | Medium-High | Kingship of Jesus (ties to baseline) | 19:19-22 | — | Ironic coronation-inscription; continues the ऊँचे पर उठाया जाना (lifted up = exalted) theme. |
| ”It is finished” | पूरा हुआ | pūrā huā | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19:30 | — | Once-for-all, completed-with-abiding-result accomplishment — not a repeatable ritual offering (contrast with cyclical yajna/homa practice). |
| Blood and water | लोहू और जल | lohū aura jala | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (evidentiary/sacramental) | 19:34 | — | Confirms genuine physical death; handle with awareness of blood-purity taboos. |
| ”My Lord and my God” | मेरा प्रभु और मेरा परमेश्वर | merā Prabhu aura merā Parameśvara | Critical | Deity of Christ | 20:28 | — | Combines two baseline Critical terms (प्रभु, परमेश्वर) in the Gospel’s climactic confession. |
| Forgive sins (delegated authority) | पाप क्षमा करना | pāpa kṣamā karanā | Medium-High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death (applied) | 20:23 | — | Representative proclamation of Christ’s accomplished forgiveness, not independent priestly/guru absolution power. |
| Believe without seeing | धन्य हैं वे जिन्होंने बिना देखे विश्वास किया | dhanya haiṃ ve jinhoṃne binā dekhe viśvāsa kiyā | Medium | Eternal Life through Faith | 20:29 | — | Saving faith rests on apostolic testimony, not personal empirical verification alone. |
| Purpose of the book | ताकि तुम विश्वास करो … और उसके नाम से जीवन पाओ | tāki tuma viśvāsa karo … aura usake nāma se jīvana pāo | High | Eternal Life through Faith (summary statement) | 20:30-31 | — | Combines four component entries; functions as the Gospel’s own summary and must match all four exactly. |
| Do you love me? (agapaō/phileō) | प्रेम करना (single verb for both) | prema karanā | Medium | Mutual love (adjacent) | 21:15-17 | — | Mandatory translator note: Hindi cannot preserve the Greek two-verb distinction; flag as a necessary flattening, not a doctrinal loss. |
| Feed my sheep | मेरी भेड़ों को चराना | merī bheṛoṃ ko carānā | Medium | Church leadership (ties to Good Shepherd) | 21:15-17 | — | Delegated, derivative pastoral care — not an independent flock/authority. |
| Testimony is true | सच्ची गवाही | saccī gavāhī | Medium | Inspiration of Scripture (adjacent) | 19:35; 21:24 | — | Closing self-authentication of the Gospel’s eyewitness reliability, contrasted with Hindu shruti’s oral-revelation model. |
C. Special Cross-Reference Note: The Four Senses of σάρξ (sarx / शरीर) in John
Given the baseline TM’s existing flesh entry (शरीर, documented for the Pauline technical sense of self-reliant fallen nature), John’s Gospel introduces three additional, distinct senses of the same Greek word that Phase 2 translators must disambiguate contextually:
| Sense | Passage | Meaning | Hindi handling |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Incarnational (baseline incarnation anchor) | 1:14 | The eternal Word taking on genuine human nature | शरीर, within देहधारण |
| 2. Natural/biological generation | 3:6 | Ordinary human descent, contrasted with Spirit-birth — NOT a moral indictment of the body | शरीर, with disambiguating note |
| 3. Literal physical body given for food (sacrificial/sacramental) | 6:51-58 | Christ’s literal body, given in sacrificial death, symbolically appropriated | मांस (not शरीर), with mandatory theologian/native-speaker review |
| 4. Human capacity/effort (closer to Pauline sense) | 6:63 | ”The flesh is no help at all” — human effort’s insufficiency to give life | शरीर, per baseline Pauline sense |
Phase 2 segment-level translation notes must specify which of these four senses is active in every occurrence, since a single default rendering risks systematic misreading across the Gospel.
D. Special Cross-Reference Note: κόσμος (kosmos) Sense-Range Summary
| Sense | Representative passages | Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| Physical created order | 1:10a; 17:5,24 | जगत |
| Humanity in general, object of God’s saving love | 1:29; 3:16-17; 4:42; 12:47 | जगत |
| The organized system in rebellion against God | 1:10b; 7:7; 15:18-19; 16:33; 17:14,16; 1 John (comparative) | जगत |
All three senses use the same Hindi word जगत (as the Greek itself uses one word across all three senses) — the burden of disambiguation falls on context and translator notes, never on lexical substitution toward संसार in any sense.
This glossary is a required Phase 1 deliverable extending, and never contradicting, the baseline translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, and doctrine_risk_registry.json. All Section A terms are reused exactly per the hard rule governing this pipeline. All Section B terms require theologian sign-off and formal addition to translation_memory.json (with version increment) before any Phase 2 segment translation of John proceeds.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: धार्मिकता
Transliteration: dhārmikatā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, पुण्य, न्याय
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Referenced as the forensic root of the John-specific judge_condemn entry’s parallel structure.
Justification
Approved rendering: धर्मी ठहराया जाना
Transliteration: dharmī ṭaharāyā jānā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: माफी पाना, पुण्य प्राप्त करना
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Structural counterpart to the John-specific judge_condemn entry (दोषी ठहराना), forming a forensic antithesis that must remain audible across John 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16.
Salvation
Approved rendering: उद्धार
Transliteration: uddhāra
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष, छुटकारा
Original: σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 3:17; 4:22,42; 12:47. Never मुक्ति/मोक्ष.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punaruttāna
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म, पुनर्जीवन
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 5:29; 11:24-25; 20:1-29. NEVER पुनर्जन्म.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभु
Transliteration: Prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वामी, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: God
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Climactically confessed at John 20:28.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का पुत्र
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वर का अंश, देव-पुरुष
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:34,49; 3:18; 11:27; 20:31.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadhāraṇa
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, देह प्रकटीकरण
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Primary textual anchor: John 1:14 ‘the Word became flesh.‘
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीह
Transliteration: Masīha
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: अभिषिक्त व्यक्ति, देव-दूत
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:41; 4:25,29,42; 7:26,31,41-42; 11:27.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameśvara
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वर, भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Throughout John; climactic use at 20:28.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्म, परमात्मा, देव-आत्मा
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:32-33; 3:5-8; 7:39; 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:7-15; 20:22.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pitā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्मा, सृष्टिकर्ता
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Densest in John’s Farewell Discourse, chs.14-17.
New Birth
Approved rendering: नया जन्म
Transliteration: nayā janma
Doctrine: Regeneration
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. John 3:3,5,7 is Christianity’s best-known ‘born again’ text. Mandatory translator note at every occurrence: NEVER पुनर्जन्म (reincarnation).
Freedom
Approved rendering: स्वतंत्रता
Transliteration: svatantratā
Doctrine: Freedom
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष
Original: ἐλευθερία / ἐλευθερόω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. John 8:32,36 is likely the most commonly cited ‘freedom’ text after Galatians 5:1.
Condemnation
Approved rendering: दण्ड की आज्ञा
Transliteration: daṇḍa kī ājñā
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: निंदा
Original: κατάκρισις / κρίμα
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Conceptually parallel to John 3:18’s κρίμα/κρίσις vocabulary; see the John-specific judge_condemn entry.
Trinity
Approved rendering: त्रिएकता
Transliteration: trieakatā
Doctrine: Trinity
Rejected alternatives: त्रिमूर्ति
Original: (theological synthesis of John 10:30; 14:9-11,16-17,26; 17:21-23)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. The doctrinal frame for John 10:30; 14:9-11,16-17,26; 17:21-23. NEVER त्रिमूर्ति.
Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशु
Transliteration: Yīśu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ईसा, ईशू
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Never ईसा (Muslim/Urdu tradition form).
Word Logos
Approved rendering: वचन
Transliteration: vacana
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: शब्द-ब्रह्म, नाद-ब्रह्म
Original: ὁ λόγος
Category: Christology
John 1:1-3,14,18. Established Hindi Christian term. NEVER शब्द-ब्रह्म or नाद-ब्रह्म (Hindu/Vedantic impersonal cosmic sound-source, Shabda Brahman/Sant Mat ‘Shabd’ theology). Must be preserved as a distinct, personal divine Person (‘with God’ = relational distinction; ‘was God’ = full deity). Mandatory theologian review.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: एकलौता पुत्र
Transliteration: ekalautā putra
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: अवतार, एकजन्मा, एक दिव्य पुत्र
Original: ὁ υἱὸς ὁ μονογενής
Category: Christology
John 1:14,18; 3:16,18. Established BSI OV rendering for μονογενής. Must never imply temporal origination (extends baseline son_of_god: ‘the Son is eternal, not created’) nor be softened to ‘a divine son’ given India’s abundance of divine-son/avatar narratives (Krishna, Rama, Ganesha).
Spirit Wind Wordplay
Approved rendering: हवा (पवन) … पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: havā (pavana) … Pavitra Ātmā
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα ὅπου θέλει πνεῖ
Category: God
John 3:8. No Hindi lexical pun reproduces the Greek/Hebrew πνεῦμα/ruach triple sense (wind/breath/Spirit). Render as two distinct terms plus a mandatory translator note making the analogy explicit, since Hindi cannot carry it lexically. Guards against an impersonal life-force (prāṇa/vāyu-deity) reading.
Judge Condemn
Approved rendering: दोषी ठहराना / न्याय
Transliteration: doṣī ṭaharānā / nyāya
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: निंदा
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις
Category: Judgment
John 3:17-19; 5:22,24,27,29-30; 8:15-16,26,50; 9:39; 12:31,47-48; 16:8,11. Deliberately parallel in structure to धर्मी ठहराया जाना (justification), preserving the forensic condemned/guilty vs. justified/righteous antithesis. Never निंदा alone.
Flesh And Blood Eucharistic
Approved rendering: मांस और लोहू
Transliteration: māṅsa aura lohū
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper: Eating Christ’s Flesh and Drinking His Blood
Original: σάρξ … αἷμα
Category: Christology
John 6:51-58. Highest pastoral-sensitivity passage in the Gospel: Hindu vegetarianism/purity taboos, blood-impurity associations, cannibalism-misreading risk. Mandatory theologian AND native-speaker review at every occurrence, with a translator note distinguishing symbolic-yet-substantial sacrificial appropriation from literal meat-eating and from the other three Johannine senses of σάρξ (see flesh).
Truth
Approved rendering: सच्चाई
Transliteration: saccāī
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: सत्य
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Judgment
John 1:14,17; 3:21; 4:23-24; 5:33; 8:32,40,44-46; 14:6,17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17,19; 18:37-38. Highest-density NT term (25x). सत्य FORBIDDEN throughout — carries deep Vedantic freight (Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam Brahma; ‘Satyameva Jayate’), risking absorption into an impersonal-Absolute framework. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
Truth Sets Free
Approved rendering: सच्चाई तुम्हें स्वतंत्र करेगी
Transliteration: saccāī tumheṃ svatantra karegī
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ (freedom)
Rejected alternatives: मुक्ति, मोक्ष
Original: ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς
Category: Salvation
John 8:32. Combines two independently Critical terms (सच्चाई, स्वतंत्रता). Must retain the condition ‘if you abide in my word’ (8:31); exceptionally vulnerable to a truth-as-gnosis self-liberation misreading.
Absolute I Am
Approved rendering: मैं हूँ
Transliteration: maiṃ hūṃ
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (unpredicated)
Category: Christology
John 8:24,28,58; 13:19; 18:5-6,8. The single highest monism-collision term in the curriculum: echoes Exodus 3:14/Isaiah LXX ἐγώ εἰμι but is phonetically/structurally proximate to the Advaita mahāvākya ‘अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि.’ Mandatory translator note and theologian review at every occurrence, distinguishing the divine-Name claim from Vedantic ātman-Brahman identity.
Father And I Are One
Approved rendering: पिता और मैं एक हैं
Transliteration: Pitā aura maiṃ eka haiṃ
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
John 10:30. One of the curriculum’s three highest-stakes terms. ἕν is neuter (‘one thing’), not personal identity-merger; the claim provoked a blasphemy charge (evidence of claimed distinct Personhood, the opposite of Advaitic non-dual identity ‘tat tvam asi’). Mandatory theologian review with translator note at every occurrence, cross-referenced to trinity.
Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: मैं मार्ग, सच्चाई और जीवन हूँ
Transliteration: maiṃ mārga, saccāī aura jīvana hūṃ
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
John 14:6. मार्ग is itself the Hindu technical term for religious paths (bhakti-mārga, jnāna-mārga, karma-mārga). The exclusive clause (‘कोई भी पिता के पास नहीं आता सिवाय मेरे द्वारा’) must be rendered with full, unqualified force; never accompanied by a note suggesting other valid mārga exist. Mandatory theologian review.
Paraclete Counselor
Approved rendering: सहायक
Transliteration: sahāyaka
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ὁ παράκλητος
Category: God
John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7. Established Hindi Bible rendering. Must remain fully personal and divine, ‘another Counselor’ (ἄλλον, same kind as Christ) — never an impersonal life-force (prāṇa) or diffuse Paramatma-style universal presence. सहायक’s ordinary ‘subordinate assistant’ sense must be offset by mandatory theologian notes at every occurrence.
Mutual Indwelling Father Son
Approved rendering: मैं पिता में हूँ और पिता मुझ में है
Transliteration: maiṃ Pitā meṃ hūṃ aura Pitā mujha meṃ hai
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί
Category: Christology
John 14:10-11,20. Reciprocal, personal indwelling — evidence against monistic collapse; must be read together with father_and_i_are_one.
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: सच्चाई का आत्मा
Transliteration: saccāī kā ātmā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: God
John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13. Combines two independently Critical terms, doubling collision risk. Must never be heard as an impersonal ‘truth-consciousness’ resembling Hindu chit/awareness concepts. Mandatory theologian review.
Eternal Life As Knowing God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर को जानना
Transliteration: Parameśvara ko jānanā
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ज्ञान-प्राप्ति, आत्म-साक्षात्कार
Original: αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε
Category: Salvation
John 17:3. John’s own definition of eternal life. Must be relational, covenantal, personal knowing initiated by God’s self-revelation (‘whom you have sent’), never jnāna-mārga self-realization or impersonal metaphysical insight. Extends the Galatians baseline known_by_god caution. Mandatory theologian review.
That They May Be One
Approved rendering: वे भी एक हों
Transliteration: ve bhī eka hoṃ
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Original: ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν
Category: Christology
John 17:11,21-23. Extends father_and_i_are_one’s Advaitic-collision risk to the church’s own unity. Must be explained as unity of love, purpose, mission, and Spirit-wrought mutual indwelling — never literal ontological merger. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence.
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: मेरा प्रभु और मेरा परमेश्वर
Transliteration: merā Prabhu aura merā Parameśvara
Doctrine: Confession of Christ’s Deity
Original: ὁ κύριος μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
John 20:28. Combines two baseline Critical terms (प्रभु, परमेश्वर) exactly as recorded, unqualified, personally addressed to Jesus. The Gospel’s climactic deity-of-Christ confession.
Receive Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा प्राप्त करो
Transliteration: Pavitra Ātmā prāpta karo
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
John 20:22. Risen Christ’s commissioning breath, echoing Genesis 2:7 and anticipating Pentecost; ties the resurrection directly to the giving of the Spirit.
World Kosmos
Approved rendering: जगत
Transliteration: jagat
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: संसार, दुनिया (secondary, non-doctrinal narrative use only)
Original: κόσμος
Category: God’s Love and Judgment
Occurs ~78x across John (1:9-10,29; 3:16-17,19; 8:12; 12:31,46-47; 15:18-19; 16:8,11,33; 17:passim; 18:36). संसार ABSOLUTELY FORBIDDEN — the precise Hindu/Buddhist technical term for the karma-bound cycle of rebirth. The single highest-density collision risk in the whole book. Mandatory theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार
Transliteration: susamācar
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: खुशखबरी, शुभ सन्देश
Original: εὐαγγέλιον (implicit; John’s own genre)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Established BSI OV term.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रह
Transliteration: anugraha
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, दया, वरदान, भाग्य, कर्म-फल, पुण्य
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. ‘Full of grace and truth’ (John 1:14,16-17).
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: viśvāsa
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, आस्था, भरोसा
Original: πίστις / πιστεύω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Used ~98x in John as the Gospel’s own refrain (πιστεύω); object of belief must always be recoverable in context.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध, निर्मल
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 6:69; 17:11.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrikaraṇa
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: सफाई, शुद्धिकरण
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 17:17,19, linked to Christ’s own self-consecration.
Adoption
Approved rendering: दत्तक-पुत्रता
Transliteration: dattaka-putratā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: गोद लेना
Original: υἱοθεσία (conceptual, John 1:12-13)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Conceptual background for John 1:12-13’s ‘children of God’ (see children_of_god_adoption).
Worship
Approved rendering: आराधना
Transliteration: ārādhanā
Doctrine: Worship
Rejected alternatives: पूजा
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Worship
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 4:20-24; 9:38. Never पूजा.
Law
Approved rendering: व्यवस्था
Transliteration: vyavasthā
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, शरीयत, नियम
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:17,45; 7:19,23,49,51; 8:5,17; 19:7.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: pāpa
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अधर्म, अशुद्धता
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:29; 8:21,24,34,46; 9:41; 15:22-24; 16:8-9; 19:11; 20:23.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahimā
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देव-ज्योति, प्रकाश
Original: δόξα
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 2:11; 11:4,40; 12:23,28,41; 13:31-32; 17:1-5,22,24.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास की आज्ञाकारिता
Transliteration: viśvāsa kī ājñākāritā
Doctrine: Obedience of Faith
Rejected alternatives: धार्मिक नियम पालन, धार्मिक कर्तव्य
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Ties John 3:36’s pairing of unbelief and disobedience.
Covenant
Approved rendering: वाचा
Transliteration: vācā
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: अनुबंध, समझौता
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Background for ch.6 manna/exodus typology.
Election
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का चुनाव
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā cunāva
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, नियति, किस्मत
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Root concept for the John-specific draw_effectual_calling and chosen_election entries.
Abba
Approved rendering: अब्बा
Transliteration: Abbā
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Not directly attested in John (John uses πατήρ throughout); retained for comparative teaching notes.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का क्रोध
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā krodha
Doctrine: Judgment
Rejected alternatives: बदला
Original: ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Judgment
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 3:36 pairs it explicitly with disobedience/unbelief.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: अनन्त जीवन
Transliteration: ananta jīvana
Doctrine: Eschatology
Rejected alternatives: अमरता
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. Used 17x in John (3:15,16,36; 4:14,36; 5:24,39; 6:27,40,47,54,68; 10:28; 12:25,50; 17:2-3), John’s dominant soteriological category.
In Christ
Approved rendering: मसीह में
Transliteration: Masīha meṃ
Doctrine: Christology
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. Reused as comparative reference for the John-specific abide entry (μένω).
Known By God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर ने तुम्हें जान लिया
Transliteration: Parameśvara ne tumheṃ jāna liyā
Doctrine: Salvation
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. Reused as the caution model for the John-specific eternal_life_as_knowing_god entry (John 17:3).
Flesh
Approved rendering: शरीर
Transliteration: śarīra
Doctrine: Sin
Original: σάρξ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly for the Pauline ‘fallen nature’ sense. John introduces three additional senses (incarnational 1:14, natural-birth 3:6, human-effort 6:63) also rendered शरीर with mandatory disambiguating notes; the distinct sacrificial-body sense of 6:51-58 uses मांस instead (see flesh_and_blood_eucharistic).
Kingship Of Jesus
Approved rendering: यीशु का राजत्व
Transliteration: Yīśu kā rājatva
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: βασιλεύς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 1:49; 12:13,15; 18:33,37,39; 19:3,14-15,19-22.
Confession Of Faith
Approved rendering: अंगीकार करना
Transliteration: aṅgīkāra karanā
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्वीकार करना
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Pattern reused for John’s confessional climaxes (1:49; 6:69; 11:27; 20:28).
Truth Of The Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार की सच्चाई
Transliteration: susamācar kī saccāī
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: संदेश, दृष्टिकोण
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. Established the सच्चाई (never सत्य) precedent extended throughout John by the new truth entry below.
Works Of The Law
Approved rendering: व्यवस्था के काम
Transliteration: vyavasthā ke kāma
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: कर्म
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. The NEVER-कर्म principle is extended generally by this pipeline to every occurrence of ἔργον/ἔργα (works/deeds) throughout John (~25x), not only the technical ‘works of the law’ phrase, per analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md John 3:19.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का मेम्ना
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā memnā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: बलि पशु
Original: ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
John 1:29,36; typology fulfilled 19:36. Must be distinguished from generic sacrificial-animal vocabulary familiar from Hindu yajna/homa traditions; anchor in the unrepeatable Passover-lamb typology fulfilled once in Christ.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: मनुष्य का पुत्र
Transliteration: manuṣya kā putra
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
John 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31. Daniel 7:13-14 apocalyptic-authority title; never flattened to generic ‘a human being.‘
Perish
Approved rendering: नाश होना
Transliteration: nāśa honā
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Salvation
John 3:16; 6:27,39; 10:10,28; 12:25; 17:12; 18:9. Must retain real finality/destruction; never softened toward ‘suffer’ or ‘delayed outcome’ which could accommodate a reincarnation-friendly reading.
Sent
Approved rendering: भेजना
Transliteration: bhejanā
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: ἀποστέλλω
Category: Christology
John 3:17,34; 5:36-38; 6:29,57; 7:29; 8:42; 10:36; 11:42; 17:3,8,18,21,23,25; 20:21. Commissioned divine mission; does not diminish the Son’s own deity, and becomes the pattern for the disciples’ own sending.
Living Water
Approved rendering: जीवन का जल / जीवित जल
Transliteration: jīvana kā jala / jīvita jala
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν
Category: Salvation
John 4:10,14; 7:37-39. A gift graciously given by Christ, not attainable through ritual water-fetching; distinguish from sacred-river bathing traditions (Ganga water) prominent in Hindu practice.
Spirit And Truth
Approved rendering: आत्मा और सच्चाई
Transliteration: ātmā aura saccāī
Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Original: πνεῦμα καὶ ἀλήθεια
Category: Worship
John 4:23-24. Displaces place-bound worship; handle pastorally given the density of Indian pilgrimage-site (tirtha) devotion.
Life In Himself
Approved rendering: आप में जीवन रखना
Transliteration: āpa meṃ jīvana rakhanā
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
John 5:26. Self-existent, inherent divine life (aseity), not a delegated, revocable created gift; grounds the Son’s own deity.
Honor Equal To Father
Approved rendering: पिता के समान सम्मान
Transliteration: Pitā ke samāna sammāna
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
John 5:23. The equality of honor claimed for Father and Son is doctrinally loaded and must not be softened to a lesser, derivative honor.
Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: जीवन की रोटी
Transliteration: jīvana kī roṭī
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
John 6:35,48,51. Must not be reduced to a merely symbolic teaching-metaphor detached from the person of Christ; anticipates flesh_and_blood_eucharistic.
Draw Effectual Calling
Approved rendering: खींचना
Transliteration: khīñcanā
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, नियति, किस्मत
Original: ἑλκύω
Category: Salvation
John 6:44. Sovereign, personal, effectual divine initiative; extends baseline election prohibition on fate/destiny language.
Holy One Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का पवित्र जन
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā pavitra jana
Doctrine: Confession of Christ’s Deity
Original: ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
John 6:69, Peter’s climactic confession, parallel to the confession-of-Lordship pattern (Romans 10:9-10).
Greater Works
Approved rendering: बड़े काम
Transliteration: baṛe kāma
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (background)
Rejected alternatives: कर्म
John 7:21 (implicit); 14:12. Anticipates believers’ Spirit-empowered ministry extending Christ’s own works. NEVER कर्म.
Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: अच्छा चरवाहा
Transliteration: acchā caravāhā
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: Christology
John 10:11,14. Must retain the exclusive, definite-article sense. Flag for native-speaker review to avoid assimilation to competing devotional shepherd-figures (e.g., Krishna as gopala).
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: अपना प्राण देना / अपने प्राण न्योछावर करना
Transliteration: apanā prāṇa denā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν
Category: Christology
John 10:11,15,17-18. Voluntary, substitutionary, purposeful self-giving; sharply distinguished from ritual self-immolation or ascetic self-mortification and from any fatalistic reading.
One Flock One Shepherd
Approved rendering: एक ही भेड़शाला, एक ही चरवाहा
Transliteration: eka hī bheṛśālā, eka hī caravāhā
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles (background)
Original: μία ποίμνη, εἷς ποιμήν
Category: Church
John 10:16. Grounds the baseline unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine.
Scripture Cannot Be Broken
Approved rendering: पवित्रशास्त्र को टाला नहीं जा सकता
Transliteration: pavitraśāstra ko ṭālā nahīṃ jā saktā
Doctrine: Inspiration and Witness of Scripture
Original: οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γραφή
Category: Scripture
John 10:35, citing Psalm 82:6. Grounds Scripture’s binding authority directly in Jesus’ own stated view of the OT text.
Ruler Of This World
Approved rendering: जगत का हाकिम
Transliteration: jagat kā hākima
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Judgment
John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. Satan as real, personal, but ultimately defeated — not an impersonal evil-principle co-equal with God. Reinforces the जगत/never-संसार rule.
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: ऊँचे पर उठाया जाना
Transliteration: ūñce para uṭhāyā jānā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψωθῆναι
Category: Christology
John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34. Deliberate double meaning: crucifixion AND exaltation. Must be rendered identically at every occurrence or the theological pun collapses.
New Commandment
Approved rendering: नई आज्ञा
Transliteration: naī ājñā
Doctrine: The New Commandment of Mutual Love
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Church
John 13:34-35. ‘As I have loved you’ makes Christ’s self-giving love the standard, not merely the source, of Christian love; must not be flattened into generic goodwill.
Fathers House
Approved rendering: मेरे पिता का घर
Transliteration: mere Pitā kā ghara
Doctrine: Sonship and Adoption: Children of God
Original: ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ τοῦ πατρός μου
Category: Salvation
John 14:2-3. ‘Many rooms’ as places for distinct, ongoing personal fellowship — not stages in a reincarnation cycle nor a merit-attained cosmic hierarchy of lokas.
True Vine
Approved rendering: मैं सच्ची दाखलता हूँ
Transliteration: maiṃ saccī dākhalatā hūṃ
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
John 15:1,5. Must retain ‘true’ (ἀληθινή) as exclusive/superlative — the one genuine vine fulfilling Israel’s failed vine-imagery, never merely ‘a good vine’ among others.
Abide
Approved rendering: रहना
Transliteration: rahanā
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (sanctification application)
Original: μένω
Category: Sanctification
John 15:4-10. Sustained, personal, relational union with a distinct Christ — never mystical merger/absorption. Extends the baseline in_christ caution.
Chosen Election
Approved rendering: चुनना
Transliteration: cunanā
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, नियति, किस्मत
Original: ἐκλέγομαι
Category: Salvation
John 15:16,19. Christ’s sovereign, gracious selection of disciples for mission; verb form of the baseline election entry.
Convict
Approved rendering: दोषी ठहराना / उजागर करना
Transliteration: doṣī ṭaharānā / ujāgara karanā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Judgment
John 3:20; 16:8. Links the light’s exposing function (ch.3) to the Spirit’s convicting ministry (ch.16) — this lexical link must not be lost.
Overcome The World
Approved rendering: मैंने जगत पर जय पाई है
Transliteration: maiṃne jagat para jaya pāī hai
Doctrine: Assurance and Overcoming the World
Original: νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον
Category: Salvation
John 16:33. Perfect tense’s already-accomplished, decisive victory — not an aspiration or uncertain ongoing struggle resembling karmic uncertainty about future rebirths.
Kingdom Not Of This World
Approved rendering: मेरा राज्य इस जगत का नहीं है
Transliteration: merā rājya isa jagat kā nahīṃ hai
Doctrine: Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Jesus
Original: ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Kingdom
John 18:36. Combines kingdom_of_god with world_kosmos; defuses without denying the political charge against Jesus before Pilate.
King Of The Jews
Approved rendering: यहूदियों का राजा
Transliteration: Yahūdiyoṃ kā rājā
Doctrine: Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Jesus
Original: ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων
Category: Christology
John 19:19-22. Ironic coronation-inscription; continues the lifted_up (crucifixion = exaltation) theme.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: पूरा हुआ
Transliteration: pūrā huā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
John 19:30. Perfect tense’s completed-with-abiding-result sense: a once-for-all, finished accomplishment, deliberately contrasted with the repeatable yajna/homa sacrificial cycles of Hindu ritual practice.
Forgive Sins
Approved rendering: पाप क्षमा करना
Transliteration: pāpa kṣamā karanā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (applied)
Original: ἀφίημι ἁμαρτίας
Category: Salvation
John 20:23. Delegated, representative proclamation of Christ’s accomplished forgiveness — never an independent priestly/guru absolution power.
Purpose Of The Book
Approved rendering: ताकि तुम विश्वास करो … और उसके नाम से जीवन पाओ
Transliteration: tāki tuma viśvāsa karo … aura usake nāma se jīvana pāo
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ἵνα πιστεύσητε … ζωὴν ἔχητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ
Category: Faith
John 20:30-31. Combines विश्वास करना, मसीह, परमेश्वर का पुत्र, and जीवन in one programmatic statement; must be rendered with full doctrinal coherence matching all four component renderings exactly.
Life Zoe
Approved rendering: जीवन
Transliteration: jīvana
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: प्राण
Original: ζωή
Category: Salvation
John 1:4; 5:26; 6:33,35,48,51,63; 10:10; 11:25; 14:6. The divine life inherent in the Logos/Son, unqualified; must not be diluted to mere biological vitality (प्राण).
Light
Approved rendering: ज्योति
Transliteration: jyoti
Doctrine: Light and Darkness Dualism
Original: φῶς
Category: Judgment
John 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46. Extends the baseline glory caution against light-metaphors conflating with Hindu divine-light concepts; strictly moral-relational, never metaphysical guna-substance dualism.
Witness Testify
Approved rendering: गवाही देना / साक्षी होना
Transliteration: gavāhī denā / sākṣī honā
Doctrine: Inspiration and Witness of Scripture
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Scripture
John 1:7-8,15,19,32,34; 3:11,26-32; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27; 19:35; 21:24. Forensic, testimonial, objective — never softened into subjective devotional ‘sharing’ (anubhava).
Children Of God Adoption
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर की सन्तान
Transliteration: Parameśvara kī santāna
Doctrine: Sonship and Adoption: Children of God
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Salvation
John 1:12-13. Full filial status by grace, ‘not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ — guards against caste-inflected readings of diminished adoptive status.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: शांति
Transliteration: śānti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: चैन, सुकून
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 14:27; 16:33; 20:19,21,26.
Slavery
Approved rendering: दासत्व / दास
Transliteration: dāsatva / dāsa
Doctrine: Freedom
Original: δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας
Category: Sin
Inherited from Galatians extension of the Romans package exactly. John 8:34-35.
Cross
Approved rendering: क्रूस
Transliteration: krūsa
Doctrine: Atonement
Rejected alternatives: सूली
Original: σταυρός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 19:17-18,25,31,41.
Baptism
Approved rendering: बपतिस्मा
Transliteration: bapatismā
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: स्नान, दीक्षा
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Relevant to John the Baptist’s ministry (chs.1,3) and John 3:5’s water/Spirit clause; never ritual-bathing or initiation vocabulary.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर का राज्य
Transliteration: Parameśvara kā rājya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: ईश्वर का राष्ट्र
Original: ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. John 3:3,5; 18:36.
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेरित
Transliteration: prerita
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: दूत, संदेशवाहक
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Root concept for the John-specific sent (ἀποστέλλω) entry.
Brotherly Love
Approved rendering: भाईचारे का प्रेम
Transliteration: bhāīcāre kā prema
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Ties to the John-specific new_commandment entry (13:34-35).
Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएल
Transliteration: Isrāela
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package exactly. Used in John 1:31,49; 3:10 (‘the teacher of Israel’).
King Of Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएल का राजा
Transliteration: Isrāela kā rājā
Doctrine: Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Jesus
John 1:49, Nathanael’s confession, paired with son_of_god. Anticipates ‘King of the Jews’ (19:19).
Sign
Approved rendering: चिन्ह
Transliteration: cinha
Doctrine: Signs and Belief
Rejected alternatives: शुभ-अशुभ चिन्ह, ज्योतिष के चिन्ह
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
John 2:11,18,23; 3:2; 4:48,54; 6:2,14,26,30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18,37; 20:30. Never auspicious/inauspicious omens or astrological-sign vocabulary.
Hour
Approved rendering: घड़ी / समय
Transliteration: ghaṛī / samaya
Doctrine: Providence (John’s technical ‘hour’)
Original: ὥρα
Category: God
John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1. Must be glossed as a fixed divine appointment, never an astrologically auspicious moment (muhurta/shubh-samay).
Temple
Approved rendering: मन्दिर
Transliteration: mandira
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (background)
John 2:14-21. Names the literal Jerusalem Temple; distinct referent from the baseline church entry’s prohibition of मंदिर for ekklēsia. When 2:21 shifts the referent to Christ’s own body, this metaphorical shift must be flagged in translator notes.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: सब्त का दिन
Transliteration: sabta kā dina
Doctrine: Sin and Unbelief (background authority conflict)
John 5:9-18; 9:14-16. Requires OT background note (Exodus 20:8-11) for low-OT-literacy readers; centers the authority-of-Christ conflicts of chs.5 and 9.
Hard Saying
Approved rendering: कठिन वचन
Transliteration: kaṭhina vacana
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (background)
John 6:60. Difficulty acknowledged, met by the Spirit’s necessity (6:63), not by softening the claim.
Devil
Approved rendering: शैतान
Transliteration: śaitāna
Doctrine: Sin and Unbelief
Original: ὁ διάβολος
Category: Sin
John 8:44. Real personal spiritual being, not an impersonal principle of evil, consistent with the Gospel’s personalist theology.
Blind Sight
Approved rendering: अंधा / देखना
Transliteration: andhā / dekhanā
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
John 9:1-41, esp. 9:39-41. Physical healing as an extended parable of spiritual perception versus willful spiritual blindness.
Synagogue Expulsion
Approved rendering: आराधनालय से बाहर निकाला जाना
Transliteration: ārādhanālaya se bāhara nikālā jānā
Doctrine: Sin and Unbelief (background)
John 9:22,34. Live honor/shame dynamic; flag for native speaker review per the baseline honor/shame routing rule — socially costly confession remains a live pastoral reality for Hindu-background converts.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: निन्दा
Transliteration: nindā
Doctrine: Confession of Christ’s Deity (adjacent)
Original: βλασφημία
Category: Christology
John 10:33,36. Evidence that first-century hearers correctly understood father_and_i_are_one as a claim to distinct deity.
Grain Of Wheat Dies
Approved rendering: गेहूं का दाना … मरना … फल लाना
Transliteration: gehūṃ kā dānā … maranā … phala lānā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (background)
Original: ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου … ἀποθάνῃ … καρπὸν φέρει
Category: Christology
John 12:24. फल here denotes abundant multiplication from sacrificial death, not accumulated personal merit — lower risk than the Galatians fruit-of-the-Spirit passage but the फल/कर्म-फल caution should still be maintained by context.
Love Hate Life
Approved rendering: प्राण / जीवन (relative priority idiom)
Transliteration: prāṇa / jīvana
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (discipleship application)
John 12:25. Semitic idiom of relative priority, not literal self-hatred or ascetic devaluation of embodied life.
Betray
Approved rendering: पकड़वाना / धोखा देना
Transliteration: pakaṛvānā / dhokhā denā
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (narrative)
Original: παραδίδωμι
Category: Christology
John 13:2,21,26-30; 18:2,5,30,35-36; 19:11,16. Deliberate ambiguity (human treachery within divine sovereign purpose) should be preserved through consistent vocabulary.
Sorrow Turned To Joy
Approved rendering: दुःख … आनन्द
Transliteration: duḥkha … ānanda
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (background)
John 16:20-22. Reversal-of-fortune structure grounded in the resurrection.
Ask In My Name
Approved rendering: मेरे नाम से मांगना
Transliteration: mere nāma se māṅganā
Doctrine: Prayer in Jesus’ Name
Original: αἰτήσητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου
Category: Church
John 14:13-14; 15:16; 16:23-24,26. Relational and representative, not mantra-repetition or name-invocation as an independently efficacious ritual formula (japa/mantra practice).
Name Onoma
Approved rendering: नाम
Transliteration: nāma
Doctrine: Prayer in Jesus’ Name (adjacent Christology)
Original: ὄνομα
Category: Christology
John 3:18; 17:11-12; 20:31. Represents revealed identity/authority, not a word of ritual/magical power invoked mechanically.
Blood And Water
Approved rendering: लोहू और जल
Transliteration: lohū aura jala
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection (evidentiary/sacramental)
Original: αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ
Category: Salvation
John 19:34. Confirms genuine physical death against docetic denial; handle with awareness of Hindu blood-purity taboos.
Believe Without Seeing
Approved rendering: धन्य हैं वे जिन्होंने बिना देखे विश्वास किया
Transliteration: dhanya haiṃ ve jinhoṃne binā dekhe viśvāsa kiyā
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: μακάριοι οἱ μὴ ἰδόντες καὶ πιστεύσαντες
Category: Faith
John 20:29. Saving faith rests appropriately on apostolic testimony, not personal empirical verification alone.
Do You Love Me
Approved rendering: प्रेम करना
Transliteration: prema karanā
Doctrine: The New Commandment of Mutual Love
Original: ἀγαπᾷς με; / φιλῶ σε
Category: Church
John 21:15-17. Single Hindi verb for both Greek ἀγαπάω/φιλέω. Mandatory translator note stating the textual nuance is necessarily flattened, without over-claiming theological weight.
Feed My Sheep
Approved rendering: मेरी भेड़ों को चराना
Transliteration: merī bheṛoṃ ko carānā
Doctrine: The Good Shepherd and Pastoral Care
Original: βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου / ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου
Category: Church
John 21:15-17. Delegated, derivative pastoral care — not an independent flock or authority.
Testimony Is True
Approved rendering: सच्ची गवाही
Transliteration: saccī gavāhī
Doctrine: Inspiration and Witness of Scripture
Original: ἡ μαρτυρία … ἀληθής
Category: Scripture
John 19:35; 21:24. Closing self-authenticating claim about eyewitness reliability, contrasted with Hindu shruti’s oral/visionary revelation model.
Darkness
Approved rendering: अंधकार
Transliteration: andhakāra
Doctrine: Light and Darkness Dualism
Original: σκότος / σκοτία
Category: Judgment
John 1:5; 3:19-20; 8:12; 12:35,46. No independent ontological status — absence/rejection of light, already decisively overcome (1:5).
Low Risk Terms
Bridegroom
Approved rendering: दूल्हा
Transliteration: dūlhā
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship (background)
John 3:29. OT covenant-marriage imagery applied to Christ; John the Baptist as ‘friend of the bridegroom.‘
Friend
Approved rendering: मित्र
Transliteration: mitra
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: φίλος
Category: Church
John 3:29; 15:13-15. Elevates disciples beyond servitude into intimate, trusted relationship.
Harvest
Approved rendering: फसल
Transliteration: phasala
Doctrine: Mission and Sending (background)
John 4:35. Agricultural metaphor for evangelistic urgency.
Manna
Approved rendering: मन्ना
Transliteration: mannā
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ (typological background)
Original: τὸ μάννα
Category: Covenant
John 6:31-33,49-51,58. Transliterated OT background term; requires OT background note.
Murmur
Approved rendering: बुदबुदाना
Transliteration: budabudānā
Doctrine: Sin and Unbelief (background)
John 6:41,43,61. OT echo of Israel’s wilderness murmuring (Exodus 16:2).
Judge By Appearance
Approved rendering: बाहरी रूप से न्याय करना
Transliteration: bāharī rūpa se nyāya karanā
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief (background)
John 7:24. Surface perception versus spiritual discernment, recurring in ch.9’s blindness theme.
Birth Pains
Approved rendering: प्रसव पीड़ा
Transliteration: prasava pīṛā
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor (background metaphor)
John 16:21. Natural-birth metaphor for sorrow yielding to joy; must NOT be conflated with the doctrinally loaded नया जन्म vocabulary of John 3, despite the shared English word ‘birth’ — distinct Greek roots (ὠδίνω vs. γεννάω).
Follow Me
Approved rendering: मेरे पीछे आओ
Transliteration: mere pīche āo
Doctrine: The Good Shepherd and Pastoral Care (background)
John 21:19,22; cf. 1:43. Discipleship-summons bracketing the whole Gospel.
Referenced passages