Core Glossary
Deuteronomy — Core Glossary (Hmong Language Package)
This glossary catalogs every load-bearing term surfaced in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, across all 34 chapters of Deuteronomy. Per the governing baseline:
- Terms marked [TM — inherited] reuse the exact Hmong string fixed in the baseline Romans
assets/translation_memory.jsonandassets/bible_term_registry.json. No re-gloss permitted for any Critical/High-tier inherited term. - Terms marked [NEW] are Deuteronomy-package candidates with no prior TM entry; they follow the same risk-tier discipline and require the same review routing (Critical/High → human theologian; Medium → native speaker; Low → automated) established in
assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json. - Risk tiers use the baseline’s exact definitions (Critical/High/Medium/Low), reproduced in
assets/doctrine_risk_registry.json.
1. Divine Names and Persons
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | LORD (YHWH, the Tetragrammaton) | YHWH | Κύριος | Yawmsaub | Critical | All | all | [NEW] Distinct from tus Tswv (baseline lord, used for Adonai/generic “Lord” and for Christ). Must never be interchanged with tus Tswv; Deuteronomy’s density of Tetragrammaton use makes this distinction load-bearing for the whole book. |
| D2 | God (generic, Elohim) | Elohim | θεός | Vajtswv | Low | All | all | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline god entry. |
| D3 | Lord (generic address, Adonai) | Adonai | Κύριος | tus Tswv | Low | General | scattered | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline lord entry; kept distinct from D1. |
| D4 | Jealous God | El qanna | θεὸς ζηλωτής | Vajtswv uas khib heev rau nws tus kheej | High | Shema/Exclusive Love; Idolatry | 4 | [NEW] Risk: “khib” reads as petty jealousy/spirit-anger unless taught as righteous covenant-zeal. |
2. The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D5 | Hear (Shema) | shema | ἄκουε | Mloog | Critical | 4, 6, 9, 20, 27 | [NEW] Built-in obey-sense; must not be taught as mere auditory reception, parallel to baseline’s faith_believe anchoring discipline. |
| D6 | One / oneness (exclusivity) | echad | εἷς | tib leeg (xwb) | Critical | 6 | [NEW] The single highest-stakes term in the book. Must be taught with explicit exclusivity gloss (“there is no other God”) to prevent assimilation into Hmong spirit-pantheon plurality. Mandatory qualifier: never bare “ib leeg” without the exclusivity clause. |
| D7 | Love (of God) | ahav | ἀγαπάω | kev hlub | Low | 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 19, 30 | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline love entry. |
| D8 | Heart (seat of will) | lev/levav | καρδία | lub siab | Medium | 6, 10, 30 | [NEW] extends baseline will_of_god/conscience “siab” usage consistently. |
| D9 | Soul / whole self | nephesh | ψυχή | tus ntsuj plig | High | 6 | [NEW] Extends baseline human_spirit_soul entry’s flagged multi-soul collision; acceptable per baseline precedent since referent is anthropological whole-self, but requires “undivided devotion” teaching note. |
| D10 | Might / strength | me’od | δύναμις | lub zog | Low-Medium | 6 | [NEW] Comprehension-level only. |
| D11 | Fear the LORD | yare | φοβέομαι | hwm thiab ntshai Yawmsaub | Medium-High | 6, 8, 10, 13, 17, 28, 31 | [NEW] Must pair “hwm” (revere) with “ntshai” (fear) to avoid collapse into capricious-spirit-appeasement fear; extends baseline wrath_of_god contrast-teaching logic. |
| D12 | The Rock (divine title) | ha-tsur | ὁ θεός / πέτρα | Pob Zeb | Medium | 32 | [NEW] Must be disambiguated from baseline stumbling_block entry’s “pob zeb” (opposite valence: refuge/strength vs. hazard). |
| D13 | No-gods | lo-el | οὐ θεός | tej uas tsis yog Vajtswv tiag | Low-Medium | 32 | [NEW] Reinforces D22 (idol) collision logic; no new risk. |
3. Covenant Renewal
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D14 | Covenant | berith | διαθήκη | kev cog lus (ntawm Yawmsaub) | Critical | 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 34 | [NEW — master term] No prior TM entry in the Romans baseline. Must always carry the divine-name qualifier “(ntawm Yawmsaub),” parallel to the baseline’s Law-qualifier discipline, to prevent collapse into Hmong blood-oath/clan-pact ritual logic (spirit-enforced peer treaties). Kept lexically distinct from baseline promise (lus cog tseg, a single pledge) since berith is the comprehensive covenant-relationship, not one pledge within it. Human theologian review required for every occurrence. |
| D15 | Curse (liturgical recitation) | arur | ἐπικατάρατος | raug foom | Critical | 27 | [NEW] see D25; liturgical-performative form, high collision with Hmong ritual oath/curse ceremonies (animal sacrifice + spirit witnesses). |
| D16 | Public reading of the Law | (descriptive) | (descriptive) | kev nyeem Txoj Kevcai rau sawvdaws | Low | 31 | [NEW] comprehension-level; reinforces intergenerational transmission theme (cf. D30). |
| D17 | Hidden things (limiting principle) | ha-nistarot | τὰ κρυπτά | tej uas zais cia | Low-Medium | 29 | [NEW] Safe cross-reference to baseline mystery entry (zaj lus zais cia); no collision. |
4. Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D18 | Blessing (covenant, material) | berakah | εὐλογία | koob hmoov | Critical | 11, 27, 28, 33 | [NEW] Lexically the correct use of koob hmoov per the baseline’s own reservation of that word “exclusively for ordinary material blessing” — BUT creates a distinct new risk: ch.28’s obey→blessed structure, rendered in fate/fortune-saturated vocabulary, risks reinforcing works-for-fortune theology and undermining “Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit.” Mandatory teaching note anchoring every occurrence to ch.7:7-8’s prior unmerited election/redemption. Human theologian review required — treat with the same rigor as the baseline’s grace entry despite the different Hmong word. |
| D19 | Curse (covenant, judicial) | qelalah | κατάρα | lus foom tsis zoo / kev raug foom | Critical | 11, 21, 27, 28 | [NEW] Direct collision with the actively-feared Hmong ritual-curse category (foom), traditionally remediable by counter-ritual/shamanic intervention. Must be taught as remediable only by covenantal repentance (ch.30) and ultimately by Christ bearing the curse (ch.21:22-23; cf. Galatians 3:13, logged for future cross-book TM-revision). Human theologian review required without exception. |
5. Remembering God’s Redemption
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D20 | Remember | zakar | μιμνήσκομαι | nco ntsoov | High | 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 24 | [NEW] Active, obedience-shaping memory, not idle recollection; parallel caution to baseline’s hope entry (not mere sentiment). |
| D21 | Forget | shakach | ἐπιλανθάνομαι | tsis nco qab / nco tsis txheeb | High | 4, 6, 8 | [NEW] Must be paired with explicit “forgetting YHWH as Redeemer” gloss, not generic forgetfulness. |
| D22 | Redemption (from Egypt) | padah / ga’al | λυτρόω / ἀπολύτρωσις | kev txhiv | Medium | 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 21, 24 | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline redemption entry; Exodus-slavery referent is theologically continuous with the NT sense already governed by that entry. |
| D23 | Passover | pesach | πάσχα | Kevcai Hla Dhau | Medium | 16 | [NEW] Must retain explicit Exodus-deliverance link in every use; distinguished from bare Txoj Kevcai per baseline’s Law-qualifier discipline (shares kevcai root but is a festival-rite, not the Law-corpus). |
| D24 | Firstfruits | reshit / bikkurim | ἀπαρχή | thawj phaus qoob loo | Low-Medium | 26 | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline firstfruits entry. |
| D25 | Sabbath | shabbat | σάββατον | Hnub Xanpateb | Low-Medium | 5 | [NEW] Comprehension-level; must retain redemption-memory motive clause (5:15) whenever taught. |
| D26 | Release of debts/slaves | shemittah | ἄφεσις | kev tso tseg (tej nuj nqes / tej qhev) | Low-Medium | 15 | [NEW] Positive economic bridge via Hmong debt-culture; parallels baseline redemption entry’s debt-bridge. |
6. Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D27 | Treasured possession (election) | am segullah | λαὸς περιούσιος | haiv neeg raug xaiv cia ua tug | Critical | 7 | [NEW, extends TM] Reuses baseline election_choose’s mandatory volitional-choice clause (“Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam”) without exception; strongest OT anchor-text for the baseline’s existing anti-hmoov rule. |
| D28 | Circumcise the heart (command) | mal lev | περιτέμνω τὴν καρδίαν | kev txiav siab rau Yawmsaub | High | 10 | [NEW, combines TM circumcision + new heart term] Must be explicitly metaphor-marked, distinct from baseline circumcision entry’s literal-rite gloss. |
| D29 | Circumcise the heart (divine promise) | u-mal YHWH… levavekha | περικαθαριεῖ Κύριος… καρδίαν | Yawmsaub yuav txiav koj lub siab | High | 30 | [NEW] Same referent as D28, future/divine-gift form; hinge text for this doctrine — obedience flows from a divinely transformed heart, not raw effort. |
| D30 | Teach diligently | shanan | προβιβάζω | qhia thiab qhia dua tsis tu ncua | Low | 6, 11, 31 | [NEW] Household/intergenerational catechesis merism; no collision. |
| D31 | Humble (testing) | anah | ταπεινόω | txo hwjchim / txo siab | Medium | 8 | [NEW] Must retain “txo” (lower) morpheme to avoid appearing to diminish the baseline’s flagged hwjchim (divine power) term itself. |
7. The Coming Prophet like Moses
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D32 | Prophet (true, Moses-like) | nabi | προφήτης | tus yaj saub | High | 18 (cf. 34) | [NEW] Culturally loaded double-edged bridge to Hmong ethno-messianic “Yaj Saub” folklore. Mandatory dedicated teaching note distinguishing biblical prophetic office (authoritative divine spokesman, ultimately Christ) from Hmong messianic-nationalist tradition; must not be silently conflated. |
| D33 | False prophet | nabi (negated) | προφήτης (negated) | tus yaj saub cuav | High | 13, 18 | [NEW] Shares base term with D32; the qualifier “cuav” (false/counterfeit) is structurally mandatory whenever the negative sense is intended, mirroring the baseline’s qualifier-enforcement pattern for other flagged terms. |
| D34 | Sign and wonder (test of prophecy) | ot u-mofet | σημεῖον καὶ τέρας | tej cim tseem ceeb thiab tej txuj ci tsim nyog | High | 13 | [NEW] Must be taught alongside explicit warning against treating supernatural sign-performance as self-authenticating (parallels shamanic divination-confirmation authority). |
8. Choosing Life over Death
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D35 | Life (covenantal, this-age) | chayim | ζωή | txoj sia | Medium | 30 (cf. 11, 28) | [NEW] Must be kept distinct from baseline eternal_life entry (“txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis”); this is covenantal this-age flourishing, though it may be taught typologically as foreshadowing the fuller NT hope. |
| D36 | Death (covenantal curse-outcome) | mavet | θάνατος | txoj kev tuag | Low | 30 | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline death entry. |
9. Warnings against Idolatry
| # | English term | Hebrew (translit.) | LXX Greek | Hmong rendering | Risk | Chapters | Status / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D37 | Idol / carved image | pesel | γλυπτόν | dab mlom | Critical | 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 27, 29, 32 | [TM — inherited] exact reuse of baseline idol entry. Risk elevated in Deuteronomy vs. Romans since this is a direct first-person covenant-making prohibition, not retrospective condemnation. |
| D38 | High place (Canaanite shrine) | bamah | βωμός | thaj chaw teev dab | High | 12 | [NEW] Concrete referent closely parallels actual Hmong household/clan spirit-altars (thaj xwm kab); must be rendered so the condemned Canaanite practice is unmistakably distinct from any legitimate worship furniture. |
| D39 | Sacrifice / offering (OT cultic) | zebach / qorban | θυσία / δῶρον | khoom xyeem rau Yawmsaub | Critical | 12, 15, 16, 26 | [NEW] Distinct from baseline living_sacrifice (Rom 12:1’s ethical repurposing) and from propitiation_atoning_sacrifice (Christ’s fulfillment); this is literal OT cultic sacrifice, closely resembling actual Hmong ancestral/spirit animal-offering practice (fij dab). Mandatory theologian-reviewed teaching note: God’s own prescribed, temporary, sanctuary-bound system pointing to Christ — not validation of shamanic offering. |
| D40 | Devote to destruction (the ban) | cherem | ἀνάθεμα / ἀφανισμός | kev muab puas tsuaj tag nrho raws li Vajtswv txib | Critical | 7, 20 | [NEW] Ethically sensitive, bounded historical-redemptive act; must never be generalized into a violence template. Human theologian review required without exception. |
| D41 | Jealous God | El qanna | θεὸς ζηλωτής | (see D4) | High | 4 | Cross-listed with §1. |
| D42 | Cursed of God (hanged body) | qillelat Elohim | κεκατηραμένος ὑπὸ θεοῦ | raug foom tsis zoo ntawm Vajtswv | High | 21 | [NEW] Cross-book significance (Galatians 3:13); rendered consistently with D19 for future TM continuity. |
10. Reused Baseline Terms Cited Elsewhere in Deuteronomy (no re-gloss)
| # | English term | Hmong rendering (baseline) | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D43 | Heir / inheritance | tus qub txeeg qub teg / av qub txeeg qub teg | Low | 1, 3, 25, 33 | [TM — inherited] |
| D44 | Impartiality of God (judges) | tsis saib ntsej muag | Low | 1, 10, 16 | [TM — inherited] |
| D45 | Hardening / stubbornness | lub siab tawv | Medium (High in Rom.11 sense) | 9, 10, 31 | [TM — inherited]; teaching note required to distinguish Israel’s culpable historical stubbornness here from Romans 11’s distinct salvation-historical “hardening.” |
| D46 | Witness(es) | tus timkhawv | Low | 17, 19, 31 | [TM — inherited] |
| D47 | Worship/serve (cultic, of false gods forbidden) | pehawm | High | 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17, 29, 30 | [TM — inherited]; object must always be stated (“pehawm Yawmsaub” vs. forbidden “pehawm dab lwm tus”). |
| D48 | Circumcision (bodily rite) | kev txiav (raws li Txoj Kevcai Mauxes) | Medium | (background to D28/D29) | [TM — inherited] |
| D49 | Human spirit/soul (anthropological) | ntsuj plig | High | 34 | [TM — inherited]; Joshua’s “spirit of wisdom” (34:9) — non-”Vaj”-prefixed, per baseline discipline. |
| D50 | Governing authority / king (analogous, not identical) | huab tais (Deut-specific) / cf. baseline governing_authority | Medium | 17 | [NEW term, cross-referenced]; kept distinct from Rom.13’s civil-authority-under-pagan-government sense. |
| D51 | Salvation-adjacent legal term (“city of refuge”) | lub nroog cawm siav | Low (disambiguation note) | 19 | [NEW]; non-theological legal sense of “cawm,” must not be confused with baseline Critical salvation_save entry. |
Summary Statistics
- Total glossary entries: 51 (D1–D51)
- Reused verbatim from baseline Romans TM: 10 (D2, D3, D7, D22, D24, D36, D37, D44, D46, D47, D48, D49 — twelve total counting all cross-listed inherited rows)
- New Deuteronomy-package candidate terms: 39
- Critical-risk terms: D6, D14, D15, D18, D19, D27, D37, D39, D40 (9 terms — all require human theologian review without exception)
- High-risk terms: D1, D4, D5, D9, D11, D20, D21, D28, D29, D32, D33, D34, D38, D42, D45, D47 (16 terms — human theologian review required)
- Medium-risk terms: remainder not marked Low
- Chapters reviewed with no new load-bearing vocabulary logged (explicitly, per full-book-coverage mandate): 2, 3, 14, 19 (partial — one new procedural term only), 22, 23, 25, 31 (partial — one cross-reference only), 33
All Critical and High-risk terms in this glossary are logged for mandatory TM-revision review before any Phase 2 generation may treat them as permanent, per the governing baseline’s escalation rules.
Critical Risk Terms
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: pneuma hagion / ruach ha-qodesh
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: bare ntsuj plig (no Vaj prefix) — rejected, denotes an animistic wandering human soul
Fixed collocation; ‘Vaj’ prefix mandatory at every occurrence. Cited in Deuteronomy teaching as the boundary case against which Joshua’s non-divine ‘spirit of wisdom’ (34:9) must be kept distinct. Inherited from Romans package.
Idol
Approved rendering: dab mlom
Transliteration: eidōlon / pesel
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘statue’ softening — rejected, must not soften the term since the text condemns exactly this category
Actual Hmong term for spirit-images venerated in traditional religion; doctrinally correct as-is. RISK ELEVATED IN DEUTERONOMY relative to Romans: this is a direct, first-person covenant-making prohibition delivered to Israel at Horeb itself (4:12-28), not a retrospective condemnation of Gentile practice, making the collision with actively-used Hmong household/ancestral dab mlom maximally direct. Requires the strongest form of the baseline’s existing contrast-teaching. Inherited from Romans package, risk tier re-affirmed at Critical for this book.
Law Mosaic Divine
Approved rendering: Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)
Transliteration: nomos / torah
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Txoj Kevcai’ without qualifier — rejected, collapses into kev cai dab qhuas (ancestral spirit-worship customs), imported loanword for ‘law’ — rejected, would be doctrinally inert and evade the needed contrast-teaching
Qualifier ‘(ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)’ mandatory at every occurrence without exception. This term names the very corpus Deuteronomy IS; the mandatory law_triad entry (mitzvah/chuqqim/mishpatim) must always be understood as falling under this same qualifier discipline. Inherited from Romans package.
Election Choose
Approved rendering: kev xaiv (Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam)
Transliteration: eklogē / eklegomai
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (impersonal fate/fortune) vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, collapses personal divine choice into fatalism and erases human moral responsibility
Volitional verb-phrase mandatory, never a bare noun. Deuteronomy 7:6-8’s ‘treasured possession’ (am segullah) is the strongest OT textual anchor for this rule anywhere in the Language Package and must always co-occur with this exact clause. Inherited from Romans package.
Grace
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fortune/blessing tied to fate and ritual correctness) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN for this sense; would invert sola gratia
koob hmoov reserved exclusively for ordinary material ‘blessing’ contexts, never for salvific grace. PRESERVED HERE PRIMARILY AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s new covenant_blessing entry lexically and correctly uses ‘koob hmoov’ for berakah (material covenant blessing), which does NOT contradict this entry’s prohibition, but the two must never be cross-applied — koob hmoov remains permanently forbidden for grace/charis regardless of its correct use elsewhere. Inherited from Romans package.
Propitiation Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: qhov theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, would be opaque and prevent needed contrast-teaching against shamanic appeasement, bare ‘qhov theej’ without a ‘once for all, sufficient’ qualifying clause — rejected, reads as one appeasement among many
Must be taught as once-for-all, sufficient, unrepeatable. PRESERVED HERE AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s new ot_cultic_sacrifice entry (khoom xyeem, literal OT animal sacrifice) must be taught as God’s own prescribed, temporary, sanctuary-bound system pointing TOWARD this entry’s fulfillment in Christ — never confused with or presented as equivalent to it. Inherited from Romans package.
Yhwh Lord
Approved rendering: Yawmsaub
Transliteration: YHWH
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: tus Tswv used as the sole rendering for YHWH — rejected, would erase the distinct covenant-name identity Deuteronomy repeatedly invokes and blur it with generic Adonai/Christ-title usage, sectarian divine-name-substitution loanword patterns (e.g. NWT-style ‘Yehauvas’) — rejected, this Hmong Bible tradition already has a settled native term
NEW — Deuteronomy package master divine-name term, required because the Romans baseline contains no OT Tetragrammaton quotations. Must never be interchanged with the baseline’s ‘lord’ entry (tus Tswv, used for generic Adonai and for Christ). Density of Tetragrammaton use (several hundred occurrences) across all 34 chapters makes this the second most load-bearing naming decision in the book after the Shema’s exclusivity clause. Human theologian review required.
Shema Hear
Approved rendering: Mloog
Transliteration: shema
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: bare auditory-only gloss with no built-in obey-entailment — rejected, drains the Shema of its summons-to-covenant-loyalty force
NEW. Built-in hear-and-obey sense; must always be taught with this entailment, parallel to the baseline’s faith_believe anchoring discipline. Core-passage anchor term (Deut 6:4) and recurring structural marker (4:1; 9:1; 20:3; 27:9). Human theologian review required.
Shema One Exclusivity
Approved rendering: tib leeg (xwb)
Transliteration: echad
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘ib leeg’ (one, numerically) with no exclusivity clause — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, allows the Shema to be heard as naming merely the foremost among many spirits rather than the only true God
NEW — single highest-stakes rendering decision in the entire Deuteronomy Language Package. Mandatory qualifier: ‘Yawmsaub tib leeg xwb, tsis muaj lwm tus Vajtswv’ (YHWH alone, there is no other God) must accompany every occurrence, structurally enforced like the baseline’s hwjchim/Txoj Kevcai qualifiers, never abbreviated even in headers/quiz options. Core-passage anchor term, Deut 6:4. Human theologian review required without exception.
Covenant
Approved rendering: kev cog lus (ntawm Yawmsaub)
Transliteration: berith
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘kev cog lus’ with no divine-name qualifier — FORBIDDEN, collapses into Hmong blood-oath/clan-alliance pact logic (spirit-enforced peer treaties), reusing the baseline’s promise entry (lus cog tseg) as a synonym — rejected, berith is the comprehensive covenant-relationship, not a single pledge within it
NEW — master term with no prior TM anchor in the Romans baseline. Must always carry the qualifier ‘(ntawm Yawmsaub)’, parallel to the baseline’s Law-qualifier discipline. YHWH initiates unilaterally by grace; the relationship is filial, not a peer-treaty; breach is remedied by repentance (ch.30), never spirit-appeasement. Deut 4:13,23,31; 5:2-3; 7:9,12; 8:18; 9:9; 26:16-19; 27-29; 31; 34. Human theologian review required without exception.
Covenant Curse Liturgical
Approved rendering: raug foom
Transliteration: arur
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
NEW. Formulaic ‘cursed be…’ pronounced liturgically at the Shechem covenant ceremony, each answered by the people’s ‘Amen’ (27:15-26). Structurally identical to a Hmong ritual curse/oath ceremony (animal-slaughter oath-taking with spirits invoked as enforcers); must be taught that Israel’s ‘Amen’ is self-binding assent to YHWH’s covenant terms, not invocation of ancestral-spirit enforcement power. Human theologian review required without exception.
Covenant Blessing
Approved rendering: koob hmoov
Transliteration: berakah
Doctrine: Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
Rejected alternatives: cross-applying this rendering to charis/salvific grace — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, this word remains reserved by the baseline exclusively for ordinary material blessing
NEW. Lexically the CORRECT Hmong word — the baseline reserves ‘koob hmoov’ exclusively for ordinary material blessing, which is precisely this referent (fertility, harvest, victory, honor, contingent on obedient love, 11:26-29; 28:1-14). BUT creates a distinct risk unique to this curriculum: ch.28’s obey-then-blessed structure, rendered in fate/fortune-saturated vocabulary, risks confirming exactly the works-for-fortune theology the baseline’s grace entry exists to prevent, undermining Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit. MANDATORY teaching note anchoring every occurrence to 7:7-8’s and 9:4-6’s prior unmerited election/redemption. Treat with the same review rigor as the baseline’s grace entry despite the different Hmong word. Human theologian review required without exception.
Covenant Curse Judicial
Approved rendering: lus foom tsis zoo / kev raug foom
Transliteration: qelalah
Doctrine: Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
Rejected alternatives: treating covenant curse as removable by counter-ritual/shamanic intervention — FORBIDDEN, must be taught as remediable only by covenantal repentance (ch.30) and ultimately Christ bearing the curse (21:22-23)
NEW. Direct collision with the actively-feared Hmong ritual-curse category (foom) pronounced by offended spirits/ancestors/wronged persons, traditionally remediable by counter-ritual or shamanic (txiv neeb) intervention. The extensive curse-list (28:15-68) culminates in the diaspora scattering framing the book’s final hope (ch.30). Human theologian review required without exception.
Treasured Possession Election
Approved rendering: haiv neeg raug xaiv cia ua tug
Transliteration: am segullah
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (fate) framing of Israel’s chosenness — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, same collision the baseline’s election_choose entry already documents
NEW, extends the baseline’s Critical election_choose entry — must always co-occur with the exact baseline volitional clause ‘Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam’ without exception. Israel’s election grounded explicitly in YHWH’s prior love and oath to the patriarchs, NOT in Israel’s size or righteousness (7:6-8) — the single clearest OT statement of unmerited election. Strongest OT textual anchor for the baseline’s existing anti-hmoov rule. Human theologian review required without exception.
Ot Cultic Sacrifice
Approved rendering: khoom xyeem rau Yawmsaub
Transliteration: zebach / qorban
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: equating with the baseline’s living_sacrifice entry (Rom 12:1’s ethical repurposing) — rejected, this is literal OT cultic animal sacrifice, not ethical devotion, presenting as validation of or parallel to shamanic offering to spirits — FORBIDDEN
NEW. The prescribed system of literal animal sacrifice at the one central sanctuary (12:1-27; 15:19-23; 16:1-17; 26:1-11), functionally close to actual Hmong ancestral/spirit animal-offering practice (fij dab, fij npua, fij qaib). Mandatory theologian-reviewed teaching note: God’s own prescribed, temporary, sanctuary-bound worship system pointing toward Christ’s sacrifice, never validation of shamanic offering. Human theologian review required without exception.
Devote To Destruction Cherem
Approved rendering: kev muab puas tsuaj tag nrho raws li Vajtswv txib
Transliteration: cherem
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, would import an opaque technical term with no built-in bounding, inviting generalized violence associations, generalizing into a template for warfare/violence — FORBIDDEN
NEW. Command that Israel show no covenant mercy to Canaanite nations and their idols, to prevent syncretism (7:1-5,16; 20:16-18). Ethically sensitive: must be taught with a dedicated historical-redemptive-context note as a unique, bounded, divinely-commanded judicial act at a specific point in redemptive history, never a general warfare ethic. Must be cross-referenced with ch.20’s regulated-warfare exemption provisions. Human theologian review required without exception.
High Risk Terms
Human Spirit Soul
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig
Transliteration: pneuma (anthropological) / nephesh / ruach
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: Vaj Ntsuj Plig — forbidden for this referent, reserved exclusively for the Holy Spirit
Never capitalized/prefixed with ‘Vaj’; must remain lexically distinct from the Holy Spirit entry. Extended in Deuteronomy to render nephesh in the Shema’s love-command (6:5) and ruach in Joshua’s ‘spirit of wisdom’ (34:9). Inherited from Romans package.
Worship Serve Cultic
Approved rendering: pehawm / pab teev
Transliteration: latreuō / avad
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: bare, unanchored pehawm — FORBIDDEN, identical verb used for pehawm dab (ancestor/spirit veneration)
Object of pehawm must always be stated (‘pehawm Yawmsaub’ vs. explicit forbidden ‘pehawm dab/lwm tus vajtswv’). Deuteronomy’s density of occurrences (4,5,6,8,11,13,17,29,30) somewhat elevates exposure versus Romans but the fencing mechanism is unchanged. Inherited from Romans package.
Salvation Save
Approved rendering: kev cawm dim / cawm
Transliteration: sōtēria / sōzō
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: unanchored ‘dim’ (escape) parallel to shamanic ua neeb soul-rescue — rejected without explicit Christ-anchoring
Always anchor explicitly to Yexus Khetos as sole agent/means. PRESERVED HERE PRIMARILY AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s ‘city of refuge’ entry uses the non-theological legal sense of ‘cawm’ (‘preserve alive’) and must never be confused with this Critical-tier entry. Inherited from Romans package.
Governing Authority
Approved rendering: cov muaj hwjchim kav teb chaws
Transliteration: exousia
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: unmarked hwjchim framing rulers’ authority as shamanic spiritual power — rejected
Must be clearly marked as delegated, God-ordained civil authority, distinct from supernatural/shamanic power. PRESERVED HERE AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s new king_covenant_bound entry (huab tais, 17:14-20) names a related but distinct concept — a law-bound covenant kingship, not delegated civil authority under a pagan government — and must not be silently equated with this entry. Inherited from Romans package.
Power
Approved rendering: hwjchim
Transliteration: dynamis
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified hwjchim — FORBIDDEN, identical to a shaman’s (txiv neeb) ritual power
Always qualify as ‘Vajtswv hwjchim’ (God’s power). PRESERVED HERE AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s new humble_testing entry (‘txo hwjchim,’ to lower/humble oneself) must retain the ‘txo’ morpheme in every instance so it is never mistaken for a bare use of this flagged term, which would wrongly suggest reduced divine power rather than human self-lowering. Inherited from Romans package.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: orgē theou
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘npau taws’ associated only with capricious spirit/ancestor anger — rejected without explicit contrast teaching
God’s wrath is righteous/judicial, not appeasable by ritual, unlike traditional spirit-anger. This contrast-teaching logic is extended by analogy in Deuteronomy’s new jealous_god entry (El qanna, 4:24) — the two entries should be taught together. Inherited from Romans package.
Living Sacrifice
Approved rendering: khoom fij uas muaj txoj sia nyob
Transliteration: thysia zōsa
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘fij’ identical to offering language for ancestors/spirits (fij dab, fij xwm kab) — rejected without explicit ethical-devotion framing
Must be distinguished from both shamanic appeasement and Christ’s unrepeatable atonement. PRESERVED HERE AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy’s ot_cultic_sacrifice entry is neither this NT ethical-repurposing sense nor the propitiation sense — it is literal, historical, sanctuary-bound cultic sacrifice; all three must be kept distinct in teaching. Inherited from Romans package.
Baptism
Approved rendering: kev cai raus dej
Transliteration: baptizō / baptisma
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword (‘npativ’ style) — rejected, would sidestep rather than resolve the kevcai collision
Shares kevcai root with ritual purification from spirit-contamination. Cited in Deuteronomy analysis as the precedent establishing the preferred native-compound-over-loanword strategy later applied to the new passover and covenant entries. Inherited from Romans package.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: kev raug ua kom dawb huv
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv as a repeatable ritual-cleansing state — rejected
Dawb huv also = ritual purity from spirit-contamination in folk practice; must be taught as progressive, Spirit-wrought moral transformation. Cross-referenced in Deuteronomy teaching alongside the new circumcise_heart_promise entry (30:6) as a parallel case of internal, divinely-wrought transformation versus external ritual performance. Inherited from Romans package.
Jealous God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv uas khib heev rau nws tus kheej
Transliteration: El qanna
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified ‘khib’ — FORBIDDEN, reads as petty human jealousy or an offended spirit’s ritual-slight anger requiring appeasement
NEW. Must always be taught as righteous covenant-zeal protecting an exclusive, marriage-like relationship, never capricious spirit-possessiveness; extends the baseline wrath_of_god contrast-teaching logic. Deut 4:24; 5:9; 6:15.
Soul Whole Self Shema
Approved rendering: tus ntsuj plig
Transliteration: nephesh
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: Vaj Ntsuj Plig prefix — forbidden here, would confuse the anthropological referent with the divine Holy Spirit Person
NEW, extends the baseline’s human_spirit_soul entry’s flagged multi-soul collision. Acceptable per baseline precedent since the referent genuinely is the anthropological whole-self, but teaching must clarify the command means undivided total devotion, not pledging only one of several souls while others remain free. Deut 6:5. Human theologian review required.
Cursed Of God Hanged Body
Approved rendering: raug foom tsis zoo ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: qillelat Elohim
Doctrine: Blessings and Curses of the Covenant
NEW. Command that an executed criminal’s body not remain hanging overnight, ‘for a hanged man is cursed of God’ (21:22-23) — the text Paul cites in Galatians 3:13 regarding Christ bearing the curse. Rendered consistently with covenant_curse_judicial for future cross-book TM-revision continuity (logged, not yet actioned).
Remember
Approved rendering: nco ntsoov
Transliteration: zakar
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
Rejected alternatives: passive/idle-recollection framing — rejected, this is active, obedience-shaping memory that governs present conduct, not mere nostalgia
NEW. Must always be taught as active, obedience-shaping memory, paralleling the baseline’s caution that hope (kev cia siab) must not collapse into mere sentiment. Deut 5:15; 6:12; 7:18; 8:2,18; 9:7; 15:15; 16:3,12; 24:18,22.
Forget
Approved rendering: tsis nco qab / nco tsis txheeb
Transliteration: shakach
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
Rejected alternatives: generic forgetfulness framing with no Redeemer-object — rejected, must specifically name forgetting YHWH as Redeemer
NEW. The paired danger-verb: prosperity breeds forgetting God as the source of blessing (8:11-14). Must be paired explicitly with the warning that this names the merit-based self-attribution the doctrine of love-not-merit seeks to prevent. Deut 4:9,23; 6:12; 8:11,14,19.
Circumcise Heart Command
Approved rendering: kev txiav siab rau Yawmsaub
Transliteration: mal levavkhem
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: treating this as a literal second physical rite — rejected, must be explicitly metaphor-marked
NEW, combines the baseline’s circumcision entry (literal bodily rite) with a new metaphorical heart-term. Calls for internal, not merely ritual, covenant loyalty (10:16); anticipates 30:6’s promise. Must always be taught paired with circumcise_heart_promise in the same lesson unit — never in isolation.
Circumcise Heart Promise
Approved rendering: Yawmsaub yuav txiav koj lub siab
Transliteration: u-mal YHWH Eloheikha levavkha
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: disconnecting this from the 10:16 command form — rejected, obedience would then appear self-generated rather than divinely enabled
NEW. YHWH’s promise to do internally, by grace, what Israel was commanded to do in 10:16 (30:6) — the hinge text for the whole love-not-merit doctrine: obedience flows from a divinely-transformed heart, not raw human effort. Must always be taught paired with circumcise_heart_command.
Prophet True
Approved rendering: tus yaj saub
Transliteration: nabi
Doctrine: The Coming Prophet like Moses
Rejected alternatives: purely descriptive periphrase (e.g. ‘one who speaks God’s message’) avoiding the folk-messianic collision — rejected, would forfeit the term’s necessary rhetorical weight; Hmong biblical usage has already stably adopted ‘yaj saub’ for prophet broadly
NEW — culturally loaded double-edged bridge. ‘Yaj Saub’ names a specific figure in Hmong ethno-religious folklore, a prophesied messianic/national-deliverer associated with 20th-century millenarian and political-messianic movements. Mandatory dedicated comparative teaching MODULE (not a mere footnote) required at every occurrence, distinguishing the biblical prophetic office (authoritative divine spokesman ultimately fulfilled in Christ, cf. Acts 3:22-23) from the Hmong ethnic-deliverance narrative. Must never be silently conflated. Deut 18:15-19; cf. 34:10-12. Human theologian review required without exception.
False Prophet
Approved rendering: tus yaj saub cuav
Transliteration: nabi (negated)
Doctrine: The Coming Prophet like Moses
NEW. Shares the base term with prophet_true; the qualifier ‘cuav’ (false/counterfeit) is structurally mandatory whenever the negative sense is intended, mirroring the baseline’s qualifier-enforcement pattern (hwjchim, Txoj Kevcai). A sign-performing figure leading toward apostasy must be rejected regardless of miraculous credentials (13:1-5; 18:20-22).
Sign And Wonder
Approved rendering: tej cim tseem ceeb thiab tej txuj ci tsim nyog
Transliteration: ot u-mofet
Doctrine: The Coming Prophet like Moses
NEW. Miraculous confirmation explicitly declared insufficient grounds for following a teacher (13:2-3); must be taught alongside explicit warning that supernatural sign-performance — closely paralleling shamanic ua neeb divination-confirmation authority — is not self-authenticating.
High Place Canaanite Shrine
Approved rendering: thaj chaw teev dab
Transliteration: bamah
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
Rejected alternatives: softened generic ‘raised worship site’ — rejected, must not obscure that this names the actual Canaanite/idolatrous practice condemned
NEW. Canaanite open-air hilltop worship site Israel must destroy and never imitate (12:2-3). The concrete referent closely parallels actual Hmong household/clan spirit-altars (thaj xwm kab); must be rendered so the condemned Canaanite practice is unmistakably distinct from any legitimate worship furniture.
Spirit Of Wisdom Joshua
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig ntawm kev txawj ntse
Transliteration: ruach chokmah
Doctrine: The Coming Prophet like Moses
Rejected alternatives: ‘Vaj’-prefixed rendering — FORBIDDEN, would confuse Joshua’s gifted-capacity spirit with the Holy Spirit’s Person
NEW, reuses the baseline’s human_spirit_soul disambiguation discipline exactly. Joshua filled with a ‘spirit of wisdom’ through Moses’ laying on of hands, commissioning him as covenant-leadership successor (34:9) — anthropological/gifted-capacity sense, not the divine Holy Spirit Person, though teaching may note the same divine Spirit is the giver.
Medium Risk Terms
Redemption
Approved rendering: kev txhiv
Transliteration: apolytrōsis / padah / ga’al
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
Good economic-legal bridge via Hmong debt-redemption custom. Extended in Deuteronomy to render Israel’s redemption from Egyptian slavery, the recurring ground-clause for law and ethics throughout the book (5:15; 7:8; 15:15; 24:18). Inherited from Romans package.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: kev txiav (raws li Txoj Kevcai Mauxes)
Transliteration: peritomē / mul
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
No native Hmong practice; comprehension gap requiring explanatory gloss, not a collision. Serves as the literal-rite background referent Deuteronomy’s metaphorical ‘circumcise the heart’ language (10:16; 30:6) must be kept distinct from. Inherited from Romans package.
Hardening
Approved rendering: lub siab tawv
Transliteration: pōrōsis / qesheh oref
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Idiom-based (‘hardened liver/heart’). Extended in Deuteronomy to Israel’s own historical, culpable stubbornness (9:6,13) recalled to prevent self-righteous merit-claims about the land-gift — teaching note required distinguishing this from Romans 11’s distinct salvation-historical hardening of end-times Israel, so the two contexts are not flattened together. Inherited from Romans package.
Law Triad
Approved rendering: tej lus samhwm, tej kevcai, thiab tej kev txiav txim
Transliteration: mitzvah / chuqqim / mishpatim
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: collapsing to a single bare ‘Txoj Kevcai’ with no triad — rejected, loses the rhetorical fullness Moses invokes and risks appearing without the mandatory Law qualifier
NEW. Rendered as a descriptive triad, not three fixed native legal-category nouns, since Hmong lacks a matching three-way legal taxonomy. Must always co-occur with the law_mosaic_divine qualifier when referring to the whole corpus. Deut 6:1; cf. 4:1,45; 5:31.
Heart Seat Of Will
Approved rendering: lub siab
Transliteration: levav / lev
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
NEW. Extends the baseline’s established ‘siab’ (liver/heart) usage for will_of_god/conscience consistently into Deuteronomy. Must remain distinguished from soul_whole_self_shema in the same verse’s triad. Deut 6:5; 10:16; 30:6.
The Rock Divine Title
Approved rendering: Pob Zeb
Transliteration: ha-tsur
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
NEW. Poetic epithet for YHWH as unshakeable, faithful refuge (32:4,15,18,31,37). Must NOT be confused with the baseline’s stumbling_block entry (‘pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg’), which uses the same Hmong noun with the opposite valence (hazard vs. refuge/strength); mandatory disambiguating gloss wherever both appear in the same curriculum.
Altar Of Uncut Stones
Approved rendering: thaj xyeem uas tsim los ntawm tej pob zeb tsis raug txiav
Transliteration: mizbeach avanim
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
NEW. The unworked-stone altar at Shechem for the covenant-renewal ceremony (27:5-6); distinct from the high_place_canaanite_shrine collision since this is an explicitly YHWH-commanded, one-time covenant-ratification structure, not an ongoing Canaanite-style shrine. Explicit teaching note marking the difference recommended.
Passover
Approved rendering: Kevcai Hla Dhau
Transliteration: pesach
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected in favor of a native descriptive compound so the Exodus-deliverance content stays teachable within the term itself
NEW. The founding redemption-memory festival, annually re-enacted ‘so that you may remember’ (16:3). Must retain explicit connection to Exodus deliverance from slavery in every teaching use; shares the kevcai root with law_mosaic_divine but names a festival-rite, not the Law-corpus — same disambiguation discipline applies. Deut 16:1-8.
Humble Testing
Approved rendering: txo hwjchim / txo siab
Transliteration: anah (Piel)
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
Rejected alternatives: dropping the ‘txo’ morpheme from the compound — rejected, would risk this being mistaken for a bare use of the baseline’s flagged hwjchim (divine power) term
NEW. The wilderness testing (manna, hunger) designed to humble Israel and teach dependence (8:2-3,16). Opposite valence from hwjchim’s power sense — human self-lowering, not reduced divine power. Must retain the ‘txo’ morpheme in every instance.
Life Covenantal This Age
Approved rendering: txoj sia
Transliteration: chayim
Doctrine: Choosing Life over Death
Rejected alternatives: silently upgrading to the baseline’s eternal_life phrase ‘txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis’ — FORBIDDEN in the base rendering, would anachronistically import NT eschatology into an OT covenant-renewal appeal, reading through a karma/rebirth or ancestral-afterlife lens — rejected, this is covenantal this-age, land-tenure flourishing, not reincarnation destiny
NEW. This-age covenantal flourishing (land, offspring, blessing) set before Israel as a choice (30:15,19) — not the NT’s zōē aiōnios. Typological connection to the fuller NT hope may be drawn only in a clearly marked teaching note, never inside the base translation.
King Covenant Bound
Approved rendering: huab tais
Transliteration: melek
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
NEW. The future king Israel will request, placed under the Law and forbidden pagan royal excesses (17:14-20). Existing stable Hmong term for monarch; must be distinguished in teaching from the baseline’s governing_authority entry (delegated civil authority under a pagan government) — a related but distinct concept.
Levitical Portion
Approved rendering: [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED — no permanent rendering assigned]
Transliteration: n/a
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
PENDING. No Hmong social category matches a tribe deliberately given no territorial inheritance but instead a service-based portion (cf. Deut 18:1-2; 10:9). Logged per the linguistic-gap-analysis escalation protocol; must NOT be assigned a permanent rendering by any Phase 2 automated process — insert [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED] wherever this concept arises.
Manna
Approved rendering: [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED — no permanent rendering assigned]
Transliteration: man
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
PENDING. No native Hmong food-referent for the wilderness provision (Deut 8:3,16). Descriptive gloss (‘miraculous bread from heaven’) recommended pending formal TM entry; purely comprehension-level, historically specific, no traditional-religion collision identified. Logged per the linguistic-gap-analysis escalation protocol; must NOT be assigned a permanent rendering by any Phase 2 automated process.
Low Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv
Transliteration: theos / Elohim
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: Ntuj (impersonal sky/heaven) — rejected, lacks personal deity sense, dab (spirit) — rejected, denotes false/lesser spirit
Established compound (king+lord). Inherited from Romans package.
Lord
Approved rendering: tus Tswv
Transliteration: kyrios / Adonai
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing usage; applied to God and Christ, and to Adonai in Deuteronomy. Kept lexically distinct from the new yhwh_lord entry (Yawmsaub) at every occurrence. Inherited from Romans package.
Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Standard transliteration baseline; used in Deuteronomy teaching notes for typological/fulfillment cross-references (e.g., the Coming Prophet doctrine, Acts 3:22-23). Inherited from Romans package.
Love
Approved rendering: kev hlub
Transliteration: agapē / ahav
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Stable, existing warm-affection Hmong term; extended in Deuteronomy to render ahav in 6:5, 7:8, 10:12, 30:6. No competing traditional-religion referent identified. Inherited from Romans package.
Death
Approved rendering: txoj kev tuag
Transliteration: thanatos / mavet
Doctrine: Choosing Life over Death
Stable term; extended in Deuteronomy as the covenantal-curse outcome opposite ‘life’ in the climactic choice-appeal (30:15,19). Inherited from Romans package.
Impartiality Of God
Approved rendering: tsis saib ntsej muag
Transliteration: aprosōpolēmpsia / lo takiru panim
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Strong existing Hmong idiom. Extended in Deuteronomy to human judges commanded not to show favoritism under God’s own standard (1:17; 16:19). Inherited from Romans package.
Witness
Approved rendering: tus timkhawv
Transliteration: martys / ed
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing legal/testimonial term. Extended in Deuteronomy to the two-or-three-witness rule (17:6; 19:15) and public covenant witnesses. Inherited from Romans package.
Heir
Approved rendering: tus qub txeeg qub teg
Transliteration: klēronomos / nachalah
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Strong positive resonance with Hmong lineage-inheritance custom. Extended in Deuteronomy to the land promised to the patriarchs, now to be entered and allotted (1:8,38; 25:5-10; 33). Inherited from Romans package.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis
Transliteration: zōē aiōnios
Doctrine: Choosing Life over Death
Stable term, PRESERVED HERE PRIMARILY AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: Deuteronomy 30’s ‘life’ (chayim, rendered plainly as ‘txoj sia’) must NEVER be silently upgraded to this phrase, since chayim names covenantal, this-age flourishing, not NT resurrection-life. Typological connection may be drawn only in a clearly marked teaching note. Inherited from Romans package.
Promise
Approved rendering: lus cog tseg
Transliteration: epangelia
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
Stable existing phrase for a solemn covenant pledge. PRESERVED HERE AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: must be kept lexically distinct from the new covenant entry (kev cog lus ntawm Yawmsaub), since berith is the comprehensive covenant-relationship, not a single pledge within it. Extended in Deuteronomy to the patriarchal land-promise (4:31; 9:5; 29:13). Inherited from Romans package.
Public Reading Of Law
Approved rendering: kev nyeem Txoj Kevcai rau sawvdaws
Transliteration: (descriptive; cf. 31:10-13)
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
NEW. Commanded septennial public reading before all Israel including children; reinforces intergenerational transmission (cf. teach_diligently, 6:7). Deut 31:10-13.
Sojourner Stranger
Approved rendering: tus qhua txawv tebchaws (nyob hauv nej)
Transliteration: ger
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
NEW. Israel commanded to love/protect the sojourner ‘for you were sojourners in Egypt’ (10:19; 24:17-22), grounding ethical obligation in redemption-memory. Strong positive ethical bridge via existing Hmong clan-obligation ethic toward vulnerable kin/guests.
Teach Diligently
Approved rendering: qhia thiab qhia dua tsis tu ncua
Transliteration: shanan (Piel)
Doctrine: Obedience Motivated by Love not Merit
NEW. Intensive, repetitive household instruction of children, framed by the sit/walk/lie/rise merism (6:7). Transfers cleanly to Hmong household life; models family-based, not solely clergy-led, discipleship. Deut 6:7; 11:19; 31:12-13.
City Of Refuge
Approved rendering: lub nroog cawm siav
Transliteration: ir miqlat
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW. Cities providing due process and protection from blood-vengeance for unintentional killing (19:1-13). Purely legal-procedural sense of ‘preserve alive’ — must not be confused with the baseline’s Critical-tier salvation_save entry, always anchored to Yexus Khetos. Disambiguating footnote recommended on first use.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: thawj phaus qoob loo / cov ua ntej
Transliteration: aparchē / reshit / bikkurim
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
Agricultural harvest-offering imagery culturally accessible to an agrarian Hmong context. Extended in Deuteronomy to render the firstfruits confession liturgy (26:1-11). Inherited from Romans package.
Stumbling Block
Approved rendering: qhov/pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg
Transliteration: proskomma / skandalon / lithos proskommatos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Concrete imagery transfers well cross-culturally. PRESERVED HERE PRIMARILY AS A CONTRAST BOUNDARY: uses the same Hmong noun ‘pob zeb’ as Deuteronomy 32’s new ‘the_rock_divine_title’ entry but with the opposite valence (hazard vs. refuge/strength); a disambiguating gloss is required wherever both appear in the same curriculum. Inherited from Romans package.
Mystery
Approved rendering: zaj lus zais cia
Transliteration: mystērion
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
Comprehension gap only, no collision. Safe, non-colliding cross-reference for Deuteronomy’s new hidden_things entry (29:29’s ‘the secret things belong to the LORD’), which shares the same hidden-then-revealed divine-knowledge root concept. Inherited from Romans package.
Might Strength
Approved rendering: lub zog
Transliteration: me’od
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
NEW. Comprehension-level only. This is human strength/effort, not divine power; must not be confused with the baseline’s flagged hwjchim (dynamis) term, whose qualifier rule does not apply here. Deut 6:5.
No Gods
Approved rendering: tej uas tsis yog Vajtswv tiag
Transliteration: lo-el
Doctrine: Warnings against Idolatry
NEW. Mocking description of the false gods Israel was tempted to serve (32:17,21), reinforcing Shema exclusivity from the negative side. Reinforces rather than complicates the idol entry; no new collision.
Hidden Things
Approved rendering: tej uas zais cia
Transliteration: ha-nistarot
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal
NEW. ‘The secret things belong to the LORD… but the things revealed belong to us’ (29:29), a limiting principle on speculative theology. Safe, non-colliding cross-reference to the baseline’s mystery entry.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: Hnub Xanpateb
Transliteration: shabbat
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
NEW. Transliterated loanword, already settled existing Hmong Christian usage. Commanded rest grounded explicitly in the Exodus redemption memory (5:15); must retain the redemption-memory motive clause whenever cited.
Release Of Debts Slaves
Approved rendering: kev tso tseg (tej nuj nqes / tej qhev)
Transliteration: shemittah
Doctrine: Remembering God’s Redemption
NEW. Periodic debt-release and slave-manumission grounded explicitly in Israel’s own redemption from Egyptian slavery (15:15). Strong positive economic bridge via Hmong debt-culture, paralleling the baseline redemption entry’s debt-bridge. Deut 15:1-18.
Intercession
Approved rendering: thov Vajtswv rau lwm tus
Transliteration: palal (Hitpael)
Doctrine: The Coming Prophet like Moses
NEW. Moses’ forty-day intercession averting YHWH’s judgment after the golden calf (9:18-20,25-29). Positive typological bridge anticipating the Coming Prophet motif (ch.18) and Christ’s mediatorial intercession; recommend forward cross-reference note.
Medium-High Risk Terms
Fear The Lord
Approved rendering: hwm thiab ntshai Yawmsaub
Transliteration: yare
Doctrine: The Shema and Exclusive Love for God
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘ntshai’ (fear) alone — rejected, risks being heard identically to fear of capricious ancestral/nature spirits requiring ritual placation
NEW. ‘Hwm’ (revere/honor) must always be paired with ‘ntshai’ (fear) to teach that YHWH’s fear-worthiness flows from covenant faithfulness, not ritual unpredictability; extends the baseline wrath_of_god contrast-teaching logic. Deut 6:2,13,24; 8:6; 10:12,20; 13:4; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12-13.