Core Glossary
John — Core Glossary (Hmong Language Package)
Risk tier definitions (reused verbatim from bible_term_registry.json.registry_metadata.risk_tier_definitions):
- Critical — doctrinally load-bearing term with a strong, specific collision with Hmong traditional religion that could invert or neutralize the doctrine if unaddressed.
- High — real potential for confusion with a specific traditional-religious concept/practice; manageable with a documented disambiguating strategy.
- Medium — partial semantic mismatch, register gap, or comprehension gap with no direct collision with a competing religious system.
- Low — already-stable, safe rendering with minimal ambiguity.
Status key: Inherited = reused verbatim from the Romans TM, no change. New = proposed in this document, pending Phase 2 TM ratification. New — flagged = proposed but explicitly marked for mandatory human theologian review before ratification (per escalation rules).
Section 1 — Inherited Terms Reused in John (unchanged from Romans TM)
| English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Hmong Rendering | Risk | Doctrine (John) | Chapters | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | theos | Vajtswv | Low | Deity of Christ; God’s Love | all | Inherited |
| Lord | κύριος | kyrios | tus Tswv | Low | Deity of Christ; Unity | 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 20, 21 | Inherited |
| Jesus Christ | Ἰησοῦς Χριστός | Iēsous Christos | Yexus Khetos | Low | all | all | Inherited |
| Father (God) | πατήρ | patēr | Leej Txiv | Low | Unity of Father and Son | 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 14–17, 20 | Inherited |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | pneuma hagion | Vaj Ntsuj Plig | Critical | Holy Spirit as Counselor; New Birth | 1, 3, 4, 7, 14–16, 20 | Inherited |
| human spirit/soul (anthropological, πνεῦμα) | πνεῦμα | pneuma | ntsuj plig | High | New Birth (3:6) | 3, 4, 11 | Inherited |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | huios theou | Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv | Low | Deity of Christ | 1, 3, 5, 10, 11, 20 | Inherited |
| Grace | χάρις | charis | txiaj ntsim | Critical | John 1’s Prologue | 1 | Inherited |
| Faith / Believe | πίστις / πιστεύω | pistis / pisteuō | kev ntseeg / ntseeg | Medium | Eternal Life through Faith; Judgment/Belief | all | Inherited |
| Truth | ἀλήθεια | alētheia | qhov tseeb | Low | I AM the Truth; Holy Spirit of truth | 1, 3, 4, 8, 14–18 | Inherited |
| World | κόσμος | kosmos | lub ntiajteb | Low | God’s Love for the World | all | Inherited |
| Love | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | agapē / agapaō / phileō | kev hlub | Low | God’s Love for the World | 3, 11, 13, 14–17, 21 | Inherited |
| Eternal life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | zōē aiōnios | txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis | Low | Eternal Life through Faith | 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 17, 20 | Inherited |
| Glory | δόξα | doxa | lub yeeb koob | Low | Deity of Christ; I AM statements | 1, 2, 8, 9, 11–13, 17 | Inherited |
| Sin (act & condition) | ἁμαρτία | hamartia | txhaum / kev txhaum | High | Judgment; Holy Spirit’s convicting work | 1, 8, 9, 16, 19–20 | Inherited |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | dikaiosynē | Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees | Critical | Holy Spirit’s convicting work | 16 | Inherited |
| Wrath of God | ὀργὴ θεοῦ | orgē theou | kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | Inherited |
| No condemnation (κατάκριμα root) | κατάκριμα | katakrima | kev raug txiav txim rau kev puas tsuaj | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | (cross-ref. 3:17-19) | Inherited |
| Baptism | βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα | baptizō / baptisma | kev cai raus dej | High | New Birth (born of water); Union | 1, 3, 4 | Inherited |
| Sanctification | ἁγιασμός | hagiasmos | kev raug ua kom dawb huv | High | Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work | 17 | Inherited |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | basileia tou theou | lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv | Low | New Birth (3:3,5); Christ’s kingship | 3, 18 | Inherited |
| Worship/Serve (cultic) | λατρεύω / προσκυνέω | latreuō / proskyneō | pehawm / pab teev | High | Worship in Spirit and Truth | 4 | Inherited |
| Witness | μάρτυς / μαρτυρέω | martys / martyreō | tus timkhawv | Low | John’s testimony; core passage v.11 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 19, 21 | Inherited |
| Scripture | γραφή | graphē | Vaj Lug Kub | Low | Fulfillment motifs | 2, 5, 7, 19–20 | Inherited |
| Hardening | πώρωσις (Isaiah quotation) | pōrōsis | lub siab tawv | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 12 | Inherited |
| Adoption as sons | υἱοθεσία | huiothesia | raug muab coj los ua me tub (ntawm Vajtswv) | Medium | contrasted with §2’s “children of God” | (cross-ref. 1:12) | Inherited |
| Election / Choose | ἐκλογή / ἐκλέγομαι | eklogē / eklegomai | kev xaiv (Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam) | Critical | background to 6:44 “drawn,” 15:16 “chosen” | 6, 13, 15 | Inherited |
| Governing Authority | ἐξουσία | exousia | cov muaj hwjchim kav teb chaws | High | contrasted with “ruler of this world” | (cross-ref. 12:31) | Inherited |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | eirēnē | kev thaj yeeb | Low | Christ’s farewell discourse | 14, 20 | Inherited |
| In Christ / union formula | ἐν Χριστῷ (Pauline); μένω ἐν ἐμοί (Johannine) | en Christō; menō en emoi | nyob hauv Khetos → extended: nyob hauv kuv | High | True Vine / abiding | 15 | Inherited (extended) |
Section 2 — New Terms Surfaced in John (proposed, pending Phase 2 TM ratification)
| ID | English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Hmong Rendering (proposed) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J1 | the Word (Logos) | λόγος | logos | ”word, reasoned discourse” | Txoj Lus | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | New — flagged |
| J2 | only begotten / only Son | μονογενής | monogenēs | ”only one of its kind” | tib leeg Tub | High | Deity and Pre-existence; distinct from adoption | 1, 3 | New |
| J3 | Lamb of God | ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ | amnos tou theou | ”the lamb of God” | Leej Menyuam Yaj ntawm Vajtswv | High | Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 1 | New |
| J4 | children of God (τέκνα) | τέκνα θεοῦ | tekna theou | ”children of God” | cov me nyuam ntawm Vajtswv | Medium | New Birth; distinct from υἱοθεσία | 1 | New |
| J5 | signs (σημεῖα) | σημεῖα | sēmeia | ”signs, tokens” | tej txujci tseem ceeb | Low-Medium | Deity of Christ (revelatory miracles) | 2, 3, 4, 20 | New |
| J6 | double-amen formula | ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω | amēn amēn legō | ”truly, truly, I say” | Kuv qhia tseeb tseeb rau koj | Low (consistency) | cross-cutting | 25 occurrences throughout | New |
| J7 | born again / born from above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | gennēthē anōthen | ”begotten from above / again” | yug dua tshiab (los ntawm Vaj Ntsuj Plig) | CRITICAL | The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | 3 | New — flagged (requires theologian ratification) |
| J8 | born of water and the Spirit | γεννηθῇ ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ πνεύματος | gennēthē ex hydatos kai pneumatos | ”born of water and spirit” | yug los ntawm dej thiab Vaj Ntsuj Plig | High | New Birth | 3 | New |
| J9 | wind/Spirit wordplay | πνεῦμα (πνεῖ) | pneuma (pnei) | “wind/spirit blows” | cua / Vaj Ntsuj Plig (untranslatable pun) | Medium (comprehension gap) | New Birth | 3 | New — flagged (translator note) |
| J10 | Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | ”son of the man” | Leej Tub ntawm Neeg | Medium-High | Deity of Christ; messianic title | 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13 | New |
| J11 | lifted up (serpent typology) | ὑψωθῆναι | hypsōthēnai | ”to be lifted up/exalted” | yuav raug muab tsa siab | High | Substitutionary Death (typology) | 3, 8, 12 | New — flagged |
| J12 | judgment/condemn (verb) | κρίνω / κρίσις | krinō / krisis | ”to judge, decide” | txiav txim (rau) | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3, 5, 8, 9, 12, 16 | New |
| J13 | already condemned (perfect tense) | κέκριται | kekritai | ”has been judged” | twb raug txiav txim lawm | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | New |
| J14 | perish | ἀπόλλυμι | apollymi | ”to destroy, be lost/ruined” | puas tsuaj / ploj mus | Low-Medium | Eternal Life through Faith | 3, 10, 17 | New |
| J15 | light / darkness dualism | φῶς / σκότος | phōs / skotos | ”light / darkness” | qhov kaj / qhov tsaus ntuj | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1, 3, 8, 9, 12 | New — flagged |
| J16 | the hour (appointed time) | ἡ ὥρα | hē hōra | ”the hour, time” | lub sijhawm (uas tau teem cia) | Medium | Substitutionary Death (timing motif) | 2, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17 | New |
| J17 | living water | ὕδωρ ζῶν | hydōr zōn | ”living/flowing water” | dej muaj sia | Medium-High | Eternal Life; Holy Spirit | 4, 7 | New — flagged |
| J18 | God is spirit | πνεῦμα ὁ θεός | pneuma ho theos | ”spirit [is] God” | [see note; no safe default identified] | Critical | Unity/Deity background | 4 | New — flagged (translator review needed, no default rendering) |
| J19 | equal with God | ἴσον τῷ θεῷ | ison tō theō | ”equal to God” | sib npaug nrog Vajtswv | Critical | Deity of Christ; Unity | 5 | New |
| J20 | resurrection of life / of judgment | ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / κρίσεως | anastasis zōēs / kriseōs | ”resurrection of life/judgment” | kev sawv hauv qhov tuag mus rau txoj sia / mus raug txiav txim | Medium-High | Judgment; Eternal Life | 5 | New |
| J21 | I am the bread of life | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs | ”I am the bread of life” | Kuv yog tus khoom noj uas muaj txoj sia | Medium | Seven I AM Statements | 6 | New |
| J22 | eat my flesh, drink my blood | φάγῃ τὴν σάρκα, πίῃ τὸ αἷμα | phagē tēn sarka, piē to haima | ”eat the flesh, drink the blood” | noj kuv lub cev nqaij tawv, haus kuv cov ntshav (paub tias yog lub ntsiab lus, tsis yog noj tiag) | High | Substitutionary Death (sacramental symbolism) | 6 | New — flagged |
| J23 | drawn (by the Father) | ἕλκω | helkō | ”to draw, drag, attract” | rub / coj los | High (by extension of election entry) | background to New Birth | 6 | New |
| J24 | I am the light of the world | ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou | ”I am the light of the world” | Kuv yog qhov kaj rau lub ntiajteb | Medium-High | Seven I AM Statements | 8, 9 | New |
| J25 | devil/Satan, “father the devil” | διάβολος | diabolos | ”slanderer, accuser” | dab ntxwg nyoog | High | background to Judgment; spiritual conflict | 8, 12, 13, 14, 16 | New (already-standard term, collision newly logged) |
| J26 | freedom (from sin) | ἐλευθερόω / ἐλευθερία | eleutheroō / eleutheria | ”to free, liberate” | kev ywj pheej | Low-Medium | Eternal Life through Faith | 8 | New |
| J27 | absolute “I AM” | ἐγώ εἰμι (unqualified) | egō eimi | ”I AM” (Exodus 3:14 echo) | Kuv Yog | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 8 (also 8:24; 13:19) | New — flagged (highest-stakes term in the book) |
| J28 | sin explaining suffering (works of God displayed) | ἁμαρτία (contextual) | hamartia | ”sin” | txhaum / kev txhaum (contextual extension) | High | Judgment; contrasts Hmong misfortune-causation worldview | 9 | New |
| J29 | I am the door/gate | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα | egō eimi hē thyra | ”I am the door” | Kuv yog qhov rooj | Low | Seven I AM Statements | 10 | New |
| J30 | I am the good shepherd | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos | ”I am the good shepherd” | Kuv yog tus Yug Yaj Zoo | Medium | Seven I AM Statements | 10 | New |
| J31 | lay down my life (ψυχή) | τὴν ψυχήν μου | tēn psychēn mou | ”my soul/life/self” | muab nws txoj sia rho pov tseg | Medium | Substitutionary Death; distinct from πνεῦμα entries | 10, 12, 13, 15 | New |
| J32 | I and the Father are one | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | egō kai ho patēr hen esmen | ”I and the Father are one [thing]“ | kuv thiab Leej Txiv koom ua ib | Critical | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10, 17 | New |
| J33 | I am the resurrection and the life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē | ”I am the resurrection and the life” | Kuv yog tus sawv hauv qhov tuag thiab txoj sia | Critical | Seven I AM Statements; Substitutionary Death/Resurrection | 11 | New |
| J34 | resurrection (general, anastasis) | ἀνάστασις | anastasis | ”a rising up again” | kev sawv hauv qhov tuag | Medium | distinct from Christ’s unique resurrection | 5, 11 | New |
| J35 | ruler of this world | ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | ho archōn tou kosmou toutou | ”the ruler of this world” | tus uas kav lub ntiajteb no | High | background to Judgment; contrasts governing authority | 12, 14, 16 | New |
| J36 | I am the way, truth, life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē | ”I am the way, truth, life” | Kuv yog txoj kev, thiab qhov tseeb, thiab txoj sia | Critical | Seven I AM Statements; exclusivity claim | 14 | New |
| J37 | the Counselor / Paraclete | παράκλητος | paraklētos | ”one called alongside” | Vaj Ntsuj Plig, tus Pab Txhawb Nqa | CRITICAL | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14, 15, 16 | New — flagged (requires theologian ratification) |
| J38 | orphans | ὀρφανούς | orphanous | ”orphans” | cov tub ntsuag | Low | Holy Spirit’s abiding presence | 14 | New |
| J39 | I am the true vine | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | egō eimi hē ampelos hē alēthinē | ”I am the true vine” | Kuv yog tsob txiv hmab tseeb | Medium | Seven I AM Statements | 15 | New |
| J40 | abide in me | μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί | meinate en emoi | ”remain/abide in me” | nyob hauv kuv | High | Union with Christ (Johannine parallel to Pauline formula) | 15 | New (extension) |
| J41 | overcome the world | νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον | nenikēka ton kosmon | ”I have conquered the world” | kuv kov yeej lub ntiajteb lawm | Low-Medium | Holy Spirit / Christian assurance | 16 | New |
| J42 | know (relational, ginōskō) | γινώσκω | ginōskō | ”to know” (relational/experiential) | paub | Medium | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | 17 | New |
| J43 | that they may be one (relational unity) | ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν | hina ōsin hen | ”that they may be one [thing]“ | kom lawv koom ua ib | Critical | Unity of Father and Son (analogically applied) | 17 | New (extension of J32) |
| J44 | It is finished | τετέλεσται | tetelestai | ”it has been completed/accomplished” | Tiav lawm | Critical | Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 19 | New — flagged (direct extension of Romans propitiation entry) |
| J45 | the resurrection of Christ | ἠγέρθη / ἀνέστη | ēgerthē / anestē | ”he was raised / he rose” | Yexus sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los lawm | CRITICAL | Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 20 | New — flagged (single highest-consequence collision in the book — ancestor-spirit continuation vs. bodily resurrection) |
| J46 | My Lord and my God | ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou | ”my Lord and my God” | kuv tus Tswv thiab kuv tus Vajtswv | Critical | Deity of Christ (climactic confession) | 20 | New (compound of two Inherited terms) |
| J47 | sent (apostolic commissioning) | ἀποστέλλω / πέμπω | apostellō / pempō | ”to send” | txib | Medium | connects to Apostle (Romans TM) | 20 | New (connective) |
| J48 | agapē / phileō distinction | ἀγαπᾷς / φιλεῖς | agapas / phileis | ”you love” (two verbs) | kev hlub (single Hmong term for both) | Low-Medium | Christian love/discipleship | 21 | New — flagged (literary-nuance gap, no doctrinal collision) |
Section 3 — Summary of Critical-Risk New Terms Requiring Human Theologian Ratification Before Phase 2 Lock
| ID | Term | Reason for Critical Flag |
|---|---|---|
| J1 | the Word (Logos) | Foundational deity/pre-existence title; must never be diluted to generic “message/teaching.” |
| J7 | Born again / born from above | Collides with Hmong soul-rebirth/reincarnation-adjacent concepts; single highest-risk term in the core passage. |
| J18 | God is spirit | No safe default rendering identified; risks confusion with animistic spirit categories or the human-soul TM entry. |
| J27 | Absolute “I AM” (8:58) | Echoes the divine self-name (Exodus 3:14); the single strongest deity-claim in the book. |
| J32 / J43 | ”I and the Father are one” / “that they may be one” | Must preserve ontological unity distinct from mere relational agreement; governs the Unity doctrine throughout. |
| J37 | The Counselor / Paraclete | Collides with Hmong guardian-spirit/protector-spirit concepts; central to the assigned Holy Spirit as Counselor doctrine. |
| J44 | It is finished (tetelestai) | Must be taught as a completed, unrepeatable atoning act, directly extending the Romans propitiation entry’s mandatory teaching. |
| J45 | Resurrection of Christ | Collides directly with ancestor-spirit-continuation beliefs; arguably the highest-consequence single doctrinal-translation decision in the whole Gospel. |
All eight rows above must be routed to human theologian review, with no automated-review bypass, before any Phase 2 generation locks a permanent rendering into the John Language Package translation memory — consistent with the escalation and review-routing conventions established in the Romans baseline (doctrine_risk_registry.json.review_routing_rule; 12_ai_translation_requirements.md §9).
Critical Risk Terms
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: pneuma hagion / pneuma hagiōsynēs
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: bare ntsuj plig (no Vaj prefix) — rejected, denotes an animistic wandering human soul
Fixed collocation; ‘Vaj’ prefix mandatory at every occurrence to mark the divine Person and distinguish from the multi-soul animistic concept (hu plig). Inherited from Romans package.
Grace
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
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. Inherited from Romans package.
Flesh Neutral Descent Body
Approved rendering: lub cev nqaij tawv
Transliteration: sarx (neutral)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: bare nqaij used unmarked for both senses — rejected, collapses neutral and moral senses of flesh
Must be kept lexically distinct from the moral-sinful-nature sense; used for physical body/lineage and, in John, for the incarnation itself (1:14, ‘the Word became flesh’) and literal eating (6:51-56). Inherited from Romans package.
Righteousness Of God Righteous
Approved rendering: Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees / tus ncaj ncees
Transliteration: dikaiosynē theou / dikaios
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘kev ncaj ncees’ without the reckoning qualifier — rejected, reads as self-achieved moralism
Reused in John 16:8-10 as the object of the Holy Spirit’s convicting work; must retain the forensic, non-moralistic emphasis even in this brief pneumatological reference. Inherited from Romans package.
Law Mosaic Divine
Approved rendering: Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)
Transliteration: nomos
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Txoj Kevcai’ without qualifier — rejected, collapses into kev cai dab qhuas (ancestral spirit-worship customs)
Qualifier ‘(ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)’ mandatory at every occurrence. Directly relevant to John 1:17’s contrast (‘the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’) and to the Pharisees’ legal disputes (7:19,23; 8:5; 19:7). Inherited from Romans package.
Propitiation Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: qhov theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: hilastērion
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, would be opaque and prevent needed contrast-teaching against shamanic appeasement
Must be taught as once-for-all, sufficient, unrepeatable, distinguished from shamanic sacrificial appeasement. Directly cross-referenced by John’s lamb_of_god, eat_flesh_drink_blood, and it_is_finished entries. Inherited from Romans package.
Election Choose
Approved rendering: kev xaiv (Vajtswv xaiv raws li nws lub siab nyiam)
Transliteration: eklogē / eklegomai
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (impersonal fate/fortune) vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, collapses personal divine choice into fatalism
Background to John 6:44 (‘drawn’ by the Father, see drawn_by_the_father) and Christ’s choosing of the disciples (13:18; 15:16,19). Volitional verb-phrase mandatory, never a bare noun. Inherited from Romans package.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: Txoj Lus
Transliteration: logos
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: cov lus / ib los lus (ordinary words/speech) — rejected, dilutes the eternal personal divine title to generic communicative activity, ‘message’ or ‘teaching’ gloss — rejected, loses the personal, eternal, pre-existent Agent-of-creation sense of 1:1-3
NEW — Critical, requires human theologian ratification. Reserved exclusively as a fixed theological title (1:1 x3, 1:14) distinguishing the eternal personal Word from ordinary speech; no traditional-religion collision, but doctrinal dilution risk is maximal. Must always be capitalized-register and never varied stylistically.
Born Again Born From Above
Approved rendering: yug dua tshiab (los ntawm Vaj Ntsuj Plig)
Transliteration: gennēthē anōthen
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘yug dua’ (born again/a second time) with no qualifying clause — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, defaults to a reincarnation-adjacent reading colliding with Hmong soul-continuation and hu plig ritual soul-calling concepts, ‘hloov siab tshiab’ substituted as the primary gloss — rejected, denotes ongoing sanctification, not the one-time definitive new-birth event
NEW — CRITICAL, requires human theologian ratification before Phase 2 lock. Single highest-risk term in the core passage (John 3:3,7). The trailing qualifier clause anchoring the birth’s agent to Vaj Ntsuj Plig is structurally mandatory at every occurrence, per the same mandatory-qualifier method already established for hwjchim/Txoj Kevcai/ncaj ncees in the Romans baseline. Must be taught as a one-time, permanent, forward-only event, never repeatable or cyclical.
God Is Spirit
Approved rendering: [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED — no safe default rendering identified; recommend theologian-supervised descriptive paraphrase, e.g. ‘Vajtswv yog tus muaj hwjchim ntsuj, tsis muaj cev nqaij tawv’]
Transliteration: pneuma ho theos
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: short predication using ‘Ntsuj’ or ‘Ntsuj Plig’ for God’s own nature — rejected, risks confusion with human_spirit_soul or generic dab vocabulary for lesser/false spirits, unilateral AI-generated short rendering — rejected per escalation rule; no default may be assigned without human theologian ratification
NEW — flagged, CRITICAL, translator review needed. John 4:24. No Romans TM precedent addresses this predication about God’s own non-corporeal nature. Insert [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED] wherever this verse is generated until a rendering is formally ratified.
Equal With God
Approved rendering: sib npaug nrog Vajtswv
Transliteration: ison tō theō
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: honorific-elevation framing implying favored status or moral likeness — rejected, the text and doctrine require ontological equality, not elevated status
NEW — Critical. John 5:18. Also foundational to Unity of the Father and the Son. Must never be softened toward mere favored status.
Absolute I Am
Approved rendering: Kuv Yog
Transliteration: egō eimi (unqualified)
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: a transliterated Greek loanword — rejected, would be opaque and forfeit the Exodus 3:14 resonance, smoothing into ordinary self-identification (‘kuv yog Yexus,’ ‘it’s me’) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, erases the divine self-name echo
NEW — flagged, CRITICAL, requires human theologian ratification. 8:24,28,58; 13:19 (background 6:20; 18:5-6,8). The single strongest deity/pre-existence claim in the book outside the Prologue. Reserved exclusively for these absolute occurrences; never used for ordinary narrative self-identification elsewhere. Requires first-occurrence footnote.
I And Father Are One
Approved rendering: kuv thiab Leej Txiv koom ua ib
Transliteration: egō kai ho patēr hen esmen
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ‘koom ib lub siab’ (of one mind/heart, the standard Hmong relational-harmony idiom) — rejected as the primary rendering; collapses essential ontological unity of being into mere cooperative agreement between two separate persons
NEW — Critical. 10:30; cf. 17:11,21-22. The Greek neuter hen (‘one thing,’ not masculine ‘one person’) signals unity of essence; ‘koom ua ib’ is preferred specifically to keep lexical daylight from the purely relational-harmony idiom.
I Am Resurrection And Life
Approved rendering: Kuv yog tus sawv hauv qhov tuag thiab txoj sia
Transliteration: egō eimi hē anastasis kai hē zōē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW — Critical. 11:25. Directly ties to the resurrection-collision risk documented at resurrection_of_christ.
I Am Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: Kuv yog txoj kev, thiab qhov tseeb, thiab txoj sia
Transliteration: egō eimi hē hodos kai hē alētheia kai hē zōē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: softening the exclusivity clause toward a pluralistic ‘one way among several’ reading — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, directly contradicts 14:6’s own explicit exclusivity clause
NEW — Critical. John 14:6. The exclusivity claim (‘no one comes to the Father except through me’) must never be softened.
The Counselor Paraclete
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig, tus Pab Txhawb Nqa
Transliteration: ho paraklētos
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: a transliterated loanword (‘Palakaletau’-style) — rejected, doctrinally inert, evades rather than resolves the guardian-spirit collision, dropping the ‘Vaj Ntsuj Plig’ base and using only a descriptive title — rejected, breaks continuity with the Holy Spirit entry
NEW — flagged, CRITICAL, requires human theologian ratification. 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7. Collides with Hmong household/personal guardian-spirit and ancestral protector-spirit concepts, ritually fed/appeased to secure ongoing aid. Must be repeatedly taught: the Paraclete is the divine Third Person, permanently and freely given (‘forever,’ 14:16), never ritually maintained or losable through ritual failure, whose function is to testify to truth and glorify Christ.
That They May Be One
Approved rendering: kom lawv koom ua ib
Transliteration: hina ōsin hen
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: presenting believers’ unity as identical in kind to the Father-Son’s essential unity — rejected, flattens the categorical distinction this doctrine depends on
NEW — Critical, extension of i_and_father_are_one. 17:11,21-22. Believers’ unity mirrors but does not equal the Father-Son’s shared divine nature.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: Tiav lawm
Transliteration: tetelestai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: any rendering or teaching implying ongoing or repeatable atoning work — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, would align with shamanic repeatable-appeasement patterns
NEW — flagged, CRITICAL, direct extension of propitiation_atoning_sacrifice. John 19:30. Perfect tense signaling a completed action with permanent effect; must be cross-referenced to the mandatory once-for-all, sufficient, unrepeatable teaching requirement at every occurrence.
Resurrection Of Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus sawv hauv qhov tuag rov qab los lawm
Transliteration: ēgerthē / anestē
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: any analogy to hu plig soul-calling or ancestral-altar consultation practice, even for illustrative contrast, without an immediate explicit correction — rejected as too high-risk to leave unqualified, teaching the resurrection as Christ’s spirit ‘continuing among the ancestors’ — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, inverts the doctrine’s unique bodily claim
NEW — flagged, CRITICAL, requires human theologian ratification. Ch.20 (background 2:19-22; 11:25). Arguably the single most consequential doctrinal-translation decision in the whole Gospel for a Hmong audience. Must be repeatedly taught as bodily, historical, witnessed, permanent, unrepeatable; the risen body eats, is touched, bears wounds (20:20,27).
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: kuv tus Tswv thiab kuv tus Vajtswv
Transliteration: ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: teaching this as a mere exclamation of surprise rather than worshipful confession — rejected, loses the Gospel’s climactic, explicit deity-confession
NEW — Critical, compound of two already-Low-risk inherited terms (lord, god); combined confessional use at 20:28 is the Gospel’s climactic explicit deity-confession of Jesus. Also foundational to Unity of the Father and the Son.
Grace And Truth Compound
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim thiab qhov tseeb
Transliteration: charitos kai alētheias
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: loosening the grace-alone force when the two terms co-occur — rejected, the mandatory forbidding of koob hmoov for grace applies with full force in this compound
NEW compound of two already-fixed Romans TM terms (grace, truth). John 1:14,17. Echoes God’s covenant character revealed to Moses; grace-alone force must never be loosened here.
Receive The Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Txais Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: labete Pneuma Hagion
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: dropping the mandatory ‘Vaj’ prefix for narrative economy — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN
NEW connective entry inheriting the full Critical risk of the holy_spirit base term. John 20:22. John’s own ‘mini-Pentecost’ moment; the Vaj prefix must be retained without exception.
High Risk Terms
Human Spirit Soul
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig
Transliteration: pneuma (anthropological)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
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. Inherited from Romans package.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: orgē theou
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘npau taws’ associated only with capricious spirit/ancestor anger — rejected without explicit contrast teaching
John 3:36: God’s wrath remains on the one who does not obey the Son — righteous and judicial, not appeasable by ritual, unlike traditional spirit-anger. Inherited from Romans package.
Sin Act And Condition
Approved rendering: txhaum / kev txhaum
Transliteration: hamartia
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Hmong custom frames wrongdoing as reparable social/ritual fault; John requires teaching sin as objective, God-ward guilt exposed by the Spirit’s convicting ministry (16:8-9) and directly confronted at 9:1-3 (see sin_explaining_suffering, below). Inherited from Romans package.
Baptism
Approved rendering: kev cai raus dej
Transliteration: baptizō / baptisma
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword (‘npativ’ style) — rejected, would sidestep rather than resolve the kevcai collision
Shares kevcai root with ritual purification from spirit-contamination. In John, directly relevant to John the Baptist’s ministry (1:25-33) and to the New Birth discourse’s ‘born of water’ (3:5), where water must be taught as symbolizing/accompanying, not accomplishing, the Spirit’s regenerating work. Inherited from Romans package.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: kev raug ua kom dawb huv
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv as a repeatable ritual-cleansing state — rejected
John 17:17,19: Christ’s prayer that believers be sanctified ‘in the truth.’ Must be taught as progressive, Spirit-wrought, truth-mediated moral transformation, not ritual cleansing. Inherited from Romans package.
Power
Approved rendering: hwjchim
Transliteration: dynamis
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified hwjchim — FORBIDDEN, identical to a shaman’s (txiv neeb) ritual power
Underlies the shared verb root ‘kav’ (to rule/govern) in John’s governing_authority and ruler_of_this_world entries; always qualify as ‘Vajtswv hwjchim’ when referring to divine power. Inherited from Romans package.
Salvation Save
Approved rendering: kev cawm dim / cawm
Transliteration: sōtēria / sōzō
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: unanchored ‘dim’ (escape) parallel to shamanic ua neeb soul-rescue — rejected without explicit Christ-anchoring
The stated purpose of the Son’s sending (John 3:17); recurs at 10:9, 12:47. Always anchor explicitly to Yexus Khetos as sole agent/means. Inherited from Romans package.
Governing Authority
Approved rendering: cov muaj hwjchim kav teb chaws
Transliteration: exousia
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Rejected alternatives: unmarked hwjchim framing rulers’ authority as shamanic spiritual power — rejected
Referenced at John 19:10-11 (Pilate’s authority). Must be clearly marked as delegated, God-ordained civil authority, distinct from John’s ruler_of_this_world (Satan’s illegitimate, usurped authority), even though both share the ‘kav’ root. Inherited from Romans package.
Worship Serve Cultic
Approved rendering: pehawm / pab teev
Transliteration: latreuō / proskyneō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Rejected alternatives: bare, unanchored pehawm — FORBIDDEN, identical verb used for pehawm dab (ancestor/spirit veneration)
Extended to John’s proskyneō (‘worship in spirit and truth,’ 4:20-24), functionally overlapping with the Romans latreuō entry. Object of pehawm must always be stated (‘pehawm Vajtswv’). Inherited from Romans package.
In Christ Union Formula
Approved rendering: nyob hauv Khetos
Transliteration: en Christō
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: bare spatial ‘hauv’ with no fixed co-text — rejected, carries only literal physical-location sense and misses the participatory, mystical-union sense
Extended in John by the abide_in_me entry (15:4-10, menō en emoi), John’s own vine-and-branches Union-with-Christ idiom structurally parallel to Paul’s formula. Must always be distinguished from mere physical ‘nyob hauv’ by consistent co-text referencing union with Christ. Inherited from Romans package.
Only Begotten Son
Approved rendering: tib leeg Tub
Transliteration: monogenēs
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘tub’ (son) with no uniqueness qualifier — rejected, could imply Christ is merely one son among God’s many children, ‘thawj tub’ (firstborn son) — rejected, wrongly implies a sequence of siblings rather than categorical uniqueness
NEW — High. Must never imply Christ began to exist at a point in time; ‘tib leeg’ (unique/only) qualifier is structurally mandatory at every occurrence (1:14,18; 3:16,18), parallel to the Vaj-prefix rule for the Holy Spirit. Kept categorically distinct from adoption_as_sons and children_of_god_tekna.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: Leej Menyuam Yaj ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: amnos tou theou
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘tsiaj fij’ (sacrificial animal) — rejected, loses the specific Passover/Isaiah 53 typological identification, substituting a locally-sacrificed animal (pig/chicken/cattle) for ‘lamb’ — rejected, severs the text from its Old Testament typological source
NEW — High. Hmong sacrificial practice centers on pigs, chickens, cattle offered to spirits/ancestors (fij dab), not sheep; requires explicit Passover/Isaiah 53 typological teaching, distinguished from repeatable spirit-appeasement offerings. Cross-references propitiation_atoning_sacrifice.
Born Of Water And Spirit
Approved rendering: yug los ntawm dej thiab Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: gennēthē ex hydatos kai pneumatos
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: treating water as itself accomplishing regeneration apart from the Spirit — rejected, would read as baptismal-regeneration-by-ritual
NEW — High. John 3:5. Directly inherits the baptism/kevcai ritual-washing collision; water must be taught as symbolizing/accompanying, never accomplishing, the Spirit’s regenerating work.
Lifted Up Serpent Typology
Approved rendering: yuav raug muab tsa siab
Transliteration: hypsōthēnai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: presenting the bronze-serpent image without typological framing — rejected, risks absorption into regional snake-spirit/ill-omen folklore, substituting a culturally ‘safer’ non-serpent image — rejected, severs the text from its Old Testament typological source
NEW — flagged. 3:14; 8:28; 12:32,34. Two risk vectors: (1) the lifted-up-as-crucified/exalted double meaning is a comprehension gap; (2) serpent imagery risks assimilation into maleficent-spirit folklore. Dedicated teaching note anchoring strictly to Numbers 21 is mandatory.
Judgment Condemn Verb
Approved rendering: txiav txim (rau)
Transliteration: krinō / krisis
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
NEW. 3:17-19; 5:22-29; 8:15-16; 9:39-41; 12:47-48; 16:8-11. Distinct from but cross-referenced to the Romans no_condemnation entry. Must be taught with careful attention to John’s present (‘already’) versus future (last-day) senses.
Already Condemned
Approved rendering: twb raug txiav txim lawm
Transliteration: kekritai
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: rendering without the ‘twb…lawm’ (already…now) construction — rejected, loses the perfect-tense present-standing sense, teaching this condemnation as impersonal predetermined fate — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, same collision as the Romans hmoov-forbidden-substitution warning for election
NEW — High. John 3:18. Self-incurred through present unbelief, a real response-conditioned consequence, never impersonal fate; must never be taught alongside hmoov vocabulary.
Eat Flesh Drink Blood
Approved rendering: noj kuv lub cev nqaij tawv, haus kuv cov ntshav (lub ntsiab lus, tsis yog noj tiag)
Transliteration: phagē tēn sarka… piē to haima
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: omitting the figurative clarifier — rejected, risks a literal-cannibalism misreading, teaching ‘blood’ as a repeatable ritual blood-offering — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, would align with fij dab shamanic appeasement practice
NEW — flagged. 6:53-56, clarified at 6:63. Two compounded risks: literal-cannibalism misreading, and collision with Hmong ritual blood-offering (fij dab) practice; mandatory parenthetical clarifier required at every occurrence.
Drawn By The Father
Approved rendering: rub / coj los
Transliteration: helkō
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: hmoov (fate/fortune) vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, same collision as the Romans election_choose entry
NEW. John 6:44. Echoes the Romans election_choose doctrine’s mandatory hmoov-forbidden-substitution warning.
Devil Satan
Approved rendering: dab ntxwg nyoog
Transliteration: diabolos
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
NEW logging of an already-standard Hmong Christian term’s collision risk. 8:44; 12:31; 13:2; 14:30; 16:11. Shares the root morpheme ‘dab’ with the broad traditional-religion spirit category; requires explicit teaching that Satan is a singular, personal, fallen angelic enemy of God, categorically different from ancestral/household/nature dab.
Sin Explaining Suffering
Approved rendering: txhaum / kev txhaum (kev siv rau tej kev txom nyem)
Transliteration: hamartia (contextual, 9:1-3)
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: leaving the disciples’ causal-suffering assumption unaddressed/unglossed — rejected, would fail to surface Jesus’ direct correction at 9:3
NEW. John 9:1-3. The disciples’ assumption that suffering indexes personal or ancestral sin closely parallels Hmong traditional causal explanations of misfortune via ancestral/spirit displeasure; requires explicit contrast-teaching.
Ruler Of This World
Approved rendering: tus uas kav lub ntiajteb no
Transliteration: ho archōn tou kosmou toutou
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
NEW. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. Title for Satan; shares the verb root ‘kav’ with governing_authority — must be clearly taught as illegitimate, usurped, temporary authority, categorically distinct from God-ordained civil authority.
Abide In Me
Approved rendering: nyob hauv kuv
Transliteration: meinate en emoi / menō en emoi
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: bare spatial ‘hauv’ with no fixed co-text — rejected, carries only literal physical-location sense
NEW, extension of in_christ_union_formula. 15:4-10. John’s own Union-with-Christ idiom; must always be co-textually anchored to union with Christ.
Medium Risk Terms
Faith Believe
Approved rendering: kev ntseeg / ntseeg
Transliteration: pistis / pisteuō
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Broad verb covering belief/trust/obedience; must always be anchored explicitly to its object (Christ, or ‘his name’) to avoid generic-belief drift. Inherited from Romans package.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: kev txiav (raws li Txoj Kevcai Mauxes)
Transliteration: peritomē
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose
Referenced at John 7:22-23. No native Hmong practice; comprehension gap requiring explanatory gloss, not a collision. Inherited from Romans package.
No Condemnation
Approved rendering: kev raug txiav txim rau kev puas tsuaj
Transliteration: katakrima
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Legal-idiom bridge underlying John’s own judgment_condemn_verb and already_condemned entries (3:17-19). Inherited from Romans package.
Adoption As Sons
Approved rendering: raug muab coj los ua me tub (ntawm Vajtswv)
Transliteration: huiothesia
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Kept lexically distinct from John’s own children_of_god_tekna entry (1:12), which emphasizes new-birth-derived relationship rather than legal adoption; the two metaphors are complementary, not identical. Inherited from Romans package.
Hardening
Approved rendering: lub siab tawv
Transliteration: pōrōsis
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Applied to Israel’s unbelief via the Isaiah quotation at John 12:37-41. Idiom-based (‘hardened liver/heart’); comprehension-level risk only. Inherited from Romans package.
Children Of God Tekna
Approved rendering: cov me nyuam ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: tekna theou
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: collapsing into adoption_as_sons wording — rejected, erases John’s distinct birth-derived relationship metaphor
NEW — Medium. John 1:12. Taught as complementary to, not identical with, adoption_as_sons; both affirm sonship/childship by grace via different metaphors (birth vs. legal adoption).
Wind Spirit Wordplay
Approved rendering: cua / Vaj Ntsuj Plig (nyob rau hauv ib lo lus Kilis, tsis muaj lo lus Hmoob zoo sib npaug)
Transliteration: pneuma (pnei)
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: forcing a single invented Hmong word to cover both ‘wind’ and ‘Spirit’ — rejected, an artificial neologism that would not actually reproduce the pun’s effect
NEW — flagged, translator footnote required. John 3:8. Genuine untranslatable literary-device gap, not a doctrinal collision; footnote must explain the Greek pun explicitly so the illustrative force (sovereign, invisible, perceptible-by-effect) is still taught.
The Hour Appointed Time
Approved rendering: lub sijhawm (uas tau teem cia)
Transliteration: hē hōra
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
NEW. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23,27; 13:1; 17:1. Recurring technical motif for the divinely appointed time of Christ’s death-and-glorification; requires a first-occurrence teaching note flagging it as a recurring thread.
I Am Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: Kuv yog tus khoom noj uas muaj txoj sia
Transliteration: egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW. 6:35,48. First of seven I AM statements; fixed ‘Kuv yog…’ formula must render identically across all seven. Bread-as-staple transfers to rice-as-staple in Hmong culture.
I Am Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: Kuv yog tus Yug Yaj Zoo
Transliteration: egō eimi ho poimēn ho kalos
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW. 10:11,14. Sheep-herding is not the dominant Hmong highland pastoral practice; recommend illustrative analogy to cattle/buffalo herding, paralleling the Romans grafted-olive-tree strategy.
Lay Down My Life Psyche
Approved rendering: muab nws txoj sia rho pov tseg
Transliteration: tēn psychēn mou
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: rendering psychē interchangeably with ntsuj plig or Vaj Ntsuj Plig — rejected, psychē (life/self) and pneuma (spirit) are distinct Greek lexemes
NEW. 10:11,15,17-18; 12:25; 13:37-38; 15:13. ‘Txoj sia’ (life) kept lexically distinct from human_spirit_soul (ntsuj plig) and holy_spirit (Vaj Ntsuj Plig).
Resurrection General Anastasis
Approved rendering: kev sawv hauv qhov tuag
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: collapsing Lazarus’s raising and Christ’s own resurrection into a single undifferentiated category — rejected
NEW. 5:29; 11:24-25. Must be kept distinguished from resurrection_of_christ; maintain a three-way distinction (Lazarus’s temporary raising / the general future resurrection / Christ’s own unique permanent resurrection).
I Am True Vine
Approved rendering: Kuv yog tsob txiv hmab tseeb
Transliteration: egō eimi hē ampelos hē alēthinē
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW. 15:1,5. Viticulture is not a traditional Hmong highland agricultural practice, paralleling the Romans grafted_olive_tree comprehension gap; recommend illustrative analogy to a locally familiar fruiting vine.
Know Relational Ginosko
Approved rendering: paub
Transliteration: ginōskō
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
NEW. 17:3. Recommend teaching note distinguishing this relational/covenantal sense from ‘paub txog’ (knowing about).
Sent Apostolic Commissioning
Approved rendering: txib
Transliteration: apostellō / pempō
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
NEW connective entry. John 20:21. ‘As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’ precedes the giving of the Spirit; connects to the Romans apostle-family concept (same ‘sent one’ root).
Blood And Water
Approved rendering: cov ntshav thiab dej
Transliteration: haima kai hydōr
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
NEW. John 19:34. Physical evidence of Christ’s genuine death; recommend a teaching note on theological significance; no new lexical risk beyond eat_flesh_drink_blood.
Low Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv
Transliteration: theos
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
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing usage; applied to God and Christ. Inherited from Romans package.
Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Standard transliteration baseline. Inherited from Romans package.
Father God
Approved rendering: Leej Txiv
Transliteration: patēr
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Honorific already settled; pairs with ‘Leej Tub’ for the Son. Inherited from Romans package.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Union with Christ
Rejected alternatives: diminished-sonship renderings found in sectarian materials — rejected, must preserve full deity
Honorific parallel to Leej Txiv. Inherited from Romans package.
Truth
Approved rendering: qhov tseeb
Transliteration: alētheia
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package.
Jew
Approved rendering: cov Yudas
Transliteration: Ioudaios
Doctrine: The Future of Israel
Established transliteration. Inherited from Romans package.
Death
Approved rendering: txoj kev tuag
Transliteration: thanatos
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Stable term; contrasted with eternal life throughout John (e.g. 5:24, ‘has passed from death to life’). Inherited from Romans package.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: txoj sia nyob mus ib txhis
Transliteration: zōē aiōnios
Doctrine: Union with Christ
John’s central soteriological gift-term (3:16; 5:24; 6:47; 10:28; 11:25-26; 17:3; 20:31). Must always be anchored to faith in Christ as the means, to prevent drift toward generic ancestral-realm afterlife-continuation belief. Inherited from Romans package.
Glory
Approved rendering: lub yeeb koob
Transliteration: doxa
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing term; recurs throughout John (1:14; 2:11; 8:54; 11:4,40; 12:41; 13:31-32; 17:5,22,24). Inherited from Romans package.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: basileia tou theou
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
John 3:3,5 (entry requires the new birth); John 18:36 (‘my kingdom is not of this world’). Stable existing Hmong Christian term. Inherited from Romans package.
Witness
Approved rendering: tus timkhawv
Transliteration: martys / martyreō
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing legal/testimonial term; recurs throughout John (1:7-8,19,32,34; 3:11,26,28,32-33; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:27; 19:35; 21:24). Inherited from Romans package.
World
Approved rendering: lub ntiajteb
Transliteration: kosmos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable term; foundational to God’s Love for the World (John 3:16). Occasional risk of being heard narrowly as ‘this locality’ rather than the whole of humanity — reinforce universality with teaching note at first occurrence. Inherited from Romans package.
Scripture
Approved rendering: Vaj Lug Kub
Transliteration: graphē
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Settled compound term already used in existing Hmong Bible tradition; John repeatedly cites Scripture as fulfilled (2:22; 5:39; 7:38,42; 19:24,28,36-37; 20:9). Inherited from Romans package.
Love
Approved rendering: kev hlub
Transliteration: agapē / agapaō / phileō
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church
Central to God’s Love for the World (John 3:16) and the new commandment (13:34-35); single Hmong term covers both Greek verbs (see agape_phileo_distinction for the 21:15-17 literary-nuance note). Inherited from Romans package.
Double Amen Formula
Approved rendering: Kuv qhia tseeb tseeb rau koj
Transliteration: amēn amēn legō
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: varying the introductory phrase for stylistic ‘naturalness’ — rejected, breaks recognition of a fixed, deliberate, solemn-pronouncement formula
NEW — stylistic-consistency entry. Must render identically at every occurrence throughout John (recurs 25 times, e.g. 1:51; 3:3,5,11; 5:19,24-25; 6:26,32,47,53; 8:34,51,58; 10:1,7; 12:24; 13:16,20-21,38; 14:12; 16:20,23; 21:18).
I Am The Door
Approved rendering: Kuv yog qhov rooj
Transliteration: egō eimi hē thyra
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW. 10:7,9. Concrete sheepfold-gate imagery transfers well cross-culturally.
Orphans
Approved rendering: cov tub ntsuag
Transliteration: orphanous
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
NEW. 14:18. Positive emotional resonance (orphan-care is a recognized Hmong clan value); no collision.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Renewal Of The Mind
Approved rendering: hloov siab tshiab
Transliteration: anakainōsis tou noos
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Must be kept structurally distinct from John’s born_again_born_from_above entry: this term denotes ongoing sanctification, not the one-time, definitive new-birth event of John 3:3-8. Inherited from Romans package.
Signs Semeia
Approved rendering: tej txujci tseem ceeb
Transliteration: sēmeia
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: ‘khoom txawv’ (something strange) — rejected, loses the revelatory, pointing-beyond-itself sense
NEW. 2:11,23; 3:2; 4:54; 20:30-31. John’s technical term for Jesus’ miracles as revelatory acts of identity; teaching note should tie every occurrence to 20:30-31’s stated purpose.
Perish
Approved rendering: puas tsuaj / ploj mus
Transliteration: apollymi
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
NEW. 3:16; 10:28; 17:12. Reuses the ‘puas tsuaj’ element already present in the Romans no_condemnation gloss for cross-corpus consistency. Must be taught as final, decisive exclusion, not one downturn in an ongoing cycle of existence.
Freedom From Sin
Approved rendering: kev ywj pheej
Transliteration: eleutheroō / eleutheria
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
NEW. 8:31-36. Comprehension-level distinction needed between freedom-from-sin’s-bondage and political/social freedom (the interlocutors’ misunderstanding at 8:33); no traditional-religion collision.
Overcome The World
Approved rendering: kuv kov yeej lub ntiajteb lawm
Transliteration: nenikēka ton kosmon
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
NEW. 16:33. Recommend a minor teaching note distinguishing Christ’s decisive, once-for-all victory from ritualized ‘spirit-battle’ victories sought through shamanic practice.
Agape Phileo Distinction
Approved rendering: kev hlub (ib lo lus Hmoob rau ob lo lus Kilis)
Transliteration: agapas / phileis
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: forcing an artificial two-word Hmong distinction the existing tradition does not support — rejected, would be an unnatural neologism
NEW — flagged, literary-nuance gap, no doctrinal collision. 21:15-17. Hmong has a single primary term covering both Greek verbs; recommend a translator’s footnote noting the two Greek words at this passage specifically.
Medium-High Risk Terms
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Leej Tub ntawm Neeg
Transliteration: huios tou anthrōpou
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: unqualified generic reading left to stand without a footnote — rejected, collapses into ‘a human being’s son,’ losing the Daniel 7:13-14 messianic-authority freight
NEW. 1:51; 3:13-14; 5:27; 6:27,53,62; 8:28; 9:35; 12:23,34; 13:31. Requires a first-occurrence footnote tying the title to Daniel 7:13-14; comprehension gap with doctrinal weight, not a traditional-religion collision.
Light Darkness Dualism
Approved rendering: qhov kaj / qhov tsaus ntuj
Transliteration: phōs / skotos
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
NEW — flagged, possible collision. 1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35-36,46. Hmong traditional cosmology associates night/darkness with active dab (spirit) presence; requires explicit teaching note reframing light/darkness as moral-spiritual categories, not nocturnal spirit-danger.
Living Water
Approved rendering: dej muaj sia
Transliteration: hydōr zōn
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
NEW — flagged for translator review. 4:10-14; 7:37-39. Comprehension gap compounded by possible collision with regional folk-religious veneration of river/spring spirits; must be explicitly anchored to Christ/the Spirit as the sole living source.
Resurrection Of Life Or Judgment
Approved rendering: kev sawv hauv qhov tuag mus rau txoj sia / kev sawv hauv qhov tuag mus raug txiav txim
Transliteration: anastasin zōēs / anastasin kriseōs
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: flattening both outcomes into one generic ‘afterlife’ idea — rejected, erases the categorically distinct final outcomes tied to belief/unbelief
NEW. John 5:29. Teaching note must connect to 3:18-19’s already/not-yet judgment framing.
I Am Light Of The World
Approved rendering: Kuv yog qhov kaj rau lub ntiajteb
Transliteration: egō eimi to phōs tou kosmou
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
NEW. 8:12; 9:5. Shares the light/darkness dualism collision risk documented at light_darkness_dualism.