Core Glossary
Numbers — Core Glossary (Hmong Language Package, Phase 1)
Legend
- Risk tiers follow the Romans baseline definitions exactly: Critical / High / Medium / Low (see
assets/doctrine_risk_registry.jsonandassets/bible_term_registry.jsonregistry_metadata). - Status: Inherited (reuse baseline TM string exactly, no deviation permitted) / NEW (proposed, pending TM-revision review).
| # | English Term | Hebrew (Translit.) | LXX Greek (Translit.) | Hmong Rendering | Risk | Status | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Notes / Alternatives Rejected |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God (generic, Elohim) | אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) | θεός (theos) | Vajtswv | Low | Inherited | General / Census | all | Reuses Romans TM exactly. |
| 2 | LORD (covenant name, tetragrammaton) | יְהוָה (YHWH) | κύριος (kyrios) | Yawmsaub | Critical | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises; all | all | Established Hmong Bible-tradition rendering for the covenant name, kept lexically distinct from generic Vajtswv and from tus Tswv. Rejected: reuse of bare “tus Tswv” (loses covenant-name distinctiveness across hundreds of occurrences); any novel transliteration e.g. “Yehauvas” (forbidden sectarian pattern per Romans baseline §3.1). Requires formal TM-revision confirmation. |
| 3 | Lord/Master (Adonai, title) | אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) | κύριος (kyrios) | tus Tswv | Low | Inherited | General | scattered | Reuses Romans TM exactly; used only where the Hebrew text itself uses the title-sense, kept distinct from #2. |
| 4 | Moses | מֹשֶׁה (Mosheh) | Μωϋσῆς (Mōysēs) | Mauxes | Low | Inherited (transliteration convention) | Intercession; all | all | Established transliteration consistent with existing Hmong Bible usage. |
| 5 | Sin (act & condition) | חֵטְא / חָטָא (chet’ / chata’) | ἁμαρτία (hamartia) | txhaum / kev txhaum | High | Inherited | Unbelief; Judgment | 5, 14, 15, 21, 32 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; Numbers-specific note: must be taught as covenant-rebellion against Yawmsaub, not merely reparable social/ritual fault. |
| 6 | Death | מָוֶת (maveth) | θάνατος (thanatos) | txoj kev tuag | Low | Inherited | Judgment | 14, 16, 20, 21, 25 | Reuses Romans TM exactly. |
| 7 | Law (Mosaic/Divine) | תּוֹרָה (torah) | νόμος (nomos) | Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes) | Critical | Inherited | Law-adjacent; Covenant | 5, 15, 19, 28-29 | Reuses Romans TM exactly, mandatory qualifier retained at every occurrence. |
| 8 | Redemption | פִּדְיוֹן / גְּאֻלָּה (pidyon / ge’ullah) | ἀπολύτρωσις (apolytrōsis) | kev txhiv | Medium | Inherited | Faithfulness of Promises | 3, 18 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; positive continuity via Levites’/firstborn redemption price. |
| 9 | Idol | פֶּסֶל / מַסֵּכָה (pesel / massekhah) | εἴδωλον (eidōlon) | dab mlom | High | Inherited | Balaam; Judgment | 25, 33 | Reuses Romans TM exactly. |
| 10 | Promise | הַבְטָחָה (implied); דָּבָר (davar, “word/pledge”) | ἐπαγγελία (epangelia) | lus cog tseg | Low | Inherited | Faithfulness of Promises | 14, 23-24 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; direction God→man, kept distinct from #16 vow. |
| 11 | Heir / Inheritance | נַחֲלָה / יוֹרֵשׁ (nachalah / yoresh) | κληρονομία / κληρονόμος | tus qub txeeg qub teg | Low | Inherited | Census; Faithfulness | 27, 36 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; strong positive Hmong lineage-custom bridge. |
| 12 | Worship/Serve (cultic) | עָבַד (`avad) | λατρεύω (latreuō) | pehawm / pab teev | High | Inherited | Balaam; Judgment | 25 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; object must always be stated (“pehawm Vajtswv/Yawmsaub”), never bare, especially critical at Baal Peor (ch. 25). |
| 13 | Power | חַיִל / כֹּח (chayil / koach) | δύναμις (dynamis) | hwjchim (qualified: Vajtswv hwjchim) | High | Inherited | God’s Patience & Judgment | 14, 16, 21 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; always qualified. |
| 14 | Wrath of God | חֲרוֹן אַף (charon ‘aph) | ὀργή θεοῦ (orgē theou) | kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv | High | Inherited | God’s Patience and Judgment | 11, 14, 16, 21, 25 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; must be taught as righteous/judicial, distinct from capricious spirit-anger. |
| 15 | Mercy | חֶסֶד / רַחֲמִים (chesed / rachamim) | ἔλεος (eleos) | txoj kev khuv leej | Medium | Inherited | Faithfulness of Promises | 14 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; kept distinct from grace. |
| 16 | Vow | נֶדֶר (neder) | εὐχή (euchē) | lus cog lus rau Vajtswv / kev coglus | Medium | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises | 6, 30 | Direction man→God, distinct from #10 promise (God→man). |
| 17 | Nazirite | נָזִיר (nazir) | ναζιραῖος (nazirios) | Naxi (transliterated, glossed) | Medium | NEW | — | 6 | Comprehension gap; first-use footnote required. |
| 18 | Bless / Blessing | בָּרַךְ (barak) | εὐλογέω (eulogeō) | foom koob hmoov rau | Medium-High | NEW | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 6, 22-24 | Permitted under baseline’s ordinary-blessing carve-out for koob hmoov; must be taught as personal/covenantal, not impersonal fate. |
| 19 | Curse | אָרַר / קָלַל (arar / qalal) | καταράομαι (kataraomai) | foom tsis zoo rau (has no power against God’s blessing) | Critical | NEW | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 22-24 | Direct corrective to Hmong belief in efficacious ritual curses; must be taught as powerless against God’s sovereign choice (23:8, 23:20). |
| 20 | Wilderness | מִדְבָּר (midbar) | ἔρημος (erēmos) | tebchaws moj sab qhua | Low-Medium | NEW | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | all | Comprehension gap; the book’s central setting. |
| 21 | Census / Numbering | פָּקַד (paqad) | ἐπισκέπτομαι / ἀριθμέω | kev suav pej xeem | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 1, 26 | Administrative term; no collision. |
| 22 | Tribe / Clan | מַטֶּה / שֵׁבֶט (matteh / shebet) | φυλή (phylē) | xeem | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 1, 2, 26, 36 | Strong positive cultural bridge to Hmong clan (xeem) identity. |
| 23 | Standard / Banner (camp) | דֶּגֶל (degel) | σημαία / τάγμα | lub chij | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 2 | Kept distinct from #34 (pole/standard, ch. 21). |
| 24 | Tabernacle | מִשְׁכָּן (mishkan) | σκηνή (skēnē) | tsev pheeb suab | Medium | NEW | — | 1-10 | Comprehension gap only. |
| 25 | Congregation / Assembly | עֵדָה / קָהָל (`edah / qahal) | συναγωγή / ἐκκλησία | tag nrho cov pejxeem / pawg pejxeem | Low | NEW | Census; Unbelief | 14, 16, 20 | No collision. |
| 26 | Manna | מָן (man) | μάννα (manna) | mana (transliterated, glossed) | Low-Medium | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises | 11, 21 | Comprehension gap; despised in core passage (21:5). |
| 27 | Craving | תַּאֲוָה (ta’avah) | ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) | kev ntshaw kawg nkaus | Low | NEW | Unbelief | 11 | No collision. |
| 28 | Prophesy | נָבָא (naba) | προφητεύω (prophēteuō) | hais lus Vajtswv qhia | High | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 11 | Must be distinguished from shamanic trance-possession phenomena. |
| 29 | Holy Spirit (resting on elders) | רוּחַ (ruach) | πνεῦμα (pneuma) | Vaj Ntsuj Plig | Critical | Inherited | God’s Patience and Judgment | 11 | Reuses Romans TM exactly; mandatory “Vaj” prefix retained. |
| 30 | Leprosy | צָרַעַת (tsara`at) | λέπρα (lepra) | mob ruas | Low-Medium | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 12 | Comprehension gap; no collision. |
| 31 | Unbelief / Distrust | לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ (lo he’eminu, from אמן) | οὐ ἐπίστευσαν (ouk episteusan) | tsis ntseeg / tsis muab lub siab ntseeg | Critical | NEW (negation of Inherited ntseeg) | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | 13, 14, 20, 32 | Direct negation of baseline faith_believe; must anchor to distrust of God’s specific promise/power, not generic doubt. |
| 32 | Rebellion / Grumbling | מָרָה / לוּן (marah / lun) | γογγύζω / παραπικραίνω | kev ntxeev siab tawm tsam Vajtswv / kev yws ntsuag | High | NEW | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | 11, 14, 16, 17, 20 | Must be taught as active covenant-rebellion, not ordinary complaint. |
| 33 | Oath (of judgment) | חַי־אָנִי / שְׁבוּעָה (chai-ani / shevu’ah) | ὅρκος (horkos) | Yawmsaub twv tseg tias | Medium | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 14 | Distinguished from ordinary promise (#10) as judicial sworn oath. |
| 34 | Pole / Standard (serpent) | נֵס (nes) | σημεῖον (sēmeion) | tus ncej | Medium-High | NEW | The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ | 21 | Typological link to John 3:14 “lifted up”; kept distinct from #23. |
| 35 | Fiery Serpents | נְחָשִׁים שְׂרָפִים (nechashim seraphim) | ὄφεις θανατοῦντες | cov nab kub hnyiab | Medium | NEW | The Bronze Serpent; God’s Patience and Judgment | 21 | Concrete nab (snake), never dab (spirit). |
| 36 | Bronze Serpent | נְחַשׁ נְחֹשֶׁת (nechash nechosheth) | ὄφις χαλκοῦς (ophis chalkous) | tus nab tooj lag | Critical | NEW | The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ | 21 | Central core-passage term; mandatory Christ-typology teaching note; never softened toward talisman/amulet vocabulary. |
| 37 | Intercession / Intercessory Prayer | פָּלַל (palal) | εὔχομαι (euchomai) | thov Yawmsaub rau / thov kom zam txim | High | NEW | Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas) | 14, 16, 21, 25 | Must always be object-anchored to Yawmsaub/Vajtswv; distinguished from shamanic mediation. |
| 38 | Incense | קְטֹרֶת (qetoret) | θυμίαμα (thymiama) | hmoov tshuaj hlawv tsw qab | High | NEW | Intercession | 16 | Direct collision with ancestor/spirit incense-burning; must be God-directed and instrumentally tied to priestly intercession only. |
| 39 | Plague | נֶגֶף / מַגֵּפָה (negeph / maggephah) | πτῶσις / πληγή | kev mob kis los ntawm Vajtswv txim | Medium | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 11, 14, 16, 25 | Anchored as divine judgment, not spirit-affliction. |
| 40 | Rod / Staff (Aaron’s) | מַטֶּה (matteh) | ῥάβδος (rhabdos) | tus pas nrig | Medium | NEW | Intercession | 17 | Passive sign of God’s authentication, distinguished from active shamanic ritual implements. |
| 41 | Red Heifer | פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה (parah adumah) | δάμαλις πυρρά | tus nyuj liab | High | NEW | — | 19 | Parallels folk ritual purification from spirit-contamination; teach as temporary ceremonial type (Heb. 9:13-14). |
| 42 | Unclean / Clean | טָמֵא / טָהוֹר (tame’ / tahor) | ἀκάθαρτος / καθαρός | qias tsis huv / dawb huv | High | NEW | — | 5, 19, 31 | Ceremonial defilement distinct from moral sin-guilt and from folk spirit-contamination. |
| 43 | Divination / Sorcery | קֶסֶם / נַחַשׁ (qesem / nachash, divinatory sense) | μαντεία / οἰωνισμός | kev ua khawv koob saib yaig | Critical | NEW | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 22-24 | Direct parallel to Hmong shamanic divination; must never be taught as a legitimate spiritual technique — text’s own point is God’s sovereignty over/against it. |
| 44 | Oracle / Weighty Pronouncement | מָשָׁל (mashal) | παραβολή (parabolē) | zaj lus paub tseeb | Low-Medium | NEW | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 23-24 | Comprehension-level register gap only. |
| 45 | Star out of Jacob | כּוֹכָב (kokhav) | ἀστήρ (astēr) | lub hnub qub | Low | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises | 24 | Messianic-typology significance; connect to Christ’s advent. |
| 46 | Whoredom / Cultic Idolatry | זָנָה (zanah) | πορνεύω / ἐκπορνεύω | kev deev thiab pehawm dab | Critical | NEW | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing; Judgment | 25 | Fuses sexual-immorality and idolatry domains; direct syncretism-risk parallel. |
| 47 | Zeal | קִנְאָה (qin’ah) | ζῆλος (zēlos) | kev npaum siab rau Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees | High | NEW | Intercession (Phinehas) | 25 | Distinguished from #14 wrath; righteous covenant-jealousy, not capricious anger. |
| 48 | Covenant | בְּרִית (berith) | διαθήκη (diathēkē) | kev cog lus (ntawm Vajtswv) | Medium | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises | 25 | Kept distinct from #7 Law; covenant is the relational bond, Law its stipulations. |
| 49 | Laying on of Hands | סָמַךְ יָד (samakh yad) | ἐπίθεσις χειρῶν (epithesis cheirōn) | tsa tes rau saum taub hau | Medium | NEW | Census and the People of God | 27 | Public authorization/succession gesture, not generic blessing-touch. |
| 50 | Burnt Offering | עֹלָה (`olah) | ὁλοκαύτωμα (holokautōma) | khoom fij hlawv | Medium-High | NEW | — | 28-29 | Fij-domain; kept distinct from Christ’s atonement and from ethical living-sacrifice application. |
| 51 | Continual Offering | תָּמִיד (tamid) | τὸ διὰ παντός (to dia pantos) | khoom fij niaj hnub | Low-Medium | NEW | — | 28-29 | Same fij-domain caution as #50. |
| 52 | Day of Atonement | יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים (Yom ha-Kippurim) | ἡμέρα ἐξιλασμοῦ | Hnub theej txhoj kev txhaum | Critical | NEW | The Bronze Serpent (typology parallel); Faithfulness of Promises | 29 | Built from baseline propitiation phrase; must be taught as annually repeated pointer surpassed by Christ’s once-for-all atonement. |
| 53 | Devoted to Destruction (herem) | חֵרֶם / הֶחֱרִים (cherem / hecherim) | ἀνάθεμα / ἐξολεθρεύω | muab fij rhuav tshem tag nrho | Medium-High | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 21, 31 | Unique, time-bound divine-judgment instrument; never a transferable ethic for personal/clan vengeance. |
| 54 | Vengeance | נָקָם (naqam) | ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis) | kev pauj taub | Medium | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 31 | Divinely authorized specific historical judgment, not general endorsement of vengeance. |
| 55 | High Place | בָּמָה (bamah) | βωμός (bōmos) | chaw siab teev dab | High | NEW | Judgment | 33 | Direct real-world collision with contemporary spirit-shrine sites; historical-command specificity must be preserved. |
| 56 | Boundary / Border | גְּבוּל (gebul) | ὅριον (horion) | ciam teb | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 34 | Geographic/administrative; no collision. |
| 57 | City of Refuge | עִיר מִקְלָט (`ir miqlat) | πόλις φυγαδευτήριον | lub nroog cawm nyob | Medium | NEW | Faithfulness of Promises | 35 | Positive typological bridge to refuge in Christ; anchor to God’s judicial provision, not generic safe-haven metaphor. |
| 58 | Avenger of Blood | גֹּאֵל הַדָּם (go’el ha-dam) | ὁ ἀγχιστεύων τὸ αἷμα | tus pauj txhaum ntshav | Medium-High | NEW | God’s Patience and Judgment | 35 | Cultural bridge to Hmong clan blood-debt custom; the text’s intentional/accidental distinction must be preserved precisely. |
| 59 | Manslayer | רֹצֵחַ (rotseach) | φονεύς (phoneus) | tus tua neeg | Low | NEW | — | 35 | No collision. |
| 60 | Trumpet | חֲצוֹצְרָה (chatsotserah) | σάλπιγξ (salpinx) | raj xyu | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 10 | No collision. |
| 61 | Firstborn | בְּכוֹר (bekor) | πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos) | tus tub hlob | Low | NEW | Census and the People of God | 3 | No collision. |
Summary Statistics
- Total glossary entries: 61
- Inherited from Romans baseline TM (exact reuse, no deviation permitted): 15
- New entries proposed for Numbers, pending TM-revision review: 46
- Critical-risk entries: 6 (LORD/tetragrammaton; Unbelief/Distrust; Bronze Serpent; Curse; Divination/Sorcery; Whoredom/Cultic Idolatry; Day of Atonement) — note: 7 items are tagged Critical; count corrected to 7.
- High-risk entries: 14
- Medium/Medium-High-risk entries: 20
- Low/Low-Medium-risk entries: 20
- All 36 chapters of Numbers represented either by a dedicated new term, an inherited-term reuse note, or an explicit “reviewed — no new terms” notation in
analysis/07_semantic_analysis.mdPart B (chs. 4, 7, 8, 18, 30, 32, 36 explicitly reviewed with no new glossary-level terms required beyond cross-references to existing entries).
Governing Note
This glossary is a Phase 1 deliverable only. No entry here — Inherited or NEW — may be treated as production-ready for Phase 2 content generation until (a) every Inherited entry has been verified against assets/translation_memory.json character-for-character, and (b) every NEW entry, especially the seven Critical-tier items, has passed the human-theologian TM-revision review required by 12_ai_translation_requirements.md §9’s escalation rules for “a genuinely new theological term/concept surfaces with no TM entry.”
Critical Risk Terms
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: pneuma hagion (Greek) / ruach (Hebrew)
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
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. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, applies specifically to the Spirit resting temporarily on the seventy elders (11:25-29); the ecstatic, temporary manifestation there is High-collision-adjacent to Hmong shamanic trance-possession (txiv neeb) and must be taught as sovereign, purpose-specific empowering, never spirit-channeling trance.
Law Mosaic Divine
Approved rendering: Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)
Transliteration: nomos (Greek) / torah (Hebrew)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Txoj Kevcai’ without qualifier — rejected, collapses into kev cai dab qhuas (ancestral spirit-worship customs)
Qualifier mandatory at every occurrence without exception. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, governs the extensive ceremonial-law material (chs. 5, 15, 19, 28-30) that must be kept distinct from ancestral ritual custom.
Grace
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim
Transliteration: charis (Greek)
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fortune/blessing tied to fate and ritual correctness) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN for salvific grace
koob hmoov reserved exclusively for ordinary material ‘blessing’ contexts. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, referenced comparatively when teaching the Aaronic blessing and Balaam’s oracles (see ‘bless_blessing_barak’), to ensure the permitted ordinary-blessing carve-out for koob hmoov is never extended into a salvific-grace sense.
Propitiation Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: qhov theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: hilastērion (Greek)
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected, would be opaque and prevent contrast-teaching, bare ‘qhov theej’ without sufficiency qualifier — rejected
Must be taught as once-for-all, sufficient, unrepeatable. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this fixed phrase is the direct lexical basis for ‘day_of_atonement’ (Yom Kippur, 29:7-11), which must be taught as an annually repeated ceremonial pointer surpassed by, never conflated with, Christ’s single sufficient atonement to which the Bronze Serpent also typologically points.
Yhwh Covenant Name
Approved rendering: Yawmsaub
Transliteration: YHWH (Hebrew tetragrammaton); LXX kyrios
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: reuse of bare ‘tus Tswv’ — rejected, loses covenant-name distinctiveness across hundreds of occurrences, novel transliteration e.g. ‘Yehauvas’ — FORBIDDEN, repeats the sectarian (Jehovah’s Witnesses NWT) pattern already prohibited under the Romans baseline §3.1, collapsing into generic ‘Vajtswv’ — rejected, erodes the specifically covenantal, personal ground of the Faithfulness doctrine
NEW ENTRY, pending human-theologian TM-revision confirmation. Existing Hmong Bible-tradition rendering for the covenant name (Vaj Lug Kub Npaiv Npaum), kept lexically distinct from generic ‘Vajtswv’ (Elohim/theos) and from ‘tus Tswv’ (Adonai/kyrios as title). Numbers uses this name hundreds of times as the specific covenant-keeping, judging, and providing God; functions as connective tissue across the Unbelief, Patience/Judgment, Intercession, Faithfulness, and Balaam doctrines. Verify every occurrence against the Hebrew tetragrammaton in the source text before publication.
Unbelief Distrust
Approved rendering: tsis ntseeg / tsis muab lub siab ntseeg
Transliteration: lo he’eminu (from ‘aman)
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: reading the spies’ fear as reasonable prudence without pairing it with the text’s own verdict of covenant treason — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Direct negation of the inherited baseline ‘faith_believe’ term. Critical because this is the defining vocabulary of the Unbelief doctrine (14:11); must be anchored to distrust of Yawmsaub’s specific, previously-demonstrated promise and power (exodus, cloud/fire, manna), never generic doubt or prudent caution. Directly present in the core passage’s setup (21:4-5).
Whoredom Cultic Idolatry Baal Peor
Approved rendering: kev deev thiab pehawm dab Npa-as-Pe-o
Transliteration: zanah; Baal Peor
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: splitting into a merely sexual-ethics reading divorced from the idolatry it accompanies — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Fuses sexual immorality with idolatrous worship of Baal Peor (ch. 25), inseparably. Fuses the already-Critical idol/worship-cultic collision with a covenant-treason metaphor; a direct real-world parallel to convert syncretism risk (continued pehawm dab practice).
Day Of Atonement
Approved rendering: Hnub theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: Yom ha-Kippurim
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: conflating the repeatable ceremonial pattern with Christ’s once-for-all work — rejected
NEW ENTRY, deliberately built from the fixed ‘propitiation_atoning_sacrifice’ phrase. The annual national atonement (29:7-11) must be explicitly taught, per Hebrews 9-10, as pointing forward to and surpassed by Christ’s single sufficient atonement — reinforcing the same typological logic taught for the Bronze Serpent.
Divination Sorcery
Approved rendering: kev ua khawv koob saib yaig
Transliteration: qesem / nachash (divinatory sense)
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: presenting divination as a legitimate or ‘almost effective’ spiritual technique — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. Balaam is explicitly a hired diviner/enchanter (chs. 22-24), a direct structural parallel to Hmong shamanic divination practice (txiv neeb ua neeb, saib yaig). The doctrine depends on the text’s own verdict (23:23, ‘there is no divination against Jacob’): no human ritual-magical technique can bind or manipulate Yawmsaub’s sovereign will. Prime candidate for [TRANSLATOR REVIEW NEEDED] flagging.
Curse Arar Qalal
Approved rendering: foom tsis zoo rau (tsis muaj hwjchim thim tau Vajtswv txoj koob hmoov)
Transliteration: arar / qalal
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: framing blessing/curse as a power-contest (‘a bigger blessing beat a smaller curse’) — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. A ritual pronouncement of ill fortune Balaam is hired to speak but cannot (23:8, 23:20). Hmong traditional religion holds strong beliefs in efficacious ritual curses/counter-curses; the built-in powerlessness qualifier must never be dropped even in space-constrained contexts.
Bronze Serpent
Approved rendering: tus nab tooj lag
Transliteration: nechash nechosheth
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: vocabulary suggesting protective charm, amulet, or healing talisman — FORBIDDEN, given the cultural proximity of Hmong shamanic healing objects and spirit-images (dab mlom)
NEW ENTRY. The single most doctrinally load-bearing lexical item in the core passage (21:9). Requires a mandatory, non-optional catechetical note establishing it as a prophetic type of Christ crucified (John 3:14-15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:3), with the later corruption into an idol (2 Kings 18:4) taught as a deliberate cautionary parallel. Never merged with ‘idol’/dab mlom vocabulary despite superficial visual similarity. The Hebrew wordplay (nachash/nechosheth) should be noted as an instructive detail: the remedy is fashioned in the likeness of the affliction.
High Risk Terms
Sin Act And Condition
Approved rendering: txhaum / kev txhaum
Transliteration: hamartia (Greek) / chet’/chata’ (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Hmong custom frames wrongdoing as reparable social/ritual fault; must be taught as objective, God-ward guilt-condition. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, must be taught specifically as covenant-rebellion against Yawmsaub (21:5,7; 14:11), the direct trigger for the fiery-serpent judgment in the core passage.
Idol
Approved rendering: dab mlom
Transliteration: eidōlon (Greek) / pesel/massekhah (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘statue’ softening — rejected
Actual Hmong term for spirit-images venerated in traditional religion. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, used for the Baal Peor cultic images (ch. 25) and the Canaanite molten images commanded for destruction (33:52); must be explicitly CONTRASTED with, never merged into, the ‘bronze_serpent’ entry despite superficial visual similarity.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: kev npau taws ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: orgē theou (Greek) / charon ‘aph (Hebrew)
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘npau taws’ associated only with capricious spirit/ancestor anger — rejected without explicit contrast teaching
Paul’s wrath is righteous/judicial, not appeasable by ritual. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this pattern recurs far more densely (11:1, 14:11-23, 16:41-50, 21:6, 25:1-9) than in Romans; every occurrence must retain co-textual linkage to the specific triggering covenant-rebellion and must never be presented as remediable by ritual appeasement apart from repentance and divinely-authorized intercession.
Worship Serve Cultic
Approved rendering: pehawm / pab teev
Transliteration: latreuō (Greek) / `avad (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: bare, unanchored pehawm — FORBIDDEN, identical verb used for pehawm dab (ancestor/spirit veneration)
Object of pehawm must always be stated. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this is especially critical at Baal Peor (ch. 25), where the wrong object of worship is precisely the narrative’s point — see ‘whoredom_cultic_idolatry_baal_peor’.
Power
Approved rendering: hwjchim
Transliteration: dynamis (Greek) / chayil/koach (Hebrew)
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified hwjchim — FORBIDDEN, identical to a shaman’s (txiv neeb) ritual power
Always qualify as ‘Vajtswv hwjchim’. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, relevant to the unbelief crisis (14:16-17, doubting God’s hwjchim to give the land) and to the fiery-serpent judgment and Aaron’s plague-halting intercession (ch. 16, 21).
Salvation Save
Approved rendering: kev cawm dim / cawm
Transliteration: sōtēria/sōzō (Greek) / yasha (Hebrew, root behind ‘live/chayah’ in 21:8-9)
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
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. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this convention governs the teaching note for 21:8-9’s healing-by-looking mechanism (rendered concretely as ‘txoj sia nyob,’ live) and for the City of Refuge typology (ch. 35), both of which must be anchored to God’s own provision, not a generic rescue technique.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: kev raug ua kom dawb huv
Transliteration: hagiasmos (Greek)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv as a repeatable ritual-cleansing state — rejected
Dawb huv also = ritual purity from spirit-contamination in folk practice. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this vocabulary underlies the Levites’ consecration (ch. 8) and must be kept teaching-distinct from the ceremonial (not moral) purity categories of ‘unclean_clean’ and ‘red_heifer’.
Living Sacrifice
Approved rendering: khoom fij uas muaj txoj sia nyob
Transliteration: thysia zōsa (Greek)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘fij’ identical to offering language for ancestors/spirits — rejected without explicit ethical-devotion framing
Must be distinguished from both shamanic appeasement and Christ’s unrepeatable atonement. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, the fij domain this term anchors is reused extensively (guilt offering, burnt offering, continual offering, herem) and every such reuse must retain the same disambiguation discipline established here.
Rebellion Grumbling
Approved rendering: kev ntxeev siab tawm tsam Vajtswv / kev yws ntsuag
Transliteration: marah / lun
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: kev yws ntsuag alone (ordinary household complaint register) used without the stronger ‘tawm tsam Vajtswv’ phrase — FORBIDDEN, collapses covenant-rebellion into mere venting
NEW ENTRY. Core-passage hinge term: ‘the people spoke against God and against Moses’ (21:5) must use the hostile ‘tawm tsam’ construction, not a softened ‘hais tsis zoo.’ Must always retain explicit God-directedness so the escalation from complaint to judgment (21:5-6) reads as the text’s own verdict, not disproportionate reaction.
Sin Unintentional Vs High Handed
Approved rendering: kev ua txhaum tsis txob leev (unintentional) / kev ua txhaum tawm ntsej tawm muag tawm tsam Vajtswv (high-handed)
Transliteration: bi-shegagah / be-yad ramah
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: collapsing both categories into a single undifferentiated ‘txhaum’ — rejected, loses the legal distinction explaining ch.14’s severity
NEW ENTRY. The legal distinction (15:22-31) explaining why the wilderness generation’s unbelief (ch. 14) is treated as unforgivable-in-that-generation defiant rebellion rather than an inadvertent lapse; must be preserved precisely wherever teaching connects chs. 14-15 to the core passage’s judgment (21:6).
Red Heifer
Approved rendering: tus nyuj liab
Transliteration: parah adumah
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: presenting as an ongoing efficacious ritual technique — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Ashes purifying corpse-contamination (ch. 19). Closely parallels Hmong ritual purification from spirit-contamination; must be taught as a temporary, foreshadowing ceremonial-law provision (Hebrews 9:13-14).
Unclean Clean
Approved rendering: qias tsis huv / dawb huv
Transliteration: tame’ / tahor
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. Governing ceremonial-purity categories (chs. 5, 19, 31). Reuses ‘dawb huv’ from the inherited sanctification entry; requires a careful teaching note distinguishing ceremonial (not moral) defilement from both moral sin-guilt and animistic spirit-contamination.
Incense Qetoret
Approved rendering: hmoov tshuaj hlawv tsw qab
Transliteration: qetoret
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Rejected alternatives: conflating with baseline ‘worship_serve_cultic’ (pehawm) without the mandatory God-directed object — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Aaron’s plague-halting instrument (16:46-48). Incense-burning toward ancestors/spirits is a live, contemporary Hmong ritual act; must be taught as a divinely prescribed, one-time-authorized instrument of priestly intercession, never generic ancestor/spirit veneration.
Intercession Palal
Approved rendering: thov Yawmsaub rau (cov pejxeem) / thov kom zam txim
Transliteration: palal (hitpallel)
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Rejected alternatives: vocabulary implying trance, spirit-negotiation, or independent ritual efficacy — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. The book’s central Intercession-doctrine verb (14:13-19; 16:22,46-48; 21:7; 25:7-13). Must always be explicitly anchored to Yawmsaub/Vajtswv as sole object of appeal, distinguished from the Hmong shamanic mediator (txiv neeb) who petitions spirits. Numbers 21:7, within the core passage, is a direct instance.
Zeal Qinah
Approved rendering: kev npaum siab rau Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees
Transliteration: qin’ah
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Rejected alternatives: merging with ‘wrath_of_god’ (capricious-anger collision) — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Phinehas’ righteous, God-honoring passion for covenant purity acted out in decisive intercession (25:7-13). Must be carefully distinguished from ordinary emotional anger; the third major Intercession-doctrine exemplar.
Prophesy Naba
Approved rendering: hais lus Vajtswv qhia
Transliteration: naba
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: framing as ecstatic trance-channeling — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. Spirit-empowered proclamation given temporarily to the seventy elders (11:25-29). The ‘they prophesied… and did not do so again’ manifestation is dangerously close in outward form to shamanic trance-possession; must be taught as sovereign, purpose-specific empowering categorically distinct from spirit-channeling.
Look And Live Clause
Approved rendering: thaum nws tig ntsia rau tus nab tooj lag ntawd, nws thiaj tau txoj sia nyob
Transliteration: ve-hibbit `el-nechash ha-nechosheth va-chai (Hiphil of nabat, intensified ‘look’)
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: a passive or incidental verb for ‘look’ — rejected, loses the intensified, deliberate-gazing force of the Hebrew Hiphil, presenting the look as a magical stare or ritual technique with power in the act itself — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. The salvation-mechanism clause of 21:8-9. The ‘look’ must be taught as an act of trusting, obedient attention directed at God’s own provided remedy, explicitly distinguished from shamanic healing rituals involving gazing at, touching, or invoking a ritual object for its own inherent power. Direct Old Testament antecedent behind John 3:14-15’s ‘whoever believes in him.‘
High Place Bamah
Approved rendering: chaw siab teev dab
Transliteration: bamah
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: generalizing the conquest-era destruction command into license for present-day action against contemporary religious sites — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. Elevated Canaanite shrine/altar site commanded for destruction (33:52). Direct, concrete real-world collision with contemporary Hmong/Southeast Asian spirit-shrine sites; the historical-conquest command specificity must be preserved separately from the doctrinal point (exclusive worship, no syncretism).
Medium Risk Terms
Redemption
Approved rendering: kev txhiv
Transliteration: apolytrōsis (Greek) / pidyon/ge’ullah (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Good economic-legal bridge via Hmong debt-redemption custom. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, a positive continuity point: the Levites standing in place of, and the five-shekel payment redeeming, Israel’s firstborn sons (ch. 3, 18) is an early literal enactment of the price-payment substitution pattern culminating in Christ.
Mercy
Approved rendering: txoj kev khuv leej
Transliteration: eleos (Greek) / chesed/rachamim (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: txiaj ntsim (grace) used interchangeably for mercy — rejected, mercy and grace are theologically distinct emphases
Kept lexically distinct from grace. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this is the term Moses invokes in his ch. 14 intercession, quoting Exodus 34:6-7 — the paradigmatic Intercession-doctrine appeal to God’s own revealed character.
Faith Believe
Approved rendering: kev ntseeg / ntseeg
Transliteration: pistis/pisteuō (Greek) / ‘aman (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Broad verb covering belief/trust/obedience; must always be anchored explicitly to its object. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, this is the positive baseline against which ‘unbelief_distrust’ (the direct negation, 14:11) is defined; both entries must be taught together.
Plague Divine Judgment
Approved rendering: kev mob kis los ntawm Vajtswv txim txiav
Transliteration: negeph / maggephah
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘kev mob kis’ (generic epidemic) without the judgment qualifier — rejected, invites a spirit-affliction reading requiring shamanic remedy
NEW ENTRY. Recurs at 11:1, 16:46, 21:6, 25:3-4, 31:16. The qualifying phrase ‘los ntawm Vajtswv txim txiav’ is required at every occurrence to prevent a spirit-affliction reading, since illness is commonly attributed to offended spirits in Hmong traditional belief.
Oath Of Judgment
Approved rendering: Yawmsaub twv tseg tias
Transliteration: chai-ani / shevu’ah
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: flattened into ordinary ‘lus cog tseg’ (promise) — rejected, obscures the doctrine’s central tension between judgment on one generation and abiding covenant faithfulness
NEW ENTRY. God’s sworn oath, by His own life, that the unbelieving generation will die in the wilderness (14:21-23, 28-35). Must be distinguished from ‘promise’ (positive covenant pledge) as a judicial oath of judgment while connecting forward to the Faithfulness doctrine’s larger Abrahamic promise, which remains intact.
Vengeance
Approved rendering: kev pauj taub
Transliteration: naqam
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: general endorsement of personal/clan vengeance — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Divinely commanded retributive judgment against Midian for the Baal Peor seduction (ch. 31). Must be taught as a specific, historically bounded act under Moses’ direct authorization, never a general endorsement of vengeance — a live risk given Hmong customary clan blood-feud practice.
Covenant Berith
Approved rendering: kev cog lus (ntawm Vajtswv)
Transliteration: berith
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: conflating with ‘law_mosaic_divine’ — rejected, covenant denotes the relational bond, Law its stipulations
NEW ENTRY. Used of the perpetual-priesthood covenant granted to Phinehas (25:12-13). Must be kept distinct from ‘law_mosaic_divine’ to preserve the Faithfulness doctrine’s covenant-continuity argument.
Vow Neder
Approved rendering: lus cog lus rau Vajtswv / kev coglus
Transliteration: neder
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: merging with baseline ‘promise’ (God→man direction) — rejected, neder moves man→God, the reverse direction
NEW ENTRY. Governs the Nazirite vow (ch. 6) and women’s vows (ch. 30). Must be kept directionally distinct from ‘promise,’ or the doctrine’s God-keeps-His-word emphasis is blurred with human vow-keeping obligation.
Guilt Offering Asham
Approved rendering: khoom fij pauj txhaum
Transliteration: asham
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. Restitution offering (ch. 5). Reuses the fij domain; must be distinguished from the once-for-all ‘propitiation_atoning_sacrifice’ entry as an ongoing ceremonial-law provision.
Rod Staff Aarons
Approved rendering: tus pas nrig
Transliteration: matteh
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Rejected alternatives: framing as an actively wielded ritual implement — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Sign-object authenticating Aaron’s priesthood (ch. 17). Must be taught as a passive sign of God’s unilateral authentication — nothing is done to or with the staff by human ritual technique — unlike a shaman’s actively wielded implements.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: tsa tes rau saum taub hau
Transliteration: samakh yad
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Rejected alternatives: generic blessing-touch framing — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Moses’ public commissioning gesture for Joshua (27:18-23). Should be taught as a unique act of publicly transferring divinely appointed leadership authority.
City Of Refuge
Approved rendering: lub nroog cawm nyob
Transliteration: `ir miqlat
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: treating as a generic ‘safe haven’ metaphor detached from its judicial function — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Designated protection from the avenger of blood for accidental manslayers (ch. 35). Positive typological bridge to refuge in Christ; must anchor to God’s own provision and justice-system.
Nazirite
Approved rendering: Naxi (tus neeg cog lus dawb huv rau Vajtswv)
Transliteration: nazir
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. One separated/consecrated under a special vow (ch. 6). Transliteration with descriptive gloss; comprehension gap, no native analogue; first-use footnote required.
Fiery Serpents
Approved rendering: cov nab kub hnyiab / cov nab txha hlab tshuaj lom
Transliteration: ha-nechashim ha-seraphim
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: using ‘dab’ (spirit/demon) instead of ‘nab’ (snake) — FORBIDDEN, would suggest a demonic/spirit-being classification
NEW ENTRY. Venomous desert snakes sent as judgment (21:6). The concrete word ‘nab’ must be used; the ‘fiery’ quality is vivid physical description (burning venom/appearance), never demonic classification.
Tabernacle Mishkan
Approved rendering: tsev pheeb suab
Transliteration: mishkan
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. God’s portable dwelling-place among Israel (chs. 1-10 and throughout). Comprehension gap only (unfamiliar architectural/ritual referent); no collision with traditional religion.
Low Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv
Transliteration: theos (Greek) / Elohim (Hebrew)
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. In Numbers, kept lexically distinct from the covenant name ‘Yawmsaub’ (YHWH) — see yhwh_covenant_name entry — used for the generic divine title (Elohim) wherever the Hebrew text itself uses the generic form (e.g. Numbers 21:5’s first accusation).
Lord
Approved rendering: tus Tswv
Transliteration: kyrios (Greek) / Adonai (Hebrew)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Stable existing usage; applied to God and Christ. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, reserved for the title-sense (Adonai) only, kept distinct from the covenant name ‘Yawmsaub’ (YHWH).
Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Standard transliteration baseline. Inherited from Romans package. Required in Numbers teaching material at every mandatory typological cross-reference for the Bronze Serpent doctrine (John 3:14-15), never omitted from the catechetical note accompanying ‘bronze_serpent’.
Death
Approved rendering: txoj kev tuag
Transliteration: thanatos (Greek) / maveth (Hebrew)
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Stable term. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, the recurring judgment-outcome across 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 25.
Promise
Approved rendering: lus cog tseg
Transliteration: epangelia (Greek) / davar as pledge (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Stable existing phrase for a solemn covenant pledge, direction God→man. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, must be kept lexically and directionally distinct from ‘vow_neder’ (man→God) and ‘oath_of_judgment’ (God’s judicial sworn oath against the unbelieving generation, 14:21-23).
Heir
Approved rendering: tus qub txeeg qub teg
Transliteration: klēronomos (Greek) / nachalah/yoresh (Hebrew)
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Strong positive resonance with Hmong lineage-inheritance custom. Inherited from Romans package. In Numbers, governs Zelophehad’s daughters’ inheritance case (chs. 27, 36), closing the Census/Faithfulness doctrine arc with the tribal land-allotment preserved intact.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: huios theou (Greek)
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: diminished-sonship renderings — rejected, must preserve full deity
Honorific parallel to Leej Txiv. Inherited from Romans package. Required in the mandatory typological teaching note connecting the Bronze Serpent (21:8-9) to Christ ‘lifted up’ (John 3:14-15).
Moses
Approved rendering: Mauxes
Transliteration: Mosheh
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Established transliteration consistent with existing Hmong Bible usage. Israel’s covenant mediator, lawgiver, and chief intercessor throughout Numbers, including the core passage (21:7).
Aaron
Approved rendering: Aloos
Transliteration: Aharon
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Established transliteration. Israel’s high priest, second Intercession-doctrine exemplar (16:46-48, incense halting the plague).
Balaam
Approved rendering: Npalas
Transliteration: Bil’am
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Established transliteration; the name carries no collision, though the divination practice associated with him is Critical — see ‘divination_sorcery’.
Phinehas
Approved rendering: Fineha
Transliteration: Pinchas
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Established transliteration. Priest whose zealous intercessory act (25:7-13) halts the Baal Peor plague; third Intercession-doctrine exemplar.
Manslayer
Approved rendering: tus tua neeg
Transliteration: rotseach
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
NEW ENTRY. One who has killed another, whether intentionally or accidentally (ch. 35). No collision.
Star Out Of Jacob
Approved rendering: lub hnub qub
Transliteration: kokhav
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
NEW ENTRY. Balaam’s messianic-shaped final oracle (24:17). Should be explicitly connected to the Faithfulness doctrine: God’s redemptive plan advances even through a pagan diviner’s mouth.
Census Numbering
Approved rendering: kev suav pej xeem
Transliteration: paqad
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. The formal muster/count constituting Israel as an organized, accountable people (chs. 1, 26). Directly grounds the Census doctrine: being counted means belonging to Yawmsaub’s own accountable community.
Tribe Clan Xeem
Approved rendering: xeem
Transliteration: matteh / shebet
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. One of Israel’s twelve covenantally organized divisions (chs. 1, 2, 26, 36). Strong positive cultural bridge to the living Hmong clan-lineage system; teaching must clarify Israel’s tribes function covenantally, chosen and organized by God, not merely as an ethnic-lineage analog.
Standard Banner Degel
Approved rendering: lub chij
Transliteration: degel
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. Tribal camp-marker positioning each tribe around the tabernacle (ch. 2). Kept distinct from ‘pole_standard_nes’ (ch. 21’s healing-sign pole) so the two ‘standard’ images are not merged.
Congregation Assembly
Approved rendering: tag nrho cov pejxeem / pawg pejxeem
Transliteration: `edah / qahal
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. The corporate body of Israel (chs. 14, 16, 20), especially in its rebellious or petitioning capacity.
Firstborn
Approved rendering: tus tub hlob
Transliteration: bekor
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. The firstborn son, redeemed via the Levites and the five-shekel payment (ch. 3).
Army Host Tsaba
Approved rendering: pab tub rog
Transliteration: tsaba
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. The mustered military force organized by the census (chs. 1, 26, 31).
Craving Taavah
Approved rendering: kev ntshaw kawg nkaus
Transliteration: ta’avah (hit’avu)
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
NEW ENTRY. Insatiable appetite linked to Kibroth-hattaavah’s judgment (11:34); directly links unbelief/grumbling to death, a pattern repeated at 21:6.
Cloud And Fire Divine Presence
Approved rendering: tauv huab / nplaim taws
Transliteration: `anan / esh
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
NEW ENTRY. The visible guiding presence of God over the tabernacle (chs. 9, 10, 14). Already-familiar Exodus imagery; ties directly to the Faithfulness doctrine as constant visual assurance of God’s abiding presence despite the people’s unfaithfulness.
Trumpet
Approved rendering: raj xyu
Transliteration: chatsotserah
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. Silver trumpets used for assembly, alarm, war signals (ch. 10).
Boundary Border
Approved rendering: ciam teb
Transliteration: gebul
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
NEW ENTRY. Territorial borders of the promised land (ch. 34); geographic/administrative term.
Medium-High Risk Terms
Devoted To Destruction Herem
Approved rendering: muab fij rhuav tshem tag nrho
Transliteration: cherem / hecherim
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: treating herem as a transferable ethical model for personal/clan vengeance — rejected
NEW ENTRY. Total, irrevocable devotion of a conquered Canaanite city to destruction (21:2-3, 31). Draws on the already-flagged fij domain; must be taught as a unique, time-bound instrument of divine judgment within Israel’s conquest era, never a transferable ethic.
Avenger Of Blood
Approved rendering: tus pauj txhaum ntshav
Transliteration: go’el ha-dam
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: reinforcing an uncritical clan-vengeance ethic by omitting the intentional/accidental distinction — rejected
NEW ENTRY. The kinsman responsible for executing justice for a slain relative, restrained by the cities-of-refuge provision (ch. 35). A genuine cultural bridge to Hmong customary clan-based blood-debt obligations; the text’s intentional/accidental distinction must be preserved precisely.
Burnt Offering Olah
Approved rendering: khoom fij hlawv
Transliteration: `olah
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. The regular sacrificial staple (chs. 7, 28-29). Every occurrence must be marked as literal OT cultic offering under the Mosaic covenant, kept distinct from Christ’s once-for-all propitiation and from ethical living-sacrifice application.
Jealousy Ordeal
Approved rendering: dej kev tshuaj xyuas kev ncaj ncees
Transliteration: mayim ha-marim
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. Priest-administered adultery-suspicion trial (5:11-31). Closely parallels Hmong customary oath/ordeal dispute-resolution practices; must be taught as a unique, temporary Mosaic-covenant civil provision, not endorsed today.
Bless Blessing Barak
Approved rendering: foom koob hmoov rau
Transliteration: barak
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: treating this as extending the impersonal-fate sense of koob hmoov into a salvific or election context — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY. The Aaronic priestly benediction (6:24-26) and God’s irreversible blessing on Israel Balaam cannot curse (23:20). Permitted under the Romans baseline’s ordinary-blessing carve-out for koob hmoov, but must be explicitly taught as personal, covenantal favor pronounced by Yawmsaub’s own priests or sovereignly decreed by Yawmsaub Himself, never impersonal fate.
Pole Standard Nes
Approved rendering: tus ncej
Transliteration: nes
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: presenting as a self-contained magical object — rejected
NEW ENTRY. The pole on which the bronze serpent was raised (21:8-9); the OT antecedent for John 3:14’s ‘lifted up.’ Must be taught with a forward-pointing typological note. Kept distinct from ‘standard_banner_degel’.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Continual Offering Tamid
Approved rendering: khoom fij niaj hnub
Transliteration: tamid
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. The regular daily/festival offering pattern (chs. 28-29). Same fij-domain caution as ‘burnt_offering_olah’.
Tassels Fringes
Approved rendering: hnyav ntswg
Transliteration: gedilim / tzitzit
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
NEW ENTRY. Garment fringes as an obedience-reminder (ch. 15). Comprehension gap only.
Leprosy Tsaraat
Approved rendering: mob ruas
Transliteration: tsara`at
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
NEW ENTRY. Miriam’s judgment-affliction (ch. 12). Comprehension gap regarding ceremonial implications; no traditional-religion collision.
Oracle Mashal
Approved rendering: zaj lus paub tseeb
Transliteration: mashal
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
NEW ENTRY. Balaam’s four formal poetic pronouncements (chs. 23-24). Comprehension-level register gap only.
Wilderness Midbar
Approved rendering: tebchaws moj sab qhua
Transliteration: midbar
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
NEW ENTRY. The book’s central setting; comprehension gap (no exact desert referent in Hmong highland experience) but no collision. Should be reinforced with an illustrative note describing a barren, foodless, waterless region.
Manna
Approved rendering: mana
Transliteration: man
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
NEW ENTRY. The daily provision despised at 11:6 and again at the core passage’s 21:5. Transliterated with gloss; contempt for this specific gift anchors the Unbelief doctrine.
Discouragement Impatience Idiom
Approved rendering: lub siab poob qis / lub siab tu siab lawm
Transliteration: va-tiqtsar nephesh
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: reading as simple physical tiredness — rejected, must convey loss of trust
NEW ENTRY. The idiom ‘the soul became short’ (21:4b), marking the people’s collapse of trust immediately before the rebellion in the core passage. Anchored in ‘siab’ (liver/heart), the established Hmong seat of will and emotion.
Giants Nephilim Anaqim
Approved rendering: cov neeg loj loj heev (cov Anas)
Transliteration: Nephilim / `Anaqim
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
NEW ENTRY. Legendary giant peoples reported by the spies (ch. 13), fueling Israel’s fear-driven unbelief. Teaching must clarify the spies’ fear-driven exaggeration is the failure of faith the doctrine addresses, not an endorsement of the giants’ literal invincibility.
Passover Pesach
Approved rendering: Kevcai Hla Dhau (Pashkav)
Transliteration: pesach
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
NEW ENTRY. Commemorative deliverance feast observed in the wilderness (ch. 9). Transliteration retained with descriptive gloss; comprehension gap only. Positive typological resonance (Passover lamb prefigures Christ) reinforced in teaching notes.