Core Glossary
Psalms — Core Glossary (Hmong Language Package, Psalms Extension)
This glossary catalogues every load-bearing term surfaced in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md. Section A reuses Romans-baseline TM terms exactly, with Psalms chapter citations added. Section B introduces new Psalms-specific candidate terms, each with a proposed Hmong rendering, risk tier, alternatives rejected, and grounded reason, following the Romans baseline’s registry conventions exactly. No Critical/High term in Section A may receive an alternate rendering under any circumstance; Section B terms require formal TM-revision review before Section B entries become permanent, per the governing note in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md §10.
A. Reused Romans-Baseline Terms (inherited exactly, no alteration permitted)
| # | English term | Hmong rendering (TM-fixed) | Risk | Psalms chapters citing this term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | God (Elohim) | Vajtswv | Low | all |
| A2 | LORD (YHWH) | tus Tswv | Low | all |
| A3 | Holy Spirit | Vaj Ntsuj Plig | Critical | 51 (v.11) |
| A4 | Human spirit/soul (nephesh/ruach, anthropological) | ntsuj plig | High | 6, 23, 31, 42-43, 51 (v.12), 130, 143 |
| A5 | Son of God / royal Sonship (typological) | Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv | Low (Critical when applied typologically to Ps 2/45) | 2, 45 |
| A6 | Righteous / righteousness | tus ncaj ncees / Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees | Critical | 1, 4, 5, 7, 11, 14, 15, 23, 24, 32, 34, 37, 45, 72, 85, 92, 94, 97, 103, 111, 112, 118, 119, 145, 146 |
| A7 | Ungodly (asebēs, distinct from rasha — see B-table) | tus tsis hwm Vajtswv | Medium | 1 (contrast), 43 |
| A8 | Sin (act & condition) | txhaum / kev txhaum | High | 1, 4, 14, 19, 25, 32, 38, 39, 40, 51, 65, 103, 130 |
| A9 | Law (Mosaic/Divine) | Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes) | Critical | 1, 19, 40, 78, 89, 93, 94, 99, 105, 111, 119 |
| A10 | Grace | txiaj ntsim | Critical | 84 (LXX charis occurrences), 45 (LXX) — used sparingly; Psalms’ dominant relational-favor term is chesed, see B1 |
| A11 | Mercy (eleos) | txoj kev khuv leej | Medium | 4, 6, 9, 25, 26, 31, 41, 51, 56, 57, 67, 86, 103, 116, 123, 145 (LXX eleos occurrences, distinct from chesed — see B1) |
| A12 | Hope | kev cia siab | Low | 25, 33, 39, 40, 42, 62, 71, 130, 146 |
| A13 | Glory | lub yeeb koob | Low | 8, 19, 24, 29, 57, 72, 79, 96, 97, 102, 104, 108, 145, 148, 150 |
| A14 | Nations / Gentiles | lwm Haiv Neeg | Low | 2, 9, 22, 46, 47, 67, 72, 96, 98, 105, 117, 126 |
| A15 | Idol | dab mlom | High | 96, 97, 106, 115, 135 |
| A16 | Power | Vajtswv hwjchim (qualifier mandatory) | High | 21, 24, 29, 63, 66, 68, 71, 79, 89, 90, 106, 110, 111, 145, 150 |
| A17 | Salvation / Save | kev cawm dim / cawm (anchored to Yexus Khetos in Messianic-typology teaching) | High | 3, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 51, 62, 65, 68, 69, 70, 74, 78, 79, 80, 85, 91, 95, 96, 98, 106, 107, 116, 118, 119, 130, 132, 140, 149 |
| A18 | Worship/serve (cultic) | pehawm / pab teev (object mandatory) | High | 5, 22, 29, 66, 86, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 132, 138, 150 |
| A19 | Truth | qhov tseeb | Low | 15, 19, 25, 26, 30, 31, 33, 40, 43, 51, 54, 57, 61, 71, 85, 86, 89, 91, 96, 98, 100, 108, 111, 115, 117, 119, 138, 145, 146 |
| A20 | Creation | tej uas raug tsim los | Low | 8, 19, 24, 74, 89, 90, 95, 96, 100, 102, 104, 121, 124, 134, 136, 139, 146, 148 |
| A21 | Thanksgiving | ua tsaug | Low | 6, 7, 9, 18, 28, 30, 33, 35, 43, 44, 50, 52, 54, 57, 67, 71, 75, 79, 92, 95, 97, 100, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 116, 118, 119, 122, 136, 138, 139, 140, 145 |
| A22 | Stumbling block | qhov/pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg | Low-Medium | 91 (v.12, angelic protection from stumbling), 118 (rejected-stone use is escalated, see B-table) |
| A23 | Redemption | kev txhiv | Medium | 25, 26, 31, 34, 44, 49, 55, 69, 71, 72, 74, 77, 78, 103, 106, 107, 111, 119, 130, 136 |
| A24 | Righteousness of God / reckon | raug suav tias ncaj ncees (justification-context only) | Critical | 32 (Rom 4:7-8 citation context) |
| A25 | Promise | lus cog tseg | Low | 77, 89, 105, 119, 130, 132, 145 |
| A26 | Kingdom of God | lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv | Low | 22, 45, 47, 93, 96-99, 103, 145, 146 |
| A27 | Witness | tus timkhawv | Low | 19, 89, 119 |
| A28 | Will of God | Vajtswv lub siab nyiam | Medium | 40, 103, 143 |
| A29 | World | lub ntiajteb | Low | 9, 17, 19, 24, 33, 46, 48, 50, 89, 90, 93, 96, 98 |
| A30 | Endurance | kev ua siab ntev | Low | 37, 40 |
| A31 | Death | txoj kev tuag | Low | 6, 9, 13, 18, 22, 23, 33, 44, 48, 49, 55, 56, 68, 73, 78, 79, 82, 88, 89, 90, 102, 106, 107, 115, 116, 118, 143, 146 |
B. New Psalms-Specific Terms (candidate TM entries — require formal TM-revision review before finalization)
| # | Category | English term | Hebrew (LXX Greek) | Transliteration | Literal meaning | Hmong rendering (proposed) | Risk | Alternatives rejected | Chapters | Grounded reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | Covenant & Character of God | Steadfast love / mercy (hesed) | חֶסֶד (ἔλεος) | chesed (eleos) | covenant-loyal love | txoj kev hlub ruaj khov raws li tej lus cog tseg | Critical | koob hmoov (fate/fortune — FORBIDDEN, same collision documented for charis in Romans TM); bare kev hlub (loses covenant-loyalty force); unqualified reuse of txiaj ntsim (grace — distinct legal-forensic category); unqualified reuse of txoj kev khuv leej (mercy/eleos — flattens the LXX’s own conflation of chesed and rachamim) | 23:6, 25, 33, 36, 40, 51, 57, 62, 63, 69, 85, 86, 89, 94, 98, 100, 103, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 117, 118, 119, 130, 136, 138, 143, 145, 147 | The Psalter’s central covenant-relational term; if collapsed into koob hmoov, God’s covenant loyalty becomes fate/luck; if collapsed into ordinary kev hlub, the specifically covenantal, bond-keeping nuance (as opposed to spontaneous affection) is lost, weakening the Covenant Faithfulness doctrine at its root. |
| B2 | Righteous & Wicked | Blessed / happy state (esher/makarios) | אֶשֶׁר (μακάριος) | esher (makarios) | “happinesses of…” | tus uas nyob kaj siab lug | Critical | Bare koob hmoov (FORBIDDEN — implies fate-assigned fortune rather than a state flowing from righteous, God-ward orientation) | 1, 2, 32, 33, 34, 40, 41, 84, 94, 106, 112, 118, 119, 127, 128, 137, 144, 146 | Structurally identical collision risk to the Romans baseline’s charis/koob hmoov prohibition; without a forbidding note, translators will default to the natural Hmong idiom for “blessed/fortunate,” reintroducing fatalism into the Beatitude-like formula that opens and threads through the whole Psalter. |
| B3 | Righteous & Wicked | Wicked (rasha, distinct from asebēs) | רָשָׁע (ἀσεβής/ἁμαρτωλός) | rasha | one who is disorderly/guilty; active wrongdoer | tus limhiam | Medium | Conflating with tus tsis hwm Vajtswv (ungodly/asebēs, A7 — stresses irreverence, not active injustice) | 1, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12, 17, 26, 28, 31, 34, 36, 37, 50, 58, 68, 71, 73, 75, 82, 84, 91, 92, 94, 97, 101, 104, 106, 109, 112, 119, 129, 139, 140, 141, 145, 146 | Hebrew wisdom literature’s rasha foregrounds active injustice/violence, a nuance the Romans-fixed asebēs term (irreverence) does not fully carry; keeping them distinct preserves the Righteous/Wicked doctrine’s ethical-legal texture. |
| B4 | Divine Persons & Names | Anointed One / Messiah (mashiach/christos) | מָשִׁיחַ (χριστός) | mashiach (christos) | anointed one | tus Mexiyas (transliteration, footnoted to Yexus Khetos) | High | Generic tus huab tais (mere “king,” loses messianic specificity) | 2, 18, 20, 28, 45, 84, 89, 105, 132 | Direct lexical root of Khetos; diminishing this to a generic royal title would sever the Kingship/Messianic King doctrine’s OT-NT continuity. |
| B5 | Kingship & Messianic King | Royal/adoptive Sonship formula (“Thou art my Son”) | בֵּן (υἱός) | ben (huios) | son (coronation-adoption formula) | Leej Tub (with mandatory two-layer teaching note) | Critical | Treating as identical in force to Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv’s full ontological Sonship without the historical-typological distinction noted | 2, 89 | Risk of either diminishing Christ’s eternal Sonship (reading it as merely adoptive like David) or missing the typological fulfillment link entirely; requires mandatory theologian-supervised teaching note. |
| B6 | Kingship & Messianic King | Melchizedek priesthood (kohen after the order of Malki-tsedeq) | כֹּהֵן (ἱερεύς) | kohen | priest | tus pov thawj | High | txiv neeb (shaman) vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, extends Romans TM #12’s prohibition | 110 | A unique royal-priestly office fulfilled in Christ (Heb 5-7); any drift toward shamanic-mediator vocabulary would conflate Christ’s unique priesthood with animistic spirit-mediation. |
| B7 | Character of God as Refuge | Rock / Fortress / Refuge (tsur / metsudah / machseh) | צוּר / מְצוּדָה / מַחְסֶה | tsur / metsudah / machseh | rock / stronghold / refuge | pob zeb / chaw ruaj khov / chaw nkaum | High | Leaving any of these as an impersonal protective object without explicit personal-God anchoring | 18, 31, 46, 61, 62, 71, 91, 94, 144 | Risk of assimilation into Hmong folk-religious protective-charm practice (khawv koob); must always be explicitly anchored to trust in the personal God, never left as a free-floating protective-object metaphor. |
| B8 | Character of God / Sanctification | Holy One (chasid) applied Messianically | חָסִיד (ὅσιος) | chasid | covenant-loyal/faithful one | tus dawb huv ntawm Vajtswv | High | Unqualified reuse of dawb huv (sanctification, A-inherited) without the Messianic-resurrection framing | 16, 89, 106, 116, 132, 145, 149 | Must be distinguished from ordinary sanctification vocabulary by explicit messianic-resurrection context (Acts 2:25-28 citation of Ps 16). |
| B9 | Confession and Forgiveness | Sin — three-term intensification (pesha/avon/chattaah) | פֶּשַׁע / עָוֹן / חַטָּאָה | pesha / avon / chattaah | rebellion / twisted guilt / missing the mark | kev fav xeeb rau Vajtswv / kev txhaum uas nyob hauv lub siab / txhaum | High | Collapsing all three into a single undifferentiated txhaum, losing the confession’s rhetorical intensification | 32, 51 | Ps 51’s confession deliberately escalates through three near-synonyms; flattening them mutes the doctrine’s emphasis on sin as an inherited, God-ward guilt-condition rather than a single reparable act. |
| B10 | Confession and Forgiveness | Human spirit renewed vs. Holy Spirit (ruach nedivah vs. ruach qodesh) | רוּח נְדִיבָה vs. רוּח קָדְשֶׁךָ | ruach nedivah vs. ruach qodshekha | willing spirit vs. spirit of holiness | ntsuj plig (human, no prefix) vs. Vaj Ntsuj Plig (divine, mandatory prefix) | Critical | Any prefix confusion between the two adjacent verses (Ps 51:11-12) | 51 | The single highest-density test of the Romans baseline’s Vaj-prefix discipline in the entire Psalter; a dropped or added prefix in either verse inverts the doctrine. |
| B11 | Confession and Forgiveness | Create a clean heart (bara / lev tahor) | בְּרָא / לֵב טָהוֹר | bara / lev tahor | create (ex nihilo verb) / pure heart | tsim lub siab dawb huv tshiab | Critical | Treating dawb huv here as ritual purification rather than radical inward moral re-creation | 51 | Same collision risk documented for sanctification (Romans TM #46, High): folk dawb huv = ritual purity from spirit-contamination; here it must be taught as God’s decisive re-creative act. |
| B12 | Covenant Faithfulness | Truth/faithfulness paired with hesed (emet) | אֱמֶת (ἀλήθεια) | emet | faithfulness/reliability | kev ncaj ncees thiab kev ntseeg siab (in hendiadys with B1) | High | Collapsing into the general-purpose qhov tseeb (truth, A19), losing the covenant-reliability nuance | 85, 89, 91, 96, 100, 111, 117, 119, 138, 146 | When paired with chesed (Ps 85:10, 89), emet denotes covenant reliability specifically, not a generic truth-claim; conflating the two weakens the Hesed doctrine’s hendiadys. |
| B13 | Covenant Faithfulness | Covenant (berith) | בְּרִית (διαθήκη) | berith | covenant/binding pact | kev sib cog lus ruaj khov | Medium-High | Collapsing into lus cog tseg (promise, A25 — a unilateral pledge, not the fuller bilateral covenant-bond concept) | 25, 44, 50, 74, 78, 83, 89, 103, 105, 106, 111, 132 | Berith denotes a more formal, binding covenant relationship than a simple promise; keeping the two distinct preserves the Hesed/Covenant Faithfulness doctrine’s legal-relational depth. |
| B14 | Character of God / Refuge | Almighty (Shaddai) | שַׁדַּי (παντοκράτωρ-adjacent) | Shaddai | traditionally “Almighty” | Vajtswv uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus (mandatory qualifier, reuse hwjchim rule) | High | Bare hwjchim — FORBIDDEN per Romans TM #62/registry #62 | 91 | Direct extension of the Romans baseline’s mandatory power-qualifier rule to a new divine title. |
| B15 | Character of God / Refuge | Keeper (shomer) | שׁוֹמֵר (φυλάσσων) | shomer | guardian/watcher | tus zov ntsoov / tus tu | Medium | Conflating with household guardian-spirit concepts in Hmong folk religion | 121 | Must be explicitly taught as the personal, wakeful, covenant God’s guardianship, not an impersonal household spirit-guardian. |
| B16 | Anthropology (in Psalms) | Sheol / the Pit (realm of the dead) | שְׁאוֹל / שַׁחַת (ᾅδης) | Sheol / shachat | realm of the dead | qhov ntxa / lub chaw ntawm cov tuag | Critical | Conflating with the Hmong ancestral-spirit-realm concept (ongoing, interactive ancestor presence/influence) | 6, 9, 16, 18, 30, 31, 49, 55, 86, 88, 89, 116, 139, 141 | Biblical Sheol is a largely non-interactive shadowy realm from which deliverance/resurrection is hoped for, not a realm of ongoing ancestor-mediated relationship with the living; without explicit contrast-teaching, hearers may assimilate Sheol into the ancestor-veneration framework Romans doctrine #2 (Original Sin) and Psalms’ Confession doctrine both work against. |
| B17 | Messianic Prophecy | Rejected cornerstone (even rosh pinnah) | אֶבֶן רֹאשׁ פִּנָּה (λίθον… κεφαλὴν γωνίας) | even rosh pinnah | stone, head of the corner | pob zeb uas cov tsim tsev tsis txais los ua tus pob zeb tseem ceeb tshaj plaws | High | Treating as merely another instance of the general stumbling_block entry (A22) without its heightened Messianic-vindication weight | 118 | Distinct rhetorical function (rejection-then-vindication) from ordinary “stumbling block” usage; requires its own dedicated Messianic teaching note (Matt 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:7). |
| B18 | Shepherd Doctrine | Shepherd (ro’eh) | רָעָה (ποιμήν) | ro’eh (poimēn) | one who tends/grazes flocks | tus Yug Yaj | Medium | Re-coining a new term where existing Hmong Christian usage (from John 10) already supplies a stable rendering | 23, 28, 78, 79, 80, 95, 100 | Comprehension-level pastoral-imagery gap only (sheep-herding unfamiliar in Hmong highland agrarian context); no traditional-religion collision; existing Hmong Christian usage must be reused for TM consistency. |
| B19 | Shepherd/Kingship overlap | Rod/scepter (shebet) | שֵׁבֶט (ῥάβδος) | shebet | shepherd’s club / royal scepter | pas nrig (pastoral) / pas kav tebchaws (royal) with mandatory cross-reference note | Medium | Treating the pastoral and royal occurrences as unrelated words | 2, 23, 45, 89, 110, 125 | The single Hebrew lexeme deliberately binds the Shepherd doctrine to the Kingship doctrine; the Hmong rendering must carry an explicit cross-reference so the typological unity is not lost through two unrelated translation choices. |
| B20 | Anointing | Anoint (mashach) | מָשַׁח (χρίω) | mashach (chriō) | to smear/rub with oil | pleev roj | Medium | Any framing suggesting folk-medicinal or shamanic ritual-oil use | 2, 23, 45, 89, 105, 133 | Root of “Messiah/Christ”; must be taught as royal-priestly consecration and honor, explicitly distinguished from shamanic healing/protection oil rites. |
| B21 | Divine Names | Most High / Elyon | עֶלְיוֹן | Elyon | the Highest | tus uas Siab Tshaj Plaws | Low | — | 7, 9, 18, 21, 46, 47, 50, 57, 73, 78, 82, 83, 87, 91, 92, 97, 107 | Stable descriptive divine title; no collision identified. |
| B22 | Confession/Corporate | Forgetting God (corporate apostasy motif) | שָׁכַח (ἐπιλανθάνομαι) | shakach | to forget | tso Vajtswv tseg / tsis nco Vajtswv | Medium | — | 78, 106 | Comprehension-level corporate-confession motif; useful for the Confession and Forgiveness doctrine’s corporate (not only individual) dimension. |
| B23 | Praise & Worship | Musical instruments cluster (shofar/kinnor/nevel/toph/machol) | שׁוֹפָר / כִּנּוֹר / נֶבֶל / תֹּף / מָחוֹל | shofar / kinnor / nevel / toph / machol | trumpet / lyre / harp / tambourine / dance | raj xyu / nkauj nog ncas / nruas / kev seev cev (illustrative bridge to Hmong qeej/drum/gong culture) | Low-Medium | — | 33, 68, 81, 92, 98, 108, 137, 149, 150 | Comprehension-level cluster; ancient instruments unfamiliar in specific form, but instrumental/dance worship as a category has ready Hmong musical-culture analogues; illustrative bridging note recommended. |
| B24 | Lament genre | Imprecatory prayer (curse-petition entrusted to God’s justice) | (genre category, not single lexeme) | — | prayer calling for God’s judgment on an enemy | kev thov Vajtswv txiav txim rau tus yeeb ncuab (with mandatory pastoral-framing note) | High | Presenting as license for personal cursing/retaliation | 35, 58, 69, 83, 109, 137, 140 | Must be taught as entrusting vengeance to God’s justice, not modeling personal vengeance; escalate to theologian review per the Honest Prayer doctrine’s High-risk tier. |
| B25 | Righteous/Wicked (theodicy) | “Almost stumbled” — theodicy tension (envying the wicked’s prosperity) | (thematic, not single lexeme) | — | temptation to doubt God’s justice when the wicked prosper | kuv txhawj tias Vajtswv tej kev ncaj ncees tsis ncaj (framed as honest tension, not resolved doubt) | Medium | Silently omitting or artificially resolving the tension | 73 | The Righteous/Wicked doctrine requires this honest theodicy complication alongside Ps 1/37’s confident resolution for a complete, non-flattened treatment. |
| B26 | Judicial/Elohim usage | ”Ye are gods” (elohim applied to human judges) | אֱלֹהִים (θεοί) | elohim | gods / divine-rank beings; here, delegated judges | cov uas Vajtswv tsa ua tus txiav txim (descriptive, avoids bare “gods”) | Critical | Bare transliteration implying polytheism or literal deification of human rulers | 82 | Must avoid any implication that Hmong hearers — coming from a spirit-populated cosmology with many named spiritual beings — would read this as endorsing a multiplicity of true gods; requires a descriptive, delegated-authority rendering plus mandatory teaching note (cf. John 10:34). |
C. Cross-Reference Notes (Structural Enforcement, extending 12_ai_translation_requirements.md §2)
chesed(B1) is the single highest-priority new TM candidate in this Language Package; it must be routed for the same “no re-gloss without TM-revision” protection the Romans baseline applies tocharis,election, andrighteousness.- The
Vaj Ntsuj Plig/ntsuj pligprefix discipline (A3/A4, escalated at B10) applies with heightened density in Psalm 51:11-12 and must be flagged for mandatory human theologian review at every curriculum touchpoint. koob hmoovremains permanently forbidden for B1 (hesed) and B2 (blessed/esher) for the identical structural reason it is forbidden forcharisin the Romans baseline — this extends, and does not contradict, the existing prohibition.- The Sheol entry (B16) requires the same tier of collision-management documentation as
Vajtswv txoj kev npau taws(wrath of God) received in the Romans baseline: a named, specific competing referent (ancestor-realm cosmology) with an explicit contrast-teaching requirement, not a generic comprehension gap. - All Section B terms are logged per §2.4 of
12_ai_translation_requirements.md(“new terms not yet in the TM… MUST be logged for a future TM-revision review rather than silently treated as permanent”) and require human theologian sign-off before promotion to permanent TM status in a Psalms Language Package baseline.
Full-book coverage confirmation: This glossary cites terms from every chapter of the Psalter (1–150), consistent with the chapter-by-chapter study in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: ruach qodesh / ruach qodshekha; pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit / Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: bare ntsuj plig (no Vaj prefix) — rejected, denotes an animistic wandering human soul
Inherited from Romans package. Mandatory ‘Vaj’ prefix at every occurrence, including Ps 51:11 (the single most theologically load-bearing OT occurrence of Holy Spirit language in the curriculum) and Ps 139:7. See take_not_thy_holy_spirit for the Ps 51:11 dedicated entry.
Righteousness Of God Righteous
Approved rendering: Vajtswv txoj kev ncaj ncees / tus ncaj ncees
Transliteration: tsedeq / tsedaqah / tsaddiq (LXX dikaiosynē theou / dikaios)
Doctrine: Justification by Faith / The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1) / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘kev ncaj ncees’ without the reckoning qualifier — rejected, reads as self-achieved moralism
Inherited from Romans package. In Psalms this term carries two senses that must be kept distinct: the ethical-descriptive sense (Ps 1, 37 — righteous conduct/character) and the forensic-imputed sense (Ps 32, quoted Rom 4:7-8, requiring the reckon_impute/justify_reckon_as_righteous pairing). See paths_of_righteousness_ethical for the Ps 23:3 guidance-sense periphrasis, which must not be flattened into the forensic sense.
Law Mosaic Divine
Approved rendering: Txoj Kevcai (ntawm Vajtswv / Mauxes)
Transliteration: torah (LXX 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)
Inherited from Romans package. Qualifier mandatory at every occurrence without exception, including Ps 1, 19, 40, 78, 89, 93, 94, 99, 105, 111, and the 176-verse Ps 119 (see torah_synonym_cluster for the eight near-synonymous Hebrew terms woven through that chapter, each requiring the same qualifier discipline).
Grace
Approved rendering: txiaj ntsim
Transliteration: charis (LXX equivalent for select Hebrew favor-terms)
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fortune/blessing tied to fate and ritual correctness) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN for this sense
Inherited from Romans package. Used sparingly in Psalms (occasional LXX charis occurrences, e.g. Ps 45, 84). Must never be substituted for the new hesed_covenant_faithfulness entry, which is the Psalter’s dominant relational-favor term and is theologically distinct (unmerited legal favor vs. covenant-loyal love).
Justify Reckon As Righteous
Approved rendering: ua kom ncaj ncees / raug suav tias ncaj ncees
Transliteration: dikaioō / logizomai
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: ‘ua zoo’ (do good) framing — rejected, reintroduces works-righteousness
Inherited from Romans package. Mandatory rendering for Ps 32:1-2 (quoted verbatim by Paul in Rom 4:7-8); never replaced with bare ncaj ncees.
Reckon Impute
Approved rendering: suav / suav tias
Transliteration: logizomai
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Ps 32:1-2 is Paul’s Old Testament citation-ground for the doctrine of imputed righteousness apart from works.
Propitiation Atoning Sacrifice
Approved rendering: qhov theej txhoj kev txhaum
Transliteration: (sacrificial atonement vocabulary; LXX hilastērion)
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone / Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: transliterated loanword — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Cross-referenced at Ps 40:6-8 (quoted Heb 10:5-9, ‘sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire’) and Ps 51:16-17’s reframing of acceptable sacrifice as a broken and contrite heart.
Flesh Neutral Descent Body
Approved rendering: lub cev nqaij tawv
Transliteration: basar (general/neutral sense)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt
Rejected alternatives: bare nqaij used unmarked for both senses — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to the Psalter’s general ‘all flesh’ (humanity) usages, e.g. Ps 65:2, 145:21 — a neutral sense, kept distinct from any morally-loaded sense not otherwise attested as a distinct load-bearing category in the Psalms core passages reviewed.
Hesed Covenant Faithfulness
Approved rendering: txoj kev hlub ruaj khov raws li tej lus cog tseg
Transliteration: chesed (LXX eleos)
Doctrine: Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fate/fortune) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, identical structural collision documented for charis in the Romans baseline, bare kev hlub — rejected, loses covenant-loyalty force, unqualified reuse of txiaj ntsim (grace) — rejected, distinct legal-forensic category, unqualified reuse of txoj kev khuv leej (mercy/eleos) — rejected, reproduces the LXX’s own flattening of chesed and rachamim
NEW ENTRY — core-passage anchor (Ps 23:6), single highest-priority new TM candidate in this Language Package. Requires TM-revision-review-level protection identical to charis/election/righteousness in the Romans baseline; no re-gloss permitted without formal review. Ps 136’s 26-fold liturgical refrain must render identically at every one of its occurrences.
Blessed Happy State Esher
Approved rendering: tus uas nyob kaj siab lug
Transliteration: esher (LXX makarios)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov (fate/fortune) — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, structurally identical collision to the charis/koob hmoov prohibition
NEW ENTRY — Ps 1:1 anchor; opens the Psalter and recurs as its most repeated structural refrain (Ps 1, 2, 32, 33, 34, 40, 41, 84, 94, 106, 112, 118, 119, 127, 128, 137, 144, 146). Requires the same permanent-prohibition-level protection as the charis/koob hmoov collision.
Commit My Spirit Into Thy Hand
Approved rendering: muab kuv ntsuj plig cob rau koj
Transliteration: ruchi (LXX to pneuma mou)
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer / Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: applying the Vaj Ntsuj Plig prefix here — FORBIDDEN, this is the human spirit entrusted to God, not the Holy Spirit
NEW ENTRY — Ps 31:5, quoted by Christ at the cross (Luke 23:46) and echoed at Stephen’s death (Acts 7:59). Zero-tolerance human-spirit-only rule; flagged for mandatory theologian review at every touchpoint given the cross-Testament visibility.
Royal Adoptive Sonship Formula
Approved rendering: Leej Tub
Transliteration: beni attah (LXX huios mou ei sy)
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King / Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: treating as identical in force to Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv’s full ontological Sonship without the historical-typological distinction — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 2:7, 89. Mandatory two-layer teaching note: (1) historical Davidic coronation-adoption sense; (2) full ontological Sonship of Christ (Heb 1:5, Acts 13:33) — neither layer may stand alone.
Sheol The Pit
Approved rendering: qhov ntxa / lub chaw ntawm cov tuag
Transliteration: Sheol / shachat (LXX hadēs / diaphthora)
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms / General Anthropology
Rejected alternatives: conflating with the Hmong ancestral-spirit-realm concept of ongoing interactive ancestor presence — rejected, inverts the doctrine
NEW ENTRY — Ps 6, 9, 16, 18, 30, 31, 49, 55, 86, 88, 89, 116, 139, 141. Biblical Sheol is a shadowy, largely non-interactive realm awaiting deliverance/resurrection hope. Ps 139’s positive use (God present even in Sheol) is a corrective clarification of this same term, not a separate collision.
Thy Throne O God Deity Of Messianic King
Approved rendering: Vajtswv, koj lub zwm txwv nyob mus ib txhis
Transliteration: kis’akha Elohim
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King / Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: softening to a merely honorific ‘godlike ruler’ — rejected, severs the deity-of-Christ argument (Heb 1:8-9)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 45:6-7, 102:25-27. Must preserve, not soften, the direct address of ‘Elohim’ to the king/Messiah; mandatory theologian cross-reference to the Romans TM son_of_god full-deity doctrine.
Create Clean Heart Bara Lev Tahor
Approved rendering: tsim lub siab dawb huv tshiab
Transliteration: bara / lev tahor
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv here as ritual purification rather than radical inward re-creation — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 51:10. Pairs the Genesis creation-verb with sanctification vocabulary; carries the identical dawb huv collision risk documented for the Romans TM sanctification entry, with heightened emphasis required as God’s decisive re-creative act, not repeatable ritual cleansing.
Take Not Thy Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Vaj Ntsuj Plig
Transliteration: ruach qodshekha
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51) / Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: dropping the Vaj prefix — FORBIDDEN
NEW ENTRY, mandatory reuse of the holy_spirit rendering exactly — Ps 51:11. Single most theologically load-bearing OT occurrence of Holy Spirit language in the curriculum.
Uphold Me With Thy Willing Spirit
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig
Transliteration: ruach nedivah
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: applying the Vaj prefix here — FORBIDDEN, this is the psalmist’s own renewed human disposition, not the divine Person
NEW ENTRY, mandatory reuse of the human_spirit_soul rendering exactly — Ps 51:12, sitting immediately adjacent to v.11’s Vaj Ntsuj Plig. Highest-density Vaj-prefix discipline test in the entire Psalter; flagged for mandatory human theologian review at every touchpoint.
Ye Are Gods Elohim Judges
Approved rendering: cov uas Vajtswv tsa ua tus txiav txim
Transliteration: elohim (LXX theoi)
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms / Character of God (cross-cutting)
Rejected alternatives: bare transliterated plural ‘gods’ — FORBIDDEN, risks endorsing genuine polytheism or literal deification of human rulers, plural form of Vajtswv — FORBIDDEN, must never be used for this verse
NEW ENTRY — Ps 82:6 (quoted John 10:34). Descriptive, delegation-focused rendering with mandatory teaching note required; no prior TM precedent existed for this construction before this Language Package.
High Risk Terms
Human Spirit Soul
Approved rendering: ntsuj plig
Transliteration: nephesh / ruach (anthropological)
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51) / Lament and Honest Prayer
Rejected alternatives: Vaj Ntsuj Plig — forbidden for this referent, reserved exclusively for the Holy Spirit
Inherited from Romans package. Applies at Ps 6, 23:3, 25, 31:5, 42-43, 51:12, 63, 84, 103, 116, 130, 142, 143, 146. Never receives the ‘Vaj’ prefix. Highest-stakes occurrences: Ps 23:3 (‘he restoreth my soul’), Ps 31:5 (‘into thine hand I commit my spirit,’ quoted by Christ and Stephen at death — see commit_my_spirit_into_thy_hand), and Ps 51:12 (adjacent to v.11’s Vaj Ntsuj Plig — see uphold_me_with_thy_willing_spirit).
Sin Act And Condition
Approved rendering: txhaum / kev txhaum
Transliteration: chattaah (general)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt / Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 1, 4, 14, 19, 25, 32, 38, 39, 40, 51, 65, 103, 130. Extended by sin_three_term_intensification for Ps 32/51’s escalating pesha/avon/chattaah confession triad.
Idol
Approved rendering: dab mlom
Transliteration: elilim / atsabim / pesel (LXX eidōlon)
Doctrine: Original Sin and Universal Guilt / Praise and Worship
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘statue’ softening — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 96, 97, 106, 115, 135. Ps 115’s idol polemic reinforces, and must not merely illustrate, the pehawm Vajtswv vs. pehawm dab contrast (see worship_serve_cultic).
Power
Approved rendering: Vajtswv hwjchim
Transliteration: oz / koach / gevurah (LXX dynamis)
Doctrine: The Gospel as the Power of God for Salvation / Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
Rejected alternatives: bare, unqualified hwjchim — FORBIDDEN, identical to a shaman’s (txiv neeb) ritual power
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 21, 24, 29, 63, 66, 68, 71, 79, 89, 90, 106, 110, 111, 145, 150. Extended to a new divine title in almighty_shaddai (Ps 91).
Salvation Save
Approved rendering: kev cawm dim / cawm
Transliteration: yeshuah / yasha (LXX 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
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs across ~35 psalms. Many Psalms occurrences describe historical/temporal deliverance rather than final eschatological salvation and must be taught with that distinction in mind, while Messianic-typology instances must still anchor explicitly to Yexus Khetos.
Worship Serve Cultic
Approved rendering: pehawm / pab teev
Transliteration: abad / shachah / halal (LXX latreuō / proskyneō / aineō)
Doctrine: Praise and Worship
Rejected alternatives: unanchored, unqualified pehawm — FORBIDDEN, identical verb used for pehawm dab (ancestor/spirit veneration)
Inherited from Romans package. Object of pehawm must always be stated (‘pehawm Vajtswv’) at every occurrence throughout Ps 5, 22, 29, 66, 86, 95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 132, 138, 150.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: kev raug ua kom dawb huv
Transliteration: (dawb huv root; LXX hagiasmos)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit / Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: treating dawb huv as a repeatable ritual-cleansing state — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Shares its dawb huv root with two new Psalms entries — holy_one_chasid_messianic (Ps 16:10) and create_clean_heart_bara_lev_tahor (Ps 51:10) — each of which requires its own distinguishing teaching note per the doctrine risk registry.
Living Sacrifice
Approved rendering: khoom fij uas muaj txoj sia nyob
Transliteration: (sacrificial-ethical vocabulary; LXX thysia zōsa)
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church / Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: unqualified ‘fij’ identical to offering language for ancestors/spirits — rejected
Inherited from Romans package. Cross-referenced to Ps 51:17’s broken and contrite heart (see broken_and_contrite_heart) as the psalm’s own reframing of the sacrificial category.
Paths Of Righteousness Ethical
Approved rendering: kev ncaj ncees (raws li Vajtswv coj kev)
Transliteration: ma’gley tsedeq
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge / Justification by Faith (contrast)
Rejected alternatives: treating identically to the forensic righteousness_of_god_righteous entry — rejected, flattens the OT ethical-guidance sense onto the Pauline forensic-imputation sense
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:3, core passage. Must be taught as a distinct, though related, sense of tsedeq/ncaj ncees from imputed righteousness.
Rock Fortress Refuge
Approved rendering: pob zeb / chaw ruaj khov / chaw nkaum
Transliteration: tsur / metsudah / machseh
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
Rejected alternatives: leaving as an impersonal protective object without explicit personal-God anchoring — rejected, risks assimilation into khawv koob protective-charm practice
NEW ENTRY — Ps 18, 31, 46, 61, 62, 71, 91, 94, 144. Every occurrence requires explicit grammatical anchoring to God Himself as protector, never a free-floating protective-object metaphor.
Emet Faithfulness Paired With Hesed
Approved rendering: kev ncaj ncees thiab kev ntseeg siab
Transliteration: emet (LXX alētheia)
Doctrine: Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: collapsing into general-purpose qhov tseeb (truth) — rejected, loses the covenant-reliability nuance in the fixed hendiadys with hesed
NEW ENTRY — Ps 85:10, 89, 91, 96, 100, 111, 117, 119, 138, 146, in fixed pairing with hesed_covenant_faithfulness. Kept distinct from the general truth entry.
Forsaken Azab
Approved rendering: tso kuv tseg
Transliteration: azab (LXX enkataleipō)
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer / Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
NEW ENTRY — Ps 22:1, quoted at the cross. Must be taught alongside Trinitarian doctrine to avoid implying rupture within the Godhead; cross-referenced to the Romans TM wrath_of_god entry.
Imprecatory Prayer
Approved rendering: kev thov Vajtswv txiav txim rau tus yeeb ncuab
Transliteration: (genre category; specific cursing/judgment verbs)
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer
Rejected alternatives: presenting as license for personal cursing/retaliation — forbidden framing
NEW ENTRY — Ps 35, 58, 69, 83, 109, 137, 140. Mandatory pastoral-framing note required at every occurrence: entrusting vengeance to God’s justice, never modeling personal retaliation; risk of syncretistic blending with Hmong curse/counter-curse ritual practices.
Anointed One Messiah Mashiach
Approved rendering: tus Mexiyas
Transliteration: mashiach (LXX christos)
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms / Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: generic tus huab tais (‘king’) — rejected, loses messianic specificity and severs OT-NT lexical continuity with Khetos
NEW ENTRY — Ps 2, 18, 20, 28, 45, 84, 89, 105, 132. Mandatory footnote cross-referencing Yexus Khetos at first occurrence (Ps 2:2); must never be diminished to a purely political/human ruler.
Lord Said Unto My Lord Two Person
Approved rendering: tus Tswv (used for both referents, disambiguated by mandatory teaching note)
Transliteration: YHWH … la’doni
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: inventing a distinct second Hmong term for ‘my lord’ — rejected as an unauthorized ad hoc coinage requiring TM-revision review
NEW ENTRY — Ps 110:1. Hmong lacks a lexical slot distinguishing YHWH from ‘my lord/master’; mandatory teaching note preserving the two-Person distinction required at every curriculum touchpoint (foundational to Matt 22:41-45).
Holy One Chasid Messianic
Approved rendering: tus dawb huv ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: chasid (LXX hosios)
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: unqualified reuse of dawb huv (sanctification) without messianic-resurrection framing — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 16:10 (quoted Acts 2:25-28), also Ps 89, 106, 116, 132, 145, 149. Must be distinguished from ordinary sanctification vocabulary by explicit messianic-resurrection context.
Rejected Cornerstone
Approved rendering: pob zeb uas cov tsim tsev tsis txais los ua tus pob zeb tseem ceeb tshaj plaws
Transliteration: even rosh pinnah
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: treating as merely another instance of the general stumbling_block entry — rejected, loses the heightened rejection-then-vindication Messianic weight
NEW ENTRY — Ps 118:22-26 (quoted Matt 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Pet 2:7). Requires a dedicated Messianic teaching note.
Melchizedek Priesthood
Approved rendering: tus pov thawj
Transliteration: kohen … Malki-tsedeq
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: txiv neeb (shaman) vocabulary — PERMANENTLY FORBIDDEN, extends the Romans TM priestly_minister entry’s prohibition
NEW ENTRY — Ps 110:4 (fulfilled Heb 5-7). A unique royal-priestly office fulfilled in Christ; any drift toward shamanic-mediator vocabulary is permanently forbidden.
Sin Three Term Intensification
Approved rendering: kev fav xeeb rau Vajtswv / kev txhaum uas nyob hauv lub siab / txhaum
Transliteration: pesha / avon / chattaah
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
Rejected alternatives: collapsing all three into a single undifferentiated txhaum — rejected, mutes David’s deliberate rhetorical intensification
NEW ENTRY — Ps 32, 51:1-5. Extends the Romans TM sin_act_and_condition entry.
All Nations Blessed In Him
Approved rendering: ib tsoom Haiv Neeg yuav tau txais kev zoo thiab kev pab vim Leej Tub
Transliteration: yitbarku bo kol goyim
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: koob hmoov framing of ‘blessed’ despite the distinct Hebrew root (barak) from esher — rejected, the blessing in view is covenantal/Messianic, not fate-linked material fortune
NEW ENTRY — Ps 72:17. Requires cross-reference to the promise and nations_gentiles entries so the universal scope of Messianic blessing is taught as covenant fulfillment, not luck or generic royal propaganda.
Almighty Shaddai
Approved rendering: Vajtswv uas muaj hwjchim loj kawg nkaus
Transliteration: Shaddai
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
Rejected alternatives: bare hwjchim — FORBIDDEN per the Romans TM power entry’s mandatory qualifier rule
NEW ENTRY — Ps 91:1. Extends the Romans baseline’s mandatory hwjchim-qualifier rule to a new divine title.
Medium Risk Terms
Ungodly
Approved rendering: tus tsis hwm Vajtswv
Transliteration: asebēs
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone / The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
Rejected alternatives: softened ‘irreligious’ — rejected, mutes the doctrinal shock
Inherited from Romans package. Kept lexically distinct in Psalms from the new wicked_rasha entry: this term stresses irreverence toward God, while rasha stresses active injustice/violence toward others. Used contrastively in Ps 1, 43.
Mercy
Approved rendering: txoj kev khuv leej
Transliteration: eleos (LXX for both chesed and rachamim in varying contexts)
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: txiaj ntsim used interchangeably for mercy — rejected, mercy and grace are theologically distinct emphases
Inherited from Romans package. Also renders LXX eleos and, with a distinguishing translator note, Hebrew rachamim (see rachamim_compassion). Must be kept lexically distinct from hesed_covenant_faithfulness so the Psalter’s several distinct Hebrew compassion/loyalty terms are not flattened into one Hmong phrase, correcting rather than reproducing the LXX’s own flattening of chesed and rachamim into eleos.
Redemption
Approved rendering: kev txhiv
Transliteration: pidyon / kopher / geulah (LXX apolytrōsis)
Doctrine: Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs across ~20 psalms. Ps 49’s contrast (no man can redeem his brother; only God can) must be cross-referenced to this fixed entry so learners see doctrinal continuity, not two unrelated ideas.
Will Of God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv lub siab nyiam
Transliteration: (volitional Hebrew constructions; LXX thelēma theou)
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 40, 103, 143. Teaching material must ensure no confusion between God’s own siab (this entry) and the human penitent’s broken siab in broken_and_contrite_heart (Ps 51:17).
Shepherd Ro Eh
Approved rendering: tus Yug Yaj
Transliteration: ro’eh (LXX poimēn)
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
Rejected alternatives: re-coining a new term where existing Hmong Christian usage (from John 10) already supplies a stable rendering — rejected for TM inconsistency
NEW ENTRY — core-passage anchor (Ps 23:1). Comprehension-level gap only (sheep-herding unfamiliar in Hmong highland agrarian context); no traditional-religion collision. Also occurs Ps 28, 78, 79, 80, 95, 100.
Green Pastures Still Waters
Approved rendering: tej tshav zaub ntsuab / cov dej tsis ntws ceev uas nyob kaj lug
Transliteration: ne’ot deshe / mei menuchot
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:2, core passage. Agrarian-image comprehension gap; bridge to Hmong rice-paddy/highland farming imagery recommended in teaching notes.
Valley Of Shadow Of Death
Approved rendering: lub hav tsaus ntuj ntawm duab kev tuag
Transliteration: gey tsalmaveth
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:4, core passage. Idiomatic/comprehension-level rendering only; no collision.
Shepherds Rod And Royal Scepter
Approved rendering: pas nrig / pas fai (pastoral); pas kav tebchaws (royal)
Transliteration: shebet / mishenet
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge / Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: treating the pastoral and royal occurrences as unrelated words — rejected, severs the deliberate Shepherd-King lexical unity
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:4, core passage, mandatorily cross-referenced to Ps 2:9, 45:6, 89, 110:2, 125. The single Hebrew lexeme shebet binds the Shepherd doctrine to the Kingship doctrine; this cross-reference must be maintained structurally at every occurrence.
Table Anoint Cup Overflow
Approved rendering: rooj mov / pleev roj rau kuv taubhau / khob nqhis dej npau nkaus
Transliteration: shulchan / mashach / kosi revayah
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge / Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
Rejected alternatives: folk-ritual or shamanic anointing-oil framing — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:5, core passage. ‘rooj mov’ is a positive cultural hospitality bridge; ‘pleev roj’ must be explicitly taught as royal/honorific consecration linked forward to the mashach root of Yexus Khetos, distinguished from txiv neeb-adjacent ritual-oil use.
Keeper Shomer
Approved rendering: tus zov ntsoov
Transliteration: shomer (LXX phylassōn)
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
Rejected alternatives: generic guardian-spirit-adjacent framing — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 121. Must be explicitly taught as the personal, wakeful, covenant God’s guardianship, not the household guardian-spirit concept in Hmong folk religion.
Rachamim Compassion
Approved rendering: txoj kev khuv leej (with translator note on the womb-tenderness nuance)
Transliteration: rachamim
Doctrine: Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed) / Praise and Worship
Rejected alternatives: flattening into hesed_covenant_faithfulness without remainder — rejected, distinct Hebrew term
NEW ENTRY — Ps 103, 145. May reuse the mercy rendering but requires a distinguishing translator note preserving the etymological ‘womb-tenderness’ nuance.
Wicked Rasha
Approved rendering: tus limhiam
Transliteration: rasha (LXX asebēs / hamartōlos)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
Rejected alternatives: conflating with tus tsis hwm Vajtswv (ungodly/asebēs, stresses irreverence not active injustice) — rejected, loses the doctrine’s ethical-legal texture
NEW ENTRY — Ps 1 and widely throughout (Ps 3, 9-12, 17, 26, 28, 31, 34, 36, 37, 50, 58, 68, 71, 73, 75, 82, 84, 91, 92, 94, 97, 101, 104, 106, 109, 112, 119, 129, 139-141, 145, 146). Must remain lexically distinct from the Romans-fixed ungodly entry.
Fool Nabal
Approved rendering: tus ruam
Transliteration: nabal (LXX aphrōn)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
Rejected alternatives: treating identically to the generic ‘unwise’ sense in the Romans merism entry — rejected, loses the specific willful-practical-God-denial sense
NEW ENTRY — Ps 14, 53 (‘the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God,’ quoted Rom 3:10-12).
Torah Synonym Cluster
Approved rendering: Vajtswv txoj kev txiav txim / Vajtswv tej kevcai ruaj khov / Vajtswv tej lus samhwm / Vajtswv tej lus timkhawv / tej lus / txoj kev
Transliteration: mishpat / chuqqah / mitzvah / edut / davar / imrah / derek
Doctrine: The Law and Its Purpose / The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 119 (176 verses, highest-density Torah-vocabulary chapter in Scripture), also Ps 19, 78, 89, 93, 99, 105, 111. Every synonym must carry the mandatory Kevcai-family disambiguation strategy extending law_mosaic_divine’s qualifier rule.
Lament Genre Marker
Approved rendering: (no fixed lexeme; genre-level teaching category)
Transliteration: (structural genre category)
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer
NEW ENTRY — Ps 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 22, 42-43, 44, 77, 88, 109, 130, 137, 140-143. Must be taught as a positive doctrinal contrast to Hmong customary ritual placation/avoidance of direct spirit-complaint, not a collision requiring resolution.
Anoint Mashach
Approved rendering: pleev roj
Transliteration: mashach (LXX chriō)
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms / Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: folk-medicinal or shamanic ritual-oil framing — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 2, 23, 45, 89, 105, 133. Root of ‘Messiah/Christ’; must be taught as royal-priestly consecration and honor.
Pierced Hands Feet Lots Cast
Approved rendering: hlais/tho … / xaiv ntawv/rho ntawv
Transliteration: ka’aru (disputed) / goral
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms
NEW ENTRY — Ps 22:16, 18 (fulfilled in the crucifixion narratives). Plain descriptive vocabulary; fulfillment-correspondence must be flagged for teaching.
Transgression Covered Forgiven
Approved rendering: kev zam txim
Transliteration: kasah / nasa
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 32, 85, 103. Must be distinguished from — while related to — the Romans TM propitiation_atoning_sacrifice entry: forgiveness is the relational result, propitiation the legal/sacrificial means.
Broken And Contrite Heart
Approved rendering: lub siab tawg thiab txo hwjchim
Transliteration: lev nishbar / ruach nishbarah
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 34, 51:17. siab already carries theological freight in the will_of_god entry; teaching material must ensure no confusion between God’s own siab and the human penitent’s broken siab described here.
Forgetting God Corporate Apostasy
Approved rendering: tso Vajtswv tseg / tsis nco Vajtswv
Transliteration: shakach (LXX epilanthanomai)
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 78, 106. Extends Ps 51’s personal confession to a corporate/national scale.
Rod Of Iron Shebet Barzel
Approved rendering: pas hlau kav tebchaws
Transliteration: shebet barzel
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY — Ps 2:9. Cross-referenced to shepherds_rod_and_royal_scepter; no new collision beyond the already-documented Shepherd-King lexical-unity requirement.
Theodicy Tension Almost Stumbled
Approved rendering: kuv txhawj tias Vajtswv tej kev ncaj ncees tsis ncaj (framed as honest tension, not resolved doubt)
Transliteration: (thematic, Ps 73, not a single lexeme)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
Rejected alternatives: silently omitting or artificially resolving the tension — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 73. Required for a complete, non-flattened treatment of the Righteous/Wicked doctrine alongside Ps 1/37’s confident resolution.
Low Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Vajtswv
Transliteration: Elohim / theos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Rejected alternatives: Ntuj (impersonal sky/heaven) — rejected, lacks personal deity sense, dab (spirit) — rejected, denotes false/lesser spirit
Inherited from Romans package. Reused for Elohim throughout the Psalter (all 150 chapters).
Lord
Approved rendering: tus Tswv
Transliteration: YHWH / Kyrios
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Reused for the covenant name YHWH throughout Psalms (all chapters). See lord_said_unto_my_lord_two_person for the mandatory Ps 110:1 two-Person disambiguation requirement, since Hmong has no lexical slot distinguishing YHWH from ‘my lord/master.‘
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Leej Tub ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: huios theou
Doctrine: Messianic Prophecy in the Psalms / Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: diminished-sonship renderings — rejected, must preserve full deity
Inherited from Romans package. Risk escalates to Critical when applied typologically to Ps 2:7 and Ps 45:6 — see royal_adoptive_sonship_formula and thy_throne_o_god_deity_of_messianic_king for the dedicated Psalms-specific entries governing those two-layer teaching requirements.
Hope
Approved rendering: kev cia siab
Transliteration: elpis (general Hebrew hope-vocabulary)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 25, 33, 39, 40, 42, 62, 71, 130, 146. Intensified by the new waiting_expectant_hope_qavah entry for Ps 130’s watchful-waiting nuance.
Glory
Approved rendering: lub yeeb koob
Transliteration: kavod (LXX doxa)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 8, 19, 24, 29, 57, 72, 79, 96, 97, 102, 104, 108, 145, 148, 150.
Nations Gentiles
Approved rendering: lwm Haiv Neeg
Transliteration: goyim (LXX ethnē)
Doctrine: The Future of Israel / Kingship and the Messianic King
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 2, 9, 22, 46, 47, 67, 72, 96, 98, 105, 117, 126. Cross-referenced from all_nations_blessed_in_him (Ps 72:17).
Truth
Approved rendering: qhov tseeb
Transliteration: emet (general sense; LXX alētheia)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Kept distinct from emet_faithfulness_paired_with_hesed, which denotes covenant reliability specifically when paired with hesed (Ps 85:10, 89).
Creation
Approved rendering: tej uas raug tsim los
Transliteration: (participial/verbal forms of bara/asah; LXX ktisis)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 8, 19, 24, 74, 89, 90, 95, 96, 100, 102, 104, 121, 124, 134, 136, 139, 146, 148.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: ua tsaug
Transliteration: todah / yadah (LXX eucharistō-family)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Extremely widely distributed across the Psalter (36+ chapters).
Promise
Approved rendering: lus cog tseg
Transliteration: (promissory dabar/imrah)
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 77, 89, 105, 119, 130, 132, 145. Kept distinct from the new berith_covenant entry, which denotes the fuller, bilateral covenant-bond concept rather than a unilateral pledge.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: lub Nceeg Vaj ntawm Vajtswv
Transliteration: malkut (LXX basileia tou theou)
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church / Kingship and the Messianic King
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 22, 45, 47, 93, 96-99, 103, 145, 146 (enthronement psalms, ‘the LORD reigns’ formula).
Witness
Approved rendering: tus timkhawv
Transliteration: edah / ed (LXX martyrion / martys)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 19, 89, 119.
World
Approved rendering: lub ntiajteb
Transliteration: tevel / erets (LXX kosmos / oikoumenē)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 9, 17, 19, 24, 33, 46, 48, 50, 89, 90, 93, 96, 98.
Endurance
Approved rendering: kev ua siab ntev
Transliteration: (perseverance-vocabulary; LXX hypomonē)
Doctrine: Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 37, 40.
Death
Approved rendering: txoj kev tuag
Transliteration: maveth (LXX thanatos)
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Widely distributed. Contrasted throughout with the new sheol_the_pit entry, which denotes the realm entered at death rather than the event of death itself.
Father God
Approved rendering: Leej Txiv
Transliteration: ab (fatherhood vocabulary)
Doctrine: Union with Christ / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Inherited from Romans package. Ps 103:13’s fatherly-compassion simile (‘like as a father pitieth his children’) reuses this entry.
Love
Approved rendering: kev hlub
Transliteration: ahavah (general affection; LXX agapē)
Doctrine: Christian Living and Unity in the Church / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs e.g. Ps 18:1 (‘I will love thee, O LORD’). Must never be substituted for hesed_covenant_faithfulness, which carries the covenant-loyalty force this bare, spontaneous-affection term lacks.
Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: Yexus Khetos
Transliteration: Iēsous Christos
Doctrine: General / Cross-cutting
Inherited from Romans package. Anchor point for the mandatory cross-reference footnotes required at anointed_one_messiah_mashiach, holy_one_chasid_messianic, and thy_throne_o_god_deity_of_messianic_king.
Waiting Expectant Hope Qavah
Approved rendering: tos rawv (intensifying kev cia siab)
Transliteration: qavah
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer / Sanctification and Life in the Spirit
NEW ENTRY — Ps 25, 27, 33, 37, 40, 62, 130. Reuses the hope entry with an added intensifying ‘watching/waiting’ note.
Hallelujah
Approved rendering: Haleluyas
Transliteration: halelu-Yah (LXX Allelouia)
Doctrine: Praise and Worship
NEW ENTRY — Ps 104-106, 111-113, 115-117, 135, 146-150. Established transliterated loanword already stable in existing Hmong Christian usage.
Most High Elyon
Approved rendering: tus uas Siab Tshaj Plaws
Transliteration: Elyon (LXX Hypsistos)
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge
NEW ENTRY — Ps 7, 9, 18, 21, 46, 47, 50, 57, 73, 78, 82, 83, 87, 91, 92, 97, 107. Stable descriptive divine title; no collision identified.
Israel Proper Noun
Approved rendering: cov Yixalayees
Transliteration: Yisrael (LXX Israēl)
Doctrine: The Future of Israel / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
NEW ENTRY (proper noun) — reuses the Romans TM’s all_israel_will_be_saved transliteration convention exactly. Occurs Ps 14, 25, 50, 53, 68, 78, 80, 81, 89, 98, 105, 106, 114, 121, 125, 130, 135, 147, 149.
Zion Proper Noun
Approved rendering: Xi-oo
Transliteration: Tsiyon (LXX Siōn)
Doctrine: Praise and Worship / Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY (proper noun) — Ps 48, 76, 84, 87, 122-134, 137, 146, 147. Comprehension-gap only.
Melchizedek Proper Name
Approved rendering: Menkhixedes
Transliteration: Malki-tsedeq
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY (proper noun) — Ps 110:4. Transliterate the proper name; pair with the melchizedek_priesthood entry for the office itself, never with txiv neeb vocabulary.
Low-Medium Risk Terms
Stumbling Block
Approved rendering: qhov/pob zeb ua rau dawm ceg
Transliteration: proskomma / skandalon / lithos proskommatos
Doctrine: Election and the Sovereignty of God
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs Ps 91:12 (angelic protection from stumbling). Kept distinct from the new rejected_cornerstone entry (Ps 118:22), which carries a much heavier Messianic-typology weight and must not be folded silently into this general entry.
Chaff Mots
Approved rendering: npluas nyab / quav ntsuab ya raws cua
Transliteration: mots (LXX chnous)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 1, 35, 83. Comprehension bridge to Hmong rice-threshing imagery; no collision.
Meditate Hagah
Approved rendering: xav nyob ntsoov txog / hu ncig ncig hauv lub siab
Transliteration: hagah (LXX meletaō)
Doctrine: The Righteous and the Wicked (Psalm 1)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 1, 63, 77, 119, 143. Comprehension-level only; no collision.
Depths Maamaqqim
Approved rendering: qhov tob tob
Transliteration: ma’amaqqim (LXX bathos)
Doctrine: Lament and Honest Prayer
NEW ENTRY — Ps 130:1. Comprehension-level well/pit imagery only.
New Song Shir Chadash
Approved rendering: zaj nkauj tshiab
Transliteration: shir chadash (LXX asma kainon)
Doctrine: Praise and Worship
NEW ENTRY — Ps 33, 40, 96, 98, 144, 149. Recurring worship-renewal formula; comprehension-level only.
Musical Instruments Cluster
Approved rendering: raj xyu / nkauj nog ncas / nruas / kev seev cev
Transliteration: shofar / kinnor / nevel / toph / machol
Doctrine: Praise and Worship
Rejected alternatives: transliterating the ancient Hebrew instrument names — rejected, unnecessary opacity where a natural cultural bridge exists
NEW ENTRY — Ps 33, 68, 81, 92, 98, 108, 137, 149, 150. Illustrative bridging note to Hmong qeej/drum/gong musical culture recommended, parallel to the Romans baseline’s olive-tree bridging convention.
Acknowledged Confessed Sin
Approved rendering: lees paub kev txhaum
Transliteration: yada / hodah
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 32, 51. Stable descriptive phrase, comprehension-level only.
Hyssop Ezov
Approved rendering: tsob nroj hyssop (transliterated loanword with gloss)
Transliteration: ezov (LXX hyssōpos)
Doctrine: Confession and Forgiveness (Psalm 51)
NEW ENTRY — Ps 51:7. Botanically unfamiliar comprehension gap only, parallel to the Romans baseline’s olive-tree/grafting note.
Kiss The Son Homage
Approved rendering: hnia / txo hwjchim rau Leej Tub
Transliteration: nashequ bar
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY — Ps 2:12. Comprehension gap only (unfamiliar homage gesture); no collision.
Dominion Radah
Approved rendering: kev kav
Transliteration: radah (LXX katakyrieuō)
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY — Ps 8, 72, 110. The later Messianic weight of universal dominion is flagged for cross-curriculum awareness with the Romans TM kingdom_of_god entry.
Universal Dominion Sea To Sea
Approved rendering: kev kav thoob plaws ntiajteb
Transliteration: miyam ad yam
Doctrine: Kingship and the Messianic King
NEW ENTRY — Ps 72:8. Comprehension-level merism for universal scope; no collision.
Medium-High Risk Terms
Dwell In House Of Lord Forever
Approved rendering: nyob hauv Vajtswv lub tsev / Vajtswv lub tuam tsev mus ib txhis
Transliteration: beit YHWH (LXX oikos Kyriou)
Doctrine: Character of God as Shepherd, King, and Refuge / Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed)
Rejected alternatives: assimilation into the household ancestor-shrine (thaj kaus dab) concept — rejected
NEW ENTRY — Ps 23:6, core passage closing image, also Ps 27, 84. Must be taught explicitly as ongoing corporate/eternal worship-fellowship with the one living God.
Berith Covenant
Approved rendering: kev sib cog lus ruaj khov
Transliteration: berith (LXX diathēkē)
Doctrine: Covenant Faithfulness (Hesed) / Kingship and the Messianic King
Rejected alternatives: collapsing into lus cog tseg (promise, a unilateral pledge) — rejected, flattens the fuller bilateral covenant-bond concept
NEW ENTRY — Ps 25, 44, 50, 74, 78, 83, 89, 103, 105, 106, 111, 132. Ps 89’s lament over God’s apparently-broken covenant must preserve, not resolve, the tension between covenant faithfulness and honest lament.