Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Philippians (English/Greek → Kurdish/Kurmanji)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, covering Philippians 1–4 in full. Terms marked [BASELINE] are fixed in the Romans translation_memory.json and are reused here exactly, with no deviation permitted. New terms (introduced by Philippians’ distinctive vocabulary — kenosis, citizenship, contentment, joy, partnership, etc.) are proposed here for the first time and should be added to translation_memory.json at the start of Phase 2 with the risk tiers below.
Risk tiers follow the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json framework: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence) / High (human theologian review) / Medium (native speaker review) / Low (automated review).
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (from Romans translation_memory.json)
| Term | Greek | Kurdish (fixed) | Risk | Philippians References | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | Xwedê | Critical | throughout | No deviation |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | Îsa | Critical | throughout | No deviation |
| Christ/Messiah | Χριστός | Mesîh | Critical | throughout | No deviation |
| Lord | κύριος | Xudan | Critical | 1:2,14; 2:11,19,24,29; 3:1,8,20; 4:1,2,4,5,10,23 | 2:11 confession must match Romans 10:9 verbatim |
| Father | πατήρ | Bav | Critical | 1:2; 2:11; 4:20 | |
| Grace | χάρις | Kerem | High | 1:2,7; 4:23; verb form at 2:9 | See charizomai note at 2:9 |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | Aştî | Medium | 1:2; 4:7,9 | |
| Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | Mizgînî | Medium | 1:5,7,12,16,27; 2:22; 4:3,15 | |
| Faith | πίστις | Îman | High | 1:25,27; 2:17; 3:9 | |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | Adalet | Critical | 1:11; 3:6,9 | Central to 3:9 doctrine |
| Saints | ἅγιοι | Pîrozan | High | 1:1; 4:21,22 | |
| Salvation | σωτηρία | Rizgarî | Critical | 1:19,28; 2:12 | 2:12 requires extra “work out, not earn” safeguard |
| Holy Spirit / Spirit | πνεῦμα (ἅγιον) | Ruhê Pîroz | Critical | 1:19; 2:1; 3:3 | |
| Fellowship | κοινωνία | Hevaltî | High | 1:5; 2:1; 3:10; 4:14,15 | Amplify for material-partnership sense (see B) |
| Glory | δόξα | Rûmet | Medium | 1:11; 2:11; 3:19,21; 4:19,20 | |
| Called/Calling | κλητός/κλῆσις | Bangkirî / Vexwendin | High | 3:14 (“upward call”) | |
| Church | ἐκκλησία | Civata Mesîhî | High | 3:6 | Assembly, not building — per baseline “church” entry |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις / ἐξανάστασις | Rabûn | Critical | 3:10-11,21 | |
| Thanksgiving | εὐχαριστία | Spasî | Low | 1:3-4; 4:6 | |
| Exhort | παρακαλέω | Handan kirin | Low | 4:2 | |
| Imputed righteousness (root) | λογίζομαι | (n/a — see 4:8 note) | Low at 4:8 | 4:8 | Same root as Critical baseline term, but non-technical sense here |
B. New Terms Introduced by Philippians
| # | English Gloss | Greek (translit.) | Literal Meaning | Kurdish Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Key References | Rationale / Risk Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | to think/set one’s mind (unity disposition) | φρονέω (phroneō) | to think, hold a disposition | Yek Raman Bûn | yek raman bûn | Critical | Unity and Humility in the Church | 1:7; 2:2,3,5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10 | Must be rendered identically at every occurrence in 2:1-5 to preserve the ecclesiology→Christology hinge at 2:5 |
| 2 | form (of God / of a slave) | μορφή (morphē) | essential/defining form or nature | Sûret | sûret | Critical | Incarnation and Self-Emptying (Kenosis) | 2:6,7 | Also the Kurdish word for a Qur’anic Surah and colloquially “face/photo”; theological sense (essential nature) must be made explicit; direct deity-of-Christ claim at 2:6 |
| 3 | to exist (inherently) | ὑπάρχω (hyparchō) | to subsist, exist essentially | Bi xwezayî hebûn | bi xwezayî hebûn | High | Incarnation / Deity of Christ | 2:6 | Guards Christ’s pre-existence; weak rendering (“was”) loses the claim |
| 4 | a thing to be grasped/seized | ἁρπαγμός (harpagmos) | robbery, a thing seized by force | Talan | talan | Critical | Incarnation and Self-Emptying (Kenosis) | 2:6 | Native tribal-raid vocabulary; dramatizes voluntary relinquishing of already-possessed status; must not imply Christ lacked deity beforehand |
| 5 | equal with God | ἴσα θεῷ (isa theō) | equal things with God | Wekheviya bi Xwedê re | wekheviya bi Xwedê re | Critical | Deity of Christ | 2:6 | Same tawhid-collision as baseline “son_of_god” |
| 6 | he emptied himself | κενόω / ἐκένωσεν (kenoō/ekenōsen) | to empty, make void | xwe vala kirin | xwe vala kirin | Critical | Incarnation and Self-Emptying (Kenosis) | 2:7 | THE kenosis term; echoes kenodoxia (2:3) via shared vala; must never imply Christ ceased to be God |
| 7 | empty glory/conceit | κενοδοξία (kenodoxia) | empty glory | Rûmeta Vala | rûmeta vala | High | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:3 | Deliberately shares vala with #6 to preserve Paul’s wordplay; built on [BASELINE] Rûmet |
| 8 | form of a slave | μορφὴν δούλου (morphēn doulou) | the form/nature of a slave | Sûretê Kolebûnê | sûretê kolebûnê | Critical | Incarnation and Self-Emptying (Kenosis) | 2:7 | Morphē-morphē parallel with #2 (God’s form/slave’s form) is the hymn’s structural center |
| 9 | slave/bondservant | δοῦλος (doulos) | one owned, without personal rights | Kole | kole | High | Kenosis; Paul’s self-designation | 1:1; 2:7 | Distinct from a hired servant; Paul’s self-designation at 1:1 deliberately echoes Christ’s kenosis at 2:7 |
| 10 | likeness | ὁμοίωμα (homoiōma) | real correspondence/resemblance | Şibihî | şibihî | High | Humanity of Christ | 2:7 | Must convey genuine human nature, not mere external appearance (guards against docetism) |
| 11 | outward fashion/appearance | σχῆμα (schēma) | outwardly observable manner | Xuyang | xuyang | Medium | Humanity of Christ | 2:8; 3:21 (verb form) | Must remain distinct from #2 (Sûret) to preserve the three-tier morphē/homoiōma/schēma structure |
| 12 | he humbled himself | ταπεινόω/ἐταπείνωσεν (tapeinoō) | to lower, make low | xwe nizim kirin | xwe nizim kirin | High | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:8 | Shares nizm root with #13; active, voluntary, dignified — not shameful weakness |
| 13 | humility (lowliness of mind) | ταπεινοφροσύνη (tapeinophrosynē) | low-mindedness | Dilnizmî | dilnizmî | High | Unity and Humility in the Church | 2:3 | Kurdish honor culture (aşîret, şeref) may read self-lowering as loss of face; must be taught as Christlike strength |
| 14 | obedient (unto death) | ὑπήκοος (hypēkoos) | one who heeds/obeys | Guhdar | guhdar | High | Kenosis; Christ’s obedience | 2:8 | Distinct referent from baseline “obedience_of_faith” (believers’ response) — here it is Christ’s own obedience to the Father |
| 15 | he highly/super-exalted | ὑπερυψόω/ὑπερύψωσεν (hyperypsoō) | exalted to the highest degree | Zêde Bilind Kir | zêde bilind kir | High | Lordship of Christ | 2:9 | Intensive compound; must not be flattened to ordinary “exalted” |
| 16 | the name above every name | τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα | the supreme/highest name | Navê ji her navî bilindtir | navê ji her navî bilindtir | Critical | Lordship / Deity of Christ | 2:9 | Refers to “Lord” (Xudan), the name reserved for YHWH in Isaiah 45:23; must be taught with that OT background |
| 17 | every knee shall bow | πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ | every knee shall bend | her çok xwar bibe | her çok xwar bibe | Critical | Lordship / Deity of Christ | 2:10 | Direct citation of Isaiah 45:23 (worship due to YHWH alone) applied to Jesus |
| 18 | heavenly, earthly, under the earth | ἐπουράνιοι, ἐπίγειοι, καταχθόνιοι | cosmic totality formula | yên li ezmên, li erdê, di binê erdê de | — | High | Lordship of Christ | 2:10 | Preserve literal threefold cosmic scope, not merely “everyone” |
| 19 | to confess openly | ἐξομολογέω (exomologeō) | to acknowledge aloud | eşkere bêjin | eşkere bêjin | Medium | Lordship of Christ | 2:11 | |
| 20 | ”Jesus Christ is Lord” | Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός | the confession formula | Îsa Mesîh Xudan e | Îsa Mesîh Xudan e | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 2:11 | Must match Romans 10:9 rendering verbatim per baseline’s cross-document consistency rule |
| 21 | joy / to rejoice | χαρά / χαίρω (chara/chairō) | gladness, joy | Şahî / şa bûn | şahî / şa bûn | High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:4,18,25; 2:2,17-18,28,29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10 | Guard against both fatalistic resignation and unanchored nationalist-hero framing of imprisonment |
| 22 | partnership in the gospel | κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον | shared material/missional investment | Hevaltî (di karê Mizgîniyê de) | hevaltî di karê Mizgîniyê de | High | Partnership in the Gospel | 1:5; 4:14-16 | [BASELINE] term reused, but must be amplified contextually to surface the material co-laboring sense (cf. 4:15’s “giving and receiving”) |
| 23 | overseer | ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) | one who watches over | Serparêz | serparêz | Medium | Church offices | 1:1 | Distinguish from hereditary Sufi pîr office (baseline “saints” caution) |
| 24 | deacon | διάκονος (diakonos) | one who serves | Xizmetkar | xizmetkar | Medium | Church offices | 1:1 | |
| 25 | to complete/perfect | ἐπιτελέω (epiteleō) | to bring to full effect | temam kirin | temam kirin | Low | Providence/Perseverance | 1:6 | |
| 26 | progress/advancement | προκοπή (prokopē) | forward movement | Pêşveçûn | pêşveçûn | Low | Joy in Suffering | 1:12,25 | |
| 27 | bonds/chains | δεσμά (desma) | fetters, imprisonment | Zincîr | zincîr | Medium-High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:7,13,14,17 | Political-prisoner resonance in Kurdish culture; must anchor to gospel, not nationalism |
| 28 | prisoner | δέσμιος (desmios) | one bound/imprisoned | Girtî | girtî | Medium-High | Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment | 1:13-14 | |
| 29 | boldness of speech | παρρησία (parrēsia) | freedom/openness in speech | Wêrekî | wêrekî | Low-Medium | Mission to the Nations / Evangelism | 1:20 | Cross-reference baseline’s four-state safety caution |
| 30 | to die is gain | τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος | death as profit | mirin jî qezenc e | mirin jî qezenc e | Medium | Joy in Suffering / Resurrection hope | 1:21 | Must be grounded in resurrection hope, not stoicism |
| 31 | conduct yourselves as citizens | πολιτεύομαι (politeuomai) | to live civic life as a citizen | wek welatiyan jiyîn | wek welatiyan jiyîn | Critical | Citizenship in Heaven | 1:27 | Precursor to #40; activates Kurdish statelessness sensitivity |
| 32 | striving together | συναθλέω (synathleō) | contending together as athletes | bi hev re têkoşîn | bi hev re têkoşîn | Low | Unity | 1:27 | |
| 33 | to suffer | πάσχω (paschō) | to undergo hardship | êş/cefa kişandin | êş kişandin | Medium | Joy in Suffering | 1:29 | Cefa carries devotional resonance from Sufi poetic tradition |
| 34 | work out your own salvation | κατεργάζομαι + σωτηρία | bring to completion / salvation | xebata rizgariya xwe temam kirin | xebata rizgariya xwe temam kirin | Critical | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law; Salvation | 2:12 | Must never use a verb implying “earn”; always paired with 2:13 |
| 35 | the one who works | ἐνεργέω (energeō) | to be at work, effect | dixebite | dixebite | Medium | Salvation / Providence | 2:13 | Immediate safeguard for #34 |
| 36 | grumbling / disputing | γογγυσμός / διαλογισμός | murmuring / doubting dispute | Gilîgilî / Nîqaş | gilîgilî / nîqaş | Low | Unity | 2:14 | |
| 37 | blameless and innocent, children of God | ἄμεμπτος, ἀκέραιος, τέκνα θεοῦ | without blame, unmixed, God’s children | bêqusûr û bêguneh, zarokên Xwedê | — | Medium | Sainthood / general familial belonging | 2:15 | Distinguish from [BASELINE Critical] Kurxwendin (adoption doctrine) |
| 38 | lights/luminaries | φωστήρ (phōstēr) | heavenly light | Stêrk | stêrk | Low | Witness | 2:15 | |
| 39 | poured out as a drink offering | σπένδομαι (spendomai) | libation imagery | wek gorîya vexwarinê tê rijandin | — | Medium | Joy in Suffering / Sacrificial ministry | 2:17 | Requires OT background explanation |
| 40 | service/ministry | λειτουργία (leitourgia) | formal public service | Xizmet | xizmet | Low | Ministry | 2:17,30 | |
| 41 | dogs (polemic) | κύνες (kynes) | reversed insult | Kûçik | kûçik | Medium | Polemic against Judaizers | 3:2 | Intensified by regional ritual-uncleanliness association with dogs |
| 42 | mutilation (wordplay) | κατατομή (katatomē) | cutting, mutilation | Qelçkirin | qelçkirin | Medium | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law | 3:2 | Greek pun with #43 does not transfer phonetically; footnote recommended |
| 43 | circumcision | περιτομή (peritomē) | the cutting rite | Sinet | sinet | Critical | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law | 3:3,5 | Deeply significant regional Islamic rite; must not be heard as broad cultural dismissal |
| 44 | confidence in the flesh | πεποίθησις ἐν σαρκί | trust in inherited pedigree/self-effort | Bawerî bi laş/bedena xwe | bawerî bi laş | High | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law | 3:3-4 | Polar opposite of faith-righteousness |
| 45 | righteousness from law / through faith | δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου / διὰ πίστεως | forensic standing: earned vs. credited | [BASELINE] Adalet ji Şerîeta Mûsa / bi rêya Îmana Mesîh | — | Critical | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law | 3:9 | Doctrinal center of the chapter; mandatory theologian review |
| 46 | rubbish/refuse (crude) | σκύβαλα (skybala) | dung, excrement | Sergîn | sergîn | Medium | Righteousness by Faith vs. Law | 3:8 | Preserve crude intensity; do not soften to polite “trash” |
| 47 | the knowledge of Christ (relational) | γνῶσις Χριστοῦ (gnōsis) | experiential/relational knowing | Naskirina Îsa Mesîh | naskirina Îsa Mesîh | Medium | Faith | 3:8 | Guard against reduction to creedal information |
| 48 | fellowship of his sufferings | κοινωνία παθημάτων | shared participation in Christ’s suffering | [BASELINE] Hevaltiya êşên wî | — | High | Joy in Suffering | 3:10 | Not vicarious/atoning suffering — participatory only |
| 49 | conformed to his death | συμμορφίζω (symmorphizō) | co-formed with death | hevsûret bi mirina wî re bûn | — | Medium | Christian Identity in Christ | 3:10 | Echoes morphē vocabulary from core passage |
| 50 | to press on / persecute (dual sense) | διώκω (diōkō) | to pursue (hostile or athletic) | çewisandin (persecute) / bazdan berbi (press toward) | — | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:6 / 3:12,14 | Context-sensitive; never use same Kurdish word for both senses |
| 51 | to grasp/attain | καταλαμβάνω (katalambanō) | to lay hold of, seize and possess | girtin | girtin | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:12-13 | Deliberately distinct from #4 (Talan) |
| 52 | goal/mark | σκοπός (skopos) | target, aim | Armanc | armanc | Low | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:14 | |
| 53 | prize | βραβεῖον (brabeion) | athletic award | Xelat | xelat | Low | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:14 | |
| 54 | the upward call | ἄνω κλῆσις (anō klēsis) | calling from above | [BASELINE] Bangkirina jorîn | — | Medium | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:14 | |
| 55 | mature/perfect | τέλειος (teleios) | complete, mature | Kamil | kamil | High | Pressing on toward the Goal | 3:15 (cf. 3:12) | Collides with Sufi Insan-i Kamil doctrine; must stress ongoing, incomplete maturity |
| 56 | citizenship (in heaven) | πολίτευμα (politeuma) | civic commonwealth/belonging | Welatîtiya me li ezmanan e | — | Critical | Citizenship in Heaven | 3:20 | Highest political-sensitivity term in the letter; anchor firmly, never leave unqualified |
| 57 | Savior (awaited) | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | deliverer | Rizgarker | rizgarker | Critical | Citizenship in Heaven / Salvation | 3:20 | National-liberator-hero resonance; anchor to Christ’s personal, spiritual, future deliverance |
| 58 | to transform the body | μετασχηματίζω (metaschēmatizō) | to refashion outward form | laş veguherandin | laş veguherandin | Medium | Resurrection hope | 3:21 | Shares schēma root with 2:8 |
| 59 | conformed to his glorious body | σύμμορφος (symmorphos) | of-one-form with glory | hevsûret bi laşê rûmeta wî re | — | Medium-High | Resurrection hope / Kenosis full circle | 3:21 | Links back to 2:6-7’s morphē vocabulary |
| 60 | true yokefellow | σύζυγος γνήσιος (syzygos gnēsios) | genuine companion | Hevkarê Rastîn | hevkarê rastîn | Low | Church partnership | 4:3 | Uncertain referent; standard translator’s note |
| 61 | rejoice in the Lord always | χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε | joy-command | Her tim di Xudan de şa bibin | — | High | Joy in Suffering | 4:4 | Programmatic doctrinal summary statement |
| 62 | gentleness/reasonableness | ἐπιεικές (epieikes) | forbearing graciousness | Nermî | nermî | Low | Christian character | 4:5 | |
| 63 | be anxious for nothing | μεριμνάω (merimnaō) | to worry | Xem nexwin | xem nexwin | Medium | Contentment | 4:6 | Natural Kurdish idiom, not literal calque |
| 64 | peace surpassing understanding | εἰρήνη ὑπερέχουσα νοῦν | God’s transcendent peace | [BASELINE] Aştiya Xwedê ya ku ji her aqilî derbas dibe | — | Medium | Peace with God | 4:7 | |
| 65 | to guard (hearts) | φρουρέω (phroureō) | military garrison-guarding | biparêze | biparêze | Low | Peace | 4:7 | |
| 66 | to think on/consider | λογίζομαι (logizomai) | to reckon, reflect on | bifikirin | bifikirin | Low | Christian character | 4:8 | Non-technical use of the imputation-root verb |
| 67 | contentment (self-sufficiency in Christ) | αὐτάρκης (autarkēs) | self-sufficient regardless of circumstance | Qanaet | qanaet | Critical | Contentment in All Circumstances | 4:11-13 | Direct overlap with Islamic/Sufi qana’a virtue; source of contentment (Christ, not self-discipline) must always be taught with 4:13 |
| 68 | to be brought low / to abound | ταπεινοῦσθαι / περισσεύειν | lowered / to overflow | nizim bûn / zêde bûn | — | Low-Medium | Contentment | 4:12 | Shares nizm root with core passage humility vocabulary |
| 69 | the one strengthening (me) | ἐνδυναμόω (endynamoō) | to empower | Yê ku min xurt dike | yê ku min xurt dike | Low | Contentment | 4:13 | Christological antidote to self-effort misreading of #67 |
| 70 | to share/partner in affliction | συγκοινωνέω (synkoinōneō) | to co-participate | beşdar bûn (di êşê de) | — | Medium | Partnership in the Gospel | 4:14 | koinōnia-root verb |
| 71 | giving and receiving | δόσις καὶ λῆψις | commercial bookkeeping idiom | dan û standin | dan û standin | Low | Partnership in the Gospel | 4:15 | |
| 72 | fragrant offering, acceptable sacrifice | ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας, θυσία δεκτή | pleasing aroma, accepted sacrifice | bêhna xweş, qurbana pejirandî | — | Medium | Partnership in the Gospel (metaphorical) | 4:18 | Qurban evokes Eid al-Adha; must stay metaphorical, distinct from Christ’s atoning sacrifice |
| 73 | will supply every need | πληρόω πᾶσαν χρείαν | God’s provision | wê hemû hewcedariya we dagirtin | — | Low | Providence | 4:19 |
C. Cross-Cutting Translator Guidance Specific to Philippians
- The morphē family (sûret / xuyang / şibihî). Three distinct Kurdish terms must be kept rigorously separate to preserve Paul’s layered Christology: Sûret (μορφή, essential form/nature — 2:6, 7; also 3:21’s σύμμορφος), Xuyang (σχῆμα, outward fashion — 2:8; also 3:21’s μετασχηματίζω), and Şibihî (ὁμοίωμα, genuine likeness — 2:7). Collapsing these into one Kurdish word destroys the passage’s careful theological structure.
- The kenos family (vala / Rûmeta Vala). Vala (empty) must be used consistently at both 2:3 (kenodoxia, “empty glory”) and 2:7 (ekenōsen, “he emptied himself”) to preserve Paul’s deliberate wordplay linking congregational humility to Christ’s self-emptying.
- The tapein- family (Dilnizmî / xwe nizim kirin / nizim bûn). The shared nizm (low) root must be used consistently at 2:3 (humility, noun), 2:8 (humbled himself, verb), and 4:12 (brought low) to preserve the thematic unity of humility as a single Christ-modeled posture applicable to both status and circumstance.
- Diōkō’s double sense (çewisandin / bazdan berbi). The same Greek verb is used at 3:6 (persecuting the church) and 3:12/14 (pressing toward the goal). These require two different Kurdish verbs for clarity, but a translator’s footnote noting the single underlying Greek word is recommended to preserve Paul’s ironic self-portrait (the former persecutor now himself “pursuing” Christ).
- Political-vocabulary anchoring (Welatîtî, Rizgarker, Bazdan/Armanc, Zincîr/Girtî, Şahî). Philippians activates the same Kurdish-statelessness and political-liberation sensitivities already flagged Critical in the baseline for Rizgarî and Padîşahiya Xwedê — now via citizenship (welatîtî), Savior-as-liberator (rizgarker), and imprisoned-joy (şahî/zincîr/girtî) vocabulary. Every occurrence of these terms must be anchored explicitly to Christ’s specific person and work, per the baseline’s established anchoring discipline.
- The Sufi-collision terms (Kamil, Qanaet, Sûret, Sinet). Four terms in this letter directly overlap with established Kurdish Sufi/Islamic theological-ethical vocabulary (Insan-i Kamil for τέλειος; qana’a for αὐτάρκης; Qur’anic sûret/Surah for μορφή; sinet for περιτομή). Each requires explicit differentiation from its regional religious counterpart, consistent with the baseline’s treatment of kerem (grace/keramet) and pîr (saints).
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: Xwedê
Transliteration: Xwedê
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Allah
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Native Old-Iranian-root word, preferred for everyday Kurdish Christian usage. Strict tawhid theology must be distinguished from the Trinitarian referent throughout Philippians, especially in 2:6-11’s deity claims.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Îsa
Transliteration: Îsa
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. The settled Kurdish Christian usage; risk lies entirely in content — the Quranic prophet-only, non-crucified, non-divine narrative that Philippians 2:6-11 and 3:10 directly confront.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesîh
Transliteration: Mesîh
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians 3:7-9 treats ‘gaining Christ’ and ‘knowing Christ’ as surpassing worth; carries the same shared-Quranic-content caution as Romans.
Lord
Approved rendering: Xudan
Transliteration: Xudan
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. The 2:11 confession ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’ must carry the identical exclusive force as Romans 10:9 — never softened to a merely respectful title.
Father
Approved rendering: Bav
Transliteration: Bav
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Same tawhid-anthropomorphism objection applies; used at 1:2, 2:11, 4:20.
Justification
Approved rendering: Wek adil hatin hesibandin
Transliteration: wek adil hatin hesibandin
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Inherited from Romans package. The verb form (dikaioō) is not directly attested in Philippians’ Greek text, but the doctrine it names underlies 3:9’s righteousness-by-faith contrast; retained here for cross-document doctrinal consistency.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: Adaleta ku tê hesibandin
Transliteration: adaleta ku tê hesibandin
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: Adaleta ku tê bidestxistin
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: ‘earned/achieved righteousness’ remains explicitly forbidden. Directly underlies Philippians 3:9’s contrast between ‘my own righteousness from the law’ and the righteousness ‘through faith in Christ.‘
Salvation
Approved rendering: Rizgarî
Transliteration: rizgarî
Doctrine: Salvation (Worked Out, Not Earned)
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: at 2:12 the imperative to ‘work out’ this salvation compounds the baseline’s nationalist-liberation anchoring risk in a regionally works-oriented religious culture; must always be paired with 2:13’s ‘God who works in you.’ Also occurs at 1:19, 1:28.
Adoption
Approved rendering: Kurxwendin
Transliteration: kurxwendin
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Inherited from Romans package. Retained here as a contrast term only: Philippians 2:15’s ‘children of God’ (tekna theou, general familial belonging) must be explicitly distinguished from this specific, technical legal doctrine of adoption with full inheritance rights (huiothesia), which Philippians does not itself use.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: Rabûn
Transliteration: rabûn
Doctrine: Resurrection Hope
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἐξανάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. At 3:10-11 (exanastasis, an intensified compound) and 3:21, must never be rendered with reincarnation language, per the baseline’s Yazidi kiras guhertin caution — the same one-time, bodily event as Christ’s own.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: Tecessud
Transliteration: tecessud
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Inherited from Romans package. Names the doctrine of which kenosis (2:7) is the specific Philippians expression; Kurdish doctrine name ‘Tecessud û Xwevalakirina Mesîh’ combines this baseline term with the new kenosis vocabulary.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Ruhê Pîroz
Transliteration: Ruhê Pîroz
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: πνεῦμα (ἅγιον)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. At 2:1 (‘fellowship of the Spirit’) and 1:19, must be read as fellowship the divine Spirit produces/shares, not generic camaraderie; the Jibril-identification risk applies at every occurrence.
Law
Approved rendering: Şerîeta Mûsa
Transliteration: Şerîeta Mûsa
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: Namûs, Şerîet (bare)
Inherited from Romans package. NEVER bare ‘Şerîet’ or ‘Namûs’ (narrowed regionally to family/female honor). Directly used at Philippians 3:5-6, 3:9 as the basis of the ‘righteousness of my own’ Paul renounces.
Unity Of Mind
Approved rendering: Yek Raman Bûn
Transliteration: yek raman bûn
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: heman fikir hebûn (mere-opinion register, rejected as too thin)
Original: φρονέω
Category: Church
Renders phroneō. Must be rendered with the IDENTICAL Kurdish phrase at every occurrence (1:7; 2:2,3,5; 3:15,19; 4:2,10), especially 2:2-2:5, or the ecclesiology-to-Christology hinge at 2:5 (‘have this mind among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus’) is broken.
Form Of God
Approved rendering: Sûret
Transliteration: sûret
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: μορφή
Category: Christology
Renders morphē at 2:6 (‘form of God’), 2:7 (‘form of a slave’), and 3:21 (‘conformed… his glory’). CRITICAL: also the ordinary Kurdish word for a Qur’anic Surah and colloquially ‘face/photo’; the essential-nature sense (not mere outward look) must be made explicit through teaching at every occurrence. Must be kept rigorously distinct from Xuyang (schēma) and Şibihî (homoiōma).
Harpagmos
Approved rendering: Talan
Transliteration: talan
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: ἁρπαγμός
Category: Christology
Renders harpagmos at 2:6. Native tribal-raid vocabulary dramatizes Christ’s voluntary relinquishing of the USE of an already-possessed status; must be carefully taught so it never implies Christ lacked deity beforehand (an Arian-adjacent misreading), nor that force was ever a live option for him.
Equality With God
Approved rendering: Wekheviya bi Xwedê re
Transliteration: wekheviya bi Xwedê re
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: nêzîkî Xwedê (rejected as merely honorific ‘close to God’)
Original: ἴσα θεῷ
Category: Christology
Renders isa theō at 2:6. Same tawhid-collision risk as the baseline’s son_of_god entry; must never be softened to a merely honorific likeness.
Kenosis
Approved rendering: xwe vala kirin
Transliteration: xwe vala kirin
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: hat valakirin (passive, rejected — loses Christ’s voluntary agency)
Original: ἐκένωσεν (κενόω)
Category: Christology
Renders ekenōsen at 2:7 — THE kenosis term and the single highest-stakes Christological term in the curriculum. Deliberately echoes kenodoxia (2:3) via shared vala. Must always be taught alongside 2:6 so it is never misread as Christ ceasing to be God, nor flattened into a merely metaphorical reading.
Form Of A Slave
Approved rendering: Sûretê Kolebûnê
Transliteration: sûretê kolebûnê
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: μορφὴν δούλου
Category: Christology
Renders morphēn doulou at 2:7. Reuses Sûret to preserve the morphē-morphē parallel with 2:6 (God’s form/slave’s form), the hymn’s structural center.
Cross Crucifixion
Approved rendering: mirina xaçê
Transliteration: mirina xaçê
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: θάνατος σταυροῦ
Category: Christology
Renders thanatos staurou at 2:8, the emphatic climax of Christ’s self-humbling. Same Critical risk as the baseline’s resurrection and jesus entries: mainstream Quranic exegesis (4:157) denies the crucifixion occurred; must be taught with direct, explicit historical affirmation.
Name Above Every Name
Approved rendering: Navê ji her navî bilindtir
Transliteration: navê ji her navî bilindtir
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα
Category: Christology
Renders to onoma to hyper pan onoma at 2:9. Must be taught alongside 2:10-11 as pointing to Xudan (Lord), the name reserved for YHWH in Isaiah 45:23; never diluted to a merely honorific title.
Every Knee Shall Bow
Approved rendering: her çok xwar bibe
Transliteration: her çok xwar bibe
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ
Category: Christology
Renders pan gony kampsē at 2:10, a direct citation of Isaiah 45:23. Must be taught with the Isaiah background explicit, or the force of the deity claim can be missed entirely.
Jesus Christ Is Lord
Approved rendering: Îsa Mesîh Xudan e
Transliteration: Îsa Mesîh Xudan e
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός
Category: Christology
Renders Kyrios Iēsous Christos at 2:11. Per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule, MUST be rendered identically to Romans 10:9’s ‘Îsa Xudan e’ confession wherever it recurs. This is the hymn’s — and arguably the letter’s — theological summit.
Citizenship Conduct
Approved rendering: wek welatiyan jiyîn
Transliteration: wek welatiyan jiyîn
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Original: πολιτεύομαι
Category: Christian Living
Renders politeuomai at 1:27, the first activation of the letter’s single most politically resonant vocabulary cluster, precursor to 3:20’s politeuma. Given Kurdish statelessness, must be taught as genuine present conduct flowing from a heavenly homeland, never coded political speech.
Work Out Your Salvation
Approved rendering: xebata rizgariya xwe temam kirin
Transliteration: xebata rizgariya xwe temam kirin
Doctrine: Salvation (Worked Out, Not Earned)
Rejected alternatives: xebata rizgariya xwe bidest xistin (“to earn one’s salvation” — explicitly forbidden)
Original: κατεργάζεσθε τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν
Category: Salvation
Renders katergazesthe tēn heautōn sōtērian at 2:12. One of the highest-risk phrases in the letter given the region’s works-oriented religious culture; MUST NEVER use a verb implying ‘earn’ or ‘achieve,’ and must always be paired with 2:13.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: Sinet
Transliteration: sinet
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant/Law
Renders peritomē at 3:3,5. CRITICAL: Sinet is a near-universal, deeply significant regional Islamic (and broader Kurdish) rite of passage; Paul’s relativizing argument must be handled as a specific claim that no physical rite establishes right standing before God — never a blanket cultural dismissal of the practice.
Righteousness From Law Vs Faith
Approved rendering: Adalet ji Şerîeta Mûsa… bi rêya Îmana Mesîh
Transliteration: adalet ji Şerîeta Mûsa, bi rêya îmana Mesîh
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: δικαιοσύνη ἐκ νόμου… διὰ πίστεως Χριστοῦ
Category: Salvation
Renders dikaiosynē ek nomou… dia pisteōs Christou at 3:9 — the doctrinal center of Chapter 3, combining three Critical/High baseline terms (Adalet, Şerîeta Mûsa, Îman) in a single verse. Mandatory theologian review, per the baseline’s Romans 3-4 precedent.
Citizenship In Heaven
Approved rendering: Welatîtiya me li ezmanan e
Transliteration: welatîtiya me li ezmanan e
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Rejected alternatives: a single coined abstract noun without an explanatory clause (rejected as insufficiently self-evident)
Original: πολίτευμα
Category: Christian Living
Renders politeuma at 3:20 — the single most politically resonant term in the letter, given the Kurds’ century-long statelessness struggle. Must always be taught with explicit anchoring: describes believers’ spiritual home and identity, never any nation’s present political status.
Savior Awaited
Approved rendering: Rizgarker
Transliteration: rizgarker
Doctrine: Citizenship in Heaven
Rejected alternatives: Sotêr (Greek transliteration, rejected as unintelligible and forfeiting the established Rizgarî word-family anchoring)
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Salvation
Renders sōtēr at 3:20, the Savior believers ‘eagerly await’ from heaven. Given the baseline’s Critical flag on Rizgarî, this agent-noun carries a sharper risk: regional national-liberation movements celebrate individual ‘rizgarker’ hero-liberator figures. Must always be anchored explicitly to Christ’s personal, spiritual deliverance and his return from heaven.
Contentment
Approved rendering: Qanaet
Transliteration: qanaet
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: αὐτάρκης εἶναι
Category: Christian Living
Renders autarkēs einai at 4:11. CRITICAL: Qana’a/qanaet is a celebrated regional Islamic/Sufi virtue achieved through disciplined self-detachment and grateful submission to one’s divinely-apportioned lot; Paul’s contentment is explicitly Christ-empowered (4:13), not self-generated. MUST NEVER be taught quoting 4:11 without 4:13.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: Kerem
Transliteration: kerem
Doctrine: Grace
Original: χάρις / χαρίζομαι
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Must not imply an elite, Sufi-keramet-style favor reserved for spiritually advanced figures; the verb form (echarisato) at 2:9 describes even Christ’s own exaltation in grace-vocabulary, not as a reward earned by his self-humbling.
Faith
Approved rendering: Îman
Transliteration: iman
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Must be anchored as trust in Christ specifically; 3:9 sets it directly against ‘righteousness of my own from the law.‘
Righteousness
Approved rendering: Adalet
Transliteration: adalet
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: Rastî
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (baseline TM risk tier retained exactly). Philippians 3:9 is the clearest single-verse statement of the earned-vs-credited righteousness contrast in the curriculum; 1:11’s ‘fruit of righteousness’ must be read forward to 3:9, never as self-achieved standing.
Saints
Approved rendering: Pîrozan
Transliteration: pîrozan
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Addressed corporately at 1:1 and 4:21-22, including ‘those of Caesar’s household’ — must not be read as the hereditary Sufi pîr elite; explicitly inclusive of ordinary believers across social rank.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: Hevaltî
Transliteration: hevaltî
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians activates a material co-laboring sense (1:5, 4:14-16’s commercial ‘giving and receiving’) beyond the baseline’s original generic-fellowship scope; must be contextually amplified with ‘di karê Mizgîniyê de’ and not confused with the secular ‘comrade’ political register. Also used at 2:1 (fellowship of the Spirit) and 3:10 (fellowship of his sufferings).
Called
Approved rendering: Bangkirî
Transliteration: bangkirî
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive per the baseline’s original three-sense framework; in Philippians relevant chiefly as the root for the ‘upward call’ at 3:14.
Obedience Of Faith
Approved rendering: Guhdarîkirina Baweriyê
Transliteration: guhdarîkirina baweriyê
Doctrine: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Retained as a contrast term: Philippians 2:8’s ‘obedient unto death’ (hypēkoos, Guhdar) describes Christ’s own obedience to the Father, the ground of salvation — a distinct referent from this baseline term, which describes believers’ response of faith. Must be distinguished in teaching.
Church
Approved rendering: Civata Mesîhî
Transliteration: Civata Mesîhî
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Rejected alternatives: Dêr
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, using the baseline’s own gathered-community distinction (Dêr = building; Civata Mesîhî = NT assembly). At Philippians 3:6 Paul recalls persecuting ‘the church,’ clearly the gathered community, not a structure, so Civata Mesîhî is the operative rendering throughout this book.
Mission
Approved rendering: Peywira Mizgîniyê
Transliteration: peywira Mizgîniyê
Doctrine: Bold Proclamation of the Gospel
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Philippians’ ‘Bold Proclamation of the Gospel’ doctrine (1:7, 1:12-14, 1:20); safety implications for bold proclamation vary significantly across the four states Kurdish spans.
Fellowship Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: Hevaltiya Ruhê Pîroz
Transliteration: hevaltiya Ruhê Pîroz
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders koinōnia pneumatos at 2:1. Compounds two risks: Ruhê Pîroz’s Critical Jibril-identification risk, and Hevaltî’s secular ‘comrade’ political echo. Must be anchored as fellowship the divine Spirit produces/shares among believers, not ideological solidarity.
Kenodoxia
Approved rendering: Rûmeta Vala
Transliteration: rûmeta vala
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: κενοδοξία
Category: Church
Renders kenodoxia at 2:3, built on baseline Rûmet plus native vala (empty). The vala root MUST match kenosis’s rendering (2:7) exactly to preserve Paul’s deliberate wordplay: believers empty themselves of empty glory-seeking, as Christ emptied himself of true glory.
Humility
Approved rendering: Dilnizmî
Transliteration: dilnizmî
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: Church
Renders tapeinophrosynē at 2:3. Kurdish tribal (aşîret) honor culture may read voluntary self-lowering as şermezarî (loss of face) rather than virtue; must be taught explicitly as Christ-modeled strength (see 2:8).
Preexistence Of Christ
Approved rendering: Bi Xwezayî Hebûn
Transliteration: bi xwezayî hebûn
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: hebûn (bare ‘was’, rejected as too weak)
Original: ὑπάρχων
Category: Christology
Renders hyparchōn at 2:6; a weak verb (‘was’) loses the pre-existence claim essential to the Incarnation doctrine.
Doulos Slave
Approved rendering: Kole
Transliteration: kole
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Rejected alternatives: Xizmetkar (hired servant, rejected as too mild)
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Christology
Renders doulos at 1:1 (Paul’s self-designation) and 2:7 (Christ). Preserves both the shock of Paul’s self-description and the deliberate literary echo to Christ’s self-humbling; historical slavery within Kurdish tribal society gives the term genuine, appropriately uncomfortable social weight.
Homoioma Likeness
Approved rendering: Şibihî
Transliteration: şibihî
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: ὁμοίωμα
Category: Christology
Renders homoiōma at 2:7. Must convey real, full human nature, not mere external resemblance, guarding against docetism and against a regional tendency to treat prophetic figures as insulated from ordinary human vulnerability. Kept distinct from Sûret and Xuyang.
Self Humbling
Approved rendering: xwe nizim kirin
Transliteration: xwe nizim kirin
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν
Category: Church
Renders etapeinōsen heauton at 2:8. Shares the nizm root with Dilnizmî (2:3) and 4:12’s ‘brought low.’ Must be framed as active, dignified, Christlike strength, never passive shame.
Obedient Unto Death
Approved rendering: Guhdar
Transliteration: guhdar
Doctrine: The Incarnation and Self-Emptying of Christ (Kenosis)
Original: ὑπήκοος
Category: Christology
Renders hypēkoos at 2:8 — Christ’s own obedience to the Father, the ground of salvation. Must be distinguished in teaching from the baseline’s obedience_of_faith (believers’ response).
Hyperexaltation
Approved rendering: Zêde Bilind Kir
Transliteration: zêde bilind kir
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: bilind kir (ordinary ‘exalted’, rejected as too weak)
Original: ὑπερύψωσεν (ὑπερυψόω)
Category: Christology
Renders hyperypsoō at 2:9, a rare NT-unique intensive compound. Must not be flattened to an ordinary ‘exalted’; the intensifying adverb zêde must be retained.
Cosmic Totality
Approved rendering: yên li ezmên, yên li erdê, û yên di binê erdê de
Transliteration: yên li ezmên, yên li erdê, û yên di binê erdê de
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: her kes (rejected — flattens the threefold cosmic structure to ‘everyone’)
Original: ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων
Category: Christology
Renders epouraniōn kai epigeiōn kai katachthoniōn at 2:10. Must be preserved as literal cosmic totality, asserting Christ’s authority over unseen spiritual powers as well as the visible world.
Joy
Approved rendering: Şahî
Transliteration: şahî
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: χαρά / χαίρω
Category: Christian Living
Renders chara/chairō, the letter’s dominant keyword (1:4,18,25; 2:2,17-18,28,29; 3:1; 4:1,4,10). Two distinct regional risks: fatalistic qadar piety reading it as passive resignation, and Kurdish political culture’s tradition of celebrating imprisoned liberation-struggle heroes redirecting it toward a nationalist cause rather than the gospel’s advance.
Partnership In The Gospel
Approved rendering: Hevaltî (di karê Mizgîniyê de)
Transliteration: hevaltî di karê Mizgîniyê de
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Church
Renders koinōnia eis to euangelion at 1:5, confirmed by the financial ‘giving and receiving’ of 4:15-16. Must retain the qualifying phrase throughout this book to surface the material co-laboring sense beyond generic social fellowship.
Chains Bonds
Approved rendering: Zincîr
Transliteration: zincîr
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: δεσμά
Category: Christian Living
Renders desma at 1:7,13,14,17. Carries genuine political-prisoner-of-conscience resonance in Kurdish culture; must be anchored explicitly to gospel proclamation, never assimilated into nationalist liberation-hero narrative.
Prisoner
Approved rendering: Girtî
Transliteration: girtî
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: δέσμιος
Category: Christian Living
Renders desmios at 1:13-14. Same political-prisoner-honor resonance as Zincîr; anchor to Christ, not national liberation heroism.
Confidence In The Flesh
Approved rendering: Bawerî bi laş/bedena xwe
Transliteration: bawerî bi laş
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: πεποίθησις ἐν σαρκί
Category: Covenant/Law
Renders pepoithēsis en sarki at 3:3-4. The polar opposite of righteousness by faith; ‘flesh’ must be understood as inherited status/self-effort, not merely physical body.
Fellowship Of His Sufferings
Approved rendering: Hevaltiya êşên wî
Transliteration: hevaltiya êşên wî
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: κοινωνία [τῶν] παθημάτων αὐτοῦ
Category: Christian Living
Renders koinōnia [tōn] pathēmatōn autou at 3:10. Must be taught as participatory union with the pattern of Christ’s suffering, never vicarious/atoning suffering, which belongs to Christ alone.
Mature Perfect
Approved rendering: Kamil
Transliteration: kamil
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: τέλειοι (τετελείωμαι)
Category: Christian Living
Renders teleioi at 3:15 (cf. teteleiōmai, 3:12). Kamil directly invokes the Naqshbandi Sufi doctrine of Insan-i Kamil (‘the Perfect/Complete Human’); must be taught as ongoing, incomplete spiritual maturity — Paul immediately denies having ‘already attained’ — explicitly distinguished from the Sufi ideal of a mystically perfected master.
Rejoice In The Lord Always
Approved rendering: Her tim di Xudan de şa bibin
Transliteration: her tim di Xudan de şa bibin
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε
Category: Christian Living
Renders chairete en kyriō pantote at 4:4 — the letter’s programmatic joy-command, doubly anchored (‘in the Lord,’ ‘always’) even from prison. Must be taught against both the fatalism risk and the political-prisoner-heroism risk.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: Aştî
Transliteration: aştî
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. At 4:7 (‘peace… which surpasses all understanding’) the qualifying phrase must always be retained so it is not read as ordinary calm achievable by self-effort.
Gospel
Approved rendering: Mizgînî
Transliteration: Mizgînî
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Philippians uniquely pairs it with legal-defense language (1:7, 1:16), reinforcing its authoritative, not merely devotional, character.
Holy
Approved rendering: Pîroz
Transliteration: pîroz
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Inherited from Romans package. Root of Pîrozan (saints); standard native Kurdish word for holy/sacred.
Glory
Approved rendering: Rûmet
Transliteration: rûmet
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. At 2:11 anchor to the Father specifically, preserving the hymn’s trinitarian logic; also used at 1:11, 3:19, 3:21, 4:19-20.
Calling
Approved rendering: Vexwendin
Transliteration: vexwendin
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Inherited from Romans package. The noun form (klēsis) underlies 3:14’s ‘upward call’; direction of address (God calling believers heavenward) must be made explicit.
Tenderhearted Compassion
Approved rendering: Dilovanî û Dilrehmî
Transliteration: dilovanî û dilrehmî
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders splanchna kai oiktirmoi at 2:1; Kurdish idiom locates emotion in the heart (dil) rather than bowels, a safe cultural equivalence, but must not be flattened to generic ‘kindness.‘
One Souled Unity
Approved rendering: Yekruh
Transliteration: yekruh
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders sympsychoi at 2:2, intensifying phroneō to soul-level solidarity. Must not be confused with Ruhê Pîroz (Holy Spirit); this is human soul-unity, not a Trinitarian claim.
Selfish Ambition
Approved rendering: Pêşbaziya Xweperest
Transliteration: pêşbaziya xweperest
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders eritheia at 2:3, the seedbed of church division also referenced at 1:15-17.
Regard Others As More Important
Approved rendering: Yên Din ji Xwe Girantir Dîtin
Transliteration: yên din ji xwe girantir dîtin
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders hyperechontas at 2:3, the practical outworking of humility.
Schema Outward Fashion
Approved rendering: Xuyang
Transliteration: xuyang
Doctrine: Humanity of Christ
Original: σχῆμα
Category: Christology
Renders schēma at 2:8 and its verb form at 3:21. Must remain distinct from Sûret (morphē) so the passage’s three-tier form/likeness/fashion structure is not collapsed.
Open Confession
Approved rendering: eşkere bêjin
Transliteration: eşkere bêjin
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: ἐξομολογήσηται (ἐξομολογέω)
Category: Christology
Renders exomologeō at 2:11, the spoken counterpart to ‘every knee shall bow.‘
Overseer
Approved rendering: Serparêz
Transliteration: serparêz
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
Renders episkopos at 1:1. Must be distinguished from the hereditary, shrine-venerated Sufi pîr office; a functional role within the whole congregation of Pîrozan, not a spiritual elite.
Deacon
Approved rendering: Xizmetkar
Transliteration: xizmetkar
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Original: διάκονος
Category: Church
Renders diakonos at 1:1, a formal, named congregational office of service, distinct from a generic helper.
Boldness Of Speech
Approved rendering: Wêrekî
Transliteration: wêrekî
Doctrine: Bold Proclamation of the Gospel
Original: παρρησία
Category: Christian Living
Renders parrēsia at 1:20. Relevant to the baseline’s Mission/Evangelism caution given the four-state variation in religious-freedom environments.
To Live Is Christ
Approved rendering: Jiyan Mesîh e
Transliteration: jiyan Mesîh e
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Renders to zēn Christos at 1:21, paired with to_die_is_gain. Frames Paul’s entire existence as defined by union with Christ.
To Die Is Gain
Approved rendering: mirin jî qezenc e
Transliteration: mirin jî qezenc e
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος
Category: Eschatology
Renders to apothanein kerdos at 1:21. Must be grounded explicitly in resurrection hope (Rabûn, cf. 3:20-21), never stoic indifference to life or a devaluing of present existence.
To Suffer
Approved rendering: cefa kişandin
Transliteration: cefa kişandin
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Rejected alternatives: êş kişandin (more generic, retained as a secondary option)
Original: πάσχω
Category: Christian Living
Renders paschō at 1:29, explicitly called a granted gift alongside believing. Cefa carries rich Sufi devotional-poetic resonance; a genuine cultural asset provided the object of suffering (Christ, the gospel) stays explicit.
God At Work In You
Approved rendering: Xwedê yê ku dixebite
Transliteration: Xwedê yê ku dixebite
Doctrine: Salvation (Worked Out, Not Earned)
Original: ὁ ἐνεργῶν (ἐνεργέω)
Category: Salvation
Renders ho energōn at 2:13, the immediate theological safeguard for 2:12; must be translated in close proximity to it.
Children Of God Familial
Approved rendering: zarokên Xwedê
Transliteration: zarokên Xwedê
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Original: τέκνα θεοῦ
Category: Church
Renders tekna theou at 2:15 — general familial belonging. Must be distinguished from the baseline’s Critical Kurxwendin (the specific legal doctrine of adoption with full inheritance rights); both true, not synonymous.
Drink Offering
Approved rendering: wek gorîya vexwarinê tê rijandin
Transliteration: wek gorîya vexwarinê tê rijandin
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: σπένδομαι
Category: Christian Living
Renders spendomai at 2:17, OT libation imagery applied to Paul’s sacrificial ministry. Requires OT sacrificial background explanation, since not native to Kurdish cultural memory.
Polemical Dogs
Approved rendering: Kûçik
Transliteration: kûçik
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: κύνες
Category: Covenant/Law
Renders kynes at 3:2, a reversed insult against Judaizing opponents. Regional ritual-uncleanliness association with dogs intensifies the insult appropriately; strictly polemical, reserved for this passage’s rhetorical context only.
Mutilation Wordplay
Approved rendering: Qelçkirin
Transliteration: qelçkirin
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: κατατομή
Category: Covenant/Law
Renders katatomē at 3:2, Paul’s derogatory wordplay against peritomē (circumcision). The Greek pun does not transfer phonetically to Kurdish (Qelçkirin/Sinet); a translator’s footnote explaining the wordplay is recommended.
Rubbish Crude
Approved rendering: Sergîn
Transliteration: sergîn
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Rejected alternatives: tiştên bêqîmet (“worthless things”, rejected as too polite/softened)
Original: σκύβαλα
Category: Salvation
Renders skybala at 3:8. Paul’s intentionally coarse devaluation of his own religious credentials; must preserve the crude intensity, not soften to polite ‘trash.‘
Knowledge Of Christ
Approved rendering: Naskirina Îsa Mesîh
Transliteration: naskirina Îsa Mesîh
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: zanîna Îsa Mesîh (factual-information register, rejected as too thin)
Original: γνῶσις Χριστοῦ
Category: Faith
Renders gnōsis Christou at 3:8 — relational, experiential knowing (naskirin), not mere propositional information (zanîn), guarding against reduction to creedal assent.
Conformed To His Death
Approved rendering: hevsûret bi mirina wî re bûn
Transliteration: hevsûret bi mirina wî re bûn
Doctrine: Resurrection Hope
Original: συμμορφιζόμενος τῷ θανάτῳ αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology
Renders symmorphizomenos tō thanatō autou at 3:10, built on the same morphē root as 2:6-7. Deliberately reuses Sûret for teaching-level intertextual consistency.
Press Persecute Dioko
Approved rendering: çewisandin (persecute) / bazdan berbi (press toward)
Transliteration: çewisandin / bazdan berbi
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: διώκω
Category: Christian Living
Renders diōkō, used in two opposite senses within Philippians 3: hostile pursuit (3:6, ‘persecuting the church’) and positive athletic pursuit (3:12,14, ‘I press on’). MUST NEVER use the same Kurdish word for both senses; a footnote noting the shared Greek root is recommended to preserve Paul’s ironic self-portrait.
Grasp Attain
Approved rendering: girtin
Transliteration: girtin
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: καταλαμβάνω
Category: Christian Living
Renders katalambanō at 3:12-13. Deliberately distinct from Talan (harpagmos, 2:6): Christ did not regard equality with God as a thing to be seized/plundered, yet Paul urges believers to actively grasp/attain the prize.
Upward Call
Approved rendering: Bangkirina jorîn
Transliteration: bangkirina jorîn
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως
Category: Salvation
Renders tēs anō klēseōs at 3:14, reusing baseline Bangkirî/Vexwendin with the native qualifier jorîn (upward), retaining the heavenward direction of God’s sovereign summons.
Transform The Body
Approved rendering: laş veguherandin
Transliteration: laş veguherandin
Doctrine: Resurrection Hope
Original: μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα
Category: Eschatology
Renders metaschēmatisei to sōma at 3:21, built on the schēma root of 2:8. Worth linking in teaching to Xuyang for a full-orbed understanding of Christ’s transformative power.
Conformed To His Glorious Body
Approved rendering: hevsûret bi laşê rûmeta wî re
Transliteration: hevsûret bi laşê rûmeta wî re
Doctrine: Resurrection Hope
Original: σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ
Category: Eschatology
Renders symmorphon tō sōmati tēs doxēs autou at 3:21, built on the morphē root. Ties the letter’s eschatological hope directly back to the core passage’s kenosis vocabulary — an important full-circle teaching point.
Anxiety Prohibition
Approved rendering: Xem nexwin
Transliteration: xem nexwin
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: fikar nekin (literal calque, rejected as less natural than the idiom)
Original: μεριμνᾶτε μηδέν
Category: Christian Living
Renders merimnate mēden at 4:6, using the natural Kurdish idiom (‘do not eat worry’) rather than a literal calque.
Peace Surpassing Understanding
Approved rendering: Aştiya Xwedê ya ku ji her aqilî derbas dibe
Transliteration: aştiya Xwedê ya ku ji her aqilî derbas dibe
Doctrine: Peace with God
Renders hē eirēnē tou theou hē hyperechousa panta noun at 4:7. Must be anchored to God’s guarding action, not psychological self-calming.
Lowered And Abounding
Approved rendering: nizim bûn û zêde bûn
Transliteration: nizim bûn û zêde bûn
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Renders tapeinousthai kai perisseuein at 4:12, sharing the nizm root with the core passage’s humility vocabulary (2:3,8) — the same Christ-modeled posture applied to material circumstance.
Share In Affliction
Approved rendering: beşdar bûn (di êşê de)
Transliteration: beşdar bûn di êşê de
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: συγκοινωνήσαντές… τῇ θλίψει
Category: Church
Renders synkoinōnēsantes… tē thlipsei at 4:14, the koinōnia-root verb form reinforcing the material dimension of gospel partnership.
Fragrant Acceptable Sacrifice
Approved rendering: bêhna xweş, qurbana pejirandî
Transliteration: bêhna xweş, qurbana pejirandî
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Original: ὀσμὴ εὐωδίας, θυσία δεκτή
Category: Church
Renders osmē euōdias, thysia dektē at 4:18, applied metaphorically to the Philippians’ financial gift. Qurban evokes Eid al-Adha strongly; must stay clearly metaphorical and distinct from Christ’s own atoning sacrifice (2:8).
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: Spasî
Transliteration: spasî
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Original: εὐχαριστία
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 1:3-4 and 4:6, modeled as the accompaniment to requests made to God.
Exhort
Approved rendering: Handan kirin
Transliteration: handan kirin
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Used at 4:2 to appeal to Euodia and Syntyche to agree in the Lord.
Encouragement In Christ
Approved rendering: Handan (di Mesîh de)
Transliteration: handan di Mesîh de
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders paraklēsis at 2:1, the first of the fourfold conditional grounding the unity appeal; the locus ‘in Christ’ must be retained, not generic moral support.
Comfort Of Love
Approved rendering: Xemxwarî ya Evînê
Transliteration: xemxwarî ya evînê
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders paramythion at 2:1, paired with encouragement_in_christ in Paul’s fourfold appeal.
Consider The Interests Of Others
Approved rendering: Xwe Mijûl Kirin bi Kar û Barê Yên Din
Transliteration: xwe mijûl kirin bi kar û barê yên din
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Rejected alternatives: meraq kirin (too weak, casual-interest register)
Renders skopeō at 2:4, sharing a root with skopos (goal, 3:14) — intentional, directed attentiveness, not casual glancing.
Will Complete The Work
Approved rendering: temam bike
Transliteration: temam bike
Doctrine: Salvation (Worked Out, Not Earned)
Renders epitelesei at 1:6, God’s ongoing, certain completion of his work in believers.
Progress Of The Gospel
Approved rendering: Pêşveçûn
Transliteration: pêşveçûn
Doctrine: Joy in Suffering and Imprisonment
Original: προκοπή
Category: Christian Living
Renders prokopē at 1:12,25 — Paul’s imprisonment has actually advanced the gospel.
Striving Together
Approved rendering: bi hev re têkoşîn
Transliteration: bi hev re têkoşîn
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Original: συναθλέω
Category: Church
Renders synathleō at 1:27, athletic-contest imagery for corporate unity.
Grumbling Disputing
Approved rendering: Gilîgilî / Nîqaş
Transliteration: gilîgilî / nîqaş
Doctrine: Unity and Humility in the Church
Renders gongysmos (grumbling, onomatopoeic native word) and dialogismos (disputing) at 2:14.
Blameless And Innocent
Approved rendering: bêqusûr û bêguneh
Transliteration: bêqusûr û bêguneh
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Renders amemptoi kai akeraioi at 2:15, paired with children_of_god_familial.
Lights Luminaries
Approved rendering: Stêrk
Transliteration: stêrk
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Renders phōstēres at 2:15, OT heavenly-body imagery applied to believers’ witness in the world.
Ministry Service
Approved rendering: Xizmet
Transliteration: xizmet
Doctrine: Church as a Gathered Community with Ordered Ministry
Original: λειτουργία
Category: Church
Renders leitourgia at 2:17,30, applied to both Paul’s and Epaphroditus’s labor.
Risked His Life
Approved rendering: jiyana xwe xistiye xetereyê
Transliteration: jiyana xwe xistiye xetereyê
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Renders paraboleusamenos tē psychē at 2:30, describing Epaphroditus’s sacrificial service.
Goal Mark
Approved rendering: Armanc
Transliteration: armanc
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: σκοπός
Category: Christian Living
Renders skopos at 3:14, sharing a root with skopeō (2:4).
Prize
Approved rendering: Xelat
Transliteration: xelat
Doctrine: Pressing on toward the Goal in Christ
Original: βραβεῖον
Category: Christian Living
Renders brabeion at 3:14, the athletic prize of the upward call.
True Yokefellow
Approved rendering: Hevkarê Rastîn
Transliteration: hevkarê rastîn
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Renders syzyge gnēsie at 4:3; referent genuinely disputed in Pauline scholarship. Standard translator’s note on referent uncertainty recommended.
Gentleness Reasonableness
Approved rendering: Nermî
Transliteration: nermî
Doctrine: Peace with God
Renders to epieikes at 4:5, forbearing graciousness rather than insisting on full legal rights.
Guard Hearts
Approved rendering: dilên we biparêze
Transliteration: dilên we biparêze
Doctrine: Peace with God
Renders phrourēsei tas kardias at 4:7, a military garrison-guarding metaphor.
Think On These Things
Approved rendering: Li ser van tiştan bifikirin
Transliteration: li ser van tiştan bifikirin
Doctrine: Peace with God
Renders logizesthe at 4:8, an ordinary, non-technical use of the same verb root underlying the Critical baseline imputed-righteousness term; no special doctrinal handling required at this occurrence.
Strengthening In Christ
Approved rendering: Yê ku min xurt dike
Transliteration: yê ku min xurt dike
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Original: ἐνδυναμοῦντι (ἐνδυναμόω)
Category: Christian Living
Renders endynamounti at 4:13, the direct Christological antidote to any self-effort misreading of 4:11’s contentment.
Giving And Receiving
Approved rendering: dan û standin
Transliteration: dan û standin
Doctrine: Partnership in the Gospel
Renders dosis kai lēpsis at 4:15, a natural Kurdish commercial idiom confirming that gospel partnership includes concrete material generosity.
God Supplies Every Need
Approved rendering: wê hemû hewcedariya we dagirtin, li gorî dewlemendiya wî di rûmetê de
Transliteration: wê hemû hewcedariya we dagirtin
Doctrine: Contentment in All Circumstances
Renders plērōsei pasan chreian… kata to ploutos autou en doxē at 4:19, using baseline Rûmet for glory; a closing promise grounded in God’s own glory.
Hebrew Of Hebrews Pharisee
Approved rendering: Hebrewiyekî ji Hebrewiyan, Fêrisî
Transliteration: Hebrewiyekî ji Hebrewiyan, Fêrisî
Doctrine: Righteousness by Faith versus the Law
Original: Ἑβραῖος ἐξ Ἑβραίων, κατὰ νόμον Φαρισαῖος
Category: Covenant/Law
Renders Hebraios ex Hebraiōn, kata nomon Pharisaios at 3:5. Historical/technical vocabulary requiring brief background explanation of second-Temple Jewish categories.
Referenced passages