Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 3 John (English/Greek → Malayalam)
This glossary extends, and must never contradict, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. Where a term already exists in the baseline (e.g. church, peace, God), the baseline rendering is reused exactly, with its baseline risk tier cited. New terms specific to 3 John are established here for the first time and must be added to translation_memory.json in Phase 2 with incremented version, per the AI Translation Requirements document.
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (No Change Permitted)
| English Term | Greek | Malayalam (Transliteration) | Baseline Risk | Baseline Source | Note for 3 John Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Church | ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) | സഭ (sabha) | Medium | translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json | Used in 3 John 1:6, 9, 10 for the local congregation; distinct from a church building. |
| Peace | εἰρήνη (eirēnē) | സമാധാനം (samadhanam) | Low (doctrine: Peace with God, doctrine_risk_registry) | translation_memory.json | 3 John 1:14 epistolary benediction; relational, not merely an absence of conflict. |
| God | θεός (theos) | ദൈവം (daivam) | Critical (bible_term_registry.json) / Medium (translation_memory.json — baseline documents list both; treat as Critical for review routing) | translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json | 3 John 1:6, 11 (x3). |
| Fellowship (thematic, doctrine-level) | κοινωνία (koinōnia, thematic — word itself not present in 3 John text but the doctrine “Truth and Christian Fellowship” invokes this baseline category) | കൂട്ടായ്മ (koottayma) | Low | translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json | Use for the doctrine-level concept of shared gospel partnership underlying vv. 5–8; do not force κοινωνία into a specific verse where it is not the actual Greek word — the operative verse-level term is ἀλήθεια/ἀγάπη/συνεργός. |
B. New Terms Established for 3 John
| # | English Gloss | Greek (Transliteration) | Malayalam (Transliteration) | Doctrine | Risk | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elder | πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) | മൂപ്പന് (moopan) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low | വൃദ്ധന് (mere old man) | Established Malayalam church-office term; John’s self-identification of pastoral authority. |
| 2 | Beloved | ἀγαπητός (agapētos) | പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട / പ്രിയ (priyappetta / priya) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Low | — | Address term, vv. 1, 2, 5, 11. |
| 3 | Love (noun/verb) | ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω (agapē / agapaō) | സ്നേഹം / സ്നേഹിക്കുക (sneham / snehikkuka) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Medium | പ്രേമം (romantic love) | Must retain self-giving, covenantal sense; distinguish from romantic/erotic Malayalam vocabulary. |
| 4 | Truth | ἀλήθεια (alētheia) | സത്യം (satyam) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | High | — | Central, repeated term (6x). Must remain gospel-anchored/relational, not drift toward an abstract Vedantic/philosophical “Ultimate Truth.” Personified as an active witness in v.12. |
| 5 | To prosper | εὐοδοῦσθαι (euodousthai) | അഭിവൃദ്ധിപ്പെടുക (abhivruddhippeduka) | (general greeting) | Medium | — | Avoid prosperity-gospel (health-and-wealth) drift in Malayalam charismatic preaching contexts. |
| 6 | Health | ὑγιαίνειν (hygiainein) | സുഖം / ആരോഗ്യം (arogyam) | (general greeting) | Low | — | |
| 7 | Soul | ψυχή (psychē) | ആത്മാവ് (atmavu) | (anthropology, general) | High | ജീവന് (life, considered but retained as secondary option), മനസ്സ് (mind, rejected — too narrow) | Homonym collision with Holy Spirit (പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ്) base word; collision with Hindu Vedantic ātman (Atman=Brahman) doctrine. Translator note mandatory. |
| 8 | Rejoice / Joy | χαίρω / χαρά (chairō / chara) | സന്തോഷിക്കുക / സന്തോഷം (santhoshikkuka / santhosham) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Low | — | |
| 9 | Brothers | ἀδελφός (adelphos) | സഹോദരന് / സഹോദരങ്ങള് (sahodaran / sahodarangal) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Medium | — | Spiritual-kinship sense; must not carry caste/family-lineage overtones. |
| 10 | Testify / Testimony | μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία (martyreō / martyria) | സാക്ഷ്യപ്പെടുത്തുക / സാക്ഷ്യം (sakshyappeduthuka / sakshyam) | Commendation of Faithful Witness | High | — | Anchor term for Demetrius doctrine; recurs vv. 3, 6, 12 (x2). Must retain formal, credible-witness register. |
| 11 | True | ἀληθής (alēthēs) | സത്യമായ (satyamaya) | Commendation of Faithful Witness | Medium | — | v.12; consistency with ἀλήθεια rendering required. |
| 12 | Walk (conduct of life) | περιπατέω (peripateō) | നടക്കുക (nadakkuka, figurative) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Medium | — | Must be clearly figurative; established Malayalam Bible idiom. |
| 13 | Children (spiritual) | τέκνα (tekna) | മക്കള് (makkal) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Medium | — | Pastoral/spiritual sense, not literal descent. |
| 14 | Faithful / Faithfully (conduct) | πιστός used adjectivally (pistos) | വിശ്വസ്തത / വിശ്വസ്തമായി (vishwasthatha / vishwasthamayi) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Medium | വിശ്വാസം (baseline “faith,” explicitly rejected here) | MUST NOT be confused with baseline വിശ്വാസം (saving faith/trust, πίστις). This is behavioral loyalty/faithfulness, not the doctrine of faith. |
| 15 | Strangers / Guests | ξένος (xenos) | അതിഥികള് / പരദേശികള് (athithikal / paradheshikal) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | High | — | Positive resonance with Kerala’s Atithi Devo Bhava hospitality ethic; must be anchored to specific gospel-partnership motive (v.8), not generic cultural hospitality. |
| 16 | Send on one’s journey / support | προπέμπω (propempō) | യാത്രയ്ക്ക് സഹായിച്ചയക്കുക (yathraykku sahayichayakkuka) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Medium | ഒപ്പം പോകുക (mere “accompany,” rejected as too weak) | Technical term for material/logistical missionary support; not a mere farewell. |
| 17 | Worthily [of God] | ἀξίως (axiōs) | യോഗ്യമാംവണ്ണം (yogyamamvannam) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Low-Medium | — | |
| 18 | The Name [of Christ] | ὄνομα (onoma, absolute usage) | നാമം (naamam) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | High | — | Absolute Christological reference to Christ’s name/authority as mission motive; must not be genericized. |
| 19 | Outsiders / Pagans / Non-believers | ἐθνικός (ethnikos) | അവിശ്വാസികള് (avishwasikal) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | High | ജനതകള് (baseline ἔθνη term — explicitly NOT reused, distinct Greek word/sense), വിജാതീയര് (rejected — contains ജാതി/caste root, reproducing the exact caste-collision risk the baseline flags for ജാതികള്) | Distinct from baseline “gentiles” (ἔθνη). Never render with any ജാതി-rooted compound. |
| 20 | Ought (moral obligation) | ὀφείλω (opheilō) | കടപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു (kadapettirikkunnu) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Low | — | |
| 21 | Receive / Support | ὑπολαμβάνω (hypolambanō) | സഹായിക്കുക / സ്വീകരിക്കുക (sahayikkuka / sweekarikkuka) | Hospitality to Traveling Ministers | Medium | — | |
| 22 | Fellow workers | συνεργός (synergos) | സഹപ്രവര്ത്തകര് (sahapravarthakar) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Medium | — | Elevates hospitality to active gospel partnership. |
| 23 | Loves to be first / craves preeminence | φιλοπρωτεύω (philoprōteuō) | മുന്സ്ഥാനം ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നവന് / പ്രമുഖത്വമോഹി (munsthaanam ishtappedunnavan) | Church Leadership and Pride | High | നേതാവ് (mere “leader,” rejected — loses the negative self-seeking sense); മോഹമുള്ളവന് alone (too vague) | NT hapax legomenon; anchor term for the Diotrephes doctrine. Must not be softened into neutral “leadership,” nor generalized into a blanket critique of all church hierarchy. |
| 24 | Receive / Welcome (person or authority) | ἐπιδέχομαι (epidechomai) | സ്വീകരിക്കുക / അംഗീകരിക്കുക (sweekarikkuka) | Church Leadership and Pride | Medium | — | Dual sense: hospitality-welcome AND submission to apostolic authority (vv. 9, 10). |
| 25 | Remind / Call attention to | ὑπομιμνήσκω (hypomimnēskō) | ഓര്മ്മിപ്പിക്കുക (ormippikkuka) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low | — | |
| 26 | Deeds / Works (ethical-behavioral) | ἔργα (erga) | പ്രവൃത്തികള് (pravruthikal) | Church Leadership and Pride | Medium | — | Must NOT import Romans’ faith-vs-works soteriological framework; purely behavioral sense here. |
| 27 | Wicked / Evil (words) | πονηρός (ponēros) | ദുഷ്ടമായ (dushtamaya) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low | — | |
| 28 | Slander / Speak against | καταλαλέω (katalaleō) | ദൂഷണം പറയുക (dooshanam parayuka) | Church Leadership and Pride | Medium | — | |
| 29 | Content / Satisfied | ἀρκέω (arkeō) | തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുക (thripthippeduka) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low | — | |
| 30 | Forbid / Hinder | κωλύω (kōlyō) | തടയുന്നു (thadayunnu) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low-Medium | — | |
| 31 | Cast out / Expel | ἐκβάλλω (ekballō) | പുറത്താക്കുന്നു (puraththakkunnu) | Church Leadership and Pride | High | — | Must be framed as condemned abuse of unilateral power, distinct from legitimate church discipline (Matt 18:15–17). |
| 32 | Imitate | μιμέομαι (mimeomai) | അനുകരിക്കുക (anukarikkuka) | Imitating Good rather than Evil | Medium | — | Anchor imperative for the doctrine; retain deliberate moral-modeling sense. |
| 33 | Good / Evil | ἀγαθός / κακός (agathos / kakos) | നന്മ / തിന്മ (nanma / thinma) | Imitating Good rather than Evil | Low | — | |
| 34 | Do good / Do evil | ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω (agathopoieō / kakopoieō) | നന്മ ചെയ്യുക / തിന്മ ചെയ്യുക (nanma cheyyuka / thinma cheyyuka) | Imitating Good rather than Evil | Medium | — | Active, habitual practice, not mere disposition. |
| 35 | Has not seen God (relational idiom) | οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν (< ὁράω, horaō) | ദൈവത്തെ കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല (daivathe kandittilla) | Imitating Good rather than Evil | High | — | Johannine relational-knowledge idiom, not literal vision; must stay consistent with John 1:18 / 1 John 3:6; 4:20. |
| 36 | Friend | φίλος (philos) | സ്നേഹിതന് / സ്നേഹിതര് (snehithan / snehithar) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Low | — | Distinct from ἀδελφός (spiritual kinship); personal-relational term. |
| 37 | Face to face | στόμα πρὸς στόμα (stoma pros stoma) | മുഖാമുഖമായി (mukhamukhamayi) | Truth and Christian Fellowship | Medium | വായോടു വായ് (literal “mouth to mouth,” rejected — collides with modern resuscitation idiom) | Idiom for direct personal fellowship; literal rendering forbidden. |
| 38 | Ink and pen | μέλαν καὶ κάλαμος (melan kai kalamos) | മസിയും തൂലികയും (masiyum thoolikayum) | (cultural/material detail) | Low | — | Descriptive only; optional historical-context note. |
| 39 | Gaius (proper name) | Γάϊος (Gaïos) | ഗായൊസ് (Gayos) | (addressee) | Low | — | Standard transliteration. |
| 40 | Diotrephes (proper name) | Διοτρεφής (Diotrephēs) | ദിയൊത്രെഫേസ് (Diyotrephes) | Church Leadership and Pride | Low | — | Do not surface the Greek etymological Zeus-reference in teaching material. |
| 41 | Demetrius (proper name) | Δημήτριος (Dēmētrios) | ദെമെത്രിയൊസ് (Demetrios) | Commendation of Faithful Witness | Low | — | Standard transliteration. |
C. Risk Summary for 3 John New Terms
| Risk Tier | Count | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 0 | — |
| High | 9 (Truth, Soul, Testify/Testimony, Strangers/Guests, The Name, Outsiders/Pagans, Loves to be first, Cast out/Expel, Has not seen God) | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 20 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 12 | Automated review |
Note: Unlike the Romans baseline (which contains 6 Critical-risk terms concentrated in Christology/soteriology), 3 John’s new vocabulary contains no Critical-risk terms — the letter is pastoral/ethical rather than systematic-doctrinal in content. Its highest risks instead cluster around (1) a hapax legomenon (φιλοπρωτεύω) requiring descriptive rather than lexical translation, (2) a homonym/doctrine collision unique to Malayalam anthropological vocabulary (ψυχή/ആത്മാവ് vs. Holy Spirit and Hindu ātman), and (3) a term (ἐθνικός) that must be carefully distinguished from, not assimilated to, the baseline’s already-established ἔθνη/ജനതകള് solution.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ദൈവം
Transliteration: daivam
Doctrine: God
Rejected alternatives: ഭഗവാന്
Original: θεός
Category: God
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE. ദൈവം is a comparatively neutral, shared word for God across Malayalam’s religious communities. Never ഭഗവാന് (Hindu-devotional register). Occurs in 3 John 1:6, 1:11 (x3). Risk tier elevated to Critical for this curriculum’s registry, consistent with 3 John’s own bible_term_registry.json entry, to ensure theologian-level review routing for every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Gentiles
Approved rendering: ജനതകള്
Transliteration: janathakal
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: ജാതികള്
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, included here for FENCING PURPOSES ONLY. ജനതകള് renders ἔθνη (“the nations,” a positive missiological category) and does NOT occur in 3 John. It must never be substituted for this letter’s distinct term ‘outsiders’ (ἐθνικός, v.7), a different Greek word naming non-believing outsiders in a religiously-marked sense. Retained here specifically so Phase 2 validation can check for, and block, this exact cross-document substitution error, and so that neither term is rendered with any ജാതി-rooted compound.
Truth
Approved rendering: സത്യം
Transliteration: satyam
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Fellowship
ἀλήθεια, the letter’s central, six-times-repeated keyword (vv.1, 3 [x2], 4, 8, 12 [x2]). Established, low-lexical-ambiguity Malayalam Bible term, but also foundational Hindu philosophical/ethical vocabulary (Vedantic ultimate Truth, Gandhian Satyagraha). Every occurrence must remain gospel-anchored and relational, not an abstract impersonal absolute. The personification in v.12 (‘the truth itself’ testifies) must be preserved, not flattened.
Soul
Approved rendering: ആത്മാവ്
Transliteration: atmavu
Doctrine: Prayer for Wellbeing (Soul and Body)
Rejected alternatives: ജീവന് (secondary option only), മനസ്സ് (too narrow)
Original: ψυχή
Category: Anthropology
ψυχή, 3 John 1:2. DOUBLE COLLISION RISK unique to Malayalam: (1) shares its base word with പരിശുദ്ധാത്മാവ് (Holy Spirit, baseline Critical term) — risk of readers hearing ‘your Holy Spirit’ rather than ‘your soul’; (2) is also the precise Sanskrit-derived term for the Hindu Vedantic doctrine of ātman (the eternal Self identified with Brahman). Mandatory translator note required at every occurrence: the believer’s own creaturely inner life, not a divine or impersonal universal Self, and not the third Person of the Trinity.
Testify
Approved rendering: സാക്ഷ്യപ്പെടുത്തുക / സാക്ഷ്യം
Transliteration: sakshyappeduthuka / sakshyam
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Witness
μαρτυρέω/μαρτυρία, recurring at vv.3, 6, 12 (x2). Anchor term for the Commendation of Faithful Witness doctrine. Must retain formal, credible, near-legal-witness register consistently across all occurrences, not casual praise or rumor, and not confused with the popular Kerala Pentecostal/Evangelical ‘personal testimony’ genre (which is about one’s own conversion, a related but distinct usage). The personified use in v.12 (‘the truth itself’ testifies) must not be flattened to generic praise.
Strangers
Approved rendering: അതിഥികള് / പരദേശികള്
Transliteration: athithikal / paradheshikal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ξένος
Category: Hospitality
ξένος, 3 John 1:5. Anchor term for the Hospitality doctrine. അതിഥി carries strong positive resonance from the classical Sanskrit-Hindu maxim Atithi Devo Bhava (‘the guest is like a god’) — a genuine cultural asset, but every teaching unit must re-anchor this term to 3 John’s specific gospel-partnership motive (v.8, ‘fellow workers with the truth’), not a generic cultural hospitality virtue detached from Christian mission.
The Name
Approved rendering: നാമം
Transliteration: naamam
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: τὸ ὄνομα (absolute usage)
Category: Christology
τὸ ὄνομα (absolute usage), 3 John 1:7. Absolute, unqualified reference to the name of Jesus Christ, the missionaries’ motive and authority (cf. Acts 5:41 idiom family). No natural Malayalam absolute-usage idiom exists to carry the implied ‘of Christ’ on its own; a mandatory translator note anchoring the referent to Christ is required. Must never be genericized to ‘a good cause.‘
Outsiders
Approved rendering: അവിശ്വാസികള്
Transliteration: avishwasikal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: ജനതകള് (baseline ἔθνη term, different Greek word/sense), വിജാതീയര് (contains ജാതി/caste root, reproduces baseline caste-collision risk)
Original: ἐθνικός
Category: Hospitality
ἐθνικός, 3 John 1:7. DISTINCT FROM BASELINE ‘gentiles’ (ἔθνη → ജനതകള്, a positive missiological category). ἐθνικός names non-believing outsiders in a religiously-marked sense. Never render with any ജാτി-rooted compound, which would reproduce the exact caste-collision risk the Romans baseline already forbids for ജാതികള്.
Loves To Be First
Approved rendering: മുന്സ്ഥാനം ഇഷ്ടപ്പെടുന്നവന്
Transliteration: munsthaanam ishtappedunnavan
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Rejected alternatives: നേതാവ് (mere ‘leader,’ loses the negative self-seeking sense), മോഹമുള്ളവന് alone (too vague), പ്രമുഖത്വമോഹി (acceptable secondary variant, must not be mixed inconsistently within one document)
Original: φιλοπρωτεύω
Category: Church Leadership
φιλοπρωτεύω, 3 John 1:9. NEW TESTAMENT HAPAX LEGOMENON (occurs only here in the entire NT); no ready single-word Malayalam equivalent exists. Anchor term for the Church Leadership and Pride doctrine. Must retain the specific self-seeking, status-craving nuance; must not be softened into neutral ‘leadership,’ nor generalized into a blanket critique of Kerala’s ancient, elaborate church hierarchies (Syro-Malabar, Orthodox, Latin Catholic, Protestant).
Cast Out
Approved rendering: പുറത്താക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: puraththakkunnu
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: ἐκβάλλω
Category: Church Leadership
ἐκβάλλω, 3 John 1:10. Forcible removal/expulsion; here, unilateral excommunication. MUST be clearly framed in teaching material as a CONDEMNED abuse of unilateral power, explicitly distinguished from legitimate, biblically-ordered church discipline (cf. Matthew 18:15-17); a live pastoral-sensitivity concern given Kerala’s dense episcopal and parish-council structures.
Has Not Seen God
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തെ കണ്ടിട്ടില്ല
Transliteration: daivathe kandittilla
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν
Category: God
οὐχ ἑώρακεν τὸν θεόν, 3 John 1:11. Johannine idiom for relational/experiential knowledge of God, NOT literal ocular vision. Must be taught consistently as relational knowledge (cf. John 1:18; 1 John 3:6; 4:20), never as a claim about physical eyesight, which could be misapplied within Kerala’s Catholic/Orthodox icon-veneration practice or Hindu darshan devotional culture. Cross-document consistency with any parallel 1 John material required.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: സഭ
Transliteration: sabha
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: അമ്പലം, പള്ളി (building sense only)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE. The assembly/congregation, distinct from a building and never അമ്പലം (Hindu temple). In 3 John 1:6, 1:9, 1:10 names the local congregation, including as the setting of formal testimony (v.6) and, in Diotrephes’ case, the site of leadership abuse (vv.9-10).
Faith
Approved rendering: വിശ്വാസം
Transliteration: vishwasam
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ഭക്തി
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE, included here for FENCING PURPOSES ONLY. വിശ്വാസം (saving trust in Christ, πίστις) does NOT occur as the operative sense anywhere in 3 John. It must never be substituted for this letter’s distinct term ‘faithful_conduct’ (πιστός used adjectivally, v.5), which describes behavioral loyalty, not the doctrine of saving faith. Retained in this file specifically so Phase 2 validation can check for, and block, this exact substitution error.
Love
Approved rendering: സ്നേഹം / സ്നേഹിക്കുക
Transliteration: sneham / snehikkuka
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: പ്രേമം
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω
Category: Fellowship
ἀγάπη/ἀγαπάω, self-giving covenantal love qualified as love ‘in truth’ (v.1) and the basis of Gaius’s hospitality (vv.5-6). Must be kept perceptually distinct from പ്രേമം (romantic love).
Prosper
Approved rendering: അഭിവൃദ്ധിപ്പെടുക
Transliteration: abhivruddhippeduka
Doctrine: Prayer for Wellbeing (Soul and Body)
Original: εὐοδοῦσθαι
Category: Pastoral Care
εὐοδοῦσθαι, 3 John 1:2. Must avoid drifting toward a prosperity-gospel (health-and-wealth) reading; always subordinate to, and paired with, the soul’s prospering in the same verse.
Brothers
Approved rendering: സഹോദരന് / സഹോദരങ്ങള്
Transliteration: sahodaran / sahodarangal
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Fellowship
ἀδελφός, fellow believers (traveling ministers, vv.3, 5-10). Must retain spiritual-kinship sense, not shared caste, family, or denomination — a needed clarification given Kerala’s history of caste- and community-based social identity markers.
True
Approved rendering: സത്യമായ
Transliteration: satyamaya
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
ἀληθής, 3 John 1:12 (‘our testimony is true’). Consistency with ἀλήθεια/truth rendering required.
Walk
Approved rendering: നടക്കുക
Transliteration: nadakkuka
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Ethics
περιπατέω (figurative), vv.3-4: ‘walking in truth’ = habitual gospel-faithful conduct. Must be clearly signaled as figurative, not literal ambulation. Established Malayalam Bible idiom (‘സത്യത്തില് നടക്കുക’).
Children
Approved rendering: മക്കള്
Transliteration: makkal
Doctrine: Spiritual Kinship and Pastoral Care
Original: τέκνα
Category: Fellowship
τέκνα, 3 John 1:4. John’s spiritual children under his pastoral care. Must be clearly marked as spiritual/pastoral, not literal descent, given Malayalam’s strong extended-family/lineage vocabulary and identity markers.
Faithful Conduct
Approved rendering: വിശ്വസ്തത / വിശ്വസ്തമായി
Transliteration: vishwasthatha / vishwasthamayi
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: വിശ്വാസം (baseline saving faith, explicitly rejected here)
Original: πιστός (adjectival use)
Category: Hospitality
πιστός used adjectivally, 3 John 1:5. Describes Gaius’s loyal, faithful hospitality-conduct, NOT the noun πίστις (saving faith/trust). MUST NEVER be rendered or confused with the baseline term വിശ്വാസം, which would wrongly import Romans’ faith-vs-works soteriological framework into a purely ethical-behavioral statement.
Send On Journey
Approved rendering: യാത്രയ്ക്ക് സഹായിച്ചയക്കുക
Transliteration: yathraykku sahayichayakkuka
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: ഒപ്പം പോകുക (mere ‘accompany,’ too weak)
Original: προπέμπω
Category: Hospitality
προπέμπω, 3 John 1:6. Technical early-church term for equipping and provisioning a traveling minister onward. Must never be flattened to a bare farewell verb; conveys concrete material/logistical support.
Receive Support
Approved rendering: സഹായിക്കുക / സ്വീകരിക്കുക
Transliteration: sahayikkuka / sweekarikkuka
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ὑπολαμβάνω
Category: Hospitality
ὑπολαμβάνω, 3 John 1:8. Concrete support of traveling ministers’ material needs.
Fellow Workers
Approved rendering: സഹപ്രവര്ത്തകര്
Transliteration: sahapravarthakar
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: συνεργός
Category: Fellowship
συνεργός, 3 John 1:8. Theologically elevates hospitality to active gospel PARTNERSHIP, not passive benevolence; connects the Hospitality doctrine directly to Truth and Christian Fellowship.
Receive Welcome
Approved rendering: സ്വീകരിക്കുക / അംഗീകരിക്കുക
Transliteration: sweekarikkuka / angeekarikkuka
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: ἐπιδέχομαι
Category: Church Leadership
ἐπιδέχομαι, 3 John 1:9-10. Dual sense (hospitality-welcome AND submission to apostolic authority); both senses must be kept visible in translator notes since Diotrephes’ sin operates on both levels simultaneously.
Deeds
Approved rendering: പ്രവൃത്തികള്
Transliteration: pravruthikal
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: ἔργα
Category: Church Leadership
ἔργα, 3 John 1:10. Concrete actions/conduct — NOT the Pauline soteriological category of ‘works’ contrasted with faith/grace in Romans. Must not be taught with cross-reference to Romans’ justification/imputed-righteousness vocabulary; purely behavioral sense here.
Slander
Approved rendering: ദൂഷണം പറയുക
Transliteration: dooshanam parayuka
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: καταλαλέω
Category: Church Leadership
καταλαλέω, 3 John 1:10. Diotrephes’ active spreading of false/malicious reports — an abuse of speech within church leadership.
Forbid
Approved rendering: തടയുന്നു
Transliteration: thadayunnu
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: κωλύω
Category: Church Leadership
κωλύω, 3 John 1:10. Diotrephes actively obstructs other congregation members from practicing hospitality — abuse of pastoral authority extending beyond personal refusal.
Imitate
Approved rendering: അനുകരിക്കുക
Transliteration: anukarikkuka
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: μιμέομαι
Category: Ethics
μιμέομαι, 3 John 1:11, imperative mood. Anchor term for the doctrine; must retain deliberate moral pattern-following sense and command mood, explicitly anchored to the two named case studies (Demetrius = good, Diotrephes = evil) rather than generalized immediately into abstract ethics.
Do Good Do Evil
Approved rendering: നന്മ ചെയ്യുക / തിന്മ ചെയ്യുക
Transliteration: nanma cheyyuka / thinma cheyyuka
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω
Category: Ethics
ἀγαθοποιέω / κακοποιέω, 3 John 1:11. Active, habitual practice of good or evil, offered as moral-behavioral evidence of belonging to God (cf. 1 Peter 2:15, 20).
Face To Face
Approved rendering: മുഖാമുഖമായി
Transliteration: mukhamukhamayi
Doctrine: Personal Fellowship over Written Correspondence
Rejected alternatives: വായോടു വായ് (forbidden literal calque, collides with the modern mouth-to-mouth resuscitation idiom)
Original: στόμα πρὸς στόμα
Category: Fellowship
στόμα πρὸς στόμα, 3 John 1:14. Idiom for direct, personal communication (cf. Numbers 12:8 LXX). The literal calque is explicitly forbidden; only the established figurative rendering is permitted.
Low Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: സമാധാനം
Transliteration: samadhanam
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
INHERITED FROM ROMANS PACKAGE. Relational, covenantal peace, not mere absence of conflict. 3 John 1:14, standard NT epistolary peace-benediction.
Elder
Approved rendering: മൂപ്പന്
Transliteration: moopan
Doctrine: Apostolic/Pastoral Authority
Rejected alternatives: വൃദ്ധന്
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church Leadership
John’s self-designation, 3 John 1:1. Established Malayalam church-office term conveying pastoral authority, not mere age. Never വൃദ്ധന് (mere ‘old man’), which loses the office sense.
Gaius
Approved rendering: ഗായൊസ്
Transliteration: Gayos
Doctrine: Addressee (Proper Name)
Original: Γάϊος
Category: Proper Name
Standard Malayalam Bible transliteration of the letter’s addressee. Consistency required across all occurrences (3 John 1:1).
Beloved
Approved rendering: പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട
Transliteration: priyappetta
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Fellowship
Address term recurring at 3 John 1:1, 1:2, 1:5, 1:11. Standard Malayalam Christian usage.
Health
Approved rendering: സുഖം / ആരോഗ്യം
Transliteration: sukham / arogyam
Doctrine: Prayer for Wellbeing (Soul and Body)
Original: ὑγιαίνειν
Category: Pastoral Care
ὑγιαίνειν, 3 John 1:2. Ordinary, low-ambiguity physical-health term.
Joy
Approved rendering: സന്തോഷിക്കുക / സന്തോഷം
Transliteration: santhoshikkuka / santhosham
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: χαίρω / χαρά
Category: Fellowship
χαίρω/χαρά, 3 John 1:3-4. John’s pastoral joy at good reports of his spiritual children.
Worthily
Approved rendering: ദൈവത്തിനു യോഗ്യമാംവണ്ണം
Transliteration: daivathinu yogyamamvannam
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Hospitality
ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ, 3 John 1:6. Frames hospitality as an act of worship measured against God’s own standard.
Ought
Approved rendering: കടപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു
Transliteration: kadapettirikkunnu
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Ethics
ὀφείλω, 3 John 1:8. Moral duty/obligation, framing hospitality as a community obligation, not optional generosity.
Remind
Approved rendering: ഓര്മ്മിപ്പിക്കുക
Transliteration: ormippikkuka
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: ὑπομιμνήσκω
Category: Church Leadership
ὑπομιμνήσκω, 3 John 1:10. John promises accountable, face-to-face confrontation, modeling proper church discipline of leaders.
Wicked
Approved rendering: ദുഷ്ടമായ
Transliteration: dushtamaya
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: πονηρός
Category: Church Leadership
πονηρός, 3 John 1:10. Qualifies Diotrephes’ slander as morally serious, not petty gossip.
Content
Approved rendering: തൃപ്തിപ്പെടുക
Transliteration: thripthippeduka
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: ἀρκέω
Category: Church Leadership
ἀρκέω, 3 John 1:10. Negated: ‘not content with that,’ showing Diotrephes’ escalating pattern of offense.
Good Evil
Approved rendering: നന്മ / തിന്മ
Transliteration: nanma / thinma
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: τὸ ἀγαθόν / τὸ κακόν
Category: Ethics
τὸ ἀγαθόν / τὸ κακόν, 3 John 1:11. Moral categories personified as models to follow or avoid.
Friend
Approved rendering: സ്നേഹിതന് / സ്നേഹിതര്
Transliteration: snehithan / snehithar
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: φίλος
Category: Fellowship
φίλος, 3 John 1:14. Personal, affectionate relationship-term, distinct from ἀδελφός (spiritual kinship).
Ink And Pen
Approved rendering: മസിയും തൂലികയും
Transliteration: masiyum thoolikayum
Doctrine: Personal Fellowship over Written Correspondence
Original: μέλαν καὶ κάλαμος
Category: Cultural
μέλαν καὶ κάλαμος, 3 John 1:13. Purely descriptive/cultural detail; optional translator note on ancient writing materials.
Diotrephes
Approved rendering: ദിയൊത്രെഫേസ്
Transliteration: Diyotrephes
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride
Original: Διοτρεφής
Category: Proper Name
Διοτρεφής, proper name, 3 John 1:9-10. Standard transliteration. The Greek etymological reference to Zeus (‘nurtured by Zeus’) carries no exegetical weight and must NOT be surfaced in teaching material.
Demetrius
Approved rendering: ദെമെത്രിയൊസ്
Transliteration: Demetrios
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness
Original: Δημήτριος
Category: Proper Name
Δημήτριος, proper name, 3 John 1:12. Standard transliteration. Anchor name for the Commendation of Faithful Witness doctrine.
Referenced passages