Core Glossary
08 — Core Glossary: Joshua
Legend
- Status: REUSE (already in Romans baseline translation memory, apply exactly) / NEW (Joshua-specific, proposed addition)
- Risk: Critical / High / Medium / Low (per doctrine_risk_registry.json conventions)
- Chapters: primary chapters where the term is load-bearing
| # | English Term | Mandarin | Pinyin | Status | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes / Rejected Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God | 神 | Shén | REUSE | Critical | All | All | Reuse exactly. Never 上帝, 天, 老天爷. |
| 2 | Lord | 主 | zhǔ | REUSE | Critical | Lordship | 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 23, 24 | Reuse exactly. Never 主人, 老爷. |
| 3 | covenant | 约 | yuē | REUSE | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 3, 7, 9, 23, 24 | Reuse exactly; applies to both the divine covenant and the Gibeonite treaty (ch. 9), underscoring how seriously any oath invoking YHWH’s name is held. |
| 4 | righteousness | 义 | yì | REUSE | Critical | (background to 24:14’s δικαιοσύνη) | 24 | Reuse exactly, but in Joshua 24:14 prefer 诚实 for the adverbial “in truth” sense rather than 义, reserving 义 for forensic-justification contexts per Romans baseline. Requires translator note wherever 义 could be confused with the LXX’s non-forensic usage here. |
| 5 | holy | 圣洁 | shèngjié | REUSE | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Reuse exactly. Grounds God’s exclusive claim on worship (24:19). |
| 6 | faith | 信心 | xìnxīn | REUSE | High | Rahab and Inclusion of the Nations by Faith | 2, 14 | Reuse exactly. Object of faith (Israel’s God specifically) must be explicit in Rahab’s and Caleb’s cases. |
| 7 | sin | 罪 | zuì | REUSE | High | Obedience and the Conquest | 7 | Reuse exactly. Achan’s sin is covenant transgression against a personal God, not impersonal 报应. |
| 8 | law | 律法 | lǜfǎ | REUSE | High | Obedience and the Conquest | 1, 8, 23 | Reuse exactly. Never equate with 礼 or 法律. |
| 9 | Gentiles / nations | 外邦人 | wàibāngrén | REUSE | Medium | Rahab and Inclusion of the Nations by Faith | 2, 9 | Reuse exactly for non-Israelite peoples generally (e.g., framing Rahab’s and the Gibeonites’ relationship to Israel). |
| 10 | peace | 平安 | píng’ān | REUSE | Medium | Covenant Renewal / Rest | 9, 22 | Reuse exactly. |
| 11 | Israel | 以色列 | Yǐsèliè | REUSE | Medium | All | All | Reuse exactly. |
| 12 | David / Egypt / other proper nouns | (per CUV) | — | REUSE | Low-Medium | Background | 5, 24 | Reuse CUV-established forms (e.g. 埃及 Āijí) exactly where they recur. |
| 13 | Joshua (name) | 约书亚 | Yuēshūyà | NEW | Medium | Courage through God’s Presence / typology | 1 (and throughout) | Distinct CUV form from 耶稣 (Jesus); zero orthographic overlap despite the shared Hebrew root meaning (“YHWH saves”). Teaching note required: clarify the etymological/typological connection without implying identity with, or diminishing, Christ’s unique Sonship (cf. baseline “son_of_god,” Critical). |
| 14 | land (promised) | 地 / 应许之地 | dì / yìngxǔ zhī dì | NEW | High | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 1, 21, 24 | Never let this collapse into feng shui/geomancy (风水) associations of auspicious land-power; this is covenantal gift-territory secured by God’s oath to the patriarchs. |
| 15 | promise | 应许 | yìngxǔ | NEW | Medium | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 1, 21, 24 | Distinguish from generic secular promise 承诺; theological term for God’s covenant undertaking. |
| 16 | inheritance / portion | 产业 | chǎnyè | NEW | High | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 13-21 | Modern homonym risk with “industry/business assets.” Must be taught as covenantal gift by allotment, not self-generated wealth or merit-earned property — parallels the grace/merit distinction under baseline “grace” (Critical). |
| 17 | rest | 安息 | ānxí | NEW | High | Rest in the Promised Land as a Type of Salvation Rest | 1, 11, 21, 22 | Collides with the standard Chinese Christian and folk-funerary phrase for the deceased’s repose (安息主怀, “resting in the Lord’s bosom”). Must be taught first as this-worldly covenantal land-rest from war/wandering, then explicitly extended by typology (cf. Hebrews 4) to eschatological salvation-rest — not equated with the folk sense of a soul’s post-mortem peace, nor with Buddhist cessation concepts. |
| 18 | herem / the devoted thing | 当毁灭的物 | dāng huǐmiè de wù | NEW | Critical | Holy War and Divine Judgment | 6, 7 | NEVER frame as generalized ethnic violence or karmic retribution (报应). Must be taught narrowly as a specific, time-bound act of divine judicial judgment on entrenched Canaanite covenant-breaking and idolatry, executed at God’s explicit command. Human theologian review required for every occurrence. |
| 19 | utterly destroy | 尽行毁灭 | jìn xíng huǐmiè | NEW | Critical | Holy War and Divine Judgment | 6, 8, 10, 11 | Paired term to #18; same doctrinal cautions apply. Human theologian review required. |
| 20 | the LORD fights (for Israel) | 耶和华为…争战 | Yēhéhuá wèi… zhēngzhàn | NEW | High | Holy War and Divine Judgment | 10 | Resist triumphalist/nationalistic readings; victory is attributed to divine action executing divine judgment, not Israelite military glory. |
| 21 | wrath (of God) | 神的怒气 | Shén de nùqì | NEW | High | Holy War and Divine Judgment | 7 | Do not assimilate to impersonal karmic retribution 报应 (cf. baseline “sin” note); this is a personal God’s judicial displeasure at specific covenant violation. |
| 22 | be strong and courageous | 刚强壮胆 | gāngqiáng zhuàngdǎn | NEW | Medium | Courage through God’s Presence | 1 | Distinguish from wǔxiá/martial-hero self-cultivated bravado; courage here is grounded in, and derivative of, God’s promised presence. |
| 23 | forsake/abandon | 离弃 | líqì | NEW | Medium | Courage through God’s Presence | 1 | Personal, relational abandonment-by-God (negated as a promise never to occur), not impersonal fate withdrawing favor. |
| 24 | Rahab | 喇合 | Lāhé | NEW | Low | Rahab and Inclusion of the Nations by Faith | 2, 6 | CUV-established proper name. |
| 25 | harlot/prostitute | 妓女 | jìnǜ | NEW | Medium | Rahab and Inclusion of the Nations by Faith | 2 | Do not euphemize; the narrative’s deliberate point is that saving faith reaches the least likely candidate among the nations. |
| 26 | spies | 探子 | tànzi | NEW | Low | — | 2 | Standard term. |
| 27 | kindness/covenant loyalty (chesed) | 恩慈 / 慈爱 | cíài | NEW | Medium | Rahab and Inclusion of the Nations by Faith | 2 | Covenant loyalty extended by grace to an outsider aligning with the covenant people; not transactional bargaining language. |
| 28 | Ark of the Covenant | 约柜 | yuēguì | NEW | High | Covenant Renewal / Holy War | 3, 4, 6 | Must not be read as a spirit-vessel like a folk-deity procession sedan-chair (神轿) or ancestral spirit tablet (神主牌); it is a covenant-sign container accompanying, not confining, God’s presence. |
| 29 | priests | 祭司 | jìsī | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal | 3, 6, 8 | Distinguish from Daoist ritual masters (道士) or Buddhist monks (僧侣). |
| 30 | memorial (stones) | 记念石 | jìniàn shí | NEW | Low | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 4, 24 | Distinguish lightly from ancestral grave stelae (墓碑); commemorates God’s redemptive act, not deceased ancestors. |
| 31 | circumcision | 割礼 | gēlǐ | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal | 5 | Covenant identity-sign, not a merit-earning rite. |
| 32 | Passover | 逾越节 | Yúyuèjié | NEW | Low | — | 5 | CUV-established. |
| 33 | Commander of the LORD’s army | 耶和华军队的元帅 | Yēhéhuá jūnduì de yuánshuài | NEW | High | Holy War and Divine Judgment | 5 | Distinguish from folk martial deities (e.g. 关帝) petitioned independently for battle favor; this figure executes God’s own war, not a peer deity’s favor. |
| 34 | altar | 祭坛 | jìtán | NEW | Medium | Obedience and the Conquest | 8, 22 | Distinguish from folk multi-deity altars/incense tables (神坛, 香案). |
| 35 | blessing / curse | 祝福 / 咒诅 | zhùfú / zhòuzǔ | NEW | Medium | Obedience and the Conquest | 8 | Covenant-legal sanctions, not magical talisman/incantation technique (符咒). |
| 36 | deceit/craftiness | 诡诈 | guǐzhà | NEW | Low | — | 9 | Descriptive narrative term. |
| 37 | oath | 起誓 | qǐshì | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 9, 23, 24 | Binding because sworn in YHWH’s specific name; distinguish from folk oath-taking invoking impersonal Heaven (对天发誓). |
| 38 | choose (human choice of whom to serve) | 选择 | xuǎnzé | NEW | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | CRITICAL DISTINCTION: never render with 拣选 (reserved exclusively for God’s sovereign election of persons per Romans baseline, High/Critical). Joshua 24:15’s “choose” is the reverse direction — human decision about whom to serve. |
| 39 | serve/worship (latreuō) | 事奉 | shìfèng | NEW | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 (also 22, 23) | Must retain exclusivity; avoid generic folk-religious sense of serving any deity among many (事奉神明). Central rhetorical term of the core passage (5 occurrences in 24:14-15). |
| 40 | foreign gods / other gods | 别神 / 外邦的神 | biéshén | NEW | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Idols/counterfeit or non-existent deities; resist any henotheistic reading (YHWH as merely the best among many legitimate gods). |
| 41 | fear (the LORD) | 敬畏 | jìngwèi | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Reverential awe of the one true God, not superstitious appeasement-fear of spirits/ancestors. |
| 42 | sincerity/uprightness | 诚实 | chéngshí | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Undivided covenant loyalty; not merely secular honesty-in-speech. |
| 43 | cast lots / lot | 拈签 / 签 | niānqiān / qiān | NEW | High | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 7, 13-21 | CUV-established term for biblical lot-casting; must be sharply distinguished from temple fortune-stick divination (求签/抽签). This is submission of the outcome to God’s sovereign direction (“before the LORD”), not fate-divination — parallels the caution against 缘分/命运 under baseline “election.” |
| 44 | inheritance/tribal portion | 产业 / 地业 | chǎnyè / dìyè | NEW | High | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 13-21 | See #16; same entry, land-allotment specific usage. |
| 45 | tribe | 支派 | zhīpài | NEW | Low | — | 13-21 | CUV-established. |
| 46 | cities of refuge | 逃城 | táochéng | NEW | Medium | Obedience and the Conquest | 20 | Legal-judicial protective institution under due process, not magical sanctuary/ritual asylum. |
| 47 | Levites | 利未人 | Lìwèi rén | NEW | Low | — | 21 | CUV-established. |
| 48 | faithfulness (of God) / fulfillment | 信实 / 应验 | xìnshí / yìngyàn | NEW | High | God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise | 21, 23 | Distinguish from fatalistic “heaven’s will always happens” (天意, cf. baseline “providence”); grounded in God’s personal, covenant-keeping character and specific prior promises. |
| 49 | love (the LORD) | 爱 | ài | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 23 | Relational covenant devotion flowing from what God has done, not Confucian filial duty (孝) owed as a debt. |
| 50 | cling to / hold fast | 专靠 | zhuān kào | NEW | Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 23 | Exclusive reliance; resist syncretistic “cling to God plus hedge with other practices” reading. |
| 51 | turn aside | 偏离 | piānlí | NEW | Low | Obedience and the Conquest | 23 | Standard vocabulary. |
| 52 | Shechem | 示剑 | Shìjiàn | NEW | Low | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | CUV-established. |
| 53 | jealous God | 忌邪的神 | jìxié de shén | NEW | High | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Distinguish from folk-deity territorial possessiveness over worship/incense rights; grounded in God’s unique holiness and covenant love, not peer-deity status competition. |
| 54 | witnesses | 见证人 / 作证 | jiànzhèngrén / zuòzhèng | NEW | Low-Medium | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Legal-covenantal attestation; distinguish from NT evangelistic “witnessing.” |
| 55 | great stone | 大石头 | dà shítou | NEW | Low | Covenant Renewal at Shechem | 24 | Reuse of memorial concept (#30); not an idol/cult object. |
Summary by Risk Tier
| Risk | Count | Review Routing (per doctrine_risk_registry.json convention) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 2 | Human theologian (every occurrence): #18 当毁灭的物, #19 尽行毁灭 |
| High | 15 | Human theologian: #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #14, #16/#44, #17, #20, #21, #28, #33, #38, #39, #40, #43, #48, #53 (list combines cross-listed reuse/new entries) |
| Medium | 18 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 12 | Automated review |
Note: Rows #16 and #44 (inheritance/产业) and other duplicate concept-entries across narrative sub-contexts are intentionally cross-referenced rather than merged, to preserve chapter-specific doctrinal framing while keeping a single Mandarin rendering per concept, consistent with the Romans baseline’s practice of one canonical rendering per theological term.
End of 08_core_glossary.md. See 07_semantic_analysis.md for full verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter argumentation supporting each entry above.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: 神
Transliteration: Shén
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise / Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 上帝, 天, 老天爷
Original: אֱלֹהִים / יהוה (LXX θεός / κύριος)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package exactly (translation, transliteration, risk, rejected alternatives unchanged). JOSHUA EXTENSION: Joshua’s dense field of named rival deities (gods of Egypt, gods of the Amorites, Joshua 24:14-15) makes explicit monotheistic framing essential every time 神 appears; must resist a henotheistic ‘chief god among many local gods’ misreading invited by the populated Chinese folk pantheon (city gods, kitchen god, ancestral spirits).
Lord
Approved rendering: 主
Transliteration: zhǔ
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ / Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 主人, 老爷
Original: κύριος / יהוה
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: never softened toward 主人 or 老爷 in Joshua 24:14-15’s exclusive-service summons; also renders YHWH’s role as the true combatant (10:14, 耶和华为…争战) and must retain supreme, non-shared authority throughout the conquest narrative.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: 义
Transliteration: yì
Doctrine: Salvation (background) / Covenant Renewal at Shechem (24:14)
Rejected alternatives: 道德, 善行
Original: δικαιοσύνη (LXX) / cf. Heb. תָּמִים, אֱמֶת
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: in Joshua 24:14 the LXX’s δικαιοσύνη functions adverbially with εὐθύτης to mean ‘wholehearted, true’ service, NOT the forensic righteous-standing sense. Follow CUV precedent and render this specific clause with 诚实 (see sincerity_uprightness entry) rather than 义, reserving 义 strictly for forensic-justification contexts. Every occurrence of 义 anywhere in Joshua teaching materials requires a translator note distinguishing it from both the Confucian virtue and this non-forensic LXX usage.
Grace
Approved rendering: 恩典
Transliteration: ēndiǎn
Doctrine: Inheritance as Covenantal Gift, Not Earned Merit
Rejected alternatives: 功德, 造化, 福气, 阴德
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: invoked as necessary theological background whenever teaching that Israel’s land-inheritance (chs. 13-21) is received as gift by allotment, not earned by conquest-merit. NEVER use 功德/阴德 in this context; the inheritance-by-allotment structure parallels the grace/merit distinction already Critical in the Romans baseline.
Jesus
Approved rendering: 耶稣
Transliteration: Yēsū
Doctrine: Typological Link between Joshua and Christ
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: referenced only as background for the etymological/typological link between Joshua’s name (also Ἰησοῦς in the LXX, ‘YHWH saves’) and Jesus Christ. Never imply identity between Joshua and Jesus, and never let the typology diminish Christ’s unique, eternal Sonship (cf. son_of_god, Critical, in the Romans baseline).
Herem Devoted Thing
Approved rendering: 当毁灭的物
Transliteration: dāng huǐmiè de wù
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 天谴, 灭族
Original: ἀνάθεμα / חֵרֶם
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. THE single highest-stakes term in this curriculum. An object or population placed under a binding vow of total destruction/consecration to God, from which no plunder may be personally taken (chs. 6-7). Must NEVER be taught as generalized ethnic violence and must NEVER be assimilated to impersonal karmic retribution (报应). Frame narrowly: a specific, time-bound act of divine judicial judgment on entrenched, generations-long Canaanite covenant-breaking and idolatry, executed at God’s explicit command through Israel as instrument. Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
Utterly Destroy
Approved rendering: 尽行毁灭
Transliteration: jìn xíng huǐmiè
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 报应式毁灭
Original: ἐξολεθρεύω / הֶחֱרִים
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The verbal action corresponding to herem_devoted_thing (chs. 6, 8, 10, 11). Same doctrinal cautions apply; must always be paired with the specific theological framing (a historical, once-executed act of divine judgment, not an ongoing pattern or general license for religious violence). Human theologian review required for every occurrence.
High Risk Terms
Covenant
Approved rendering: 约
Transliteration: yuē
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem / Covenant Integrity and Oath-Keeping
Rejected alternatives: 合同, 契约
Original: διαθήκη / בְּרִית
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: also applies to the sworn treaty with Gibeon (ch. 9), which is held to the same standard of relational fidelity as the divine covenant because it invokes YHWH’s name (9:19) — teach explicitly why an oath-bound political treaty is described with the same term as God’s covenant, rather than the commercial-contract terms 合同/契约.
Holy
Approved rendering: 圣洁
Transliteration: shèngjié
Doctrine: Sanctification (background) / The Jealousy and Exclusivity of God
Rejected alternatives: 清净, 圣人般的
Original: ἅγιος / קָדוֹשׁ
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: grounds God’s exclusive claim on Israel’s worship in Joshua 24:19 (‘for he is a holy God’); must not be read as ritual purity (清净) achievable by any worshiper toward any deity — here it is the unique moral transcendence that grounds YHWH’s sole claim on Israel’s covenant loyalty, distinguishing him categorically from the Amorite gods.
Faith
Approved rendering: 信心
Transliteration: xìnxīn
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 虔诚, 迷信, 信仰
Original: cf. Heb. אֱמוּנָה; πίστις (implied by narrative confession)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: the object of faith (Israel’s God specifically) must be stated explicitly whenever Rahab’s (2:9-11) or Caleb’s (14:6-15) faith is taught; without this, Rahab’s trust risks being read as generic shrewd self-preservation rather than covenantal trust in a specific, named God.
Sin
Approved rendering: 罪
Transliteration: zuì
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest / Corporate Solidarity and Accountability (Achan)
Rejected alternatives: 报应, 罪犯式的罪
Original: ἁμαρτία / חֵטְא, מַעַל
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: Achan’s sin (ch. 7) is covenant transgression against a personal God through personal appropriation of cherem-designated plunder, not impersonal karmic retribution (报应); the corporate consequence to the whole camp requires careful teaching of covenant solidarity, resisting any karma-transfer-across-lineage reading.
Law
Approved rendering: 律法
Transliteration: lǜfǎ
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest
Rejected alternatives: 礼, 道德规范, 法律
Original: νόμος / תּוֹרָה
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: the Book of the Law (1:8) meditated on by Joshua and publicly read at Mount Ebal (ch. 8) and Shechem (ch. 24); never equate with 礼 (Confucian ritual propriety) or reduce to a generic code of civil conduct (法律).
Election
Approved rendering: 拣选
Transliteration: jiǎnxuǎn
Doctrine: Distinguishing Divine Election from Human Covenantal Choice
Rejected alternatives: 天命, 命运, 缘分
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION — CRITICAL CURRICULUM-SPECIFIC RULE: 拣选 is reserved exclusively for God’s sovereign, gracious election of persons and MUST NEVER be used to render Joshua 24:15’s human verb ‘choose’ (see human_choice entry), which runs in the opposite direction — Israel’s responsible decision about whom to serve. Any occurrence of 拣选 within three verses of Joshua 24:15 must be flagged for mandatory human theologian review.
Land Promised
Approved rendering: 地 / 应许之地
Transliteration: dì / yìngxǔ zhī dì
Doctrine: God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise
Rejected alternatives: 风水宝地
Original: γῆ / אֶרֶץ
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Must not collapse into feng shui (风水) geomantic notions of auspicious land-power discerned through cosmic-energy alignment; this is covenantal gift-territory secured by God’s oath to the patriarchs, not land whose favor is read through geomantic technique. Always pair 应许之地 with explicit patriarchal-oath backstory on first use per lesson.
Inheritance Portion
Approved rendering: 产业
Transliteration: chǎnyè
Doctrine: God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise / Inheritance as Covenantal Gift, Not Earned Merit
Original: κληρονομία / κλῆρος / נַחֲלָה
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Strong modern homonym risk with ‘industry/business assets,’ inviting a secular self-made-wealth misreading. Must always be taught as a covenantal gift received by allotment under God’s sovereign direction (chs. 13-21), structurally parallel to the Critical grace/merit distinction already established for 恩典 — never self-generated wealth or conquest-merit.
Rest
Approved rendering: 安息
Transliteration: ānxí
Doctrine: Rest in the Promised Land as a Type of Salvation Rest
Rejected alternatives: 解脱, 涅槃, 寂灭
Original: κατάπαυσις / נוח (hiphil)
Category: Rest
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Collides directly with the standard Chinese Christian/folk-funerary phrase 安息主怀 (‘resting in the Lord’s bosom,’ said of the deceased) and with Buddhist cessation concepts (涅槃/寂灭). Teaching sequence MUST establish this-worldly covenantal land-rest from war/wandering first (1:13,15; 11:23; 21:44; 22:4), then explicitly extend it by NT typology (Hebrews 4) to eschatological salvation-rest — never presented as equivalent to the folk sense of a soul’s post-mortem peace or to Buddhist cessation-of-suffering.
Lord Fights For Israel
Approved rendering: 耶和华为…争战
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá wèi… zhēngzhàn
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment
Original: κύριος ἐπολέμησεν / יהוה נִלְחָם
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Describes YHWH himself as the true combatant in the conquest (ch. 10), using Israel’s army and even celestial phenomena as instruments. Teaching must resist any triumphalist or nationalistic reading that glorifies human military conquest; victory is attributed entirely to divine action executing divine judgment.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: 神的怒气
Transliteration: Shén de nùqì
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment / Corporate Solidarity and Accountability (Achan)
Rejected alternatives: 报应
Original: ὀργή / אַף, חָרוֹן
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. God’s judicial displeasure at Achan’s specific covenant violation (ch. 7), not capricious anger. Must not be assimilated to impersonal karmic retribution (报应, already flagged under the Romans baseline’s ‘sin’ note); this is the righteous, personal displeasure of a covenant God responding to a specific violation.
Commander Of The Lords Army
Approved rendering: 耶和华军队的元帅
Transliteration: Yēhéhuá jūnduì de yuánshuài
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Guidance / Holy War and Divine Judgment
Rejected alternatives: 关帝式元帅, 天兵天将
Original: ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως κυρίου / שַׂר־צְבָא יְהוָה
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. A theophanic/angelic military figure who appears to Joshua at Jericho’s threshold (ch. 5). Use the full descriptive compound, never a bare title (元帅/大将军), which would risk conflation with folk-religious martial deities (e.g., 关帝/关公) independently petitioned for battle favor. This figure executes God’s own war as commanding agent, not a peer deity granting favor.
Ark Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: 约柜
Transliteration: yuēguì
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Guidance
Rejected alternatives: 神轿, 神主牌
Original: κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης / אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית
Category: Divine Presence
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The covenant-sign chest containing the tablets of the Law, symbolizing God’s presence leading Israel across the Jordan (ch. 3) and around Jericho (ch. 6). Must be clearly distinguished from folk-religious portable shrine objects such as deity sedan-chairs (神轿) paraded in temple processions or ancestral spirit tablets (神主牌); the ark accompanies but never confines or houses God’s presence.
Human Choice
Approved rendering: 选择
Transliteration: xuǎnzé
Doctrine: Distinguishing Divine Election from Human Covenantal Choice / Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 拣选 (FORBIDDEN — reserved exclusively for God’s election of persons)
Original: ἕλεσθε / בָּחַר
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CRITICAL CURRICULUM-SPECIFIC RULE: renders Joshua 24:15’s ‘choose you this day whom you will serve’ — a human decision running in the opposite direction from God’s sovereign election of persons (拣选). NEVER render this verb with 拣选 under any circumstance. Use 选择 consistently to keep divine election and human covenantal decision visibly distinct across the whole curriculum.
Serve Worship
Approved rendering: 事奉
Transliteration: shìfèng
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 事奉神明(泛称，禁止), 服事(泛指，禁止于此处)
Original: λατρεύω / עָבַד
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Technical term for exclusive cultic service, repeated five times in Joshua 24:14-15 — the rhetorical hinge of the entire covenant-renewal speech and of the curriculum’s core passage. 事奉/服事 is used generically in Chinese folk religion for serving any deity among many (事奉神明); every occurrence in this passage must retain the force of exclusive service to YHWH alone, never softened toward ‘honor’ or ‘worship among options.‘
Foreign Gods
Approved rendering: 别神 / 外邦的神
Transliteration: biéshén
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 异教神明(暗示同等真实，禁止)
Original: θεοὺς τοὺς ἀλλοτρίους / אֱלֹהֵי הַנֵּכָר
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Idols and deities of surrounding peoples (24:14-15), understood in the OT as non-existent or demonic counterfeits, never as legitimate rival deities. In a culture with a populated folk pantheon, must always be glossed as counterfeit/non-existent objects of worship, resisting a henotheistic reading in which YHWH is simply the best among many legitimate gods.
Jealous God
Approved rendering: 忌邪的神
Transliteration: jìxié de shén
Doctrine: The Jealousy and Exclusivity of God
Rejected alternatives: 争风吃醋式嫉妒
Original: ζηλωτής θεός / אֵל קַנּוֹא
Category: God
NEW for Joshua curriculum. God’s exclusive, righteous zeal for undivided covenant loyalty, the stated ground for why half-hearted or syncretistic service is impossible (24:19). Must be distinguished from the territorial possessiveness attributed to Chinese folk deities over local worship/incense rights (庙产/香火之争), a competition among peer supernatural beings for honor; God’s jealousy flows from unique holiness and covenant love, not status competition.
Faithfulness Fulfillment
Approved rendering: 信实 / 应验
Transliteration: xìnshí / yìngyàn
Doctrine: God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise
Rejected alternatives: 天意
Original: οὐ διέπεσεν… πάντα παρεγένετο / לֹא־נָפַל דָּבָר
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The narrator’s climactic declaration (21:45) that every promise God made concerning the land was fulfilled without exception. 信实 must be distinguished from the fatalistic folk-concept that ‘whatever Heaven wills inevitably happens’ (天意, cf. the Romans baseline’s ‘providence’ note); God’s faithfulness is grounded in his personal, covenant-keeping character and specific prior promises to named patriarchs.
Cast Lots
Approved rendering: 拈签 / 签
Transliteration: niānqiān / qiān
Doctrine: Sovereign Allotment of the Land / Corporate Solidarity and Accountability (Achan)
Rejected alternatives: 求签, 抽签
Original: κλῆρος / ἐβάλοντο κλῆρον / גּוֹרָל
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The formal procedure (ch. 7 for guilt-detection; chs. 13-21 for land-allotment) by which an outcome is placed under God’s sovereign direction ‘before the LORD.’ Must be sharply distinguished from the widespread Chinese folk-religious practice of drawing a fortune-stick (求签/抽签) at a temple to divine an uncertain future; reference Proverbs 16:33 to frame this as submission to divine sovereignty, not fate-divination.
Medium Risk Terms
Gentiles
Approved rendering: 外邦人
Transliteration: wàibāngrén
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 夷人, 外国人
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: applies to Rahab (ch. 2) and the Gibeonites (ch. 9); their relationship to Israel’s covenant God is a central narrative concern. Never use 夷人, which would ironically import the very insider/outsider hierarchy the doctrine of inclusion by faith dismantles.
Peace
Approved rendering: 平安
Transliteration: píng’ān
Doctrine: Covenant Integrity and Oath-Keeping / Rest in the Promised Land as a Type of Salvation Rest
Rejected alternatives: 安宁, 平安符式的平安
Original: εἰρήνη / שָׁלוֹם
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package exactly. JOSHUA EXTENSION: describes the covenantal safety extended to Gibeon (ch. 9) and enjoyed by the returning Transjordan tribes (ch. 22); distinguish from generic well-wishing associated with protective amulets.
Israel
Approved rendering: 以色列
Transliteration: Yǐsèliè
Doctrine: God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package exactly. Applies throughout Joshua to the covenant people entering and possessing the promised land under Joshua’s leadership.
David
Approved rendering: 大卫
Transliteration: Dàwèi
Doctrine: Background reference (Davidic Covenant)
Inherited from Romans package exactly. CUV-established proper name; appears only as background reference (e.g. covenant-history recitations); no independent Joshua-specific extension required.
Joshua Name
Approved rendering: 约书亚
Transliteration: Yuēshūyà
Doctrine: Typological Link between Joshua and Christ / Courage through God’s Presence
Rejected alternatives: 耶稣(不可用于指约书亚)
Original: Ἰησοῦς (LXX) / יְהוֹשֻׁעַ
Category: Christology
NEW for Joshua curriculum. ‘YHWH is salvation’ — CUV-established, orthographically and phonetically distinct from 耶稣, so in-text confusion risk is low. Pedagogical risk: every lesson invoking the Joshua/Jesus typology must carry an explicit disclaimer clarifying the shared root meaning without implying identity or diminishing Christ’s unique Sonship.
Promise
Approved rendering: 应许
Transliteration: yìngxǔ
Doctrine: God’s Faithfulness to the Land Promise
Rejected alternatives: 承诺
Original: cf. Heb. דָּבָר (word/promise); ἐπαγγελία (theological gloss)
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Distinguish from the generic secular promise 承诺; this is God’s specific, theological, covenant-bound undertaking regarding the land, repeatedly affirmed and finally declared fulfilled (21:45).
Courage Be Strong
Approved rendering: 刚强壮胆
Transliteration: gāngqiáng zhuàngdǎn
Doctrine: Courage through God’s Presence
Rejected alternatives: 武艺胆量, 修为式胆量
Original: ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἴσχυε / חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ
Category: Courage
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The repeated imperative (1:6,7,9,18). Must be distinguished from the wǔxiá/martial-hero ideal of courage cultivated through personal discipline or martial skill; biblical courage here is derivative — a response to divine presence and promise. Must always be co-located with its grounding clause (‘for the LORD your God is with you,’ 1:9), never presented as a stand-alone virtue-exhortation.
Forsake Abandon
Approved rendering: 离弃
Transliteration: líqì
Doctrine: Courage through God’s Presence
Original: ἐγκαταλείπω (negated) / עָזַב
Category: Courage
NEW for Joshua curriculum. God’s promise never to abandon Joshua (1:5), the theological ground of the courage command. Must retain a personal, relational sense of abandonment-by-a-person, not impersonal fate withdrawing favor.
Harlot
Approved rendering: 妓女
Transliteration: jìnǜ
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 失足女子(euphemism, rejected)
Original: πόρνη / זוֹנָה
Category: Gentile Inclusion
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Rahab’s occupational and moral designation (ch. 2), deliberately named before her confession of faith is recorded. Do not euphemize; the narrative’s deliberate pairing of disreputable occupation with saving faith is the doctrinal point and must not be softened.
Chesed Kindness
Approved rendering: 恩慈 / 慈爱
Transliteration: cíài
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
Rejected alternatives: 交易式的恩惠
Original: ἔλεος / חֶסֶד
Category: Gentile Inclusion
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Covenant loyalty (chesed) extended to Rahab, an outsider who aligns herself with the covenant people (ch. 2). Do not collapse into transactional bargaining language (a mere deal for her family’s safety); frame as covenant loyalty extended by grace in response to faith, paralleling but distinct from 恩典.
Priests
Approved rendering: 祭司
Transliteration: jìsī
Doctrine: Priestly Mediation and Worship Order
Rejected alternatives: 道士, 僧侣
Original: ἱερεῖς / כֹּהֲנִים
Category: Divine Presence
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The Levitical office mediating the ark’s transport and sacrifice (chs. 3, 6, 8). Distinguish from Daoist ritual masters (道士) or Buddhist monks (僧侣/和尚), who perform exorcism, fortune-telling, or merit-generating rites; Israelite priests mediate covenant relationship with the one true God under the Law.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: 割礼
Transliteration: gēlǐ
Doctrine: Covenant Sign and Corporate Identity
Original: περιτομή / מִילָה
Category: Covenant Sign
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The covenant-identity rite renewed at the threshold of the land (ch. 5). Distinguish from generic surgical/hygienic practice and from any notion of ritual merit-earning; this is a covenant identity-sign, not a work generating standing before God.
Oath
Approved rendering: 起誓
Transliteration: qǐshì
Doctrine: Covenant Integrity and Oath-Keeping
Rejected alternatives: 对天发誓
Original: ὅρκος / שְׁבוּעָה
Category: Covenant Integrity
NEW for Joshua curriculum. A binding sworn promise invoking divine witness, as when Israel’s leaders swear to spare Gibeon (ch. 9). Distinguish from folk oath-taking that invokes impersonal Heaven (对天发誓) or ancestral spirits as witness; this oath binds because it is sworn specifically in YHWH’s name.
Fear The Lord
Approved rendering: 敬畏
Transliteration: jìngwèi
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 忌讳鬼神
Original: φοβήθητε / יִרְאוּ
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Reverential, submissive awe before YHWH as covenant Lord (24:14), the necessary posture preceding exclusive service. Must be distinguished from superstitious appeasement-fear of offending ancestral spirits or local deities (忌讳鬼神).
Sincerity Uprightness
Approved rendering: 诚实
Transliteration: chéngshí
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 义 (rejected for this clause — reserved for forensic-justification contexts)
Original: εὐθύτης / תָּמִים
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Renders the LXX’s εὐθύτης-δικαιοσύνη pairing in 24:14 as ‘wholehearted, true’ covenant service, following CUV precedent rather than introducing 义 here. Must be taught as undivided covenant loyalty, not merely social honesty in business/speech, which is the generic secular sense 诚实 also carries in modern Mandarin.
Altar
Approved rendering: 祭坛
Transliteration: jìtán
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest / Priestly Mediation and Worship Order
Rejected alternatives: 神坛, 香案
Original: θυσιαστήριον / מִזְבֵּחַ
Category: Worship
NEW for Joshua curriculum. A structure for offering sacrifice to God, built at Mount Ebal (ch. 8) and again by the Transjordan tribes as a non-sacrificial witness-object (ch. 22). Distinguish from folk-temple altars/incense tables (神坛, 香案) used for offerings to ancestral or local deities.
Blessing Curse
Approved rendering: 祝福 / 咒诅
Transliteration: zhùfú / zhòuzǔ
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest
Rejected alternatives: 符咒
Original: εὐλογία / κατάρα / בְּרָכָה / קְלָלָה
Category: Obedience
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The two covenant sanctions publicly read at Ebal (ch. 8), conditioning Israel’s future on covenant obedience. Distinguish covenant blessing/curse (God’s judicial response to covenant fidelity/infidelity) from folk-magical blessing/cursing rites (符咒, talismans and incantations) used to manipulate fortune.
Cities Of Refuge
Approved rendering: 逃城
Transliteration: táochéng
Doctrine: Justice and Due Process within the Conquest
Original: πόλεις τῶν φυγαδευτηρίων / עָרֵי הַמִּקְלָט
Category: Justice
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Designated cities offering legal protection and due process to one who killed unintentionally (ch. 20). Distinguish from any notion of a magical sanctuary/temple-asylum where a fugitive escapes consequences through ritual means; this is a legal-judicial institution grounded in due process under the Law.
Love The Lord
Approved rendering: 爱
Transliteration: ài
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest
Rejected alternatives: 孝
Original: ἀγαπᾶν / אָהַב
Category: Obedience
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Covenant-loyal devotion to YHWH, on which Israel’s continuing possession of the land is conditioned (ch. 23). Distinguish from Confucian filial devotion (孝) rendered as a duty owed to a superior within a fixed hierarchy; covenant love for YHWH is relational devotion flowing from what he has already done, not a debt discharged.
Cling To Hold Fast
Approved rendering: 专靠
Transliteration: zhuān kào
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest
Original: προσκολλᾶσθαι / דָּבַק
Category: Obedience
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Exclusive, undivided attachment to YHWH urged in Joshua’s farewell charge (ch. 23). Must be taught as exclusive reliance on YHWH alone, resisting a syncretistic ‘cling to God and also hedge with other spiritual practices’ reading common in folk-religious pragmatism.
Household Oikos
Approved rendering: 家
Transliteration: jiā
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Rejected alternatives: 宗族
Original: οἶκος / בַּיִת
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Joshua’s personal covenant declaration (‘as for me and my house,’ 24:15) binds and represents his whole household. Distinguish from the Chinese lineage/clan concept (宗族) bound primarily by ancestor-worship obligation; Joshua’s household is declared for exclusive service to YHWH, not for maintaining ancestral rites.
Low Risk Terms
Rahab Name
Approved rendering: 喇合
Transliteration: Lāhé
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
Original: Ῥααβ / רָחָב
Category: Gentile Inclusion
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established proper name; the Canaanite woman of Jericho whose confession of faith preserves her household and later places her in the messianic genealogy (Matthew 1).
Spies
Approved rendering: 探子
Transliteration: tànzi
Doctrine: Rahab and the Inclusion of the Nations by Faith
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Standard term for the Israelite military reconnaissance agents of chapter 2; no significant doctrinal risk.
Memorial Stones
Approved rendering: 记念石 / 大石头
Transliteration: jìniàn shí / dà shítou
Doctrine: Covenant Sign and Corporate Identity / Historical Memorial and Corporate Witness
Rejected alternatives: 墓碑(不应混淆)
Original: μνημόσυνον / λίθος μέγας / זִכָּרוֹן
Category: Historical Memorial
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Physical objects (twelve stones, ch. 4; the great stone, 24:26-27) established to prompt future generations’ recollection of God’s redemptive acts. Distinguish lightly from ancestral grave stelae (墓碑), which commemorate deceased relatives; these stones commemorate God’s redemptive act and covenant event.
Passover
Approved rendering: 逾越节
Transliteration: Yúyuèjié
Doctrine: Covenant Sign and Corporate Identity
Original: πάσχα / פֶּסַח
Category: Covenant Sign
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established festival name; commemorative feast of the exodus deliverance, celebrated immediately upon entry into the land (ch. 5). No significant doctrinal risk.
Deceit
Approved rendering: 诡诈
Transliteration: guǐzhà
Doctrine: Covenant Integrity and Oath-Keeping
Original: δόλος / עָרְמָה
Category: Covenant Integrity
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The Gibeonites’ disguise strategy (ch. 9). Descriptive narrative term, minimal doctrinal weight, though it raises the ethical question of the binding force of the oath obtained through it.
Witnesses
Approved rendering: 见证人
Transliteration: jiànzhèngrén
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem / Historical Memorial and Corporate Witness
Original: μάρτυρες / עֵדִים
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. The people themselves and the great stone (24:22,27), called to attest the covenant renewal. Standard legal-covenantal vocabulary; ensure it is not confused with the distinct NT evangelistic sense of personal testimony/witnessing.
Levites
Approved rendering: 利未人
Transliteration: Lìwèi rén
Doctrine: Priestly Mediation and Worship Order
Original: Λευῖται / לְוִיִּם
Category: Worship
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established tribal designation; the tribe set apart for tabernacle service, given cities rather than a contiguous territorial inheritance (ch. 21).
Turn Aside
Approved rendering: 偏离
Transliteration: piānlí
Doctrine: Obedience and the Conquest
Original: ἐκκλίνειν / סוּר
Category: Obedience
NEW for Joshua curriculum. Departure from covenant loyalty (ch. 23); makes continued possession of the land contingent on non-deviation. Standard vocabulary; no significant risk.
Shechem Place
Approved rendering: 示剑
Transliteration: Shìjiàn
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Original: Συχέμ / שְׁכֶם
Category: Covenant Renewal
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established place name; site of covenant renewal (ch. 24), already significant from the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12, 33-35).
Amorites
Approved rendering: 亚摩利人
Transliteration: Yàmólì rén
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment / Covenant Renewal at Shechem
Original: Ἀμορραίων / הָאֱמֹרִי
Category: Holy War
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established ethnonym, often used as a synecdoche for the pre-conquest Canaanite population generally.
Jordan River
Approved rendering: 约旦河
Transliteration: Yuēdàn Hé
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Guidance
Original: Ἰορδάνης / הַיַּרְדֵּן
Category: Divine Presence
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established proper name; the boundary river crossed into the promised inheritance (ch. 3), echoing the Red Sea crossing.
Tribe
Approved rendering: 支派
Transliteration: zhīpài
Doctrine: Sovereign Allotment of the Land
Original: φυλή / שֵׁבֶט, מַטֶּה
Category: Land Promise
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established term; the twelve tribal divisions of Israel among whom the land is allotted (chs. 13-21).
Egypt
Approved rendering: 埃及
Transliteration: Āijí
Doctrine: Covenant Renewal at Shechem
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established proper name; referenced in 24:14 as the land of ancestral idolatry Israel’s forefathers are called to reject.
Jericho
Approved rendering: 耶利哥
Transliteration: Yēlìgē
Doctrine: Holy War and Divine Judgment
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established place name; the first Canaanite city conquered (ch. 6), site of the herem pronouncement and Rahab’s rescue.
Gibeon
Approved rendering: 基遍
Transliteration: Jībiàn
Doctrine: Covenant Integrity and Oath-Keeping
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established place name; the city whose inhabitants obtain a sworn treaty with Israel through deception (ch. 9).
Achan Name
Approved rendering: 亚干
Transliteration: Yàgān
Doctrine: Corporate Solidarity and Accountability (Achan)
NEW for Joshua curriculum. CUV-established proper name; the Israelite whose personal appropriation of cherem-designated plunder (ch. 7) triggers corporate covenant consequence.
Referenced passages