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Core Glossary

Core Glossary — 1 Peter (English–Ndebele)

This glossary extends translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json (Romans baseline) for the 1 Peter curriculum. Terms marked Reused carry their baseline rendering forward unchanged, per the non-negotiable enforcement rule. Terms marked New are proposed for addition to the translation memory during Phase 2 onboarding, with risk tiers assigned using the identical Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.

A. Reused Terms from Baseline Romans Translation Memory

These terms recur in 1 Peter and MUST use the exact baseline rendering; no deviation permitted.

English TermNdebele RenderingRiskChapters AttestedNotes for 1 Peter Context
GoduNkulunkuluCritical1, 2, 3, 4, 5Reinforced as the “faithful Creator” (4:19) — near and directly accessible, not the remote figure of traditional cosmology.
JesusuJesuCritical1, 2, 3Standard.
LordiNkosiCritical1, 2, 3, 5Extra care needed: 1 Peter also uses the lowercase domestic sense (“calling him lord,” 3:6) and the political sense (“the king/emperor,” 2:13) — context must keep Christ’s exclusive Lordship distinct from both.
FatheruBabaHigh1”God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1:3).
Holy SpirituMoya oNgcweleCritical1”Spirit of Christ” in the prophets (1:11).
Holy (adj.)-ngcweleHigh1, 2, 3”Be holy” (1:15-16); “holy priesthood/nation” (2:5,9); “honor Christ as holy” (3:15).
SaintsabangcweleHighNot directly used as a noun-title in 1 Peter but underlies “holy nation/priesthood” compounds.
SanctificationukungcweliswaHigh1Underlies the call to holy conduct throughout.
GraceumusaCritical1, 2, 3, 4, 5Recurs with an added nuance at 2:19-20 (suffering endured is “a gracious thing”/charis); also “God of all grace” (5:10), “grace of life” (3:7), “varied grace” (4:10).
FaithukholoHigh1, 3, 5”Genuineness of your faith” (1:7); “firm in your faith” (5:9).
SalvationusindisoCritical1, 2, 4”Salvation of your souls” (1:9); “grow up to salvation” (2:2); “if the righteous is scarcely saved” (4:18).
RighteousnessukulungaCritical2, 3”Die to sin and live to righteousness” (2:24); “suffer for righteousness’ sake” (3:14).
SinisonoHigh1, 2, 3, 4Recurs throughout the substitutionary-suffering material.
Resurrectionukuvuka kwabafileyoCritical1, 3Grounds the living hope (1:3); “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (3:21).
GloryudumoHigh1, 4, 5”Praise and glory and honor” (1:7); “Spirit of glory” (4:14); “partaker in the glory” (5:1); “crown of glory” (5:4).
GospelivangeliHigh1, 4”The word…preached to you” (1:25); “gospel of God” (4:17).
Called / Callingobiziweyo / ubizoHigh2, 3, 5”Called out of darkness” (2:9); “called to this” re: suffering (2:21, 3:9); “called you to his eternal glory” (5:10).
ElectionukukhethwaHigh1, 2”Elect exiles” (1:1); “chosen and precious” (2:4,6).
PeaceukuthulaMedium5Closing benediction (5:14).
FellowshipubudlelwanoLow4”Share Christ’s sufferings” (4:13); kiss of love (5:14).
GentilesabezizweMedium2, 4”Keep conduct honorable among the Gentiles” (2:12); vice list (4:3).
Prophet / Prophecyumphrofethi / isiphrofethoHigh/Medium1OT prophets searching out the grace to come (1:10-12).
ExhortukukhuthazaLow5”I exhort the elders” (5:1,12).
Church (ecclesial sense, underlying “household of God”)ibandlaMedium4, 5”Household of God” (4:17) rendered with church-adjacent vocabulary.

B. New Terms Introduced by 1 Peter

#English TermGreek / TransliterationNdebele RenderingDoctrine RiskDoctrine(s)ChaptersRationale / Collision Risk
1Living hopeἐλπὶς ζῶσα / elpis zōsaithemba eliphilayoHighThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1Must be anchored explicitly to Christ’s bodily resurrection, never to the hope of joining or being cared for by amadlozi.
2New birth / regenerationἀναγεννάω / anagennaōukuzalwa kabushaCriticalThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1Risk of conflation with ancestral spirit-continuity/return-in-descendant beliefs; must be taught as a unique, non-cyclical, Spirit-wrought event tied to Christ’s resurrection.
3Inheritanceκληρονομία / klēronomiailifaHighThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1, 3Collision with Ndebele clan/patrilineal inheritance custom (land, cattle, widow inheritance, ancestral consent to succession); must be clarified as a heavenly inheritance kept by God alone.
4Imperishableἄφθαρτος / aphthartosokungaboliyoMediumLiving Hope; Ch.1 seed imagery1Contrast with earthly/perishable goods.
5Undefiledἀμίαντος / amiantosokungangcolisiweMediumLiving Hope1Must convey moral/spiritual, not ritual, purity.
6Unfadingἀμάραντος / amarantosokungabuniyoLowLiving Hope; Elders and Humility (crown)1, 5Low ambiguity.
7Guarded by God’s powerφρουρέω / phroureōukulindwa (ngamandla kaNkulunkulu)HighThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1Must not evoke protective charms/muthi or an ancestral guardian spirit.
8Tested genuineness (of faith)δοκίμιον / dokimionukuqinisekiswa kokholoMediumSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake1Standard testing/refining metaphor.
9Various trialsποικίλοι πειρασμοί / poikiloi peirasmoiizilingo ezitshiyeneyoMediumSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake1, 4Must be distinguished from suffering attributed to ancestral curse/witchcraft in traditional causal reasoning.
10Redemption / ransomedλυτρόω / lytroōukuhlengwaCriticalChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering1Must not be confused with a bride-price/debt payment to a family or ancestral line; this is God’s own payment in Christ’s blood.
11Futile ancestral traditionπατροπαράδοτος / patroparadotosindlela yokuphila eyize eyafunyanwa kubokhokhoCriticalChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering; Holiness in Conduct1The text explicitly names inherited ancestral custom as “futile”; requires careful, textually faithful but pastorally sensitive handling — mandatory theologian review.
12Precious bloodαἷμα τίμιον / haima timionigazi eliliguguCriticalChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering1Must be marked as the unique, sufficient, once-for-all sacrifice, not one offering within an ongoing sacrificial/appeasement system.
13Lamb without blemishἀμνὸς ἄμωμος / amnos amōmosiwundlu elingelasiciHighChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering1OT Passover/sacrificial background must be clear; avoid parallel with traditional sacrificial animals for ancestors.
14Foreknowledge (of Christ)πρόγνωσις / prognōsisukwaziwa kusengaphambiliHighChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering; God’s Calling and Election (baseline)1Must not read as impersonal fate/destiny.
15Imperishable seed (the word)σπορὰ ἄφθαρτος / spora aphthartosinhlanyelo engaboliyoMediumThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1Reinforces spiritual (not biological/ancestral) new birth.
16Living stoneλίθος ζῶν / lithos zōnilitshe eliphilayoHighThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2Must remain clearly figurative; avoid any resonance with stone-veneration practice.
17Holy priesthoodἱεράτευμα ἅγιον / hierateuma hagionubuphristi obungcweleCriticalThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2Direct collision with izangoma/izinyanga mediator roles; must teach direct, unmediated believer access to God.
18Spiritual sacrificesθυσίαι πνευματικαί / thysiai pneumatikaiimihlatshelo yomoyaCriticalThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2”Imihlatshelo” is the standard word for ritual ancestor-slaughter; requires explicit disambiguating footnote at every occurrence.
19Chosen raceγένος ἐκλεκτόν / genos eklektonuhlanga olukhethiweyoHighThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2”Uhlanga” carries strong ethnic/lineage weight; heightened sensitivity given Ndebele-Shona historical tension (cf. baseline universal_need_for_salvation note).
20Royal priesthoodβασίλειον ἱεράτευμα / basileion hierateumaubuphristi bobukhosiCriticalThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2Combines priesthood collision (#17) with the royal/iNkosi sensitivity already Critical in the baseline.
21Holy nationἔθνος ἅγιον / ethnos hagionisizwe esingcweleHighThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2Same ethnic-nation sensitivity as #19.
22People for God’s own possessionλαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν / laos eis peripoiēsinabantu abangabakaNkulunkulu ngokupheleleyoMediumThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood2Standard covenant-people language.
23Submission / be subjectὑποτάσσω / hypotassōukuzithobaHighSubmission to Authority and Christlike Endurance2, 3, 5Must be voluntary, Christ-modeled submission, not fear-based deference to chief/king/ancestral authority.
24Servant/slave of Godδοῦλος θεοῦ / doulos theouinceku kaNkulunkuluMediumSubmission to Authority and Christlike Endurance2Standard.
25Example / pattern (Christ’s)ὑπογραμμός / hypogrammosisiboneloMediumSubmission to Authority and Christlike Endurance2, 5Reused for elders’ example (5:3).
26Bore our sins (substitutionary bearing)ἀναφέρω τὰς ἁμαρτίας / anapherō tas hamartiasukuthwala izonoCriticalChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering2Must be personal, voluntary, once-for-all — not ritual guilt-transfer to a substitute in an ongoing system.
27Healed by his woundsμώλωψ / iaomai / mōlōps / iaomaiukusiliswa ngamanxeba akheHighChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering2Healing vocabulary strongly associated with izinyanga; must be clarified as spiritual healing from sin.
28Shepherd and Overseer (of souls)ποιμήν καὶ ἐπίσκοπος / poimēn kai episkoposumalusi lombonisiMediumElders and Humility2, 5Reused/intensified for “chief Shepherd” (5:4) and human elders (5:2).
29Gentle and quiet spiritπραῢ καὶ ἡσύχιον πνεῦμα / praΰ kai hēsychion pneumaumoya omnene lozolileyoMediumHoliness in Conduct3Positive character ideal; low doctrinal ambiguity but new vocabulary.
30Suffer for righteousness’ sakeπάσχειν διὰ δικαιοσύνην / paschein dia dikaiosynēnukuhlupheka ngenxa yokulungaHighSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake3Must preserve that such suffering flows from righteousness by faith, not from meritorious/appeasement suffering.
31Defense/reason (for the hope)ἀπολογία / apologiaimpendulo (yethemba)MediumThe Living Hope of the Resurrection3Ties directly to ithemba eliphilayo.
32Good conscienceσυνείδησις ἀγαθή / syneidēsis agathēunembeza omuhleMediumHoliness in Conduct3Standard moral-theological term.
33Christ suffered once for sins (substitutionary, once-for-all)ἅπαξ…ἔπαθεν / hapax…epathenwahlupheka kanye kuphela ngenxa yezonoCriticalChrist’s Substitutionary Suffering3The “once” must never be lost — contrasts with repeated appeasement-sacrifice logic.
34Proclaimed to the spirits in prisonκηρύσσω πνεύμασιν ἐν φυλακῇ / kēryssō pneumasin en phylakēwamemezela kubomoya ababesentolongweniCRITICALChrist’s Proclamation to the Spirits3The single most sensitive term in the curriculum; must never function as a model for believer-to-spirit communication (cf. izangoma). Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.
35Baptism (as appeal of a good conscience)βάπτισμα / baptismaubhaphathizoHighChrist’s Proclamation to the Spirits (typology); Holiness in Conduct3Must not be read as ritual cleansing that removes ancestral impurity; text itself denies mere physical cleansing function.
36Idolatryεἰδωλολατρία / eidōlolatriaukukhonza izithombeHighHoliness in Conduct4Keep scope limited to the text’s own vice list; avoid editorializing beyond Scripture regarding traditional custom generally.
37Love covers a multitude of sinsἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν / agapē kalyptei plēthos hamartiōnuthando lusibekela izono ezinengiMediumHoliness in Conduct4Community-ethic key verse.
38Steward (of God’s grace/gifts)οἰκονόμος / oikonomosumphathi (womusa kaNkulunkulu)MediumElders and Humility4Trustee, not owner, of Spirit-given gifts.
39Fiery trialπύρωσις / pyrōsisukulingwa okunjengomliloMediumSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake4Reuses trial vocabulary from ch.1.
40Christian (identity/name)Χριστιανός / ChristianosumKristuMediumSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake4New identity marker; standard once introduced consistently.
41Judgment begins at the household of Godκρίμα…ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ / krima…apo tou oikou tou theouisahlulelo siqala endlini kaNkulunkuluMediumThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood4Reuses church/household concept.
42Faithful Creatorπιστὸς κτίστης / pistos ktistēsuMdali othembekileyoHighSubmission to Authority and Christlike Endurance; Sovereignty of God (baseline)4Counters the “remote Creator” framing of traditional cosmology; reinforces direct access to God.
43Elders (church office)πρεσβύτεροι / presbyteroiabadalaHighElders and Humility5Must be distinguished from customary clan-elder authority while respectfully drawing on relational warmth of the term.
44Shepherd the flock / exercise oversightποιμαίνω / ἐπισκοπέω / poimainō / episkopeōukwelusa umhlambi / ukubonisaMediumElders and Humility5Pastoral leadership vocabulary.
45Chief Shepherdἀρχιποίμην / archipoimēnuMalusi omkhuluHighElders and Humility5Christ’s supremacy over all human elder-authority must be unmistakable.
46Humilityταπεινοφροσύνη / tapeinophrosynēukuthobekaHighElders and Humility5Must be voluntary, mutual, Christlike — not status-based deference to chiefs/kings/ancestral spirits.
47Adversary, the devilἀντίδικος, διάβολος / antidikos, diabolosisitha, udiyabholaHighSuffering for Righteousness’ Sake; Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits5Must be distinguished from ngozi (vengeful ancestral spirit) or tokoloshe-type beings; resisted through faith, not protective ritual.
48God of all graceὁ θεὸς πάσης χάριτος / ho theos pasēs charitosuNkulunkulu womusa wonkeCriticalElders and Humility5Reuses Critical umusa; closing benediction.
49Sojourners / exiles (elect exiles of the dispersion)παρεπίδημος / parepidēmosizihambi / abahlala njengabezizweMediumThe Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood1, 2Positive reframing of Christian identity as temporary residence, distinct from settled ancestral-land belonging.
50Mercyἔλεος / eleosisihawuMediumThe Living Hope of the Resurrection1Distinct from umusa (grace); God’s compassion toward misery, not reciprocal favor secured by ritual.

C. Glossary Enforcement Notes for Phase 2

  1. Terms in Section A are non-negotiable — enforce exactly as recorded in the baseline translation_memory.json.
  2. Terms in Section B marked Critical (#2, #10, #11, #12, #17, #18, #20, #33, #34) require mandatory human theologian review at every occurrence, matching the escalation logic already established in doctrine_risk_registry.json.
  3. Terms marked High require human theologian or, at minimum, senior native-speaker review per the baseline’s routing table.
  4. Recommend these new terms be merged into an updated translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json version 2 prior to Phase 2 segment translation, following the same JSON schema as the Romans baseline.
  5. Special note for #34 (Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits) and #11 (futile ancestral tradition): these two terms represent the highest-stakes new theological vocabulary introduced by this curriculum relative to the Romans baseline, and should receive dedicated translator training notes beyond the standard glossary entry.

Critical Risk Terms

Righteousness

Approved rendering: ukulunga
Transliteration: ukulunga
Doctrine: Righteousness of God
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. 1 Peter uses this both as right standing before God and as righteous conduct for which one may suffer (2:24, 3:14); must never collapse into social respectability or ritual correctness.


Salvation

Approved rendering: usindiso
Transliteration: usindiso
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Recurs at ‘salvation of your souls’ (1:9), ‘grow up to salvation’ (2:2), and ‘the righteous scarcely saved’ (4:18); must not be reduced to rescue from misfortune sought through ancestral favor.


Resurrection

Approved rendering: ukuvuka kwabafileyo
Transliteration: ukuvuka kwabafileyo
Doctrine: Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology

Inherited from Romans package. Grounds the living hope (1:3) and baptism’s meaning (3:21); never conflate with a deceased person joining the amadlozi, the culturally dominant Ndebele afterlife framework.


Lord

Approved rendering: iNkosi
Transliteration: iNkosi
Doctrine: Lordship of Jesus Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. 1 Peter uniquely layers a triple-sense collision: Christ’s exclusive Lordship (throughout), the political sense ‘the king/emperor’ (2:13), and the domestic sense ‘calling him lord’ (3:6, of Sarah addressing Abraham). All three use the identical Ndebele root; context alone must keep Christ’s Critical, capitalized iNkosi distinct from both lower senses.


Jesus

Approved rendering: uJesu
Transliteration: uJesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Jesus Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology

Inherited from Romans package. Standard, established transliteration; used consistently throughout 1 Peter.


God

Approved rendering: uNkulunkulu
Transliteration: uNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God
Original: θεός
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. 1 Peter reinforces God as personally near through the title ‘faithful Creator’ (4:19) and ‘God of all grace’ (5:10); never allow him to be framed as remote or reached only through amadlozi.


Holy Spirit

Approved rendering: uMoya oNgcwele
Transliteration: uMoya oNgcwele
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifting
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Named as ‘the Spirit of Christ’ inspiring the prophets (1:11) and ‘Spirit of glory’ (4:14); must not be conflated with amadlozi or a possessing spirit associated with a diviner.


New Birth

Approved rendering: ukuzalwa kabusha
Transliteration: ukuzalwa kabusha
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀναγεννάω
Category: Salvation

New for 1 Peter. Sovereign, Spirit-wrought, one-time regeneration (1:3, 1:23). Risk of conflation with belief that an ancestor’s essence, name, or characteristics ‘return’ in a descendant through naming custom tied to amadlozi; must be taught as a unique, non-cyclical, once-for-all spiritual event tied to Christ’s own resurrection. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Redemption

Approved rendering: ukuhlengwa
Transliteration: ukuhlengwa
Doctrine: Redemption from Futile Ancestral Tradition
Original: λυτρόω
Category: Salvation

New for 1 Peter. Being ransomed by the price of Christ’s precious blood from a futile inherited way of life (1:18). Must not be confused with a bride-price/debt payment to a family or ancestral line, nor a payment made to the ancestors to secure release from their claim. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Futile Ancestral Tradition

Approved rendering: indlela yokuphila eyize eyafunyanwa kubokhokho
Transliteration: indlela yokuphila eyize eyafunyanwa kubokhokho
Doctrine: Redemption from Futile Ancestral Tradition
Original: πατροπαράδοτος (ματαία ἀναστροφή)
Category: Sanctification

New for 1 Peter. ‘The futile way of life handed down from the fathers’ (1:18) — the single most direct textual point of contact with Ndebele ancestral custom in the curriculum. Must preserve the text’s force of ‘futile/empty’ specifically, without inviting a blanket dismissal of Ndebele cultural heritage broadly. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Precious Blood

Approved rendering: igazi eliligugu
Transliteration: igazi eliligugu
Doctrine: Redemption from Futile Ancestral Tradition
Original: αἷμα τίμιον
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s blood as the actual, sufficient price of redemption (1:19). Blood-sacrifice vocabulary is closely associated with traditional ritual slaughter for the ancestors; must be marked as the unique, once-for-all, sufficient sacrifice of Christ, never one offering within an ongoing sacrificial system. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Holy Priesthood

Approved rendering: ubuphristi obungcwele
Transliteration: ubuphristi obungcwele
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. All believers granted direct priestly access to God through Christ, with no human or spirit intermediary (2:5). Direct collision with the mediumship role of izangoma and the ritual-specialist role of izinyanga. Must be taught as the opposite of mediumship: every believer’s own direct, unmediated access to God through Christ alone. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Spiritual Sacrifices

Approved rendering: imihlatshelo yomoya
Transliteration: imihlatshelo yomoya
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: θυσίαι πνευματικαί
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Non-material offerings of praise, prayer, and obedience (2:5). ‘Imihlatshelo’ is the standard Ndebele word for ritual slaughter offered to ancestors; requires an explicit disambiguating footnote at every occurrence clarifying these sacrifices are never literal slaughter offered to appease uNkulunkulu or amadlozi. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Royal Priesthood

Approved rendering: ubuphristi bobukhosi
Transliteration: ubuphristi bobukhosi
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Believers’ shared royal-priestly identity in Christ (2:9). Combines the priesthood collision above with the royal/iNkosi lordship sensitivity already Critical in the baseline, since Ndebele kings themselves were titled iNkosi. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Bore Our Sins

Approved rendering: ukuthwala izono
Transliteration: ukuthwala izono
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: ἀναφέρω τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. Christ personally carried believers’ sins in his own body on the cross (2:24) — the core substitutionary atonement statement of the letter. Must be distinguished from any traditional notion of transferring guilt or misfortune onto a substitute animal or object within an ongoing ritual system; this bearing is personal, voluntary, and once-for-all. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Once For All Suffering

Approved rendering: wahlupheka kanye kuphela ngenxa yezono
Transliteration: wahlupheka kanye kuphela ngenxa yezono
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: ἅπαξ περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἔπαθεν
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s single, complete, substitutionary suffering, the righteous for the unrighteous (3:18) — the definitive statement of once-for-all atonement. The word ‘once’ (kanye kuphela) must never be lost; this contrasts sharply with the repeated cycle of appeasement offerings within traditional religious practice. Mandatory theologian review every occurrence.


Proclamation To Spirits

Approved rendering: wamemezela kubomoya ababesentolongweni
Transliteration: wamemezela kubomoya ababesentolongweni
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Original: ἐκήρυξεν τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s unique proclamation to imprisoned spiritual beings after his death and vindication (3:19). The single most sensitive term in the entire curriculum: must never be taught or rendered as license for believer-to-spirit communication, a practice central to Ndebele traditional religion via izangoma. This is a unique, non-repeatable act of the risen Christ alone. Mandatory theologian review and explicit teaching note required at every occurrence.


God Of All Grace

Approved rendering: uNkulunkulu womusa wonke
Transliteration: uNkulunkulu womusa wonke
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ὁ θεὸς πάσης χάριτος
Category: God

New for 1 Peter. God’s character as the comprehensive source of every grace, naming the ground of restoration after suffering in the closing benediction (5:10). Reuses the Critical baseline term umusa; must preserve God as the sole, direct, unmediated source of all grace, not one source of favor alongside ancestral goodwill.


High Risk Terms

Grace

Approved rendering: umusa
Transliteration: umusa
Doctrine: Grace
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. 1 Peter extends the term’s use to describe suffering endured well as ‘a gracious/commendable thing’ (2:19-20), God’s ‘varied grace’ in gifting (4:10), and closes with ‘the God of all grace’ (5:10); translators must not let this secondary sense soften the core meaning of unmerited favor.


Faith

Approved rendering: ukholo
Transliteration: ukholo
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. ‘The genuineness of your faith’ (1:7) and ‘firm in your faith’ (5:9) must keep Christ as the recoverable object of trust, not human effort proving self-worth.


Called

Approved rendering: obiziweyo
Transliteration: obiziweyo
Doctrine: Calling of God
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Applied to being called out of darkness (2:9) and called to suffering after Christ’s example (2:21); must convey God’s own sovereign summons, not an ancestral spirit’s call to mediumship.


Calling

Approved rendering: ubizo
Transliteration: ubizo
Doctrine: Calling of God
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. ‘Called you to his eternal glory’ (5:10); same distinction from fate/destiny-language applies.


Holy

Approved rendering: -ngcwele
Transliteration: ngcwele
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. Grounds ‘be holy, for I am holy’ (1:15-16) and the ‘holy priesthood’/‘holy nation’ compounds (2:5, 9); keep moral-relational, not ritual-purity, sense primary.


Saints

Approved rendering: abangcwele
Transliteration: abangcwele
Doctrine: The Church as Believers in Christ
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Not used as a standalone noun-title in 1 Peter but underlies the corporate holy-people compounds of 2:5, 9; retain the baseline sense of all believers, not an ascetic elite.


Sanctification

Approved rendering: ukungcweliswa
Transliteration: ukungcweliswa
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification

Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the call to holy conduct throughout 1 Peter (1:2, 1:15-16); distinguish from ritual cleansing rites performed for the ancestors.


Sin

Approved rendering: isono
Transliteration: isono
Doctrine: Humanity’s Sinfulness
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin

Inherited from Romans package. Central to the substitutionary-suffering material (2:24, 3:18); distinguish from ritual impurity or an offense against the ancestors requiring appeasement.


Glory

Approved rendering: udumo
Transliteration: udumo
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: inkazimulo
Original: δόξα
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Recurs across 1 Peter’s eschatological vocabulary: ‘praise and glory and honor’ (1:7), ‘Spirit of glory’ (4:14), ‘partaker in the glory’ (5:1), ‘crown of glory’ (5:4).


Election

Approved rendering: ukukhethwa
Transliteration: ukukhethwa
Doctrine: God’s Calling and Election
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. ‘Elect exiles’ (1:1) and Christ himself ‘chosen and precious’ (2:4, 6); must not read as impersonal fate assigned by ancestral forces.


Father

Approved rendering: uBaba
Transliteration: uBaba
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God

Inherited from Romans package. Opens the letter’s doxology, ‘God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1:3), and names the impartial Judge to be reverently feared (1:17); keep anchored to the Father-Son relationship, not a generic ancestral-elder figure.


Prophet

Approved rendering: umphrofethi
Transliteration: umphrofethi
Doctrine: Authority of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: isangoma
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. The OT prophets who searched out the grace to come (1:10-12); must remain sharply distinct from isangoma (diviner) or inyanga (traditional healer).


Living Hope

Approved rendering: ithemba eliphilayo
Transliteration: ithemba eliphilayo
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἐλπὶς ζῶσα
Category: Eschatology

New for 1 Peter. Confident, vital hope grounded in Christ’s historical resurrection (1:3). Must be anchored explicitly to Christ’s bodily resurrection at every occurrence, never left as free-floating hope-language that could be read as the traditional hope of becoming or being cared for by amadlozi.


Inheritance

Approved rendering: ilifa
Transliteration: ilifa
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Eschatology

New for 1 Peter. The believer’s imperishable heavenly inheritance (1:4), also applied to marriage as shared inheritance of ‘the grace of life’ (3:7). ‘Ilifa’ is tightly bound to Ndebele clan/patrilineal succession custom (land, cattle, widow inheritance, sometimes requiring ancestral approval); every occurrence must be explicitly qualified as heavenly and God-kept, never a family estate subject to living relatives or ancestral consent.


Guarded By Gods Power

Approved rendering: ukulindwa (ngamandla kaNkulunkulu)
Transliteration: ukulindwa (ngamandla kaNkulunkulu)
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Care as Faithful Creator
Original: φρουρέω
Category: God

New for 1 Peter. Believers garrisoned by God’s own power through faith until final salvation (1:5). Must not evoke protective charms, muthi, or an ancestral guardian spirit; this is God’s own sovereign power directly guarding the believer, with no intermediary.


Lamb Without Blemish

Approved rendering: iwundlu elingelasici lelingangcolile
Transliteration: iwundlu elingelasici lelingangcolile
Doctrine: Redemption from Futile Ancestral Tradition
Original: ἀμνὸς ἄμωμος καὶ ἄσπιλος
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. OT Passover/sacrificial image fulfilled in Christ (1:19); must be clearly tied to the OT background (footnote if needed), not read as parallel to traditional sacrificial animals offered to amadlozi.


Foreknowledge

Approved rendering: ukwaziwa kusengaphambili
Transliteration: ukwaziwa kusengaphambili
Doctrine: Redemption from Futile Ancestral Tradition
Original: προγινώσκω
Category: God

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s redemptive role foreordained before the foundation of the world (1:20); must not read as impersonal fate or destiny determined by ancestral or cosmic forces.


Living Stone

Approved rendering: ilitshe eliphilayo
Transliteration: ilitshe eliphilayo
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: λίθος ζῶν
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Christ as the living foundation stone of the church (2:4-8); must remain clearly figurative, never read as endorsing animistic stone-veneration practice.


Chosen Race

Approved rendering: uhlanga olukhethiweyo
Transliteration: uhlanga olukhethiweyo
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: γένος ἐκλεκτόν
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Believers’ new corporate identity replacing ethnic/tribal identity as the primary marker (2:9). ‘Uhlanga’ carries strong ethnic/lineage connotation; given historical Ndebele-Shona tension already flagged in the baseline, must be unmistakably a spiritual, trans-ethnic identity in Christ.


Holy Nation

Approved rendering: isizwe esingcwele
Transliteration: isizwe esingcwele
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: ἔθνος ἅγιον
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Corporate holiness of the whole believing community as a set-apart ‘nation’ (2:9). ‘Isizwe’ carries the same ethnic-nation sensitivity as ‘chosen_race’; must be read as the transnational church, not an ethnic nation.


Submission

Approved rendering: ukuzithoba
Transliteration: ukuzithoba
Doctrine: Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance
Original: ὑποτάσσω
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. Voluntary ordering of oneself under authority — citizens to governors (2:13), servants to masters (2:18), wives to husbands (3:1), all to one another (5:5). Must be free, Christ-modeled submission ‘for the Lord’s sake,’ not fear-based deference to a king’s/chief’s/ancestral spirit’s quasi-sacred authority, and not conflated with deference owed to the Ndebele monarchy or clan elders.


Healed By Wounds

Approved rendering: ukusiliswa ngamanxeba akhe
Transliteration: ukusiliswa ngamanxeba akhe
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: τῷ μώλωπι αὐτοῦ ἰάθητε
Category: Christology

New for 1 Peter. Spiritual healing from sin’s power through Christ’s wounding, quoting Isaiah 53 (2:24). Healing vocabulary is strongly associated with izinyanga (traditional healers); must be clarified as spiritual healing/restoration from sin’s power, not primarily physical healing obtained through a healer’s remedy.


Suffer For Righteousness

Approved rendering: ukuhlupheka ngenxa yokulunga
Transliteration: ukuhlupheka ngenxa yokulunga
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: πάσχειν διὰ δικαιοσύνην
Category: Suffering

New for 1 Peter. Suffering that comes as a direct consequence of righteous living, and is blessed for it (3:14). Must preserve that such suffering is blessed because it flows from righteousness lived by faith, not because suffering itself is meritorious or a means of appeasing higher powers.


Baptism

Approved rendering: ubhaphathizo
Transliteration: ubhaphathizo
Doctrine: Baptism and the Appeal of a Good Conscience
Original: βάπτισμα
Category: Sanctification

New for 1 Peter. Baptism as an appeal to God for a good conscience, grounded in Christ’s resurrection, not a removal of physical dirt (3:21). Must not be rendered as ritual washing that removes ancestral impurity or appeases spirits; the text’s own explicit denial of a merely physical-cleansing function is a valuable anchor for the translator.


Idolatry

Approved rendering: ukukhonza izithombe
Transliteration: ukukhonza izithombe
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: εἰδωλολατρία
Category: Sin

New for 1 Peter. Forbidden worship rendered to images/false gods, named among the former Gentile vices (4:3). Must stay strictly within the text’s own vice list, avoiding editorializing that equates all traditional Ndebele custom with idolatry.


Faithful Creator

Approved rendering: uMdali othembekileyo
Transliteration: uMdali othembekileyo
Doctrine: God’s Sovereign Care as Faithful Creator
Original: πιστὸς κτίστης
Category: God

New for 1 Peter. God as the trustworthy maker of all things, to whom suffering believers entrust their souls (4:19). Traditional cosmology often regards uNkulunkulu as Creator as remote, having withdrawn after creation with amadlozi handling daily affairs; this phrase directly counters that framing.


Elders

Approved rendering: abadala
Transliteration: abadala
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Leadership

New for 1 Peter. The church office of pastoral oversight, which Peter himself shares as a ‘fellow elder’ (5:1). ‘Abadala’ also denotes clan/community elders holding customary authority; this office must be clarified as a spiritual-shepherding role distinct from, while respectfully drawing on the relational warmth of, customary elder authority structures.


Chief Shepherd

Approved rendering: uMalusi omkhulu
Transliteration: uMalusi omkhulu
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ἀρχιποίμην
Category: Leadership

New for 1 Peter. Christ as the supreme Shepherd over all under-shepherds (elders), to whom they are accountable (5:4); must intensify the shepherd/iNkosi theme so Christ’s supremacy over every human elder-authority, including customary clan-elder structures, is unmistakable.


Humility

Approved rendering: ukuthobeka
Transliteration: ukuthobeka
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη
Category: Leadership

New for 1 Peter. Lowliness of mind urged mutually between elders and younger believers (5:5). Must be taught as a positive, Christlike virtue freely and mutually embraced, not equated with socially enforced deference owed to chiefs, kings, or ancestral spirits within customary hierarchy.


Adversary Devil

Approved rendering: isitha, udiyabhola
Transliteration: isitha, udiyabhola
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare and the Adversary
Original: ἀντίδικος… διάβολος
Category: Spiritual Warfare

New for 1 Peter. A real, personal spiritual enemy resisted in faith, described as a prowling lion (5:8). Must be sharply distinguished from ngozi (vengeful ancestral spirit) or tokoloshe-type malevolent beings; resisted through faith in Christ, not protective ritual or appeasement of other spirits.


Medium Risk Terms

Gospel

Approved rendering: ivangeli
Transliteration: ivangeli
Doctrine: Gospel
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter anchors ‘the word…preached to you’ (1:25) and ‘the gospel of God’ (4:17); no change to baseline rendering or risk tier.


Peace

Approved rendering: ukuthula
Transliteration: ukuthula
Doctrine: Grace and Peace
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation

Inherited from Romans package. Closing benediction, ‘peace to all of you who are in Christ’ (5:14).


Church

Approved rendering: ibandla
Transliteration: ibandla
Doctrine: The Church as Believers in Christ
Rejected alternatives: isonto
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the ‘household of God’ language of 4:17; keep emphasis on the gathered people, not a building or denomination.


Gentiles

Approved rendering: abezizwe
Transliteration: abezizwe
Doctrine: Mission to the Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. 1 Peter applies this to outsiders generally (‘honorable conduct among the Gentiles,’ 2:12) and to the former vice-filled life (4:3).


Prophecy

Approved rendering: isiphrofetho
Transliteration: isiphrofetho
Doctrine: Authority of Scripture
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant

Inherited from Romans package. God-inspired declaration concerning the grace to come (1:10-12).


Imperishable

Approved rendering: okungaboliyo
Transliteration: okungaboliyo
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἄφθαρτος
Category: Eschatology

New for 1 Peter. Describes the inheritance (1:4) and the imperishable seed of the word (1:23); standard contrast with earthly, perishable goods.


Undefiled

Approved rendering: okungangcolisiwe
Transliteration: okungangcolisiwe
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀμίαντος
Category: Sanctification

New for 1 Peter. Describes the heavenly inheritance (1:4); must convey moral-spiritual purity, not a category of ritual impurity resolvable by traditional cleansing rites for contact with death or ancestral displeasure.


Tested Genuineness

Approved rendering: ukuqinisekiswa kokholo
Transliteration: ukuqinisekiswa kokholo
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: δοκίμιον
Category: Suffering

New for 1 Peter. Faith’s proven genuineness through trial, likened to gold refined by fire (1:7).


Various Trials

Approved rendering: izilingo ezitshiyeneyo
Transliteration: izilingo ezitshiyeneyo
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: ποικίλοι πειρασμοί
Category: Suffering

New for 1 Peter. Diverse trials testing faith (1:6, 4:12); must be distinguished from suffering attributed to ancestral displeasure, curses, or witchcraft, the dominant traditional causal explanation for hardship.


Imperishable Seed

Approved rendering: inhlanyelo engaboliyo
Transliteration: inhlanyelo engaboliyo
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: σπορὰ ἄφθαρτος
Category: Salvation

New for 1 Peter. The living, enduring word of God as the generative agent of the new birth (1:23); reinforces that spiritual new birth must not be conflated with biological/ancestral lineage continuity.


Peoples Possession

Approved rendering: abantu abangabakaNkulunkulu ngokupheleleyo
Transliteration: abantu abangabakaNkulunkulu ngokupheleleyo
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. A people specially acquired and owned by God as his own treasured possession (2:9); standard covenant-people language.


Servant Of God

Approved rendering: inceku kaNkulunkulu
Transliteration: inceku kaNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance
Original: δοῦλος θεοῦ
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. True freedom found in willing service to God, not autonomy from all authority (2:16).


Example Pattern

Approved rendering: isibonelo
Transliteration: isibonelo
Doctrine: Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance
Original: ὑπογραμμός
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s suffering as the pattern believers imitate (2:21); reused for elders as examples to the flock (5:3).


Shepherd Overseer

Approved rendering: umalusi lombonisi
Transliteration: umalusi lombonisi
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ποιμὴν καὶ ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Leadership

New for 1 Peter. Christ’s title as the one true Shepherd and Overseer of souls (2:25); positive resonance with shepherd-king imagery, must not be reduced to a merely political/royal shepherd role.


Gentle Quiet Spirit

Approved rendering: umoya omnene lozolileyo
Transliteration: umoya omnene lozolileyo
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: πραῢ καὶ ἡσύχιον πνεῦμα
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. Inner meekness and tranquility precious in God’s sight (3:4); positive character ideal with low doctrinal ambiguity.


Defense Reason Hope

Approved rendering: impendulo (yethemba)
Transliteration: impendulo (yethemba)
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀπολογία
Category: Faith

New for 1 Peter. A reasoned account of the living hope believers hold, ready to be given when asked (3:15); ties directly to ithemba eliphilayo.


Good Conscience

Approved rendering: unembeza omuhle
Transliteration: unembeza omuhle
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: συνείδησις ἀγαθή
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. Inner moral integrity before God accompanying suffering for doing good (3:16) and the substance of baptism’s appeal (3:21).


Love Covers Sins

Approved rendering: uthando lusibekela izono ezinengi
Transliteration: uthando lusibekela izono ezinengi
Doctrine: Christian Encouragement and Love in Community
Original: ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Ethics

New for 1 Peter. Love’s forgiving, sin-covering power within the believing community (4:8); ‘covers’ must not be read as ritual concealment or magical protection.


Steward

Approved rendering: umphathi (womusa kaNkulunkulu)
Transliteration: umphathi (womusa kaNkulunkulu)
Doctrine: Christian Encouragement and Love in Community
Original: οἰκονόμος
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. A trustee, not owner, of Spirit-given gifts, administering God’s varied grace (4:10).


Fiery Trial

Approved rendering: ukulingwa okunjengomlilo
Transliteration: ukulingwa okunjengomlilo
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: πύρωσις
Category: Suffering

New for 1 Peter. A severe, refining trial, not strange but expected among believers (4:12); reuses the trial/refining vocabulary of chapter 1.


Christian Name

Approved rendering: umKristu
Transliteration: umKristu
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. The identity marker of a follower of Christ, to be worn without shame (4:16); standard once introduced consistently.


Judgment Household

Approved rendering: isahlulelo siqala endlini kaNkulunkulu
Transliteration: isahlulelo siqala endlini kaNkulunkulu
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: κρίμα ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. God’s own refining judgment beginning with his own household, the church, not exempting it (4:17); reuses the ibandla/household concept.


Shepherd Flock

Approved rendering: ukwelusa umhlambi / ukubonisa
Transliteration: ukwelusa umhlambi / ukubonisa
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ποιμαίνω… ἐπισκοπέω
Category: Leadership

New for 1 Peter. The elder’s core pastoral task of willing, humble care and oversight (5:2).


Sojourners

Approved rendering: izihambi / abahlala njengabezizwe
Transliteration: izihambi / abahlala njengabezizwe
Doctrine: Christian Identity as Chosen Sojourners
Original: παρεπίδημοι
Category: Church

New for 1 Peter. Believers as elect exiles/temporary residents (1:1, 1:17, 2:11). Positive reframing opportunity, but must be introduced carefully, distinct from the settled ancestral-land belonging central to Ndebele identity, without implying rootlessness or disloyalty to community.


Mercy

Approved rendering: isihawu
Transliteration: isihawu
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God

New for 1 Peter. God’s own compassion toward those in distress, the motive behind the new birth (1:3) and behind believers having ‘received mercy’ (2:10). Distinct from umusa (grace); must not be reduced to reciprocal human pity or a compassion secured through ritual appeasement of uNkulunkulu or amadlozi.


Low Risk Terms

Fellowship

Approved rendering: ubudlelwano
Transliteration: ubudlelwano
Doctrine: Fellowship of Believers
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church

Inherited from Romans package. Extended to sharing ‘in Christ’s sufferings’ (4:13) and the closing ‘kiss of love’ (5:14).


Exhort

Approved rendering: ukukhuthaza
Transliteration: ukukhuthaza
Doctrine: Christian Encouragement
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith

Inherited from Romans package. Peter’s own stated purpose in writing to the elders and the whole church (5:1, 12).


Unfading

Approved rendering: okungabuniyo
Transliteration: okungabuniyo
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀμάραντος
Category: Eschatology

New for 1 Peter. Describes the inheritance (1:4) and the elders’ eschatological ‘crown of glory’ (5:4).

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