Core Glossary
2 Peter — Core Glossary (Koine Greek → Ndebele)
This glossary extends translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json (Romans Language Package, ndebele) for the 2 Peter curriculum. Section A lists terms reused exactly from the baseline. Section B lists new terms introduced by 2 Peter, organized by chapter, with the same risk-tier conventions (Critical / High / Medium / Low) as the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Core passage: 2 Peter 1:16–21. Curriculum doctrines: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture; Growing in Christian Virtue; False Teachers and Their Judgment; The Certainty of Christ’s Return; The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment; Patience of God’s Timing; Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption.
Section A — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline
| Term | Original | Ndebele | Risk (baseline) | Occurrences in 2 Peter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | θεός | uNkulunkulu | Critical | Throughout |
| Jesus | Ἰησοῦς | uJesu | Critical | 1:1,2,8,11,14,16; 2:20; 3:18 |
| Lord | κύριος | iNkosi | Critical | Throughout |
| Son of God | υἱὸς θεοῦ | iNdodana kaNkulunkulu | Critical | 1:17 |
| Father | πατήρ | uBaba | High | 1:17 |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | uMoya oNgcwele | Critical | 1:21 |
| Salvation | σωτηρία | usindiso | Critical | 3:15 |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | ukulunga | Critical | 1:1; 2:5,21; 3:13 |
| Grace | χάρις | umusa | Critical | 1:2; 3:18 |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | ukuthula | Medium | 1:2 |
| Faith | πίστις | ukholo | High | 1:1,5; 1:1 (isotimos) |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | umphostoli | Medium | 1:1; 3:2 |
| Holy | ἅγιος | -ngcwele | High | 1:18,21; 2:21; 3:2,11 |
| Calling | κλῆσις | ubizo | High | 1:10 |
| Election | ἐκλογή | ukukhethwa | High | 1:10 |
| Kingdom of God | βασιλεία (τοῦ κυρίου) | umbuso kaNkulunkulu | Medium | 1:11 |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | isono | High | 1:9; 2:14 |
| Glory | δόξα | udumo | High | 1:3,17; 3:18 |
| Prophet | προφήτης | umphrofethi | High | 1:19–21; 3:2 |
| Prophecy | προφητεία | isiphrofetho | Medium | 1:20,21; 3:2 |
| Resurrection (background doctrine) | ἀνάστασις (cf. new heavens/earth hope) | ukuvuka kwabafileyo | Critical | referenced doctrinally |
No occurrence of εὐαγγέλιον (gospel), διαθήκη (covenant), or ἔθνη (gentiles) as standalone nouns in 2 Peter; these baseline entries are therefore not re-invoked as direct lexical matches in this book, though the doctrines they anchor remain presupposed.
Section B — New Terms Introduced in 2 Peter, by Chapter
Chapter 1
| English gloss | Original (translit.) | Ndebele rendering | Doctrine | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Servant | δοῦλος (doulos) | inceku | Christian Identity | Medium | Willing, honored devotion, not degrading bondage. |
| Equally precious faith | ἰσότιμος πίστις (isotimos pistis) | ukholo olufana ngokuligugu | Faith | Low-Medium | Builds on ukholo. |
| Savior | σωτήρ (sōtēr) | uMsindisi | Salvation / Certainty of Christ’s Return | Critical | Built on usindiso root; “our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (1:1) names Jesus directly as God — must not split into two figures. |
| Full/true knowledge | ἐπίγνωσις (epignōsis) | ukwazi okupheleleyo | Growing in Christian Virtue | High | Relational knowledge of Christ, not esoteric/secret knowledge from diviners. |
| Divine power | θεία δύναμις (theia dynamis) | amandla obuNkulunkulu | Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | High | God’s power granting all things for life and godliness. |
| Divine nature | θεία φύσις (theia physis) | imvelo yobuNkulunkulu | Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | Critical | Highest-risk phrase in the book; must be relational/moral transformation through union with Christ, never literal absorption into or possession by a divine/spiritual being (collision with amadlozi incorporation categories). Theologian review mandatory at every occurrence. |
| Partakers | κοινωνός (koinōnos) | abahlanganyeli | Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | Critical | Paired with theia physis above. |
| Corruption | φθορά (phthora) | ukubola | Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | High | Distinguish from ritual impurity requiring ancestral appeasement. |
| Evil desire / lust | ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) | inkanuko | Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption | Medium-High | |
| Virtue / excellence | ἀρετή (aretē) | isimilo esihle | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium | Kept distinct from ukulunga (forensic righteousness). |
| Knowledge | γνῶσις (gnōsis) | ulwazi | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium | Distinct from ἐπίγνωσις above. |
| Self-control | ἐγκράτεια (enkrateia) | ukuzithiba | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low-Medium | |
| Perseverance / steadfastness | ὑπομονή (hypomonē) | ukuqinisela | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium | Distinct from μακροθυμία (ch. 3). |
| Godliness | εὐσέβεια (eusebeia) | ukwesaba uNkulunkulu | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium-High | Reverent devotion to the true God, not generic piety or fear of ancestral displeasure. |
| Brotherly kindness | φιλαδελφία (philadelphia) | uthando lobuzalwane | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low | |
| Love | ἀγάπη (agapē) | uthando | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low | |
| Cleansing | καθαρισμός (katharismos) | ukuhlanjululwa | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium | Spiritual cleansing from sin, not ritual ancestral cleansing rites. |
| Made firm/sure | βέβαιος (bebaios) | ukuqinisa | God’s Calling and Election | Medium | ”Confirm your calling and election” (1:10). |
| Entrance (into the eternal kingdom) | εἴσοδος (eisodos) | ukungena | The Certainty of Christ’s Return | Low-Medium | Paired with umbuso kaNkulunkulu (ophakade, “eternal”). |
| Tent (body) | σκήνωμα (skēnōma) | ithente lomzimba | Christian Identity | Medium | Metaphor for one’s own body; must not imply a separate indwelling spirit. |
| Departure (death) | ἔξοδος (exodos) | ukusuka emhlabeni | The Certainty of Christ’s Return | Low-Medium | Tied to resurrection hope, not joining amadlozi. |
| Myths | μῦθος (mythos) | inganekwane | Reliability of Scripture | Medium | Pair with a qualifier for “cleverly devised” to avoid disrespecting Ndebele oral tradition generally. |
| Eyewitnesses | ἐπόπτης (epoptēs) | ofakazi ababonayo | Reliability of Scripture | Medium | Firsthand, verified observation, not vision/trance experience. |
| Majesty | μεγαλειότης (megaleiotēs) | ubukhulu | Certainty of Christ’s Return | Medium | Distinct from udumo (glory). |
| Honor | τιμή (timē) | inhlonipho | Sonship of Christ | Medium | |
| Beloved | ἀγαπητός (agapētos) | othandekayo | Sonship of Christ | Medium | |
| Well pleased | εὐδοκέω (eudokeō) | engithokoza ngaye | Sonship of Christ | Low-Medium | |
| Voice | φωνή (phōnē) | ilizwi | Sonship of Christ | Medium | Must be God’s own spoken voice, not a spirit’s utterance. |
| Heaven | οὐρανός (ouranos) | izulu | Sovereignty of God | Medium | Not merely the sky; not an ancestral spirit-realm. |
| Holy mountain | ὄρος ἅγιον (oros hagion) | intaba engcwele | Sovereignty of God | Medium | Holiness from God’s presence, not a territorial spirit. |
| More sure / confirmed | βεβαιότερος (bebaioteros) | oqinisekile kakhulu | Reliability of Scripture | High | |
| Prophetic word | προφητικὸς λόγος (prophētikos logos) | ilizwi lesiphrofetho | Reliability of Scripture | High | |
| Lamp | λύχνος (lychnos) | isibane | Reliability of Scripture | Low | |
| Dark place | αὐχμηρὸς τόπος (auchmēros topos) | indawo emnyama | Reliability of Scripture | Low-Medium | |
| Morning star | φωσφόρος (phōsphoros) | ikhwezi | Certainty of Christ’s Return | Medium-High | Must be explicitly anchored to Christ (cf. Rev 22:16), not left as free-floating astral symbol. |
| Heart | καρδία (kardia) | inhliziyo | Reliability of Scripture | Low | |
| Scripture | γραφή (graphē) | umBhalo oNgcwele | Reliability of Scripture | Critical | Unique divine authorship/authority; distinct from oral tradition, izaga, ancestral pronouncements. |
| One’s own interpretation | ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως (idias epilyseōs) | ukuchasiswa ngokwabo bodwa | Reliability of Scripture | High | Protects divine origin of prophecy against private human invention. |
| Carried along (by the Spirit) | φέρω / φερόμενοι (pherō/pheromenoi) | ukuqhutshwa (nguMoya oNgcwele) | Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture | CRITICAL | Single highest-priority forbidden-substitution term in the book: must never use vocabulary from the spirit-possession/mediumship (ukuthwasa) word-field. Mandatory theologian review at every occurrence. |
| Will of man | θέλημα ἀνθρώπου (thelēma anthrōpou) | intando yomuntu | Reliability of Scripture | Medium | |
| Christ (title/name) | Χριστός (Christos) | uKristu | Lordship / Sonship of Christ | Critical | Reuses form established as interchangeable with uMesiya in baseline. |
Chapter 2
| English gloss | Original (translit.) | Ndebele rendering | Doctrine | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| False prophets | ψευδοπροφήτης (pseudoprophētēs) | abaphrofethi bamanga | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Critical | Must be distinct from both true prophets and isangoma/inyanga. |
| False teachers | ψευδοδιδάσκαλος (pseudodidaskalos) | abafundisi bamanga | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Critical | Doctrinal center of the chapter; figures falsely claiming Christian legitimacy. |
| Destructive heresies | αἵρεσις (hairesis) | imfundiso ezibhubhisayo | False Teachers and Their Judgment | High | |
| Bought / redeemed | ἀγοράζω (agorazō) | ukuthengwa | False Teachers and Their Judgment | High | Christ’s redemptive purchase, not ordinary commerce or ritual payment. |
| Master / Sovereign Owner | δεσπότης (despotēs) | uMninimandla | Lordship of Christ | High | Reinforces, does not replace, iNkosi. |
| Judgment / condemnation | κρίσις (krisis) | ukwahlulelwa | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium-High | |
| Cast into Tartarus | ταρταρόω (tartaroō) | ukuphoselwa endaweni yokujeziswa | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | High | Avoid Greek-mythological and ancestral spirit-realm connotations. |
| Chains of darkness | σειρὰ ζόφου (seira zophou) | amaketane obumnyama | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium | |
| The Flood | κατακλυσμός (kataklysmos) | uzamcolo | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Low | Established Nguni term. |
| Preacher of righteousness | δικαιοσύνης κήρυξ (dikaiosynēs kēryx) | umtshumayeli wokulunga | Reliability of Scripture / Righteousness | Medium | |
| Example | ὑπόδειγμα (hypodeigma) | isibonelo | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Low | |
| To rescue/deliver | ῥύομαι (rhyomai) | ukukhulula | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium | God’s own deliverance, not ancestral protection. |
| Sensuality / debauchery | ἀσέλγεια (aselgeia) | amanyala | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Medium-High | |
| Defilement | μιασμός (miasmos) | ukungcola | False Teachers and Their Judgment | High | Moral, not ritual, defilement. |
| Reserved / kept | τηρέω (tēreō) | ukugcinelwa | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium | |
| Bold and self-willed | τολμηταὶ αὐθάδεις (tolmētai authadeis) | abaqholo abazithembayo | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Low-Medium | |
| Glorious ones (angelic beings) | δόξαι (doxai) | abalawuli abakhazimulayo | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Medium | Angelic authorities, not amadlozi. |
| Irrational animals / waterless springs / mists | ἄλογα ζῷα, πηγαὶ ἄνυδροι, ὁμίχλαι | izinyamazana ezingaqondiyo; imithombo engelamanzi; amayezi | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Low-Medium | Grouped rhetorical imagery describing false teachers. |
| Freedom / liberty (falsely promised) | ἐλευθερία (eleutheria) | inkululeko | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Medium | Distinguish from true Christian liberty taught elsewhere. |
| Slave of corruption | δοῦλος τῆς φθορᾶς (doulos tēs phthoras) | isigqila sokubola | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Medium-High | Builds on ukubola (phthora). |
| To turn back / relapse | ἐπιστρέφω (epistrephō) | ukubuyela emuva | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Low | |
| Noah / Lot / Balaam / Sodom and Gomorrah | Νῶε, Λώτ, Βαλαάμ, Σόδομα καὶ Γόμορρα | uNowa, uLothi, uBalamu, iSodoma neGomora | (proper names) | Low | Established transliterated forms. |
Chapter 3
| English gloss | Original (translit.) | Ndebele rendering | Doctrine | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scoffers | ἐμπαῖκτης (empaiktēs) | izideleli | Certainty of Christ’s Return | Medium-High | |
| Coming / return (of Christ) | παρουσία (parousia) | ukubuya (kweNkosi) | Certainty of Christ’s Return | Critical | Must be an unambiguous future, personal, visible return; not a vague “presence.” |
| Creation | κτίσις (ktisis) | indalo | Sovereignty of God | Medium | God’s own handiwork, not spirit-animated nature. |
| Day of judgment | ἡμέρα κρίσεως (hēmera kriseōs) | usuku lokwahlulela | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | High | |
| Is slow / delays | βραδύνει (bradynei) | ukuphuza | Patience of God’s Timing | Medium | Negates any sense of divine failure or forgetfulness. |
| Patience / longsuffering (of God) | μακροθυμία / μακροθυμέω (makrothymia/makrothymeō) | ukubekezela | Patience of God’s Timing | CRITICAL | Purposeful, gracious forbearance giving opportunity for repentance — not fatalistic delay or a supplicant’s passive waiting on an ancestor’s mood. |
| Day of the Lord | ἡμέρα Κυρίου (hēmera Kyriou) | usuku lweNkosi | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | CRITICAL | Builds directly on reused iNkosi. |
| Thief | κλέπτης (kleptēs) | isela | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Low-Medium | Simile for unexpected arrival. |
| Elements | στοιχεῖα (stoicheia) | izakhi zendalo | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium-High | Physical components of creation, not nature-spirits. |
| Fire (of judgment) | πῦρ (pyr) | umlilo | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium | Judgment fire, not ritual/purification fire. |
| To dissolve / destroy | λύω (lyō) | ukuncibilika / ukubhidlizwa | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | Medium | |
| New heavens and new earth | καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν (kainous ouranous kai gēn kainēn) | amazulu amatsha lomhlaba omutsha | Day of the Lord and Final Judgment | CRITICAL | God’s promised renewal of creation, not entry into an ancestral spirit-world. |
| Diligent / make every effort | σπουδάζω (spoudazō) | ukukhuthala | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low-Medium | |
| Without spot and blameless | ἄσπιλος καὶ ἀμώμητος (aspilos kai amōmētos) | ongelasici lokungasoleki | Growing in Christian Virtue | Medium | Purity through Christ, not ritual purity. |
| Wisdom | σοφία (sophia) | ukuhlakanipha | Reliability of Scripture | Low-Medium | Of Paul’s letters. |
| Hard to understand | δυσνόητος (dysnoētos) | okunzima ukuqedisisa | Reliability of Scripture | Low | |
| To twist / distort | στρεβλόω (strebloō) | ukuphambanisa | Reliability of Scripture | Medium-High | Mishandling Scripture, not Scripture’s unreliability, is the danger named. |
| Error of the lawless | πλάνη ἀθέσμων (planē athesmōn) | iphutha labangelamthetho | False Teachers and Their Judgment | Medium | |
| Steadfastness | στηριγμός (stērigmos) | ukuqina | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low-Medium | |
| To grow | αὐξάνω (auxanō) | ukukhula | Growing in Christian Virtue | Low | Closing exhortation. |
Risk Summary for 2 Peter New-Term Set
| Risk Tier | Count (new terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 12 | Human theologian (mandatory every occurrence) |
| High | 15 | Human theologian |
| Medium-High / Medium | ~35 | Native speaker review (theologian for those tied to a Critical doctrine) |
| Low / Low-Medium | ~18 | Automated / native speaker spot-check |
Highest-priority additions for the Phase 2 forbidden-substitution list (to be merged into the AI Translation Requirements document for 2 Peter):
- ukuqhutshwa (nguMoya oNgcwele) for φερόμενοι (1:21) — never render with spirit-possession/mediumship vocabulary.
- imvelo yobuNkulunkulu for θεία φύσις (1:4) — never render as literal absorption into or possession by a divine/spiritual being.
- abafundisi bamanga / abaphrofethi bamanga for ψευδοδιδάσκαλος / ψευδοπροφήτης (2:1) — never blend with isangoma/inyanga vocabulary, and never soften to merely “mistaken teachers.”
- ukubekezela for μακροθυμία (3:9,15) — never render as fatalistic delay.
- ukubuya (kweNkosi) for παρουσία — never render as a vague “presence” detached from a future bodily return.
- umBhalo oNgcwele for γραφή — never render with a generic word for “writing” lacking divine-authority connotation.
This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json prior to Phase 2 translation of the 2 Peter curriculum, and the forbidden-substitution list above appended to the AI Translation Requirements document (cf. baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md).
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: uNkulunkulu
Transliteration: uNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. The established Nguni term for the Supreme Being; doctrinal risk is its traditional framing as remote and reached through amadlozi, whereas 2 Peter emphasizes direct knowledge of God through Christ.
Jesus
Approved rendering: uJesu
Transliteration: uJesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Jesus Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Standard, well-established Nguni Bible transliteration.
Lord
Approved rendering: iNkosi
Transliteration: iNkosi
Doctrine: Lordship of Jesus Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Must convey exclusive supreme lordship exceeding, not merely joining, the historical Ndebele royal/chieftaincy title; 2 Peter’s ‘Day of the Lord’ compound (ch. 3) repeats this term at unusually high frequency.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: iNdodana kaNkulunkulu
Transliteration: iNdodana kaNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Reinforced by the Father’s audible declaration at the Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:17).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: uMoya oNgcwele
Transliteration: uMoya oNgcwele
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifting
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Must not be conflated with amadlozi or a possessing spirit; see new Critical entry ‘carried_along’ below for the associated verb-level risk unique to this book (1:21).
Salvation
Approved rendering: usindiso
Transliteration: usindiso
Doctrine: Salvation
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Must not be reduced to physical rescue sought through ancestral appeasement; reused at 2 Peter 3:15.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: ukulunga
Transliteration: ukulunga
Doctrine: Righteousness of God
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Also used of Noah’s preaching (2:5) and the moral character of the new creation (3:13); must retain its forensic/relational root even in the new-creation usage.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ukuvuka kwabafileyo
Transliteration: ukuvuka kwabafileyo
Doctrine: Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Original: ἀνάστασις (background doctrine underlying 2 Peter’s hope)
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. The presupposed hope behind Peter’s confidence facing his own death (1:13-15); must never be conflated with joining the amadlozi.
Savior
Approved rendering: uMsindisi
Transliteration: uMsindisi
Doctrine: Salvation through Christ the Savior
Original: σωτήρ
Category: Christology
Title applied to Jesus throughout the book (1:1,11; 2:20; 3:2,18). The 1:1 Granville-Sharp construction ‘our God and Savior Jesus Christ’ names one Person, Jesus, as both uNkulunkulu and uMsindisi; must not be split into two separate figures, which would undercut the deity of Christ.
Christ
Approved rendering: uKristu
Transliteration: uKristu
Doctrine: Lordship of Jesus Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Title/name used repeatedly alongside ‘Lord’ and ‘Savior’. Reuses the form established as interchangeable with uMesiya in the Romans baseline; must retain the same exclusive messianic force.
Divine Nature
Approved rendering: imvelo yobuNkulunkulu
Transliteration: imvelo yobuNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: θεία φύσις
Category: Divine Nature
CRITICAL: the single highest-risk phrase in the book. Believers become ‘partakers’ of this (1:4). Must be taught unambiguously as relational, moral transformation through union with Christ, never as literal absorption into or possession by a divine/spiritual being — a direct collision with traditional categories of spirit-incorporation into the amadlozi. Mandatory theologian review and explanatory gloss at every occurrence; this is a constructed technical coinage, not an inherited idiom.
Partakers
Approved rendering: abahlanganyeli
Transliteration: abahlanganyeli
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: κοινωνός
Category: Divine Nature
koinōnos (1:4); paired directly with divine_nature above. Same possession/incorporation risk applies to how ‘sharing’ is expressed.
Scripture
Approved rendering: umBhalo oNgcwele
Transliteration: umBhalo oNgcwele
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: umbhalo (generic ‘writing’), izaga (ancestral proverbs/oral wisdom)
Original: γραφή
Category: Scripture
graphē (1:20-21; extended to Paul’s letters at 3:16). Must communicate unique divine authorship and abiding authority, sharply distinguished from oral tradition, izaga, or ancestral pronouncements. Never shorten to bare ‘umbhalo’ even under space pressure.
Carried Along
Approved rendering: ukuqhutshwa (nguMoya oNgcwele)
Transliteration: ukuqhutshwa
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ukungenwa (to be entered/possessed by a spirit), ukuthwasa (spirit-mediumship trance vocabulary)
Original: φέρω / φερόμενοι
Category: Scripture
CRITICAL: pherō/pheromenoi (1:21). The single highest-priority forbidden-substitution term in the entire book. Ndebele traditional religion has a well-established category for a person ‘carried,’ ‘ridden,’ or possessed by an idlozi during ukuthwasa. Must never be rendered with vocabulary from that word-field; ukuqhutshwa (‘driven/directed,’ as of wind driving a ship or a shepherd driving sheep) is the fixed rendering. Mandatory theologian review and translator’s note at every occurrence.
False Prophets
Approved rendering: abaphrofethi bamanga
Transliteration: abaphrofethi bamanga
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Rejected alternatives: isangoma
Original: ψευδοπροφήτης
Category: False Teaching
pseudoprophētēs (2:1). Must be distinct from both true umphrofethi and isangoma/inyanga; names a counterfeit within the believing community, not an open practitioner of traditional divination. Never elide the ‘bamanga’ qualifier.
False Teachers
Approved rendering: abafundisi bamanga
Transliteration: abafundisi bamanga
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Rejected alternatives: abafundisi abaphosisayo (mistaken teachers), isangoma/inyanga vocabulary
Original: ψευδοδιδάσκαλος
Category: False Teaching
CRITICAL: pseudodidaskalos (2:1). Doctrinal center of the chapter. Must never be blended with isangoma/inyanga vocabulary (which would wrongly externalize the threat) and must never be softened to ‘mistaken teachers,’ or the chapter’s warning against internal corruption of the church is lost.
Coming Of Christ
Approved rendering: ukubuya (kweNkosi uJesu Kristu)
Transliteration: ukubuya
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Rejected alternatives: ubukhona (mere ‘presence’), parousia (left untranslated/transliterated)
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: parousia (1:16; 3:4,12), a technical Hellenistic term for the official arrival of a king or dignitary. Must always be qualified with ‘kweNkosi uJesu Kristu’ (never bare ukubuya) to denote an unambiguous future, personal, visible return, never a vague ‘presence,’ and must never be assimilated to an ancestral spirit’s ritual manifestation.
Patience Of God
Approved rendering: ukubekezela
Transliteration: ukubekezela
Doctrine: Patience of God’s Timing
Original: μακροθυμία / μακροθυμέω
Category: Patience
CRITICAL: makrothymia/makrothymeō (3:9,15). Must be taught as God’s purposeful, gracious forbearance giving opportunity for repentance — never as impersonal fate-delay, divine weakness, or the passive endurance expected of a supplicant awaiting an ancestor’s mood to change. Require a co-occurring purpose clause (e.g. ‘…ukuze abantu baphenduke’) at every occurrence.
Day Of The Lord
Approved rendering: usuku lweNkosi
Transliteration: usuku lweNkosi
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: ἡμέρα Κυρίου
Category: Eschatology
hēmera Kyriou (3:10); the certain future day of Christ’s return and final judgment. Builds directly on the Critical term iNkosi; must retain Christ’s exclusive supreme lordship in this compound.
New Heavens New Earth
Approved rendering: amazulu amatsha lomhlaba omutsha
Transliteration: amazulu amatsha lomhlaba omutsha
Doctrine: Hope of New Creation
Original: καινοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινήν
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: kainous ouranous kai gēn kainēn (3:13). God’s promised renewal of creation, where righteousness dwells. Must be distinct from any traditional notion of the deceased entering an ancestral spirit-world or joining the amadlozi.
High Risk Terms
Father
Approved rendering: uBaba
Transliteration: uBaba
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Must remain anchored to the specific Father-Son relationship at the Transfiguration (1:17), not a generic ancestral-elder figure.
Grace
Approved rendering: umusa
Transliteration: umusa
Doctrine: Grace
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Believers are exhorted to ‘grow in grace’ (3:18); must not be rendered as a reward earned through correct devotion or ritual observance.
Faith
Approved rendering: ukholo
Transliteration: ukholo
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Described as ‘equally precious’ among all believers (1:1); see new entry ‘equally_precious_faith’ below.
Holy
Approved rendering: -ngcwele
Transliteration: ngcwele
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Used of the Transfiguration mountain (1:18), the prophets (1:21), and believers’ conduct (2:21; 3:2,11); in 1:18 must not evoke territorial/ancestral sacred-site associations.
Calling
Approved rendering: ubizo
Transliteration: ubizo
Doctrine: Calling of God
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Believers are urged to ‘confirm’ their calling and election (1:10); see new entry ‘confirmed_calling’.
Election
Approved rendering: ukukhethwa
Transliteration: ukukhethwa
Doctrine: God’s Calling and Election
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Paired with ‘calling’ at 1:10.
Sin
Approved rendering: isono
Transliteration: isono
Doctrine: Humanity’s Sinfulness
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Former sins believers are cleansed from (1:9) and ongoing sin practiced by false teachers (2:14).
Glory
Approved rendering: udumo
Transliteration: udumo
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God
Rejected alternatives: inkazimulo
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. In 1:17 also functions as a divine title (‘the Majestic Glory’); render with the added qualifier ‘olukhulukazi’ in that specific verse so it is not flattened to ordinary glory-language.
Prophet
Approved rendering: umphrofethi
Transliteration: umphrofethi
Doctrine: Authority of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: isangoma
Original: προφήτης
Category: Scripture
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. The distinction from isangoma/inyanga is even more urgent here because chapter 2’s false prophets claim Christian, not traditional-religious, legitimacy.
Full Knowledge
Approved rendering: ukwazi okupheleleyo
Transliteration: ukwazi okupheleleyo
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἐπίγνωσις
Category: Faith
epignōsis (1:2,3,8; 2:20); complete, experiential, relational knowledge of God/Christ. Must convey personal knowledge of Christ, not esoteric/secret knowledge sought from diviners or izangoma.
Divine Power
Approved rendering: amandla obuNkulunkulu
Transliteration: amandla obuNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: θεία δύναμις
Category: Divine Nature
God’s own power granting believers all things pertaining to life and godliness (1:3). Keep distinct from spiritual power traditionally associated with izinyanga and izangoma.
Corruption
Approved rendering: ukubola
Transliteration: ukubola
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: φθορά
Category: Divine Nature
phthora (1:4; 2:12,19); moral decay/ruin from which believers escape. Distinguish from ritual impurity or defilement requiring ancestral appeasement.
Godliness
Approved rendering: ukwesaba uNkulunkulu
Transliteration: ukwesaba uNkulunkulu
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: εὐσέβεια
Category: Virtue
eusebeia (1:3,6,7; 3:11); reverent devotion. Must be anchored to devotion toward the true God through Christ, not generic religious devotion or fear of ancestral displeasure.
More Sure
Approved rendering: oqinisekile kakhulu
Transliteration: oqinisekile kakhulu
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: βεβαιότερος (τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον)
Category: Scripture
bebaioteros (1:19); the prophetic Scripture confirmed by the eyewitness Transfiguration event. Must never suggest Scripture’s reliability is merely probable.
Prophetic Word
Approved rendering: ilizwi lesiphrofetho
Transliteration: ilizwi lesiphrofetho
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: προφητικὸς λόγος
Category: Scripture
prophētikos logos (1:19); the authoritative OT prophetic Scriptures. Must be kept sharply distinct from an isangoma’s oracular utterances.
Morning Star
Approved rendering: ikhwezi
Transliteration: ikhwezi
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Original: φωσφόρος
Category: Christology
phōsphoros (1:19; cf. Revelation 22:16). Ikhwezi carries rich pre-Christian Nguni cultural and personal-name significance; must be explicitly anchored to Christ at every occurrence so it is not left as a free-floating astral symbol.
Own Interpretation
Approved rendering: ukuchasiswa ngokwabo bodwa
Transliteration: ukuchasiswa ngokwabo bodwa
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ἰδίας ἐπιλύσεως
Category: Scripture
idias epilyseōs (1:20); prophecy does not originate from any individual’s own understanding. Must protect Scripture’s divine source without discouraging believers’ own faithful reading of Scripture.
Destructive Heresies
Approved rendering: imfundiso ezibhubhisayo
Transliteration: imfundiso ezibhubhisayo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: αἵρεσις (ἀπωλείας)
Category: False Teaching
hairesis apōleias (2:1); must convey teaching that leads to spiritual ruin, not merely an alternative religious opinion.
Bought Redeemed
Approved rendering: ukuthengwa
Transliteration: ukuthengwa
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ἀγοράζω
Category: False Teaching
agorazō (2:1); Christ’s redemptive purchase, denied by the false teachers. Must not be confused with ordinary commercial buying or a ritual payment made to secure ancestral favor.
Master Sovereign Owner
Approved rendering: uMninimandla
Transliteration: uMninimandla
Doctrine: Lordship and Redemptive Ownership of Christ
Original: δεσπότης
Category: Christology
despotēs (2:1). Distinct from, but reinforcing, iNkosi; conveys Christ’s absolute ownership over the redeemed, guarding against any reduction of his lordship.
Cast Into Tartarus
Approved rendering: ukuphoselwa endaweni yokujeziswa
Transliteration: ukuphoselwa endaweni yokujeziswa
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Rejected alternatives: iTharitasi (transliteration of Greek ‘Tartarus’)
Original: ταρταρόω
Category: False Teaching
tartaroō (2:4); NT hapax borrowing Greek mythological vocabulary. Render descriptively; must avoid both the Greek mythological underworld association and any evocation of an ancestral spirit-realm.
Defilement
Approved rendering: ukungcola
Transliteration: ukungcola
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: μιασμός
Category: False Teaching
miasmos (2:10,20); moral defilement introduced by the false teachers. Must be moral defilement before a personal God, not ritual impurity requiring ancestral cleansing rites.
Day Of Judgment
Approved rendering: usuku lokwahlulela
Transliteration: usuku lokwahlulela
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: ἡμέρα κρίσεως
Category: Eschatology
hēmera kriseōs (3:7); the day for which the present heavens and earth are reserved. Kept distinct from, yet consistent with, usuku lweNkosi.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: ukuthula
Transliteration: ukuthula
Doctrine: Grace and Peace
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Multiplied through the knowledge of God and Christ (1:2).
Apostle
Approved rendering: umphostoli
Transliteration: umphostoli
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Peter’s self-designation (1:1) and the collective office referenced at 3:2.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: umbuso kaNkulunkulu
Transliteration: umbuso kaNkulunkulu
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God
Original: βασιλεία (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν)
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. In 1:11 qualified as ‘eternal’ (ophakade) to distinguish from the historical, territorial Ndebele kingdom.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: isiphrofetho
Transliteration: isiphrofetho
Doctrine: Authority of Scripture
Original: προφητεία
Category: Scripture
Inherited from Romans package; unchanged for 2 Peter. Never originates from human will or private interpretation (1:20-21; 3:2).
Servant
Approved rendering: inceku
Transliteration: inceku
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ
Original: δοῦλος
Category: Christian Identity
Peter’s self-designation as Christ’s bondservant (1:1). Must reflect willing, honored devotion to Christ, not degrading bondage.
Evil Desire
Approved rendering: inkanuko
Transliteration: inkanuko
Doctrine: Divine Nature and Escaping Corruption
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Divine Nature
epithymia (1:4); sinful lust/desire producing corruption in the world.
Virtue
Approved rendering: isimilo esihle
Transliteration: isimilo esihle
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἀρετή
Category: Virtue
aretē (1:3,5); moral excellence. Deliberately distinct from ukulunga (righteousness/right standing) to avoid collapsing forensic righteousness into a general virtue checklist.
Knowledge
Approved rendering: ulwazi
Transliteration: ulwazi
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: γνῶσις
Category: Virtue
gnōsis (1:5); knowledge added to virtue in the believer’s growth chain. Distinct from the more intensive epignōsis (full_knowledge).
Perseverance
Approved rendering: ukuqinisela
Transliteration: ukuqinisela
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Virtue
hypomonē (1:6); steadfast endurance. Kept distinct from makrothymia (patience_of_god, ch. 3), which describes God’s own forbearance.
Cleansing
Approved rendering: ukuhlanjululwa
Transliteration: ukuhlanjululwa
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: καθαρισμός
Category: Virtue
katharismos (1:9); spiritual cleansing from former sins. Must be tied to Christ’s finished work, not ritual cleansing rites performed for ancestral appeasement.
Confirmed Calling
Approved rendering: ukuqinisa
Transliteration: ukuqinisa
Doctrine: God’s Calling and Election
Original: βέβαιος (ποιεῖσθαι)
Category: Salvation
bebaios (poieisthai) (1:10); the believer’s diligent response, not the ground of God’s sovereign calling itself. Must not be read as earning calling/election.
Tent Of Body
Approved rendering: ithente lomzimba
Transliteration: ithente lomzimba
Doctrine: Christian Identity in Christ
Original: σκήνωμα
Category: Christian Identity
skēnōma (1:13-14); metaphor for the physical body. Must not imply a separate spirit indwelling or using a person, which would echo spirit-possession categories.
Myths
Approved rendering: inganekwane
Transliteration: inganekwane
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: μῦθος (σεσοφισμένοις μύθοις)
Category: Scripture
mythos, esp. ‘cleverly devised myths’ (1:16). Must be paired with a qualifier for ‘cleverly devised’ so the text reads as a specific claim the gospel is not a fabricated tale, not a blanket dismissal of Ndebele oral storytelling tradition.
Eyewitnesses
Approved rendering: ofakazi ababonayo
Transliteration: ofakazi ababonayo
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ἐπόπτης
Category: Scripture
epoptēs (1:16); firsthand, verified observers of Christ’s majesty. Supports Scripture’s reliability: apostolic testimony rests on verified sensory observation, not vision/trance experience.
Majesty
Approved rendering: ubukhulu
Transliteration: ubukhulu
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Original: μεγαλειότης
Category: Christology
megaleiotēs (1:16); Christ’s majesty witnessed at the Transfiguration. Distinct from udumo (glory).
Honor
Approved rendering: inhlonipho
Transliteration: inhlonipho
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: τιμή
Category: Christology
timē (1:17); honor received by Christ from the Father. Must show the Father actively conferring honor, not mere social deference.
Beloved
Approved rendering: othandekayo
Transliteration: othandekayo
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: ἀγαπητός
Category: Christology
agapētos (1:17); the Father’s designation of the Son. Must convey the Father’s unique, eternal love for the Son.
Voice
Approved rendering: ilizwi
Transliteration: ilizwi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: φωνή
Category: Christology
phōnē (1:17-18); God’s own audible voice from heaven. Context must anchor this unambiguously as God’s own spoken voice, not any spirit’s utterance heard by a diviner in trance.
Heaven
Approved rendering: izulu
Transliteration: izulu
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God
Original: οὐρανός
Category: God
ouranos (1:18; also 3:5,7,10,13); the transcendent dwelling of God. Must not be merely the physical sky, nor blend with any ancestral spirit-realm above the earth.
Holy Mountain
Approved rendering: intaba engcwele
Transliteration: intaba engcwele
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ὄρος ἅγιον
Category: Scripture
oros hagion (1:18); the Mount of Transfiguration. Mountains carry strong sacred/ritual associations in Ndebele tradition (ancestral veneration, rain-rites); holiness here must derive from God’s manifest presence in Christ, not an indwelling territorial spirit.
Will Of Man
Approved rendering: intando yomuntu
Transliteration: intando yomuntu
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: θέλημα ἀνθρώπου
Category: Scripture
thelēma anthrōpou (1:21); human will explicitly denied as prophecy’s source.
Twist Distort
Approved rendering: ukuphambanisa
Transliteration: ukuphambanisa
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: στρεβλόω
Category: Scripture
strebloō (3:16); the ignorant and unstable twist the Scriptures. Mishandling Scripture, not Scripture’s own unreliability, is the danger named.
Error Of Lawless
Approved rendering: iphutha labangelamthetho
Transliteration: iphutha labangelamthetho
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: πλάνη ἀθέσμων
Category: Scripture
planē athesmōn (3:17); the error believers must be on guard against.
Judgment Condemnation
Approved rendering: ukwahlulelwa
Transliteration: ukwahlulelwa
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: κρίσις / κατάκρισις
Category: Eschatology
krisis/katakrisis (2:3-4,9); the certain judgment awaiting false teachers and the ungodly.
Chains Of Darkness
Approved rendering: amaketane obumnyama
Transliteration: amaketane obumnyama
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: σειρὰ ζόφου
Category: False Teaching
seira zophou (2:4); the restraint imposed on rebellious angels awaiting judgment.
Preacher Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: umtshumayeli wokulunga
Transliteration: umtshumayeli wokulunga
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: δικαιοσύνης κήρυξ
Category: False Teaching
dikaiosynēs kēryx (2:5); Noah’s role before the Flood. Builds on the established root ukulunga.
Rescue Deliver
Approved rendering: ukukhulula
Transliteration: ukukhulula
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: ῥύομαι
Category: False Teaching
rhyomai (2:7,9); God’s rescue of righteous Lot and the godly generally. Distinct from protection sought through ancestral intervention.
Sensuality
Approved rendering: amanyala
Transliteration: amanyala
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ἀσέλγεια
Category: False Teaching
aselgeia (2:2,7,18); sensual, debauched conduct characterizing the false teachers and their followers.
Reserved Kept
Approved rendering: ukugcinelwa
Transliteration: ukugcinelwa
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: τηρέω
Category: Eschatology
tēreō (2:4,9,17; 3:7); the wicked kept/reserved for judgment, and the present heavens and earth kept for fire.
Glorious Ones
Approved rendering: abalawuli abakhazimulayo
Transliteration: abalawuli abakhazimulayo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: δόξαι
Category: False Teaching
doxai (2:10); angelic/spiritual authorities blasphemed by the false teachers. Must be clearly angelic authorities under God’s own authority, not amadlozi.
Freedom Liberty
Approved rendering: inkululeko
Transliteration: inkululeko
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ἐλευθερία
Category: False Teaching
eleutheria (2:19); freedom falsely promised by the false teachers. Must not be confused with true Christian liberty taught elsewhere in Scripture.
Slave Of Corruption
Approved rendering: isigqila sokubola
Transliteration: isigqila sokubola
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: δοῦλος τῆς φθορᾶς
Category: False Teaching
doulos tēs phthoras (2:19); the false teachers’ true condition despite promising freedom. Builds on ukubola (phthora); the deliberate photo-negative of imvelo yobuNkulunkulu (1:4).
Scoffers
Approved rendering: izideleli
Transliteration: izideleli
Doctrine: The Certainty of Christ’s Return
Original: ἐμπαῖκτης
Category: Eschatology
empaiktēs (3:3); mockers in the last days who deny the promise of Christ’s return. Must be shown as mistaken deniers of a certain future event, not merely skeptical commentators.
Creation
Approved rendering: indalo
Transliteration: indalo
Doctrine: Sovereignty of God over Creation
Original: κτίσις
Category: Eschatology
ktisis (3:4); the created order. Must affirm creation as God’s own direct handiwork under his sovereign judgment, not a realm animated or governed by resident nature-spirits.
Delay Of Promise
Approved rendering: ukuphuza
Transliteration: ukuphuza
Doctrine: Patience of God’s Timing
Original: βραδύνει
Category: Patience
bradynei (3:9); the Lord’s apparent slowness, which is in fact patience. Must negate any sense of divine failure or forgetfulness.
Elements
Approved rendering: izakhi zendalo
Transliteration: izakhi zendalo
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: στοιχεῖα
Category: Eschatology
stoicheia (3:10,12); the basic physical components of the universe, dissolved by fire. Must be clearly physical building-blocks of creation, not spiritual beings or nature-spirits inhabiting the elements.
Fire Of Judgment
Approved rendering: umlilo
Transliteration: umlilo
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: πῦρ
Category: Eschatology
pyr (3:7,10,12); the fire for which the present heavens and earth are reserved. Judgment fire specifically, not ritual/purification fire.
Dissolve Destroy
Approved rendering: ukuncibilika / ukubhidlizwa
Transliteration: ukuncibilika
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: λύω
Category: Eschatology
lyō (3:10-12); the dissolving/destroying of the heavens and elements by fire.
Without Spot Blameless
Approved rendering: ongelasici lokungasoleki
Transliteration: ongelasici lokungasoleki
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἄσπιλος καὶ ἀμώμητος
Category: Virtue
aspilos kai amōmētos (3:14); the purity believers are urged to be found in at Christ’s return. Purity before God through Christ, not ritual purity for ancestral appeasement.
Low Risk Terms
Equally Precious Faith
Approved rendering: ukholo olufana ngokuligugu
Transliteration: ukholo olufana ngokuligugu
Doctrine: Faith
Original: ἰσότιμος πίστις
Category: Faith
Faith of equal standing shared by all believers regardless of status (1:1); builds on the established root ukholo.
Self Control
Approved rendering: ukuzithiba
Transliteration: ukuzithiba
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἐγκράτεια
Category: Virtue
enkrateia (1:6); mastery over one’s own desires and actions.
Brotherly Kindness
Approved rendering: uthando lobuzalwane
Transliteration: uthando lobuzalwane
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: φιλαδελφία
Category: Virtue
philadelphia (1:7); love of the Christian family/brethren.
Love
Approved rendering: uthando
Transliteration: uthando
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Virtue
agapē (1:7); self-giving love, the capstone of the growth chain.
Entrance Eternal Kingdom
Approved rendering: ukungena
Transliteration: ukungena
Doctrine: The Kingdom of God
Original: εἴσοδος
Category: Kingdom
eisodos (1:11); rich entrance into the eternal kingdom of Christ. Paired with umbuso kaNkulunkulu qualified as ophakade, not the historical Ndebele kingdom.
Departure
Approved rendering: ukusuka emhlabeni
Transliteration: ukusuka emhlabeni
Doctrine: Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Original: ἔξοδος
Category: Eschatology
exodos (1:15); Peter’s approaching death. Must be tied to biblical resurrection hope, not to becoming an idlozi.
Well Pleased
Approved rendering: engithokoza ngaye
Transliteration: engithokoza ngaye
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: εὐδοκέω
Category: Christology
eudokeō (1:17); the Father’s delight in the Son.
Lamp
Approved rendering: isibane
Transliteration: isibane
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: λύχνος
Category: Scripture
lychnos (1:19); metaphor for the guiding function of the prophetic word.
Dark Place
Approved rendering: indawo emnyama
Transliteration: indawo emnyama
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: αὐχμηρὸς τόπος
Category: Scripture
auchmēros topos (1:19); the present age’s moral/spiritual darkness prior to Christ’s return.
Heart
Approved rendering: inhliziyo
Transliteration: inhliziyo
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: καρδία
Category: Scripture
kardia (1:19); seat of thought, will, and emotion, where the morning star rises.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: ukuhlakanipha
Transliteration: ukuhlakanipha
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: σοφία
Category: Scripture
sophia (3:15); wisdom given to Paul in writing his letters.
Hard To Understand
Approved rendering: okunzima ukuqedisisa
Transliteration: okunzima ukuqedisisa
Doctrine: The Reliability and Inspiration of Scripture
Original: δυσνόητος
Category: Scripture
dysnoētos (3:16); descriptive of some things in Paul’s letters.
The Flood
Approved rendering: uzamcolo
Transliteration: uzamcolo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: κατακλυσμός
Category: False Teaching
kataklysmos (2:5); the Genesis Flood, an example of past judgment. Established Nguni Bible term.
Example
Approved rendering: isibonelo
Transliteration: isibonelo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ὑπόδειγμα
Category: False Teaching
hypodeigma (2:6); Sodom and Gomorrah made an example of what is coming to the ungodly.
Bold Self Willed
Approved rendering: abaqholo abazithembayo
Transliteration: abaqholo abazithembayo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: τολμηταὶ αὐθάδεις
Category: False Teaching
tolmētai authadeis (2:10); description of the false teachers’ brazen self-will.
Turn Back Relapse
Approved rendering: ukubuyela emuva
Transliteration: ukubuyela emuva
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Original: ἐπιστρέφω
Category: False Teaching
epistrephō (2:21-22); relapse into former sin. Must not be read as ritual re-defilement requiring ancestral cleansing, but as moral-spiritual regression from a Christian profession.
Thief
Approved rendering: isela
Transliteration: isela
Doctrine: The Day of the Lord and Final Judgment
Original: κλέπτης
Category: Eschatology
kleptēs (3:10); simile for the Day of the Lord’s unexpected arrival.
Diligent
Approved rendering: ukukhuthala
Transliteration: ukukhuthala
Doctrine: Christian Diligence and Steadfastness
Original: σπουδάζω
Category: Virtue
spoudazō (1:10,15; 3:14); diligence/effort urged consistently across the book.
Steadfastness
Approved rendering: ukuqina
Transliteration: ukuqina
Doctrine: Christian Diligence and Steadfastness
Original: στηριγμός
Category: Virtue
stērigmos (3:17); firm standing believers are warned not to lose through the error of lawless people.
Grow
Approved rendering: ukukhula
Transliteration: ukukhula
Doctrine: Growing in Christian Virtue
Original: αὐξάνω
Category: Virtue
auxanō (3:18); the closing exhortation to grow in grace and knowledge of Christ, tying the whole letter’s argument together.
Noah
Approved rendering: uNowa
Transliteration: uNowa
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Proper name (2:5); established transliterated Ndebele Bible form.
Lot
Approved rendering: uLothi
Transliteration: uLothi
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Proper name (2:7-9); established transliterated Ndebele Bible form.
Balaam
Approved rendering: uBalamu
Transliteration: uBalamu
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Proper name (2:15); established transliterated Ndebele Bible form.
Sodom And Gomorrah
Approved rendering: iSodoma neGomora
Transliteration: iSodoma neGomora
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
Proper names (2:6); established transliterated Ndebele Bible form.
False Teacher Nature Imagery
Approved rendering: izinyamazana ezingaqondiyo; imithombo engelamanzi; amayezi
Transliteration: izinyamazana ezingaqondiyo
Doctrine: False Teachers and Their Judgment
aloga zōa, pēgai anydroi, homichlai (2:12,17) — ‘irrational animals,’ ‘waterless springs,’ ‘mists.’ Grouped rhetorical imagery describing false teachers; purely figurative, low doctrinal weight individually but should be rendered consistently as a rhetorical unit.
Referenced passages