Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Galatians (English–Nepali)
Section A — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline
| # | English Term | Nepali Rendering | Transliteration | Risk Tier | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Gospel | सुसमाचार | susamachar | High | True Gospel vs. False Gospels | 1, 2 | Human theologian |
| A2 | Grace | अनुग्रह | anugraha | High | Law and Grace | 1, 2, 5 | Human theologian |
| A3 | Faith | विश्वास | vishwas | High | Justification by Faith; Faith Working through Love | 1–6 | Human theologian |
| A4 | Righteousness | धार्मिकता | dharmikata | Critical | Justification by Faith | 2, 3, 5 | Human theologian |
| A5 | Justification | धर्मी ठहराइने कार्य | dharmi thahraine karya | Critical | Justification by Faith | 2, 3 | Human theologian |
| A6 | Imputed Righteousness | आरोपित धार्मिकता | aropit dharmikata | Critical | Justification by Faith; Abrahamic Covenant | 3 | Human theologian |
| A7 | Apostle | प्रेरित | prerit | Medium | Paul’s Apostleship | 1 | Native speaker |
| A8 | Called / Calling | बोलाइएका / बोलावट | bolaieka / bolawat | High | Divine Calling; Paul’s Apostleship | 1 | Human theologian |
| A9 | Holy | पवित्र | pavitra | High | Adoption and Sonship; Fruit of the Spirit | 5 | Human theologian |
| A10 | Sanctification | पवित्रीकरण | pavitrikaran | High | Flesh versus Spirit | 5 | Human theologian |
| A11 | Adoption | दत्तक पुत्रता | dattak putrata | High | Adoption and Sonship | 3, 4 | Human theologian |
| A12 | Resurrection | पुनरुत्थान | punarutthan | Critical | (background, Christ’s resurrection presupposed) | 1 | Human theologian |
| A13 | Lord | प्रभु | prabhu | Critical | Christ’s Lordship (background) | throughout | Human theologian |
| A14 | Son of God | परमेश्वरका पुत्र | Parameshwarka Putra | Critical | Crucified with Christ; Adoption | 2, 4 | Human theologian |
| A15 | Incarnation | देहधारण | dehadharan | Critical | Abrahamic Covenant; Adoption (God sending the Son) | 4 | Human theologian |
| A16 | Peace | शान्ति | shanti | Medium | Fruit of the Spirit | 1, 5, 6 | Native speaker |
| A17 | Church | मण्डली | mandali | Medium | Unity in Christ | 1 | Native speaker |
| A18 | Law | व्यवस्था | vyavastha | High | Law and Grace; The Law’s Purpose | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | Human theologian |
| A19 | Sin | पाप | paap | High | Justification by Faith | 1, 2 | Human theologian |
| A20 | Gentiles | अन्यजाति | anyajati | Medium | Circumcision and the New Creation; Unity | 1, 2, 3 | Native speaker |
| A21 | Glory | महिमा | mahima | High | Doxology (1:5, 24) | 1 | Human theologian |
| A22 | Covenant | करार | karar | High | The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise | 3 | Human theologian |
| A23 | Election | परमेश्वरको छनोट | Parameshwarko chhanot | High | Divine Calling (1:15) | 1 | Human theologian |
| A24 | David / Seed of David (root) | दाऊद / दाऊदको वंश | Daud / Daudko vansha | Medium/High | (conceptual background to σπέρμα argument) | 3 | Human theologian |
| A25 | Israel | इस्राएल | Israel | Medium | Unity of Jews and Gentiles; Israel of God | 6 | Human theologian |
| A26 | Jesus | येशू | Yeshu | Critical | throughout | throughout | Human theologian |
| A27 | God | परमेश्वर | Parameshwar | Critical | throughout | throughout | Human theologian |
| A28 | Holy Spirit | पवित्र आत्मा | Pavitra Atma | Critical | Flesh versus Spirit; Fruit of the Spirit | 3, 4, 5, 6 | Human theologian |
| A29 | Father | पिता | Pita | Critical | Adoption and Sonship | 1, 4 | Human theologian |
| A30 | Abba | अब्बा | Abba | Medium | Adoption and Sonship | 4 | Native speaker |
| A31 | Messiah / Christ | मसीह / ख्रीष्ट | Masih / Khrist | Critical | throughout | throughout | Human theologian |
| A32 | Exhort (encourage) | उत्साहित पार्नु | utsahit parnu | Low | Bearing One Another’s Burdens | 6 | Automated |
| A33 | Fellowship | सहभागिता | sahabhagita | Low | Right hand of fellowship (2:9) | 2 | Automated |
| A34 | Kingdom of God | परमेश्वरको राज्य | Parameshwarko Rajya | Medium | (5:21, inheriting the kingdom) | 5 | Native speaker |
| A35 | Spiritual Gifts | आत्मिक वरदान | atmik varadan | Medium | (background; not directly thematic in Galatians) | — | Native speaker |
| A36 | Thanksgiving | धन्यवाद | dhanyavad | Low | (not directly present but retained for consistency) | — | Automated |
| A37 | Power of God | परमेश्वरको सामर्थ्य | Parameshwarko samarthya | High | (background) | — | Human theologian |
| A38 | Prophet / Prophecy | अगमवक्ता / अगमवाणी | agamavakta / agamavani | Low | (background, OT citation practice) | 3 | Automated |
Section B — New Terms Proposed for Galatians (Not in Romans Baseline)
| # | English Term | Greek | Nepali Rendering | Transliteration | Risk Tier | Doctrine(s) | Chapters | Alternatives Rejected | Nepali Risk Notes | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 | A Different/False Gospel | ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον | अर्को/भिन्न सुसमाचार | arko/bhinna susamachar | Critical | True Gospel vs. False Gospels | 1 | — | Must never imply a legitimate second gospel option; a counterfeit, not a variant. | Human theologian |
| B2 | Accursed / Anathema | ἀνάθεμα | श्रापित होस् | shrapit hos | Critical | True Gospel vs. False Gospels | 1 | बहिष्कृत होस् | Live Nepali folk-belief in literal curses (dokh, jhankri-curses, boksi/witch-curse accusations) risks a magical-hex reading instead of God’s judicial verdict. | Human theologian |
| B3 | Slave/Servant of Christ | δοῦλος Χριστοῦ | ख्रीष्टका दास | Khristka daas | High | Paul’s Apostleship | 1 | सेवक (rejected as too weak — loses total-ownership sense) | Resonates with Nepal’s Kamaiya/Kamlari bonded-labor history; positive bridge (willing belonging to a good Master) but needs pastoral framing to avoid trivializing real historical coercion. | Native speaker |
| B4 | Judaism | Ἰουδαϊσμός | यहूदी धर्म | Yahudi dharma | Medium | (Paul’s former life) | 1 | यहूदी मत/परम्परा | Distinct sense of धर्म (“a religion”) from the baseline’s forbidden righteousness-sense; requires explicit confirmation before use given the weight the baseline places on this root. | Human theologian |
| B5 | Revelation | ἀποκάλυψις | प्रकाश | prakash | Medium/High | Paul’s Apostleship; True Gospel | 1, 2 | खुलासा | Must be distinguished from Hindu guru-granted illumination (jñāna) or meditative enlightenment-insight; a specific, historical, personal disclosure of Christ. | Human theologian |
| B6 | False Brothers | ψευδάδελφοι | झूटा भाइहरू | jhutta bhaiharu | High | True Gospel vs. False Gospels | 2 | — | Sensitive given the historically tight-knit, formerly-underground Nepali church community; must read as doctrinal warning, not license for interpersonal suspicion. | Native speaker |
| B7 | Freedom / Liberty | ἐλευθερία | स्वतन्त्रता | swatantrata | Critical | Freedom in Christ | 2, 4, 5 | — | Must not collapse into merely political/social liberty (a live, distinct concept in post-2008 republican Nepal) divorced from freedom from sin/law’s condemnation. | Human theologian |
| B8 | Enslave / Slavery | καταδουλώσωσιν / δουλεία | दासत्वमा पार्ने / दासत्व | daasatvama parne / daasatva | High | Law and Grace; Freedom in Christ | 2, 4, 5 | — | Live resonance with Kamaiya/Kamlari bonded-labor history; doctrinally apt but requires pastoral care. | Native speaker |
| B9 | Pillars (apostolic leaders) | στῦλοι | स्तम्भ | stambha | Medium | Paul’s Apostleship | 2 | — | Could evoke physical temple/shrine pillars; context must clarify leadership metaphor. | Native speaker |
| B10 | Circumcision / Uncircumcision | περιτομή / ἀκροβυστία | खतना / खतना नभएको | khatna / khatna nabhaeko | Critical | Circumcision and the New Creation | 2, 3, 5, 6 | — | Low cultural-collision risk in Nepal (no live parallel ritual) but Critical doctrinal weight; requires OT covenant-background explanation for readers with low prior biblical literacy. | Human theologian |
| B11 | To Judaize | Ἰουδαΐζειν | यहूदी चलन पालन गर्ने | Yahudi chalan paalan garne | High | Law and Grace | 2 | — | Must not be softened into neutral cultural-practice description; Paul treats it as gospel-compromising when imposed as a condition of fellowship. | Human theologian |
| B12 | Works of the Law | ἔργα νόμου | व्यवस्थाका कामहरू | vyavasthaka kaamharu | Critical | Justification by Faith; Law and Grace | 2, 3 | — | Must be sharply distinguished from सत्कर्म (merit-earning good deeds), the shared Hindu/Buddhist merit-accumulation vocabulary already flagged for grace/पुण्य in the Romans baseline. | Human theologian |
| B13 | Faith in Christ | πίστις Χριστοῦ | ख्रीष्टमाथिको विश्वास | Khristmathiko vishwas | High | Justification by Faith | 2 | (subjective genitive “Christ’s own faithfulness,” retained as translator’s note only) | Preserve objective-genitive rendering for consistency with Romans 3:22; flag subjective/objective genitive debate as background note only. | Human theologian |
| B14 | Flesh (neutral: bodily existence) | σάρξ | शरीर | sharir | High | Crucified with Christ | 2 | — | Distinct sense from the morally-loaded flesh of ch.5; disambiguate by context. | Human theologian |
| B15 | Flesh (moral: fallen self-rule) | σάρξ | शरीर (+ पापी स्वभाव in explanatory material) | sharir (+ paapi swabhaav) | Critical | Flesh versus Spirit | 2, 5 | — | Must not be read as body-as-illusion (māyā deha), ascetic bodily-denial (sādhu tradition), or matter-vs-spirit dualism; this is a contrast of moral allegiance, not substance. | Human theologian |
| B16 | Servant / Agent | διάκονος | सेवक | sevak | Low/Medium | (2:17, rhetorical) | 2 | — | Distinguish from दास (owned bond-slave); διάκονος implies voluntary agency. | Native speaker |
| B17 | Transgressor | παραβάτης | व्यवस्था उल्लङ्घन गर्ने / अपराधी | vyavastha ullanghan garne / aparadhi | Medium | Law and Grace | 2 | — | Retain forensic sense (violation of a defined legal boundary). | Native speaker |
| B18 | Crucified with Christ | συσταυρόω | ख्रीष्टसँगै क्रुसमा टाँगिएको | Khristsangai krusma tangieko | Critical | Crucified with Christ | 2, 5 | — | Must not be read as ascetic self-mortification (sādhu tapasyā) or works-based “dying to self”; God-accomplished union with Christ’s death, received by faith, permanent in effect. | Human theologian |
| B19 | Nullify (grace) | ἀθετέω | बेकार तुल्याउनु | bekar tulyaunu | High | Law and Grace | 2 | इन्कार गर्नु | Must pair correctly with अनुग्रह so the sentence reads as Paul’s refusal to nullify grace. | Human theologian |
| B20 | Died in Vain / For Nothing | δωρεάν (adv.) | व्यर्थैमा मर्नुभयो | vyarthaimaa marnubhayo | High | Justification by Faith | 2 | (avoid अनुग्रह-family “free gift” vocabulary here) | Translation trap: shares root with positive “free gift” grace-vocabulary elsewhere; here means “pointlessly,” opposite emotional register. | Human theologian |
| B21 | Curse (of the Law) | κατάρα | श्राप | shrap | Critical | The Law’s Purpose; Abrahamic Covenant | 3 | — | Must anchor to Deuteronomic covenant-curse background (Christ absorbing it once), not live folk-belief in magical curses (dokh, jhankri-curses, boksi-accusations). | Human theologian |
| B22 | Redeem (buy out of bondage) | ἐξαγοράζω | छुटकारा दिनुभयो | chhutkara dinubhayo | High | The Law’s Purpose; Adoption | 3, 4 | (reserve उद्धार for σωτηρία) | Must convey a definite price paid, not karmic debt-clearing across lifetimes. | Human theologian |
| B23 | Promise | ἐπαγγελία | प्रतिज्ञा | pratigya | High | Abrahamic Covenant and Promise | 3 | — | Specific, historical, once-given, unilateral divine pledge; no cyclical-karma analog. | Human theologian |
| B24 | Seed / Offspring (singular, of Abraham) | σπέρμα | वंश / सन्तान | vansha / santaan | Critical | Abrahamic Covenant and Promise | 3 | — | Nepali वंश can be ambiguously singular/collective, risking loss of Paul’s grammatical singular-referent argument (3:16); explanatory translator’s note required. | Human theologian |
| B25 | Guardian / Tutor (of the Law) | παιδαγωγός | अभिभावक | abhibhawak | Medium/High | The Law’s Purpose | 3 | रेखदेख गर्ने | Must not be confused with the ongoing guru-shishya relationship; this role is temporary and terminating. | Human theologian |
| B26 | Baptism | βάπτισμα | बप्तिस्मा | baptisma | High | Circumcision and the New Creation | 3 | — | Distinguish from Hindu ritual river-bathing for merit/purification (e.g., Bagmati at Pashupatinath); one-time union with Christ, not repeatable merit-ritual. | Human theologian |
| B27 | Heir | κληρονόμος | उत्तराधिकारी | uttaradhikari | Medium/High | Abrahamic Covenant; Adoption | 3 | — | Equal inheritance for all believers regardless of ethnicity/sex/status challenges traditional caste-linked inheritance hierarchy. | Human theologian |
| B28 | Elemental Things/Spirits of the World | στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου | संसारका आधारभूत तत्वहरू | sansarka aadharbhoot tatvaharu | Critical | The Law’s Purpose; Freedom in Christ | 4 | आत्मिक शक्तिहरू (rejected — risks affirming literal spirit-power given jhankri/shamanic and tantric tradition) | Highest-priority flag: must not validate belief in real, active elemental/animistic spirit-powers over believers. | Human theologian |
| B29 | Fullness of Time | πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου | समयको पूर्णता | samayako purnata | Medium/High | Abrahamic Covenant; Incarnation | 4 | — | Linear, historical, once-for-all timing, not a recurring auspicious moment in cyclical yuga-cosmology or astrological timing. | Human theologian |
| B30 | Allegorized / Figuratively Speaking | ἀλληγορούμενα | दृष्टान्तको रूपमा | drishtantako roopma | Low/Medium | (hermeneutical marker, Hagar/Sarah) | 4 | अलङ्कारिक रूपमा भनिएको | Signals Paul’s typological reading strategy; low doctrinal-collision risk. | Native speaker |
| B31 | Jerusalem Above (Heavenly) | Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἄνω | स्वर्गीय यरूशलेम | swargiya Yarushalem | Medium | Freedom in Christ | 4 | — | Distinguish from merit-based heavenly-realm concepts (svarga, Buddhist pure lands); a grace-given present spiritual citizenship. | Human theologian |
| B32 | Yoke of Slavery | ζυγὸς δουλείας | दासत्वको जुवा | daasatvako juwa | High | Freedom in Christ | 5 | — | Vivid, natural agrarian image in Nepal; also touches bonded-labor-loaded vocabulary — use with pastoral awareness. | Native speaker |
| B33 | Fallen from Grace | ἐκπίπτω τῆς χάριτος | अनुग्रहबाट खसेको | anugrahabaata khaseko | Critical | Law and Grace | 5 | — | Denominationally sensitive (perseverance/apostasy debate); render literal image without resolving the debate. | Human theologian |
| B34 | Faith Working through Love | πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη | प्रेमद्वारा काम गर्ने विश्वास | premdwara kaam garne vishwas | Critical | Faith Working through Love | 5 | — | Preserve faith as sole ground of standing; love as faith’s organic fruit, not a second merit-requirement. | Human theologian |
| B35 | Love (agapē) | ἀγάπη | प्रेम | prem | High | Faith Working through Love; Fruit of the Spirit | 2, 5 | — | Must be anchored as willed, active, self-giving love, not romantic/bhakti-devotional sentiment (parallel to the baseline’s caution on श्रद्धा/भक्ति for faith). | Human theologian |
| B36 | Walk by the Spirit | περιπατέω πνεύματι | आत्माद्वारा हिंड्ने | aatmadwara hindne | High | Flesh versus Spirit | 5 | — | Distinguish from self-effort “path” concepts (mārga, aṭṭhaṅgika-magga); Spirit-enabled, not self-cultivated. | Human theologian |
| B37 | Works of the Flesh | ἔργα τῆς σαρκός | शरीरका कामहरू | shariraka kaamharu | Critical | Flesh versus Spirit | 5 | — | Includes φαρμακεία (sorcery) — see B38. | Human theologian |
| B38 | Sorcery / Witchcraft (within works of the flesh) | φαρμακεία | तन्त्र-मन्त्र / जादू-टुना / बोक्सीविद्या | tantra-mantra / jaadu-tuna / boksividya | Critical | Flesh versus Spirit | 5 | — | Live, ongoing category in Nepal (jhankri shamanism, tantric ritual practice, real boksi/witch accusations); a live pastoral issue, not an antiquarian reference. | Human theologian |
| B39 | Fruit of the Spirit | καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος | आत्माको फल | aatmako phal | Critical | Fruit of the Spirit | 5 | आत्माका फलहरू (plural, rejected — loses Paul’s unified-fruit emphasis) | Singular फल preserves the organic, unified nature of the Spirit’s produce, not a checklist. | Human theologian |
| B40 | Faithfulness (character virtue, within fruit list) | πίστις (in the list) | भरोसायोग्यता | bharosayogyata | Medium | Fruit of the Spirit | 5 | विश्वासनीयता | Distinguish from साviing faith (विश्वास) elsewhere; here a character-virtue sense. | Native speaker |
| B41 | Bear One Another’s Burdens | βαστάζετε τὰ βάρη | एकअर्काका भारी बोक्नु | ekarkaka bhaari boknu | Medium | Bearing One Another’s Burdens | 6 | — | Positive contextualization asset: भारी (porter’s load) is a vivid, respected image in Nepal’s mountain-portering culture. | Native speaker |
| B42 | Law of Christ | νόμος τοῦ Χριστοῦ | ख्रीष्टको व्यवस्था | Khristko vyavastha | High | Bearing One Another’s Burdens; Law and Grace | 6 | — | Distinguish clearly from νόμος/Mosaic law as grounds for righteousness; names a principle of Spirit-empowered love. | Human theologian |
| B43 | Sow and Reap | σπείρω / θερίζω | छर्ने र कटनी गर्ने | chharne ra katani garne | Critical | The Law’s Purpose (moral consequence) | 6 | — | Extremely close in surface form to the pervasive Hindu/Buddhist law of karma; must anchor to a personal God’s moral governance and final judgment, not impersonal cross-lifetime cause-effect. Direct parallel to baseline’s providence Critical entry. | Human theologian |
| B44 | New Creation | καινὴ κτίσις | नयाँ सृष्टि | naya srishti | Critical | Circumcision and the New Creation | 6 | — | Distinguish from Hindu cyclical srishti-sthiti-pralaya cosmology and Buddhist emptiness/dependent-origination frameworks; a definitive, linear, grace-given eschatological order. Parallel in weight to baseline resurrection. | Human theologian |
| B45 | Marks of Jesus | στίγματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ | येशूका चोटका डामहरू | Yeshuka chotka daamharu | Medium/High | Paul’s Apostleship | 6 | — | Distinguish from tilaka/forehead markings, ash-marks, or ritual scarification in Hindu devotional practice; literal persecution-scars authenticating Paul’s ministry. | Human theologian |
| B46 | This Present Evil Age | αἰὼν ὁ ἐνεστὼς πονηρός | यो वर्तमान दुष्ट युग | yo vartaman dushta yug | Medium | (apocalyptic framework, ch.1) | 1 | — | युग also names Hindu cosmic time-cycles; must be bounded as this specific present age of sin within Paul’s linear frame, not an epoch in an endlessly repeating cycle. | Human theologian |
| B47 | Bewitched / Deceived | ἐβάσκανεν (βασκαίνω) | कसले तपाईंहरूलाई भुल्याएको छ? (rendered as “deceived/deluded”) | bhulyaeko | High | True Gospel vs. False Gospels | 3 | बोक्सीले हेरेको (rejected — risks affirming literal evil-eye/witchcraft belief) | Nepal’s live folk-belief in evil-eye/witchcraft (boksi accusations, jhankri curses) makes a literal rendering risky; render as rhetorical “deceived,” not literal bewitchment. | Human theologian |
| B48 | Blessing of Abraham | εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραάμ | अब्राहामको आशीष् | Abrahamko aashish | Medium/High | Abrahamic Covenant and Promise | 3 | — | Distinguish from generic devotional “blessing” (Hindu/Buddhist deity/guru-granted boons); a specific covenant promise. | Native speaker |
| B49 | No Longer Slave but Son | οὐκέτι δοῦλος ἀλλὰ υἱός | अब दास होइन तर पुत्र | aba daas hoina tara putra | High | Adoption and Sonship | 4 | — | Combines adoption doctrine with slavery vocabulary; used positively here as the status left behind. | Human theologian |
| B50 | Gave Himself for Me (substitutionary self-giving) | παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ | मेरो निम्ति आफूलाई अर्पण गर्नुभयो | mero nimti aaphulai arpan garnubhayo | Critical | Crucified with Christ | 2 | — | Must convey substitutionary, atoning self-sacrifice, not generic self-sacrifice devoid of atoning content; escalation-level term per Romans Instruction Set. | Human theologian |
Risk Tier Summary for Galatians-Specific New Terms (Section B)
| Risk Tier | Count | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 15 | Human theologian (mandatory, every occurrence) |
| High | 20 | Human theologian |
| Medium/High (borderline, treated as High) | 5 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 6 | Native speaker |
| Low/Medium | 2 | Native speaker |
| Low | 0 (none isolated at pure Low in Section B) | — |
Cross-Reference to Baseline Documents
- All Section A terms: enforce exactly per
translation_memory.json(Romans) andbible_term_registry.json(Romans); no re-derivation permitted. - All Section B terms: pending formal addition to an updated
translation_memory.json(version increment required) anddoctrine_risk_registry.jsonbefore Phase 2 segment translation may proceed on any Galatians passage containing them. - Terms B1–B2, B7, B10, B12–B15, B18, B21–B22, B24, B26, B28, B33–B34, B36–B39, B43–B44, B47, B50 are flagged Critical/High and trigger the same “Automatically flag for human theologian review” escalation rule defined in
12_ai_translation_requirements.md§Escalation Rules, extended here to Galatians-specific doctrinal categories: Justification by Faith, The True Gospel versus False Gospels, Crucified with Christ, The Law’s Purpose, Flesh versus Spirit, Fruit of the Spirit, and Circumcision and the New Creation.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: धार्मिकता
Transliteration: dharmikata
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, पुण्य
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER धर्म, given its Muluki Ain caste-code and Hindu-Kingdom-identity weight. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians’ single most contested category (2:21, 3:6, 3:21, 5:5) against law-keeping.
Justification
Approved rendering: धर्मी ठहराइने कार्य
Transliteration: dharmi thahraine karya
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: माफी पाउने कार्य
Original: δικαιόω
Category: Salvation
Compound phrase required for the forensic, declared-righteous sense; never abbreviate to माफी. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 2:16-17, 3:8, 3:11, 3:24.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: पुनरुत्थान
Transliteration: punarutthan
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: पुनर्जन्म
Original: ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER पुनर्जन्म. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:1 presupposes Christ’s bodily resurrection as the foundation of Paul’s apostolic commissioning.
Lord
Approved rendering: प्रभु
Transliteration: prabhu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: मालिक, ईश्वर
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Exclusive, supreme Lordship. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Used of Christ throughout Galatians’ epistolary framing (1:3, 6:14, 6:18).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरका पुत्र
Transliteration: Parameshwarka Putra
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: देवपुत्र
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: full phrase required, never देवपुत्र. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Central to Galatians 2:20 and 4:4-6.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: देहधारण
Transliteration: dehadharan
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: अवतार
Original: ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: NEVER अवतार, given the Shah-dynasty living-avatar monarchy within recent memory. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 4:4: ‘God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law.‘
Messiah
Approved rendering: मसीह
Transliteration: Masih
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
The Anointed One, fulfilling Old Testament promise exclusively in Jesus. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. In Galatians the fixed title-form ख्रीष्ट is also used throughout in the combined name येशू ख्रीष्ट, per established Nepali Bible convention; both forms trace to this single entry.
Jesus
Approved rendering: येशू
Transliteration: Yeshu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: established Nepali Christian standard form. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation.
God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वर
Transliteration: Parameshwar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: भगवान
Original: θεός
Category: God
CRITICAL: never भगवान, given Nepal’s Hindu-Kingdom identity until 2007. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: पवित्र आत्मा
Transliteration: Pavitra Atma
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ब्रह्म, परमात्मा
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον / τὸ πνεῦμα
Category: God
CRITICAL: never ब्रह्म or परमात्मा. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Central throughout Galatians 3-6, especially the Flesh versus Spirit and Fruit of the Spirit doctrines.
Father
Approved rendering: पिता
Transliteration: Pita
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal Father. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:1, 1:3, 1:4, 4:6.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: आरोपित धार्मिकता
Transliteration: aropit dharmikata
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Rejected alternatives: आर्जित धार्मिकता
Original: ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην
Category: Salvation
Righteousness credited, NOT earned. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 3:6 quotes Genesis 15:6 identically to Romans 4:3 — the single most important cross-reference point between the two curricula; consistency is mandatory.
Different Gospel
Approved rendering: अर्को/भिन्न सुसमाचार
Transliteration: arko/bhinna susamachar
Doctrine: The True Gospel versus False Gospels
Original: ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Gospel
A gospel of a fundamentally different kind (Greek ἕτερον, not ἄλλο), which Paul immediately clarifies is not really a gospel at all (1:6-7). Must always be paired with an explicit clarifying clause that this is a counterfeit, never a legitimate second option alongside सुसमाचार.
Anathema
Approved rendering: श्रापित होस्
Transliteration: shrapit hos
Doctrine: The True Gospel versus False Gospels
Rejected alternatives: बहिष्कृत होस्
Original: ἀνάθεμα
Category: Gospel
Formally cursed, given over to divine judicial condemnation (1:8-9). Nepal’s live folk-belief in literal curses (dokh, jhankri-curses, boksi-accusations) risks a magical-hex reading; requires a clarifying gloss distinguishing divine judgment from folk-curse practice at every occurrence.
Fallen From Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रहबाट खसेको
Transliteration: anugrahabaata khaseko
Doctrine: Law and Grace
Original: ἐκπίπτω τῆς χάριτος
Category: Salvation
To fall away from the sphere of grace (5:4), addressed to those pursuing law-based justification. Touches the historic Protestant debate on perseverance versus apostasy; render the literal image faithfully without resolving the underlying doctrinal debate; confirm final phrasing against the receiving denomination’s tradition.
Faith Working Through Love
Approved rendering: प्रेमद्वारा काम गर्ने विश्वास
Transliteration: premdwara kaam garne vishwas
Doctrine: Faith Working through Love
Original: πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη
Category: Sanctification
Faith that inherently and organically produces loving action (5:6) — Paul’s positive replacement for the circumcision requirement. Must preserve faith as the sole ground of standing while conveying love as faith’s necessary, organic fruit, never a second merit-earning requirement.
Works Of The Law
Approved rendering: व्यवस्थाका कामहरू
Transliteration: vyavasthaka kaamharu
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Original: ἔργα νόμου
Category: Law
Deeds performed in compliance with the Mosaic Law, sought as a basis of standing before God (2:16, 3:2, 3:5, 3:10). Must be sharply distinguished from सत्कर्म, the shared Hindu/Buddhist merit-accumulation vocabulary the baseline already flags against अनुग्रह/grace.
Curse Of Law
Approved rendering: श्राप
Transliteration: shrap
Doctrine: The Law’s Purpose
Original: κατάρα
Category: Covenant
The Law’s formal judicial curse on those who fail to keep it fully (Deuteronomy 27:26, quoted 3:10), from which Christ redeems believers by becoming a curse in their place (3:13). Must anchor to the specific Deuteronomic covenant-curse background absorbed once by Christ, not conflated with live Nepali folk-belief in magical curses (dokh, jhankri-curses, boksi-accusations).
Seed Offspring
Approved rendering: वंश/सन्तान
Transliteration: vansha/santaan
Doctrine: The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise
Original: σπέρμα
Category: Covenant
Abraham’s offspring; Paul presses the grammatically singular Greek σπέρμα to argue the promise refers to one specific descendant, Christ (3:16, 3:29). Nepali वंश is number-ambiguous like σπέρμα, risking the loss of Paul’s grammatical argument; a mandatory explanatory translator’s note is required at 3:16. Distinct from seed_of_david (दाऊदको वंश).
Circumcision
Approved rendering: खतना
Transliteration: khatna
Doctrine: Circumcision and the New Creation
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
The Abrahamic covenant sign (Genesis 17), the contested marker of Torah-based covenant membership the Judaizing teachers sought to impose (2:3, 5:2-3, 5:6, 5:11, 6:12-15). Low cultural-collision risk in Nepal (no live parallel ritual) but Critical doctrinal weight; requires explicit OT covenant-background explanation, which cannot be assumed as prior knowledge.
Elemental Things
Approved rendering: संसारका आधारभूत तत्वहरू
Transliteration: sansarka aadharbhoot tatvaharu
Doctrine: The Law’s Purpose
Rejected alternatives: आत्मिक शक्तिहरू
Original: στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Freedom
The elementary religious principles/systems (Jewish law-observance and pagan religion alike) to which both Jews and Gentiles were enslaved prior to Christ (4:3, 4:9). Explicitly rejected: आत्मिक शक्तिहरू, because Nepal’s active jhankri shamanic tradition, spirit-possession practice, and belief in territorial deities make that rendering risk affirming real, ongoing spirit-authority over believers.
Freedom
Approved rendering: स्वतन्त्रता
Transliteration: swatantrata
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Original: ἐλευθερία
Category: Freedom
Freedom from bondage/compulsion, specifically freedom from the law’s demand as a basis of standing before God (2:4, 5:1, 5:13). Must convey freedom from the law’s condemning power and sin’s dominion, achieved by Christ; must not be flattened into merely political/social liberty (a live, distinct concept in post-2008 republican Nepal), nor read as license for the flesh (5:13). Always qualify with the specific soteriological object at each occurrence.
Flesh Moral
Approved rendering: शरीर
Transliteration: sharir
Doctrine: Flesh versus Spirit
Original: σάρξ (moral sense)
Category: Sanctification
Fallen human nature in self-rule, opposed to the Spirit (5:13, 16-17, 19, 24; 6:8), supplemented in explanatory material with पापी स्वभाव. Must not be read through Hindu/Buddhist body-as-illusion (māyā deha) frameworks, sādhu ascetic bodily-denial, or a simple matter-versus-spirit dualism; this is a contrast of moral allegiance, not substance.
Crucified With Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टसँगै क्रुसमा टाँगिएको
Transliteration: Khristsangai krusma tangieko
Doctrine: Crucified with Christ
Original: συσταυρόω / συνεσταύρωμαι
Category: Christology
A definitive, God-accomplished union with Christ’s death, received by faith, with permanent effect (2:19-20, 5:24, 6:14). Must be theologically distinguished from Nepal’s sādhu/ascetic tradition of bodily self-mortification (tapasyā) as a path to spiritual attainment, and from any works-based reading of ‘dying to self’ as a meritorious achievement.
Gave Himself For Me
Approved rendering: मेरो निम्ति आफूलाई अर्पण गर्नुभयो
Transliteration: mero nimti aaphulai arpan garnubhayo
Doctrine: Crucified with Christ
Original: παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ
Category: Christology
Christ’s sacrificial, substitutionary self-giving on the believer’s behalf (2:20). Must convey substitutionary, voluntary self-sacrifice, not generic self-sacrifice devoid of atoning/propitiatory content; flagged per the Romans baseline’s escalation rule for atonement language.
Works Of The Flesh
Approved rendering: शरीरका कामहरू
Transliteration: shariraka kaamharu
Doctrine: Flesh versus Spirit
Original: ἔργα τῆς σαρκός
Category: Sanctification
The vice-list of flesh-ruled outward conduct (5:19-21), including sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, and related vices. The list’s φαρμακεία (sorcery) item requires mandatory theologian and native-speaker review; see the sorcery entry.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: तन्त्र-मन्त्र/जादू-टुना
Transliteration: tantra-mantra/jaadu-tuna
Doctrine: Flesh versus Spirit
Rejected alternatives: बोक्सीविद्या (held in reserve)
Original: φαρμακεία
Category: Sanctification
Sorcery/witchcraft, one item within the works-of-the-flesh vice list (5:20). Extremely live category in Nepal: jhankri shamanic ritual practice, Hindu Shakta and Newar Buddhist tantric ritual practice, and real, sometimes violent boksi (witch) accusations still occurring. Must be rendered clearly enough to name actual occult/magical practice as scripturally condemned while remaining pastorally aware some believers’ extended families may be directly involved.
Fruit Of The Spirit
Approved rendering: आत्माको फल
Transliteration: aatmako phal
Doctrine: Fruit of the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: आत्माका फलहरू
Original: καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος
Category: Sanctification
The unified, organic, Spirit-produced virtue-cluster (5:22-23). Singular फल (not plural फलहरू) preserves Paul’s point that these virtues are one integrated organic product of the Spirit’s indwelling, not a checklist of separately-achieved accomplishments. Each virtue must avoid both merit-achievement framing and passive-quietist framing.
Sow And Reap
Approved rendering: छर्ने र कटनी गर्ने
Transliteration: chharne ra katani garne
Doctrine: Sowing and Reaping (Divine Moral Governance)
Original: σπείρω / θερίζω
Category: Sanctification
Agricultural cause-effect metaphor for moral consequence within God’s personal moral governance (6:7-8). The highest syncretism-risk statement in the letter: nearly indistinguishable in surface form from the pervasive Hindu/Buddhist law of karma. Must be explicitly anchored to a personal God’s just governance within a present-life-and-final-judgment framework, never left as a free-floating proverb readable as कर्मको नियम across rebirths.
New Creation
Approved rendering: नयाँ सृष्टि
Transliteration: naya srishti
Doctrine: Circumcision and the New Creation
Original: καινὴ κτίσις
Category: Eschatology
A definitive, once-for-all, eschatological new order inaugurated in Christ, in light of which circumcision and uncircumcision are irrelevant (6:15). Must be sharply distinguished from Hindu cyclical srishti-sthiti-pralaya cosmology and Buddhist emptiness/dependent-origination frameworks. Parallel in doctrinal weight to the baseline’s resurrection entry.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: सुसमाचार
Transliteration: susamachar
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: खुशखबरी
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Gospel
Established Nepali Christian term; must be distinguished from a generic positive announcement. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. In Galatians this anchors The True Gospel versus False Gospels doctrine (1:6-9, 2:5, 2:14, 3:1) and must never imply that अर्को/भिन्न सुसमाचार is a legitimate variant.
Grace
Approved rendering: अनुग्रह
Transliteration: anugraha
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: कृपा, पुण्य, भाग्य
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Unmerited favor apart from human merit; never पुण्य. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 2:21 and 5:4 make grace and law-based standing mutually exclusive — the letter’s sharpest statement of this baseline caution.
Faith
Approved rendering: विश्वास
Transliteration: vishwas
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: श्रद्धा, भक्ति
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Personal trust in Christ specifically, never श्रद्धा/भक्ति-style devotional reverence. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Central to Galatians 2:16, 3:1-29, 5:5-6.
Called
Approved rendering: बोलाइएका
Transliteration: bolaieka
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: निमन्त्रित
Original: καλέω
Category: Salvation
Context-sensitive across ministry-calling and salvation-calling senses. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:6, 1:15, 5:8, 5:13.
Calling
Approved rendering: बोलावट
Transliteration: bolawat
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Noun form for the act or state of being called by God. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation.
Holy
Approved rendering: पवित्र
Transliteration: pavitra
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्ध
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure, not ritual-purity language. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Underlies the fruit-of-the-Spirit and holy-living themes of Galatians 5.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: पवित्रीकरण
Transliteration: pavitrikaran
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: शुद्धीकरण
Original: concept underlying the flesh/Spirit contrast
Category: Sanctification
The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Developed through the flesh-versus-Spirit contrast (Galatians 5:16-25).
Adoption
Approved rendering: दत्तक पुत्रता
Transliteration: dattak putrata
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: धर्मपुत्र बनाउने, गोद लिने
Original: υἱοθεσία
Category: Salvation
Full son-status with complete inheritance rights; never धर्मपुत्र. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 3:26-4:7 makes this the letter’s positive counterpart to slavery-under-law.
Law
Approved rendering: व्यवस्था
Transliteration: vyavastha
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: धर्म, नियम
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
The Mosaic law; NEVER धर्म. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Central across Galatians 2-5 in Law and Grace and The Law’s Purpose.
Sin
Approved rendering: पाप
Transliteration: paap
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: अकुशल कर्म
Original: ἁμαρτία / ἁμαρτωλός
Category: Sin
Moral transgression before a personal God; never अकुशल कर्म. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:4, 2:15, 2:17, 3:22.
Glory
Approved rendering: महिमा
Transliteration: mahima
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: तेज
Original: δόξα
Category: God
God’s radiant honor; avoid light-metaphor terms echoing Kathmandu Valley divine-radiance traditions. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:5, 1:24.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको सामर्थ्य
Transliteration: Parameshwarko samarthya
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: शक्ति
NEVER शक्ति, given the Newar Tantric Shakta tradition and the Kumari cult. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Background term in Galatians; retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Covenant
Approved rendering: करार
Transliteration: karar
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: सम्झौता
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Relational covenant bond, more than a legal contract. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 3:15-17 argues the Abrahamic covenant cannot be annulled by the later Mosaic law.
Election
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको छनोट
Transliteration: Parameshwarko chhanot
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: भाग्य, किस्मत
Original: ἀφορίσας (Galatians 1:15, cf. ἐκλογή concept)
Category: Salvation
God’s sovereign, personal choice, not karma-determined fate. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:15, Paul’s pre-natal setting-apart.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: दाऊदको वंश
Transliteration: Daudko vansha
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Physical lineage fulfilling the Old Testament covenant promise to David. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Conceptual background to Galatians 3:16’s distinct singular-σπέρμα argument (see seed_offspring, a separate entry).
Nullify Grace
Approved rendering: बेकार तुल्याउनु
Transliteration: bekar tulyaunu
Doctrine: Law and Grace
Rejected alternatives: इन्कार गर्नु
Original: ἀθετέω
Category: Salvation
To set aside, reject, or treat as invalid (2:21, of grace). Must pair correctly with अनुग्रह so the sentence reads as Paul’s refusal to nullify grace, not an admission that he does so.
Died In Vain
Approved rendering: व्यर्थैमा मर्नुभयो
Transliteration: vyarthaimaa marnubhayo
Doctrine: Law and Grace
Original: δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν
Category: Salvation
Adverbial δωρεάν meaning ‘for nothing, needlessly’ (2:21) — opposite register from its usual positive ‘as a free gift’ sense. Translation trap: never render with अनुग्रह-family vocabulary, which would falsely echo grace-language in a verse about pointlessness.
Faith In Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टमाथिको विश्वास
Transliteration: Khristmathiko vishwas
Doctrine: Justification by Faith
Original: πίστις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ / πίστις Χριστοῦ
Category: Salvation
Faith directed at Jesus Christ as its object (2:16, 2:20, 3:22), reusing विश्वास exactly with the postposition -माथिको making the object explicit. The subjective-genitive reading (‘Christ’s own faithfulness’) is retained only as a translator’s background note, not adopted in the primary rendering, for consistency with Romans 3:22.
Love Agape
Approved rendering: प्रेम
Transliteration: prem
Doctrine: Faith Working through Love
Original: ἀγάπη
Category: Sanctification
Selfless, willed, active love (5:6, 5:13-14, 5:22). Caution: प्रेम in ordinary Nepali usage carries romantic/bhakti-devotional connotations from Hindi/Sanskrit devotional literature; always anchor contextually to willed, self-giving, neighbor-directed action, paralleling the baseline caution on श्रद्धा/भक्ति for faith. Also central to Fruit of the Spirit (5:22).
Law Of Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टको व्यवस्था
Transliteration: Khristko vyavastha
Doctrine: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Original: νόμος τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Law
The Spirit-empowered principle of self-giving love, fulfilled by bearing one another’s burdens (6:2). Must be clearly distinguished from νόμος/the Mosaic law as a basis of righteousness — this phrase names a principle of love, not a reversion to legal code as grounds for standing.
Judaize
Approved rendering: यहूदी चलन पालन गर्ने
Transliteration: Yahudi chalan paalan garne
Doctrine: Law and Grace
Original: Ἰουδαΐζειν
Category: Law
To adopt Jewish covenant-identity markers as a condition of fellowship (2:14). Must not be softened into a neutral cultural-practice description; Paul treats it as gospel-compromising when imposed as a condition of standing or table-fellowship.
Redeem
Approved rendering: छुटकारा दिनुभयो
Transliteration: chhutkara dinubhayo
Doctrine: The Law’s Purpose
Original: ἐξαγοράζω
Category: Salvation
To buy out of bondage by paying a price (3:13, 4:5). Reserve उद्धार for the broader σωτηρία concept; छुटकारा must convey a definite price paid by Christ achieving legal release, not karmic debt-clearing across lifetimes.
Promise
Approved rendering: प्रतिज्ञा
Transliteration: pratigya
Doctrine: The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise
Original: ἐπαγγελία
Category: Covenant
A specific, binding pledge given by God to Abraham, prior to and independent of the Mosaic law (3:14-22). Ties to करार (covenant); no cyclical-karma analog exists for a specific, historical, once-given, unilateral divine pledge.
Uncircumcision
Approved rendering: खतना नभएको
Transliteration: khatna nabhaeko
Doctrine: Circumcision and the New Creation
Original: ἀκροβυστία
Category: Covenant
Gentile status relative to the Abrahamic covenant marker (2:7, 5:6, 6:15). Must be paired consistently with circumcision so the doctrinal point that neither status counts for anything (6:15) is unambiguous.
Baptism
Approved rendering: बप्तिस्मा
Transliteration: baptisma
Doctrine: Circumcision and the New Creation
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Church
Ritual immersion marking union with Christ and covenant entry (3:27). Established transliterated Nepali Christian loanword; must be sharply distinguished from Hindu ritual river-bathing for purification/merit (e.g., the Bagmati at Pashupatinath), a live, currently-practiced ritual in Nepal.
Slavery Bondage
Approved rendering: दासत्व
Transliteration: daasatva
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Original: καταδουλώσωσιν / δουλεία
Category: Freedom
To reduce to slavery/legal bondage under the law (2:4, 4:24-25, 5:1). Live resonance with Nepal’s Kamaiya/Kamlari bonded-labor history (formally abolished 2000/2013); doctrinally apt but requires pastoral care given the real historical suffering the vocabulary evokes.
Yoke Of Slavery
Approved rendering: दासत्वको जुवा
Transliteration: daasatvako juwa
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Original: ζυγὸς δουλείας
Category: Freedom
Agricultural yoke metaphor for legal bondage, specifically the demand for circumcision (5:1). जुवा is an unusually vivid, immediately recognizable image in Nepal’s agrarian society, but combined with दासत्व again touches Kamaiya/Kamlari-loaded vocabulary; use with pastoral awareness.
No Longer Slave But Son
Approved rendering: अब दास होइन तर पुत्र
Transliteration: aba daas hoina tara putra
Doctrine: Adoption and Sonship
Original: οὐκέτι δοῦλος ἀλλὰ υἱός
Category: Salvation
Summary of the adoption argument: the believer’s status transformation from slave to son (4:7). Combines adoption doctrine with दास/slavery vocabulary flagged elsewhere; used positively here as the status left behind.
Flesh Neutral
Approved rendering: शरीर
Transliteration: sharir
Doctrine: Crucified with Christ
Original: σάρξ (neutral sense)
Category: Christology
Ordinary, literal bodily existence, the present mortal life (2:20, 4:13-14), a non-pejorative sense. Must be disambiguated by context from the morally-loaded flesh of chapter 5 (flesh_moral); a translator’s note is recommended wherever confusion is possible.
Revelation
Approved rendering: प्रकाश
Transliteration: prakash
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: खुलासा
Original: ἀποκάλυψις
Category: Apostleship
Direct divine disclosure of previously hidden truth; Paul’s gospel and commission came through a revelation of Jesus Christ, not human instruction (1:12, 2:2). The established Nepali Bible term also used as the title of the book of Revelation. Must be distinguished from Hindu guru-granted illumination (jñāna) or meditative enlightenment-insight.
Slave Of Christ
Approved rendering: ख्रीष्टका दास
Transliteration: Khristka daas
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: सेवक
Original: δοῦλος Χριστοῦ
Category: Apostleship
Total, owned belonging to Christ as Master; a title of honor, not degradation (1:10). दास carries real, living social memory in Nepal from the Kamaiya and Kamlari bonded-labor systems; a positive bridge (willing belonging to a good Master) requiring careful pastoral framing so it is not heard as trivializing coerced servitude.
False Brothers
Approved rendering: झूटा भाइहरू
Transliteration: jhutta bhaiharu
Doctrine: The True Gospel versus False Gospels
Original: ψευδάδελφοι
Category: Apostleship
Professing believers who undermine the gospel from within (2:4). Given Nepal’s historically small, tightly-bonded, formerly underground church, internal-betrayal language must read as doctrinal warning, not an invitation to interpersonal suspicion within congregations.
Marks Of Jesus
Approved rendering: येशूका चोटका डामहरू
Transliteration: Yeshuka chotka daamharu
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Original: στίγματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ
Category: Apostleship
Literal physical scars from persecution suffered in Christ’s service, authenticating Paul’s ministry (6:17). Must be clarified as literal persecution scars, not tilaka forehead markings, sādhu ash-marks, or ritual scarification in Hindu devotional life.
Walk By Spirit
Approved rendering: आत्माद्वारा हिंड्ने
Transliteration: aatmadwara hindne
Doctrine: Flesh versus Spirit
Original: περιπατέω πνεύματι
Category: Sanctification
An ongoing lifestyle empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit (5:16, 5:25). Must not be confused with Hindu/Buddhist self-effort ‘path’ concepts (mārga, the Eightfold Path) — this is Spirit-enabled, grace-based conduct, not self-cultivated discipline earning spiritual progress.
Bewitched Deceived
Approved rendering: कसले तपाईंहरूलाई भुल्याएको छ?
Transliteration: kasle tapainharulai bhulyaeko chha?
Doctrine: The True Gospel versus False Gospels
Rejected alternatives: बोक्सीले हेरेको
Original: ἐβάσκανεν (βασκαίνω)
Category: Gospel
Rhetorical use of a term rooted in ancient ‘evil eye’ folk belief, meaning ‘who has deceived/deluded you’ (3:1). Favor the non-literal ‘deceived/deluded’ rendering over a literal ‘bewitched’; Nepal’s live folk-belief in witchcraft and evil-eye affliction (boksi accusations, jhankri curses, sometimes with violent consequences) makes a literal बोक्सी/जादू-root rendering risky.
Medium Risk Terms
Apostle
Approved rendering: प्रेरित
Transliteration: prerit
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: दूत
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Apostleship
Authorized, sent-out messenger with delegated authority. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:1 grounds Paul’s apostleship as directly from God, not human-derived — foundational to the letter’s authority claim.
Peace
Approved rendering: शान्ति
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Peace with God
Rejected alternatives: सुख
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Relational, covenantal peace with God, not meditative equanimity. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:3, 5:22, 6:16.
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: आत्मिक वरदान
Transliteration: atmik varadan
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: वरदान
Always pair with आत्मिक; never वरदान alone. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Background term, not directly thematic in Galatians but retained for cross-curriculum consistency.
Church
Approved rendering: मण्डली
Transliteration: mandali
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: मन्दिर, गुम्बा
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Never मन्दिर or गुम्बा. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 1:2, 1:13, 1:22.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: परमेश्वरको राज्य
Transliteration: Parameshwarko Rajya
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
God’s sovereign reign, not a territorial kingdom. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 5:21, inheriting the kingdom.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: अन्यजाति
Transliteration: anyajati
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: विदेशी
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Non-Jewish peoples generally. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Central to Galatians 2:2-14 and 3:8, 3:14, 3:28-29.
Israel
Approved rendering: इस्राएल
Transliteration: Israel
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Established proper-name form. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 6:16 extends ‘the Israel of God’ to the believing community.
Abba
Approved rendering: अब्बा
Transliteration: Abba
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: Ἀββά
Category: God
Preserve the Aramaic transliteration; brief explanatory note on filial intimacy recommended. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 4:6.
Judaism
Approved rendering: यहूदी धर्म
Transliteration: Yahudi dharma
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: यहूदी मत, यहूदी परम्परा
Original: Ἰουδαϊσμός
Category: Apostleship
The whole religious-national system of Torah-observant Jewish life (1:13-14). Here धर्म functions in its ordinary ‘named religious system’ sense, a different sense than the baseline’s forbidden righteousness-sense of धर्म. Every occurrence requires explicit theologian confirmation given the weight the baseline places on this root; यहूदी मत/परम्परा held in reserve.
Transgressor
Approved rendering: व्यवस्था उल्लङ्घन गर्ने
Transliteration: vyavastha ullanghan garne
Doctrine: Law and Grace
Rejected alternatives: अपराधी
Original: παραβάτης
Category: Law
One who violates a defined law/boundary (2:18). Must retain the forensic sense of violating a defined legal boundary, not vague general wrongdoing.
Blessing Of Abraham
Approved rendering: अब्राहामको आशीष्
Transliteration: Abrahamko aashish
Doctrine: The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise
Original: εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
The Abrahamic covenant promise extended to believing Gentiles (3:14). Must be distinguished from generic devotional ‘blessing’ language common to Hindu/Buddhist deity- or guru-granted boons (वरदान); here it is a specific, historically-anchored covenant promise.
Scripture
Approved rendering: पवित्रशास्त्र
Transliteration: Pavitrashastra
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Original: ἡ γραφή
Category: Covenant
God-inspired written Scripture, personified as foreseeing and speaking (3:8, 3:22, 4:30). Must be distinguished from Hindu shruti (sage-heard revelation) and Buddhist sutra tradition, both understood very differently from divine authorship through human writers.
Guardian Tutor
Approved rendering: अभिभावक
Transliteration: abhibhawak
Doctrine: The Law’s Purpose
Rejected alternatives: रेखदेख गर्ने
Original: παιδαγωγός
Category: Law
A temporary, custodial child-supervisor (not a modern ‘teacher’), charged with a minor’s discipline until adulthood; the Law’s role until Christ came (3:24-25). Must be clearly distinguished from the ongoing, honored Hindu/Buddhist guru-shishya relationship — this role is explicitly temporary and terminating.
Heir
Approved rendering: उत्तराधिकारी
Transliteration: uttaradhikari
Doctrine: Adoption and Sonship
Original: κληρονόμος
Category: Covenant
One who inherits the Abrahamic promise; believers in Christ regardless of ethnicity, sex, or status (3:29, 4:1, 4:7). Equal inheritance for all believers directly challenges any inheritance-hierarchy analog rooted in traditional Nepali caste-linked custom.
Fullness Of Time
Approved rendering: समयको पूर्णता
Transliteration: samayako purnata
Doctrine: Adoption and Sonship
Original: πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου
Category: Christology
The divinely-appointed, ripe moment in linear salvation history when God sent his Son (4:4). Linear, historical, once-for-all timing, not a recurring auspicious moment within cyclical yuga-cosmology or astrologically-determined timing prominent in Nepali cultural practice.
Jerusalem Above
Approved rendering: स्वर्गीय यरूशलेम
Transliteration: swargiya Yarushalem
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Original: Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἄνω
Category: Eschatology
The heavenly, eschatological Jerusalem, mother of believers, contrasted with earthly Jerusalem under law’s bondage (4:26). Must not be conflated with Hindu/Buddhist merit-based heavenly-realm concepts (svarga, pure lands); a grace-given present spiritual citizenship.
Pillars
Approved rendering: स्तम्भ
Transliteration: stambha
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Original: στῦλοι
Category: Apostleship
Metaphor for foundational, load-bearing church leaders — James, Cephas, and John (2:9). स्तम्भ can also describe physical temple/shrine pillars in Hindu architecture; context must make the leadership metaphor clear.
Faithfulness Virtue
Approved rendering: भरोसायोग्यता
Transliteration: bharosayogyata
Doctrine: Fruit of the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: विश्वासनीयता
Original: πίστις (within the fruit-of-the-Spirit list)
Category: Sanctification
The character quality of faithfulness/reliability, distinct from saving faith, within the fruit-of-the-Spirit list (5:22). Flagged so translators do not conflate saving faith (विश्वास) and this character-virtue sense in this specific list.
Bear Burdens
Approved rendering: एकअर्काका भारी बोक्नु
Transliteration: ekarkaka bhaari boknu
Doctrine: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Original: βαστάζετε τὰ βάρη
Category: Sanctification
Mutual pastoral care expressed as carrying one another’s burdens (6:2). भारी (a porter’s load) is an unusually apt, dignified, positively-resonant image in Nepal’s mountain-portering economy — a cultural asset translators should intentionally draw on.
Present Evil Age
Approved rendering: यो वर्तमान दुष्ट युग
Transliteration: yo vartaman dushta yug
Doctrine: The True Gospel versus False Gospels
Original: ὁ αἰὼν ὁ ἐνεστὼς πονηρός
Category: Eschatology
The apocalyptic ‘present evil age’ from which Christ’s death rescues believers (1:4). Caution: युग is also the Hindu term for cosmic time-cycles (Satya/Kali Yuga); must be clearly bounded as this specific age of sin within Paul’s linear salvation-history frame, never an epoch within an endlessly repeating cosmic cycle.
Low Risk Terms
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: धन्यवाद
Transliteration: dhanyavad
Doctrine: Thanksgiving
Standard term, no significant doctrinal risk. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: सहभागिता
Transliteration: sahabhagita
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: मित्रता
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Shared participation in Christ, not mere social friendship. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Galatians 2:9’s ‘right hand of fellowship’ carries the weight of covenant community formed under Nepal’s history of legal restriction.
Prophet
Approved rendering: अगमवक्ता
Transliteration: agamavakta
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: ज्योतिषी
God’s spokesperson, not an astrologer. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Background term for Old Testament citation practice in Galatians 3.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: अगमवाणी
Transliteration: agamavani
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
God-inspired declaration, distinct from astrological prediction. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation.
David
Approved rendering: दाऊद
Transliteration: Daud
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ (background to σπέρμα argument)
Category: Covenant
Established Nepali Bible proper-name form. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Background to the σπέρμα (seed) argument of Galatians 3.
Exhort
Approved rendering: उत्साहित पार्नु
Transliteration: utsahit parnu
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Context-sensitive encouragement. Inherited from Romans package; enforced without deviation. Background term for Bearing One Another’s Burdens (Galatians 6).
Allegorized
Approved rendering: दृष्टान्तको रूपमा
Transliteration: drishtantako roopma
Doctrine: The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise
Rejected alternatives: अलङ्कारिक रूपमा भनिएको
Original: ἀλληγορούμενα
Category: Covenant
Hermeneutical marker signaling Paul is reading the Hagar/Sarah narrative typologically (4:24). Low doctrinal-collision risk but should signal Paul’s typological reading strategy rather than presenting the narrative as merely literal historical reporting.
Servant Agent
Approved rendering: सेवक
Transliteration: sevak
Doctrine: Paul’s Apostleship
Original: διάκονος
Category: Apostleship
One who serves or acts as a voluntary agent for another (2:17, rhetorical). Distinguish from δοῦλος (दास, owned bond-slave) — διάκονος implies voluntary service/agency, not ownership-bondage.
Referenced passages