Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — James (Koine Greek) for Nepali

Scope and Method

This document analyzes every chapter of James (1–5) in the original Koine Greek. The core passage, James 2:14–26, receives verse-by-verse treatment. Every other chapter (and James 2:1–13, which surrounds but is outside the core passage) receives a chapter-level treatment of every load-bearing theological term.

For each term the following fields are given where applicable: Original (Greek), Transliteration, Literal meaning, Semantic range, English variants, Contextual theological meaning, Nepali rendering & risk.

Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are reused exactly and marked “(baseline term, reused).” New terms required for James are proposed with a risk tier consistent with the baseline’s Critical/High/Medium/Low framework and the doctrine_risk_registry.json risk definitions.

PART 1 — CORE PASSAGE: James 2:14–26 (Verse-by-Verse)

James 2:14

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

ὄφελος (ophelos) — “profit, benefit, use.” Rhetorical: “what use/profit.” Semantic range: material profit → spiritual usefulness. Nepali: “के फायदा” / “के लाभ” (Low risk, plain rhetorical term).
ἀδελφοί (adelphoi) — “brothers.” Kinship term extended to the covenant community. English variants: brothers, brethren. Nepali: भाइहरू (Low risk; standard address for fellow believers throughout James).
πίστις (pistis) — “faith, trust.” Baseline term, reused exactly: विश्वास (vishwas), High risk per baseline. Here the term is used in a bare, unqualified sense — a claimed faith with no accompanying life — which is precisely why James interrogates it. The Nepali rendering must not itself resolve the ambiguity James is deliberately creating; विश्वास is correct and sufficient.
ἔργα (erga) — “works, deeds, actions.” NEW CRITICAL TERM. Literal meaning: things done, deeds. Semantic range: everyday labor → moral/religious conduct → (in Paul) meritorious deeds contrasted with grace. English variants: works, deeds, actions, conduct. Contextual theological meaning: the visible, active outworking of a life, which James argues is the necessary evidence — not the ground — of genuine faith. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): कामहरू (kaamharu) — plural of काम (“work/deed”), a common Indo-Aryan word for ordinary action/task. REJECTED: कर्म (karma) — although etymologically related, कर्म in living Nepali usage names the Hindu/Buddhist doctrine of moral cause-and-effect that determines one’s fate across rebirths (“त्यो उसको कर्म हो” — “that is his karma”). Since this is the theological anchor doctrine of the entire curriculum (Faith and Works), rendering ἔργα as कर्म would relocate the whole of James 2:14–26 inside a karma-merit framework the passage is not describing, and would directly contradict the baseline’s existing prohibition of पुण्य/कर्म-adjacent vocabulary for “grace.” कामहरू must be used throughout the passage without exception.
σῷσαι (sōsai, aorist infinitive of σῴζω, sōzō) — “to save.” Baseline term, reused: उद्धार (uddhar) family, Critical per baseline. Here the verb form (not the noun उद्धार) is used rhetorically — “can that [bare] faith save him?” The theological force of the rhetorical question depends on उद्धार’s full Critical weight: James is not asking about a lesser kind of rescue but about the same eschatological salvation defined in the baseline’s salvation doctrine entry. Render the verb as “बचाउन सक्छ” / “उद्धार गर्न सक्छ,” preserving the soteriological register.

James 2:15

“If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food…”

γυμνοί (gymnoi) — “naked, poorly clothed.” Nepali: नाङ्गो/लुगाबिना (Low risk).
λειπόμενοι τῆς ἐφημέρου τροφῆς (leipomenoi tēs ephēmerou trophēs) — “lacking daily food.” Nepali: दिनहुँको खानाको अभाव (Low risk). Connects to the Favoritism and the Poor doctrine; establishes the concrete, bodily test case for “works.”

James 2:16

“and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but does not give them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?”

ὑπάγετε ἐν εἰρήνῃ (hypagete en eirēnē) — “go in peace.” εἰρήνη reused: शान्ति (shanti), Medium per baseline. Translator caution: here εἰρήνη is used ironically — a hollow verbal blessing with no accompanying material help. The Nepali “शान्तिसाथ जाऊ” must not be softened into a warm, sincere-sounding blessing; the surrounding context (no food, no clothing given) must make the hollowness evident, or a light editorial gloss may be needed.
θερμαίνεσθε καὶ χορτάζεσθε (thermainesthe kai chortazesthe) — “be warmed and filled.” Nepali: तातो होऊ, अघाउञ्जेल खाऊ (Low risk).
ὄφελος — repeated from v.14; same rendering.

James 2:17

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

πίστις — reused विश्वास.
καθ’ ἑαυτήν (kath’ heautēn) — “by itself, alone.” Nepali: आफैमा (Low risk).
ἔργα — reused कामहरू (Critical, see v.14).
νεκρά (nekra) — “dead.” Literal: lifeless, deceased. Semantic range: physically dead → metaphorically inert/ineffective. Nepali: मृत/मरेको (Medium risk). Note: νεκρά here is adjectival and metaphorical (faith described as a corpse), distinct from the baseline’s resurrection vocabulary (पुनरुत्थान). No collision risk with पुनर्जन्म exists at this word, but the translator must ensure “मृत विश्वास” reads as “a faith that is inert/lifeless” and not accidentally suggest that faith itself has literally perished and could be “reincarnated.”

James 2:18

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works’; show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by your works.”

δεῖξόν μοι (deixon moi) — “show me.” Nepali: मलाई देखाऊ (Low risk).
ἐκ τῶν ἔργων (ek tōn ergōn) — “from/by works.” HIGH RISK preposition note. ἐκ (“from, out of”) indicates works as the evidentiary source from which faith becomes visible, not the meritorious cause that produces or constitutes faith. The Nepali preposition chosen (कामहरूबाट, “from works”) must preserve this evidential, not causal-meritorious, relationship. Mistranslating this as “कामहरूद्वारा” in a way that reads as “by means of works [as the cause]” risks a works-righteousness inference that contradicts the baseline’s grace doctrine (अनुग्रह, Critical) and the Faith and Works doctrine’s careful balance.

James 2:19

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

πιστεύεις (pisteueis) — “you believe.” Verb form of πίστις. Nepali: विश्वास गर्छौ (High risk, reused root).
εἷς ὁ Θεός (heis ho Theos) — “God is one.” Θεός reused: परमेश्वर (Parameshwar), Critical per baseline. This affirms strict monotheism — foundational, but James’s point is that even this correct affirmation is insufficient for saving faith.
τὰ δαιμόνια (ta daimonia) — “the demons.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Literal: lesser malevolent spirit-beings. English variants: demons, evil spirits, devils. Nepali rendering & risk (High): दुष्ट आत्माहरू (dushta atmaharu) — “evil spirits.” REJECTED: भूतप्रेत — this is the standard Nepali folk-religious term for ghosts/malevolent spirits associated with shrine exorcism, spirit-possession, and shamanic ritual (dhami-jhankri practice), carrying strong indigenous/animist and Hindu-folk associations distinct from the biblical category of fallen spiritual beings in conscious rebellion against God. दुष्ट आत्माहरू keeps the term within established Christian theological vocabulary and avoids importing the shamanic frame.
φρίσσουσιν (phrissousin) — “shudder, tremble with fear/horror.” Nepali: डरले काम्छन् (Medium risk). Theological point: demons’ “belief” produces terror, not saving trust — a key text distinguishing bare intellectual assent from the personal, relational विश्वास the baseline defines for saving faith (High risk overlap with the Faith doctrine).

James 2:20

“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”

ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ (ō anthrōpe kene) — “O empty/foolish man.” κενός literally “empty, void.” Nepali: ए मूर्ख मानिस (Low-Medium risk; rhetorical address, not a doctrinal term).
πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων νεκρά — repeats vv.17, 26 vocabulary; same renderings apply (विश्वास, कामहरू, मृत).

James 2:21

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?”

Ἀβραάμ (Abraam) — “Abraham.” Established Nepali Bible proper name: अब्राहाम (per the baseline’s transliteration standards document).
ἐδικαιώθη (edikaiōthē, from δικαιόω) — “was justified.” Baseline term family reused: धर्मी ठहराइने कार्य / verb form धर्मी ठहरिनु, Critical per baseline (Justification doctrine). CRITICAL THEOLOGICAL NOTE: This is the most doctrinally sensitive verb in the passage. James’s δικαιόω here describes Abraham being vindicated/demonstrated-righteous before observers through action, complementing — not contradicting — the forensic, faith-alone justification of Romans 3–5 (already fixed in the baseline as धर्मी ठहराइने कार्य, received by faith, apart from works, imputed per आरोपित धार्मिकता). A study/teaching note is REQUIRED wherever this verse is used: James is describing justification’s demonstration before people, not its ground before God. Any rendering that appears to overturn the baseline’s Romans 4 treatment of Abraham (Genesis 15:6, ἐλογίσθη — आरोपित धार्मिकता) must be flagged for human theologian review.
ἐξ ἔργων (ex ergōn) — “by works.” Same evidentiary-preposition note as v.18.
ἀνενέγκας Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον (anenegkas Isaak … epi to thysiastērion) — “having offered up Isaac his son upon the altar.” θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) — “altar,” literally “place of sacrifice.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM. Nepali: वेदी (vedi) — the established Nepali Bible term for the Old Testament sacrificial altar. Medium risk: वेदी is also used generically of Hindu ritual altars/platforms; context (Abraham, Isaac, sacrifice) should sufficiently anchor the reference to the Old Testament sacrificial system, but this passage assumes Old Testament narrative literacy the target audience may lack (per the baseline’s note on low OT literacy) — a brief explanatory gloss on Genesis 22 is recommended in any study material.

James 2:22

“Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”

συνήργει (synērgei, from συνεργέω) — “was working together with, cooperating.” Nepali: सँगै काम गर्‍यो (Medium risk).
ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη (hē pistis eteleiōthē, from τελειόω) — “faith was made perfect/complete/mature.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Literal meaning: brought to its intended end-state, completed, matured — NOT “made righteous” or “made valid.” Semantic range: ripening/maturing (agricultural, moral) → reaching a goal or completeness. English variants: perfected, completed, matured, fulfilled. Contextual theological meaning: faith reaches its full, mature expression through action; works do not constitute or validate faith retroactively, they complete what was already alive. Nepali rendering & risk (High): सिद्ध बनाइयो / पूर्ण भयो (siddha banaiyo / purna bhayo) — “was made complete/perfect.” Caution: must be carefully distinguished from any reading that implies “faith became salvifically effective only once works were added” (a works-merit inference), which would contradict the baseline’s Critical grace doctrine. A translator note explaining this nuance is required for Critical/High risk flagging.

James 2:23

“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.”

ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφή (eplērōthē hē graphē) — “the Scripture was fulfilled.” Connects to the Fulfillment of Prophecy doctrine (High per baseline pattern in Romans). Nepali: धर्मशास्त्र पूरा भयो — CAUTION: the word “धर्मशास्त्र” contains the धर्म root the baseline forbids for righteousness/law contexts. Recommended: पवित्रशास्त्र पूरा भयो (“the Holy Scripture was fulfilled”), consistent with the baseline’s “Inspiration of Scripture” doctrine naming convention (पवित्रशास्त्रको प्रेरणा). Flag High.
ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ (episteusen de Abraam tō Theō) — “Abraham believed God.” Reused विश्वास गर्नु + परमेश्वर.
ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην (elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn) — “it was credited/reckoned to him for righteousness.” EXACT BASELINE MATCH — MUST REUSE VERBATIM: आरोपित धार्मिकता (aropit dharmikata), Critical, quoting Genesis 15:6 identically to Romans 4:3. This is the single most important cross-reference in the whole book: James 2:23 and Romans 4:3 cite the same Old Testament verse, and the Nepali rendering MUST be word-for-word identical across both curricula, per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rules.
φίλος Θεοῦ (philos Theou) — “friend of God.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM. φίλος = “friend,” from the same root (φιλ-) that generates φιλία (“friendship,” James 4:4, “friendship with the world”). Nepali: परमेश्वरका मित्र (Parameshwarka mitra). Note: where possible, retain the same root-word “मित्र/मित्रता” for both this verse and James 4:4’s “friendship with the world” (संसारसँगको मित्रता), preserving James’s deliberate literary contrast between two mutually exclusive friendships. Medium risk; primarily a stylistic/consistency concern, not a doctrinal-collision concern.

James 2:24

“You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”

δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος (dikaioutai anthrōpos) — “a man is justified.” Reused धर्मी ठहरिनु (Critical, see v.21 note).
ἐξ ἔργων … οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον (ex ergōn … ouk ek pisteōs monon) — “by works … not by faith alone.” CRITICAL — HIGHEST-SENSITIVITY VERSE IN THE PASSAGE. This is the verse most likely to be read as contradicting Romans 3:28/5:1 (“justified by faith apart from works,” already fixed in the baseline). Required handling: this segment must carry a mandatory translator/reviewer note explaining that James addresses justification’s visible demonstration before people (a faith that proves itself genuine through action), while Romans addresses justification’s forensic ground before God (received by faith alone, apart from works, per आरोपित धार्मिकता). The Nepali rendering must preserve the surface tension of the Greek (do not soften “not by faith alone” into something weaker) while the accompanying study material resolves the apparent tension theologically. Escalate to human theologian review without exception, per the escalation rules inherited from the baseline instruction set.

James 2:25

“Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?”

Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη (Rhaab hē pornē) — “Rahab the harlot/prostitute.” Nepali: राहाब वेश्या. Low-Medium risk; requires an Old Testament background note (Joshua 2) given the low OT-narrative literacy assumed by the baseline’s tone requirements.
δικαιωθεῖσα (dikaiōtheisa) — “having been justified.” Same rendering/notes as vv.21, 24.
ὑποδεξαμένη τοὺς ἀγγέλους (hypodexamenē tous angelous) — “having received the messengers/spies.” NEW LOW-MEDIUM RISK TERM. Here ἄγγελος means human messengers/spies (Joshua’s scouts), NOT heavenly angels. Nepali rendering & risk: जासूसहरू (jasusharu, “spies”) or समाचारवाहकहरू (samacharvahakharu, “messengers”) — must NOT be rendered स्वर्गदूत (“heavenly messenger/angel”), which would introduce a supernatural element absent from the narrative and confuse readers about the Joshua 2 account.
ἐκβαλοῦσα ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ (ekbalousa hetera hodō) — “sent them out by another way.” Nepali: अर्को बाटोबाट पठाई (Low risk).

James 2:26

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν (to sōma chōris pneumatos nekron) — “the body apart from spirit is dead.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM: πνεῦμα (pneuma) here. Literal meaning: breath, life-breath, animating life-force — NOT the Holy Spirit. Semantic range: wind/breath → human life-breath/spirit → (elsewhere in the NT) the divine Holy Spirit. Contextual theological meaning: James’s illustration is anthropological (a corpse lacks its animating breath/life-principle), not Trinitarian. Nepali rendering & risk (High): प्राण (praan, “life-breath/vital force”) is recommended over आत्मा (atma, “spirit/soul”), specifically to avoid any reader confusion with पवित्र आत्मा (Pavitra Atma), the baseline’s fixed, Critical-risk term for the Holy Spirit. Using आत्मा here risks a reader momentarily supplying “Holy Spirit” into an illustration about a corpse, which would be both confusing and mildly irreverent. प्राण cleanly isolates the ordinary “life-breath” sense.
οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν (houtōs kai hē pistis chōris ergōn nekra estin) — “so also faith without works is dead.” Closing restatement of the passage’s thesis; reused विश्वास, कामहरू, मृत — the same three terms established across the whole unit. This sentence is the single most quotable line of the doctrine “Faith and Works” and should be rendered identically in every downstream document per the baseline’s cross-document consistency rule.

PART 2 — CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER ANALYSIS OF THE WHOLE BOOK

Chapter 1

Address and Trials (1:1–4, 12)

δώδεκα φυλαῖς ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ (dōdeka phylais en tē diaspora) — “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion.” Historical/ethnic reference. Nepali: छिनछरिएका बाह्र कुल (chinchariyeka barha kul). Low risk; background note on Jewish diaspora recommended for OT-literacy reasons.
πειρασμός (peirasmos) — “trial, testing; also temptation.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Literal meaning: a putting to the test. Semantic range: an external testing/trial that produces growth (1:2–4, 12) ↔ an internal temptation to sin, arising from one’s own desire, never from God (1:13–14) — the SAME Greek word covers both senses, and James deliberately plays on this dual sense across the chapter. English variants: trial(s), test(s), temptation(s). Nepali rendering & risk (High): परीक्षा (pariksha) for the “trial/testing” sense (1:2–4, 12) and प्रलोभन (pralobhan) for the “temptation” sense (1:13–14) — two distinct Nepali words are needed to carry the one Greek word’s two senses clearly, and this split must be explained in a translator’s note so downstream readers understand the wordplay is intentional in the Greek. Doctrinal caution: the chapter’s claim that trials, when endured, produce spiritual maturity must not be read through a karma/fate lens (“everything that happens is deserved consequence” or “everything happens for impersonal cosmic reasons”) — it must be anchored in the personal, purposive governance already established in the baseline’s Providence doctrine (परमेश्वरको व्यवस्थापन, High).
δοκίμιον (dokimion) — “the testing/proving [of your faith],” a metallurgical metaphor (like refining metal). Nepali: जाँच/परीक्षण (jaanch/parikshan). Medium risk; reinforces परीक्षा above.
ὑπομονή (hypomonē) — “endurance, perseverance, steadfastness under pressure.” NEW MEDIUM-HIGH RISK TERM (recurs 1:3–4, 5:11). Nepali: सहनशीलता (sahanshilata). Distinguish from μακροθυμία below (Ch.5).
τέλειος … ὁλόκληρος (teleios … holoklēros) — “perfect/mature … complete/whole.” Nepali: सिद्ध … सम्पूर्ण. Medium risk; same τέλειος root as 2:22’s ἐτελειώθη — reinforce consistent rendering (सिद्ध) across the book where this root recurs.

Wisdom, Doubt, Riches (1:5–11)

σοφία (sophia) — “wisdom.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM — anchors the doctrine “Wisdom from Above.” Literal meaning: practical skill/insight for right living, given by God. Semantic range: God-given practical/moral insight (James) ↔ transcendent liberating insight attained through meditative/ascetic practice (Buddhist prajñā, a major concept for Nepal’s Newar and Himalayan Buddhist communities) ↔ Hindu jñāna (liberating knowledge that dissolves ignorance/māyā). English variants: wisdom, insight, understanding. Nepali rendering & risk (High): बुद्धि (buddhi) — the standard, unavoidable Nepali word for wisdom/insight, already assumed by established Nepali Bible tradition. Required clarification: James’s σοφία is (a) requested by simple prayer, not attained through meditation or ascetic discipline; (b) a practical gift for godly conduct, not a liberating metaphysical insight that dissolves the self or ends craving; (c) available to anyone who asks in faith, not reserved for advanced practitioners. A study note distinguishing this from both Hindu jñāna and Buddhist prajñā is required wherever σοφία appears (1:5, 3:13–18).
διακρινόμενος (diakrinomenos) — “doubting, disputing with oneself.” Nepali: शंका गर्दै (shanka gardai). Medium risk.
δίψυχος (dipsychos) — “double-souled, double-minded, inwardly divided.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM (recurs 4:8). Nepali: दोहोरो मनको (dohoro manko), “of a divided/two-fold mind/heart.” Medium risk; must not be confused with double identity/hypocrisy alone — it specifically names instability in trusting God.
ταπείνωσις / πλοῦτος (tapeinōsis / ploutos) — “lowliness/humility” / “riches/wealth.” Nepali: नम्रता / धनसम्पत्ति. Low-Medium risk; sets up the Favoritism and the Poor doctrine developed fully in Ch.2.
στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς (stephanos tēs zōēs) — “the crown of life.” Eschatological reward image. Nepali: जीवनको मुकुट (jivanko mukut). Medium risk; must be read as a promised eschatological reward for enduring trial, not an earned merit-badge (avoid overlap with grace/works tension).

Temptation, Sin, and New Birth (1:13–18)

ἀπείραστός ἐστιν κακῶν (apeirastos estin kakōn) — “[God] cannot be tempted by evil [and does not tempt anyone].” Foundational: God is never the source of temptation. Nepali: परमेश्वर दुष्टताबाट प्रलोभित हुनुहुन्न (High risk; directly guards against any providence-as-fatalism reading where “everything, good or bad, comes equally from God/fate/karma”).
ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) — “desire, craving, lust.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM (recurs 4:1–2). Nepali: अभिलाषा (abhilasha) or कुवासना (kuvasana) for the sinful sense. Medium risk; distinguish from neutral “desire” — context must always mark this as disordered desire.
τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν … ἀποκύει θάνατον (tiktei hamartian … apokyei thanaton) — “[desire] gives birth to sin … [sin] brings forth death.” Birthing metaphor for sin’s genesis. ἁμαρτία reused: पाप (paap), High per baseline. Death: मृत्यु, Low.
πατὴρ τῶν φώτων (patēr tōn phōtōn) — “Father of lights [i.e., of the heavenly luminaries].” πατήρ reused: पिता, Critical per baseline (God as personal Father). Combined term: ज्योतिहरूका पिता. Medium risk per the baseline’s general light-imagery caution (glory entry) — here it plainly refers to God as Creator of sun, moon, and stars, not to a radiance/aura concept, but the combination should be introduced with a brief creation-context gloss.
ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς λόγῳ ἀληθείας (apekyēsen hēmas logō alētheias) — “he brought us forth [gave us birth] by the word of truth.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Literal meaning: a birthing verb (the same root as ἀποκύει above, “give birth to”), here applied positively to God’s begetting believers through the gospel word. Semantic range: this is a ONE-TIME, non-repeatable spiritual birth resulting in a permanent new identity (“firstfruits,” below) — theologically adjacent to (though not verbally identical to) the “born again” language of John 3. Contextual theological meaning: believers are given a wholly new life-origin through God’s truthful word, a singular decisive event. Nepali rendering & risk (High): जन्माउनुभयो (janmaunubhayo), “he birthed/brought forth [us].” CRITICAL CAUTION: this must never be rendered with or associated with पुनर्जन्म (rebirth), the baseline’s forbidden term for the Hindu/Buddhist cycle of repeated rebirths (already forbidden for “resurrection” in the baseline). जन्माउनुभयो describes a single act of spiritual origination, the opposite of a repeating cycle.
ἀπαρχή (aparchē) — “firstfruits.” Nepali: अग्रफल (agraphal) or पहिलो फल (pahilo phal). Medium risk; agricultural/OT sacrificial background needed.

Hearing and Doing the Word; Pure Religion (1:19–27)

βραδὺς εἰς ὀργήν (bradys eis orgēn) — “slow to anger/wrath.” Nepali: रीस गर्नमा ढिलो. Low risk.
ὀργὴ ἀνδρὸς δικαιοσύνην Θεοῦ οὐ κατεργάζεται (orgē andros dikaiosynēn Theou ou katergazetai) — “the anger of man does not produce/work the righteousness of God.” δικαιοσύνη reused exactly: धार्मिकता (dharmikata), Critical per baseline (never धर्म). This is one of the few places outside the core passage where the baseline’s Critical righteousness term recurs — flag High for consistency review.
ἔμφυτον λόγον (emphyton logon) — “the implanted/engrafted word.” NEW MEDIUM-HIGH RISK TERM. Nepali: रोपिएको वचन (ropieko vachan), “the planted/sown word.” Medium-High risk; paired with δυνάμενον σῶσαι τὰς ψυχὰς (“able to save the souls” — σῴζω/उद्धार family, Critical), so the metaphor carries genuine soteriological weight and must not be flattened into a merely educational or self-improvement image.
ποιητὰς λόγου καὶ μὴ ἀκροατὰς μόνον (poiētas logou kai mē akroatas monon) — “doers of the word, and not hearers only.” Nepali: वचनका पालनकर्ता, सुनुवाहरू मात्र होइन. High risk in the sense that it directly anticipates and sets up the core passage’s Faith-and-Works logic — flag for consistency with Ch.2’s कामहरू/विश्वास treatment.
νόμος τέλειος ὁ τῆς ἐλευθερίας (nomos teleios ho tēs eleutherias) — “the perfect law of liberty.” νόμος reused exactly: व्यवस्था (vyavastha), High per baseline (never धर्म). Nepali: स्वतन्त्रताको सिद्ध व्यवस्था. High risk inherited from the baseline’s law entry.
θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος (thrēskeia kathara kai amiantos) — “pure and undefiled religion.” NEW CRITICAL RISK TERM. Literal meaning: cultic/religious observance, external religious practice. Semantic range: ritual religious observance (its most common Greek usage) → (in James) redefined away from ritual toward ethical practice — caring for orphans and widows, moral purity from worldly corruption. Contextual theological meaning: James deliberately relocates “true religious practice” away from cultic performance and toward compassionate action and moral integrity. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): REJECTED: धर्म — although θρησκεία literally means “religion,” rendering it धर्म here would trigger the exact caste/state-dharma collision the baseline forbids for righteousness and law (the 1854 Muluki Ain framed caste hierarchy as national dharma-code). RECOMMENDED: भक्ति (bhakti), used narrowly here in the sense of “devoted religious practice/piety” — NOT as a rendering for “faith” (which remains fixed as विश्वास per baseline). A mandatory disambiguating note is required: this भक्ति is ethical, active, and God-directed (care for the vulnerable, moral purity), not ritual temple devotionalism (पूजा-भक्ति) or Buddhist devotional practice. Escalate to human theologian review.
ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας (orphanous kai chēras) — “orphans and widows.” Nepali: अनाथ र विधवा. Low risk.
ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου (aspilon heauton tērein apo tou kosmou) — “to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” κόσμος (kosmos), “world” — flagged fully under Chapter 4 below, where it becomes doctrinally central (Worldliness versus Friendship with God). Nepali: संसारबाट आफूलाई डागरहित राख्नु. High risk (see Ch.4 note on संसार).

Chapter 2 (verses 1–13; vv.14–26 = core passage, treated in Part 1 above)

προσωποληψία / μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις (prosōpolēpsia) — “partiality, favoritism, respect of persons,” literally “receiving [by] face.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM — anchors the doctrine “Favoritism and the Poor.” Nepali: पक्षपात (pakshapat), the standard Nepali word for bias/favoritism. High risk rationale: Nepal’s Muluki Ain (in force until 1963) formally codified caste-based differential treatment as state law; James 2:1–9’s prohibition of showing favor to the wealthy over the poor within the assembly directly confronts a hierarchy-of-persons logic with deep, concrete social resonance in Nepal. This passage should be treated with the same doctrinal weight as the baseline’s “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” and “Universal Human Accountability” entries.
δόξα (doxa) — “glory.” Baseline term, reused exactly: महिमा (mahima), High per baseline. Here: “the Lord of glory” (2:1) — a Christological title.
πτωχός / πλούσιος (ptōchos / plousios) — “poor” / “rich.” Nepali: गरीब / धनी. Low-Medium risk; central vocabulary for the Favoritism doctrine.
συναγωγή (synagōgē) — “assembly, gathering,” literally “synagogue.” NEW LOW-MEDIUM RISK TERM. Note: James uses συναγωγή, not ἐκκλησία (baseline’s church term, मण्डली), for the Christian gathering in 2:2 — a detail reflecting James’s very early, Jewish-Christian setting. Nepali rendering: सभा (sabha), “assembly/gathering,” preserving the distinction from मण्डली (reserved for ἐκκλησία, used later in 5:14). Flag for translator awareness only; not independently doctrinally risky.
ἐξελέξατο ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πτωχοὺς (exelexato ho Theos tous ptōchous) — “God has chosen the poor.” ἐκλέγομαι connects to the baseline’s Election entry: परमेश्वरको छनोट (Parameshwarko chhanot), High per baseline. Nepali: परमेश्वरले गरीबहरूलाई छान्नुभयो. High risk inherited; must preserve sovereign, gracious choice, not merit-based reward for poverty itself.
κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας (klēronomous tēs basileias) — “heirs of the kingdom.” βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ connects to baseline: परमेश्वरको राज्य, Medium per baseline.
νόμος βασιλικός (nomos basilikos) — “the royal law” (love of neighbor). νόμος reused: व्यवस्था, High per baseline. Nepali: राजकीय व्यवस्था. High risk inherited; note that “royal” here describes the law’s supreme dignity (from the King), and must not be confused with Nepal’s own historical royal/state-law associations (Muluki Ain) — the opposite point is being made: this law overturns social hierarchy rather than codifying it.
ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν (agapēseis ton plēsion sou hōs seauton) — “you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Nepali: तिमीले आफ्नो छिमेकीलाई आफूलाई जस्तै प्रेम गर (Medium risk; foundational ethical command, low doctrinal-collision risk but high pastoral weight).
ἔλεος (eleos) — “mercy.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM (recurs 3:17, 5:11). Nepali: दया (daya), the standard Nepali Christian term for mercy/compassion. Medium risk; distinguish lightly from करुणा (karuna), the classical Buddhist term for compassion arising from meditative insight into suffering — दया, by contrast, names a relational disposition flowing from a personal God, not a meditative attainment.
κρίσις ἀνέλεος τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος (krisis aneleos tō mē poiēsanti eleos) — “judgment without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.” Nepali: दया नदेखाउनेलाई दयाविना इन्साफ. Medium risk.

Chapter 3

διδάσκαλοι (didaskaloi) — “teachers.” Nepali: शिक्षकहरू (shikshakharu). Low-Medium risk; distinguish from a guru/lama-style spiritual-master role (consistent with the baseline’s Apostleship doctrine caution).
κρίμα (krima) — “judgment, verdict.” Nepali: इन्साफ/न्याय. Low risk.
γλῶσσα (glōssa) — “tongue.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM — anchors the doctrine “Taming the Tongue.” Nepali: जिब्रो (jibro), the plain, standard word for the physical tongue, used metaphorically for speech throughout the chapter. Low-Medium risk on its own, but High risk in combination with the imagery below.
χαλιναγωγῆσαι (chalinagōgēsai) — “to bridle, to control [as with a horse’s bit].” Nepali: लगाम लगाउने / काबूमा राख्ने. Low-Medium risk; vivid equestrian metaphor, culturally accessible.
πηδάλιον / χαλινός (pēdalion / chalinos) — “ship’s rudder” / “horse’s bit.” Nepali: डुङ्गाको लगाम/स्टेरिङ / लगाम. Low risk; illustrative imagery.
πῦρ / ὕλην (pyr / hylēn) — “fire” / “forest, [combustible] material.” Nepali: आगो / जंगल. Low risk.
φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης (phlogizomenē hypo tēs geennēs) — “set on fire by hell/Gehenna.” NEW CRITICAL RISK TERM. Literal meaning: Gehenna, originally the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, in Jewish and NT usage the place/state of final divine judgment/eternal punishment. Semantic range: a specific, once-for-all place of final judgment following the resurrection and last judgment (biblical) ↔ नरक (Naraka), the multi-tiered, temporary Hindu/Buddhist hell-realm through which a soul passes and from which it eventually re-emerges into a new rebirth according to karma — a fundamentally different cosmology (cyclical, temporary, karma-adjusted) from the biblical Gehenna (linear, final, following bodily resurrection). English variants: hell, Gehenna, the fire of judgment. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): established Nepali Bible tradition uses नरक (narak) for Gehenna/hell throughout the New Testament, and this document does not propose displacing that established convention. However, this collision is severe enough to require a MANDATORY clarifying note wherever नरक appears (here and in any future James study material): biblical नरक/Gehenna is final and everlasting, entered once after judgment, not a temporary station within an ongoing cycle of rebirths. This parallels — and should cross-reference — the baseline’s existing Critical treatment of पुनरुत्थान vs. पुनर्जन्म. Escalate to human theologian review every occurrence.
ἀκατάσχετον κακόν … ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου (akataschetos kakos … ios thanatēphoros) — “an unrestrainable evil … full of deadly poison.” Nepali: वशमा नआउने खराबी … मृत्युदायी विष. Low-Medium risk; vivid imagery, no major collision.
καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας (kath’ homoiōsin Theou gegonotas) — “[people] made in the likeness of God” (3:9). NEW HIGH RISK TERM — foundational imago Dei doctrine, not present in the Romans baseline but essential to James. Nepali: परमेश्वरको स्वरूपमा बनाइएका (Parameshwarko swaroopma banaieka). High risk rationale: James applies this truth to argue that cursing any human being — including social inferiors — is an offense against God’s own image-bearers. This directly undercuts caste-based human hierarchy in a way closely paralleling the baseline’s “Universal Human Accountability” and “Unity of Jews and Gentiles” entries; flag for the same category of theological/cultural sensitivity.
σοφία ἄνωθεν (sophia anōthen) — “wisdom from above.” σοφία reused (High, see Ch.1); combined with ἄνωθεν (anōthen), “from above.” Nepali: माथिबाटको बुद्धि (mathibatko buddhi). High risk inherited; this phrase is the doctrinal title term for “Wisdom from Above” and must be rendered consistently across all James materials.
σοφία ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης (sophia epigeios, psychikē, daimoniōdēs) — “earthly, unspiritual [soulish], demonic [wisdom].” NEW CRITICAL RISK TERM (the negative counterpart to wisdom from above). Nepali: पृथ्वीको बुद्धि, शरीरिक/सांसारिक बुद्धि, दुष्टात्मासम्बन्धी बुद्धि. Critical risk: this triad names a counterfeit wisdom that must be sharply distinguished from any Nepali reader’s positive cultural associations with meditative or ascetic insight — δαιμονιώδης (“demonic”) in particular requires the same दुष्ट आत्मा vocabulary fixed at 2:19, not भूतप्रेत folk vocabulary.
ἁγνή, εἰρηνική, ἐπιεικής, εὐπειθής, μεστὴ ἐλέους καὶ καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀδιάκριτος, ἀνυπόκριτος (3:17) — “pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, without hypocrisy.” Virtue list. εἰρηνική reused: शान्तिपूर्ण (from baseline शान्ति); ἔλεος reused: दया (see Ch.2); others new, Low-Medium risk, standard ethical vocabulary: शुद्ध, कोमल, आज्ञाकारी, असल फलले भरिपूर्ण, पक्षपातरहित, कपटरहित.
καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται (karpos dikaiosynēs en eirēnē speiretai) — “the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace.” δικαιοσύνη reused: धार्मिकता (Critical); εἰρήνη reused: शान्ति (Medium). High-risk combination for consistency review, since both baseline Critical/Medium terms recur together here.

Chapter 4

πόλεμοι, μάχαι … ἡδοναί (polemoi, machai … hēdonai) — “wars, fights … pleasures [that war within].” Nepali: लडाइँ, झगडा … भोगविलास. Low-Medium risk; sets up the worldliness discussion.
κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε (kakōs aiteisthe) — “you ask wrongly/amiss.” Nepali: खराब किसिमले माग्छौ. Low risk; connects to the Prayer doctrine’s proper-motive theme (paired with Ch.5’s prayer material).
μοιχαλίδες (moichalides) — “adulteresses.” Used here metaphorically for spiritual unfaithfulness to God. Nepali: व्यभिचारिणीहरू. Medium risk; must be read metaphorically, following covenant-unfaithfulness imagery already present in OT prophetic literature, not merely as a literal accusation.
φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν (philia tou kosmou echthra tou Theou estin) — “friendship with the world is enmity with God.” NEW CRITICAL RISK TERM PAIR — anchors the doctrine “Worldliness versus Friendship with God.”
- κόσμος (kosmos) — “world.” Literal meaning: the ordered universe; by extension, human society organized in rebellion against God, its value-systems and desires. CRITICAL COLLISION: the standard, unavoidable Nepali rendering, संसार (sansara), is also the exact Sanskrit/Nepali technical term for the Hindu/Buddhist cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) — the very reality from which Hindu मोक्ष/मुक्ति and Buddhist निर्वाण offer liberation (both already forbidden in the baseline’s salvation entry for unrelated reasons). Using संसार for κόσμος is unavoidable — it is the established rendering throughout the Nepali Bible (e.g., “God so loved the संसार,” John 3:16) — but this passage’s central claim, that “friendship with संसार is enmity with परमेश्वर,” risks being heard by a Nepali reader through a samsara-escape framework (“detach from the cycle of worldly existence to attain liberation”) rather than James’s actual meaning (reject the value-system of a world in active rebellion against a personal God, while still living fully within it, in relationship with him). Required clarifying note wherever this phrase appears, cross-referenced to the baseline’s existing सामाजिक/salvation-doctrine cautions. Escalate to human theologian review.
- φιλία (philia) — “friendship, affectionate attachment.” Same root as φίλος (2:23, “friend of God”). Nepali: मित्रता (mitrata), matching 2:23’s मित्र for deliberate literary contrast: one cannot be मित्र (friend) of both परमेश्वर and संसार. High risk for consistency; Medium risk independently.
- ἔχθρα (echthra) — “hostility, enmity.” Nepali: वैरभाव/शत्रुता. Low-Medium risk.
τὸ πνεῦμα … ἐπιποθεῖ (to pneuma … epipothei, 4:5) — “the spirit… yearns/longs jealously.” A textually and interpretively disputed clause (human spirit vs. Holy Spirit). Nepali translators should preserve the ambiguity rather than resolving it; flag High risk for native-speaker/theologian review given the potential confusion with पवित्र आत्मा (Critical baseline term) if wrongly disambiguated.
ὁ Θεὸς … ταπεινοῖς δίδωσι χάριν (ho Theos … tapeinois didōsi charin) — “God gives grace to the humble.” χάρις reused exactly: अनुग्रह (anugraha), Critical per baseline. High risk inherited: must preserve the unmerited-favor sense against Nepal’s shared Hindu/Buddhist merit (पुण्य) framework, precisely per the baseline’s existing grace-doctrine caution.
ὑποτάγητε … ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ (hypotagēte … antistēte de tō diabolō) — “submit [to God] … resist the devil.” διάβολος (diabolos) — NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Nepali: शैतान (Shaitan), the established, transliterated Nepali Christian term for the personal devil, consistent with the pan-South Asian Christian tradition. Distinguish from generic evil-spirit vocabulary (दुष्ट आत्मा, used for demons collectively) — शैतान names the singular personal adversary. Medium-High risk; flag if translators substitute a folk-religious term for a malevolent spirit-being instead of शैतान.
ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ (eggisate tō Theō) — “draw near to God.” Nepali: परमेश्वरको नजिक जाओ. Low-Medium risk.
ἁγνίσατε καρδίας (hagnisate kardias) — “purify [your] hearts.” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM. ἁγνίζω (“to purify,” moral/chastity sense) is a different root from ἅγιος (baseline’s “holy,” पवित्र, moral/relational set-apartness). Nepali: हृदय शुद्ध पार्ने. Medium risk of conflation with पवित्र-family vocabulary; contextually low doctrinal stakes since both ultimately describe moral purification before God, not ritual purification.
δίψυχοι (dipsychoi) — “double-minded [ones].” Reused from 1:8; same rendering, दोहोरो मनको.
νομοθέτης (nomothetēs) — “lawgiver.” νόμος-family reused: व्यवस्था. Nepali: व्यवस्थादाता (vyavasthadata). High risk inherited from law entry (never धर्म-रचयिता or similar).
Ἐὰν ὁ Κύριος θελήσῃ (ean ho Kyrios thelēsē) — “if the Lord wills.” Κύριος reused exactly: प्रभु (prabhu), Critical per baseline. Connects to the baseline’s Providence doctrine (परमेश्वरको व्यवस्थापन). Nepali: यदि प्रभुको इच्छा भयो भने. High risk inherited; must convey personal, purposive divine will, not fatalistic भाग्य/कर्मको नियम, exactly per the baseline’s existing providence caution.

Chapter 5

μακροθυμήσατε … τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου (makrothymēsate … tēn parousian tou Kyriou) — “be patient … until the coming [Parousia] of the Lord.” NEW CRITICAL RISK TERM PAIR — anchors the doctrine “Patience and the Lord’s Return.”
- παρουσία (parousia) — “arrival, presence, [technical NT term for] the visible, personal, glorious return of Christ.” Semantic range: ordinary “arrival/presence” (secular Greek) → the fixed NT eschatological technical term for Christ’s second coming. Contextual theological meaning: a specific, future, personal, bodily return of Jesus Christ, not a vague spiritual “presence” or a cyclical cosmic renewal. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): प्रभुको आगमन (Prabhuko aagaman), “the Lord’s coming/arrival,” using प्रभु (baseline Critical term). Must not be softened into generic “God’s presence [felt now]” language; the eschatological, future, one-time, visible-return sense must be preserved, given James explicitly links it to a farmer’s patient, time-bound waiting (5:7–8) — a linear, historical framework, not a cyclical one.
- μακροθυμία / μακροθυμήσατε (makrothymia) — “patience, long-suffering, forbearance [especially toward people/circumstances over time].” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM, distinct from ὑπομονή (1:3–4, “endurance under trial,” already Medium-High above). Nepali: धैर्य (dhairya), “patience.” Recommend consistently using सहनशीलता for ὑπομονή and धैर्य for μακροθυμία across all James materials to preserve this distinction.
πρώϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον [ὑετόν] (prōimon kai opsimon hyeton) — “the early and the late/latter rain.” Agricultural image for patient waiting. Nepali: पहिलो र पछिल्लो वर्षा. Low risk.
στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας (stērixate tas kardias) — “establish/strengthen your hearts.” Nepali: आफ्ना हृदय स्थिर पार (Low-Medium risk).
ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν (ho kritēs pro tōn thyrōn hestēken) — “the judge stands at the door.” Nepali: न्यायकर्ता ढोकैमा उभिनुभएको छ (Medium risk; reinforces imminence of the Parousia).
οἱ προφῆται … ὑπομονὴν Ἰώβ (hoi prophētai … hypomonēn Iōb) — “the prophets … the patience/endurance of Job.” προφήτης reused exactly: अगमवक्ता, Low per baseline. ὑπομονή reused (Medium-High, see Ch.1). Nepali: अगमवक्ताहरू … अय्यूबको सहनशीलता. Low-Medium risk; OT background note recommended (Job’s story is likely unfamiliar).
μὴ ὀμνύετε (mē omnyete) — “do not swear [oaths].” NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM. Nepali: कसम नखाओ (kasam nakhao). Medium risk; a concrete ethical prohibition (against invoking heaven, earth, or any object as a guarantee of truthfulness) that intersects with common Nepali speech habits of invoking deities or sacred objects (“भगवानको नाममा” / “देवीको नाममा”) in oath-taking — the passage’s positive alternative (“let your yes be yes”) should be framed as a call to simple, transparent honesty rather than merely a prohibition on religious language.
ψάλλω (psallō) — “to sing psalms/hymns.” Nepali: भजन गाउने (bhajan gaune). CAUTION (Low-Medium): भजन is also the standard Hindu devotional term for devotional hymn-singing (bhajan-kirtan tradition); in established Nepali Christian usage भजन is already widely and safely used for Christian hymns/worship songs, so this is a low-risk, already-normalized usage, but worth a brief note for translators new to the tradition.
πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας (presbyterous tēs ekklēsias) — “elders of the church.” ἐκκλησία reused exactly: मण्डली, Medium per baseline. πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros) — NEW MEDIUM RISK TERM. Nepali: मण्डलीका एल्डरहरू / प्राचीनहरू (mandalika elder-haru / pracheenharu). Recommend एल्डर, the established transliterated church-polity term already in common use among Nepali evangelical congregations, or प्राचीन (“elder/senior one”) if a fully Nepali term is preferred; either is acceptable but should be fixed and used consistently. Avoid generic अगुवा (leader), which under-specifies the office.
ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου (aleipsantes auton elaiō en tō onomati tou Kyriou) — “having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM. Literal meaning: applying oil, a common ancient near-eastern medicinal and consecratory practice. Nepali rendering & risk (High): REJECTED — अभिषेक (abhishek). अभिषेक is the established Nepali/Hindi term for formal ritual anointing/consecration — used specifically for the ceremonial bathing and anointing of temple murtis (idols) and, within living memory, for the Shah-dynasty royal coronation rites tied to the king’s avatar status (the same royal-consecration complex already flagged Critical in the baseline’s Incarnation entry for अवतार). Using अभिषेक here would import both idol-consecration and royal-avatar-consecration associations into a simple act of pastoral care for the sick. RECOMMENDED: तेल लगाउने / तेल दलाउने (tel lagaune / tel dalaune), “applying/rubbing oil,” a plain, non-ritualized phrase that preserves the practice without importing consecration-ritual associations. Escalate to human theologian review given the incarnation/avatar-adjacent collision risk.
σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα … ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος (sōsei ton kamnonta … egerei auton ho Kyrios, 5:15) — “will save/heal the sick one … the Lord will raise him up.” CRITICAL DUAL-TERM NOTE — anchors the doctrine “Prayer and Healing.”
- σῴζω (sōzō) here means physical healing/restoration to health, not eternal salvation, though it is the identical Greek verb underlying the baseline’s Critical उद्धार (salvation) doctrine. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): this occurrence MUST be rendered निको हुनु / निको पार्नु (niko hunu/niko parnu), “to become well/be healed,” and must NOT be rendered with उद्धार, which is reserved exclusively for eternal, spiritual salvation per the baseline’s Critical instruction. Using उद्धार here would wrongly suggest that the prayer of faith always guarantees eternal salvation through physical healing, collapsing two distinct doctrines.
- ἐγείρω (egeirō), “raise up,” here means being raised up from a sickbed (physical recovery), not the baseline’s Critical resurrection doctrine (πυनरुत्थान). Nepali rendering: उठाउनुहुनेछ (uthaunuhunecha), “will raise/lift up,” NOT पुनरुत्थान, which must be reserved for Christ’s bodily resurrection from death per the baseline.
ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ (aphethēsetai autō) — “it will be forgiven him [sins].” Nepali: त्यो क्षमा हुनेछ / माफ हुनेछ. Medium-Low risk. Straightforward forgiveness language — distinct from, and simpler than, the baseline’s compound justification phrase (धर्मी ठहराइने कार्य), which must never be abbreviated to माफी alone; this verse, by contrast, genuinely is about ordinary forgiveness of sins and माफी/क्षमा is appropriate here.
ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας (exomologeisthe allēlois tas hamartias, 5:16) — “confess your sins to one another.” NEW HIGH RISK TERM — anchors the doctrine “Confession and Restoration.” Literal meaning: to acknowledge fully, openly agree/admit. Contextual theological meaning: voluntary, mutual, horizontal confession among believers for the sake of healing and restored fellowship — not a sacramental, priestly, one-directional confession (as in the Roman Catholic auricular confession tradition), and not a public shaming ritual or a guru-directed disclosure/penance practice. Nepali rendering & risk (High): आपसमा पाप स्वीकार गर्ने (aapasma paap swikar garne), “to acknowledge/confess sins to one another.” Required clarifying note: this is mutual, among equals, for restoration — distinct from institutional absolution and from any Hindu/Buddhist practice of confession/penance before a guru or ritual specialist.
δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη (deēsis dikaiou energoumenē) — “the prayer of a righteous person, being worked/operative.” δίκαιος reused: धार्मिक, adjectival form of the Critical baseline righteousness term. High risk inherited.
Ἠλίας (Ēlias) — “Elijah.” Established proper name: एलिया. Low risk; OT background note recommended.
ἐπιστρέψῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου, καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν (5:19–20) — “turns a sinner back from the error of his way, [will] save a soul from death, [will] cover a multitude of sins.” CRITICAL PAIRED CONTRAST WITH 5:15. Here σῴζω ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτου (“save a soul from death”) almost certainly IS the soteriological salvation sense — rescuing a wandering sinner’s soul from spiritual death by restoring them — in deliberate contrast to 5:15’s physical-healing use of the identical verb. Nepali rendering & risk (Critical): this instance SHOULD use उद्धार vocabulary (or minimally “प्राण/जीवनलाई मृत्युबाट बचाउने,” with a note flagging the soteriological weight), explicitly distinguished from 5:15’s निको पार्नु. A mandatory glossary note is required explaining that James 5 contains two grammatically identical uses of σῴζω with two theologically distinct senses (healing v.15; salvation v.20), and Nepali must render them with two different terms even though English translations sometimes use “save” for both.

Summary of New Critical/High Risk Terms Introduced by James (Not in Romans Baseline)

Term	Nepali	Risk	Chapter
ἔργα (works)	कामहरू	Critical	2 (core)
δικαιόω James-sense (justified/vindicated)	धर्मी ठहरिनु + note	Critical	2 (core)
τελειόω (faith perfected)	सिद्ध बनाइयो	High	2 (core)
τὰ δαιμόνια (demons)	दुष्ट आत्माहरू	High	2 (core)
πνεῦμα as life-breath (2:26)	प्राण	High	2 (core)
πειρασμός (trial/temptation)	परीक्षा / प्रलोभन	High	1
σοφία (wisdom)	बुद्धि	High	1, 3
θρησκεία (religion)	भक्ति (narrow sense)	Critical	1
ἀπεκύησεν (birthed us)	जन्माउनुभयो	High	1
προσωποληψία (favoritism)	पक्षपात	High	2
γέεννα (Gehenna/hell)	नरक + note	Critical	3
καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ (God’s likeness)	परमेश्वरको स्वरूपमा बनाइएका	High	3
σοφία ψυχική/δαιμονιώδης (demonic wisdom)	दुष्टात्मासम्बन्धी बुद्धि	Critical	3
κόσμος (world) + φιλία τοῦ κόσμου	संसार / मित्रता	Critical	4
διάβολος (devil)	शैतान	High	4
παρουσία (Lord’s coming)	प्रभुको आगमन	Critical	5
ἀλείφω ἐλαίῳ (anoint with oil)	तेल लगाउने (not अभिषेक)	High	5
σῴζω healing-sense (5:15) vs salvation-sense (5:20)	निको पार्नु vs उद्धार	Critical	5
ἐξομολογέω (confess to one another)	आपसमा पाप स्वीकार गर्ने	High	5

Every risk assignment above must route through the review process defined in the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json risk definitions and the 12_ai_translation_requirements.md escalation rules once those documents are extended for James in a later Phase 1 step.

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