Semantic Analysis — Mark (English → Nepali)

Scope and Method

This document analyzes the Gospel of Mark in the original Koine Greek, chapter 1 through chapter 16, for the purpose of building Nepali translation requirements consistent with the baseline Romans Language Package (translation_memory.json, bible_term_registry.json, doctrine_risk_registry.json). Terms already established in the baseline are reused exactly and marked “(reuse)” below. New terms required by Mark’s distinct narrative-Gospel content are analyzed fresh and assigned risk tiers using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework.

The core passage, Mark 10:35–45, receives full verse-by-verse treatment first. The remaining chapters (1–9, 10 outside the core verses, 11–16) follow in canonical order. A chapter that contributes no new load-bearing vocabulary states this explicitly and cross-references the terms it reuses.

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PART A — Core Passage: Mark 10:35–45 (Verse-by-Verse)

Mark 10:35

“And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.’”

Teacher

• Original: διδάσκαλε (vocative of διδάσκαλος)
• Transliteration: didaskale (root: didaskalos)
• Literal meaning: “one who teaches/instructs”
• Semantic range: teacher, instructor, master; a respectful address roughly equivalent to “Rabbi”
• English variants: Teacher, Master, Rabbi
• Contextual theological meaning: The disciples address Jesus with a title of honor that, dramatically, under-reads his identity — they approach the Suffering Servant with a request fit for an earthly patron, setting up the irony central to Mark’s Messianic Secret motif.
• Nepali rendering & risk: गुरु (guru). Risk: High. गुरु is the natural, warm Nepali address for a respected teacher and the established rendering for “Teacher/Rabbi” addressed to Jesus in the Gospels. However, गुरु carries independent, heavy religious weight in Nepal’s dominant traditions — the Hindu guru-shishya paramparā (lineage of spiritual masters) and the Tibetan Buddhist guru-lama tradition both use this exact word for a living human master who may be one of many in a succession. Every occurrence addressing Jesus as गुरु must be anchored to his unique, ultimate authority, never read as one guru among a lineage of equally valid masters.

Mark 10:36

No new load-bearing term (θέλεις, “you wish” — ordinary vocabulary).

Mark 10:37

“And they said to him, ‘Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.’”

Glory

• Original: δόξα (dative δόξῃ)
• Transliteration: doxa
• Literal meaning: “glory, splendor, honor, radiance”
• Semantic range: visible manifestation of majesty/honor; God’s glory; the future glory of Christ’s kingdom; human honor
• English variants: glory, splendor, honor
• Contextual theological meaning: James and John desire proximity to Christ’s future eschatological enthronement-glory without grasping that this glory is reached only through the cross — glory and suffering are inseparably joined in Mark’s narrative logic.
• Nepali rendering & risk: महिमा (mahima) — reused exactly from baseline Romans TM. Risk: High (per baseline). Avoid any light/radiance phrasing that could echo Kathmandu Valley Tantric divine-radiance imagery.

Right hand / left hand (positions of honor)

• Original: δεξιῶν / ἀριστερῶν
• Transliteration: dexiōn / aristerōn
• Literal meaning: “of the right (side)” / “of the left (side)”
• Semantic range: literal spatial position; idiomatically, the places of highest honor beside a king or ruler in an ancient royal court
• English variants: right hand, left hand, places of honor
• Contextual theological meaning: James and John request the two most honored seats in Christ’s coming reign, revealing a court-hierarchy expectation of the kingdom that Jesus will overturn in vv.43–45.
• Nepali rendering & risk: दायाँ / देब्रे। Risk: Low. Render literally; no significant cultural collision, but should not be embellished with royal-court vocabulary that overstates a this-worldly, dynastic reading of the kingdom (cf. Kingdom of God, baseline note on Nepal’s former monarchy).

Mark 10:38

“Jesus said to them, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?’”

Cup

• Original: ποτήριον
• Transliteration: potērion
• Literal meaning: “drinking vessel, cup”
• Semantic range: a literal cup; in OT idiom (Ps 75:8; Isa 51:17,22; Jer 25:15–28) a metaphor for one’s divinely appointed portion — most often God’s wrath/judgment, or a person’s appointed lot of suffering
• English variants: cup, portion, lot
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus designates “the cup” as his appointed suffering and death, the Father’s will he must drink fully (cf. Mark 14:36); James and John are asked whether they can share not the throne but the suffering that precedes it.
• Nepali rendering & risk: कचौरा (kachaura). Risk: Medium-High. As a plain vessel-word, कचौरा carries no inherent religious loading, but the OT metaphorical sense (a divinely apportioned cup of suffering/judgment) is not native Nepali idiom and must be supplied by context or note. A secondary risk: avoid vocabulary suggesting a ritual offering/libation vessel (as used in Hindu puja or Buddhist offering rites), which would misdirect the image toward ritual sacrifice rather than personal appointed suffering.

Baptism / to be baptized

• Original: βάπτισμα (noun) / βαπτίζομαι (passive verb)
• Transliteration: baptisma / baptizomai (root baptizō)
• Literal meaning: “immersion, dipping” (from βάπτω, “to dip, plunge”)
• Semantic range: literal ritual water immersion (John’s baptism, Christian baptism); figurative overwhelming/immersion in suffering or calamity (as here)
• English variants: baptism, immersion, washing
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus extends “baptism” metaphorically to mean being overwhelmed by suffering and death, in parallel with “cup.” James and John will indeed later suffer for Christ (James was martyred, Acts 12:2), but their request for glory is answered with a promise of suffering — the cross-before-glory pattern that defines Mark’s Gospel.
• Nepali rendering & risk: बप्तिस्मा (baptisma) — established transliterated loanword throughout Nepali Christian usage. Risk: High. Safe and stable for the literal sacramental sense, but its metaphorical extension here (immersion in suffering, unrelated to the water rite) is not self-evident in Nepali and requires contextual clarification or a translator’s note; otherwise readers may assume a literal reference to the sacrament.

Mark 10:39

No new load-bearing term (δύνασθε, “you are able” — ordinary vocabulary; cup/baptism repeated, see v.38).

Mark 10:40

“…but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

Prepared

• Original: ἡτοίμασται (perfect passive of ἑτοιμάζω)
• Transliteration: hētoimastai (root hetoimazō)
• Literal meaning: “has been made ready, prepared”
• Semantic range: to prepare, make ready, arrange beforehand
• English variants: prepared, appointed, arranged
• Contextual theological meaning: The passive verb (a “divine passive”) implies the Father’s sovereign, prior determination of who receives places of honor — introducing providence/election without Jesus claiming personal authority to grant status by favoritism.
• Nepali rendering & risk: तयार पारिएको / प्रबन्ध गरिएको (tayar pariyeko / prabandha gariyeko). Risk: Medium. Must avoid any wording suggesting भाग्य (fate) or कर्मको नियम (the law of karma), per the baseline’s Providence entry (परमेश्वरको व्यवस्थापन); render as the forethought of a personal God, not an impersonal predetermined destiny.

Mark 10:41

No new load-bearing term (ἠγανάκτησαν, “began to be indignant” — ordinary narrative emotion vocabulary).

Mark 10:42

”…You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.”

Lord it over (rulers of the Gentiles)

• Original: κατακυριεύουσιν (κατακυριεύω)
• Transliteration: katakyrieuousin (root katakyrieuō)
• Literal meaning: “to lord over, dominate” (κατά, “down/against” + κυριεύω, “to rule as lord,” from κύριος, “lord”)
• Semantic range: to exercise oppressive, coercive dominance over someone; used negatively of self-serving human rule
• English variants: lord it over, dominate, tyrannize
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus contrasts worldly rulers’ coercive exercise of power with the self-giving pattern he defines in v.45. The compound shares the κύριος (“lord”) root elsewhere reserved for Christ’s own exclusive Lordship (Mark 1:3, 5:19, 11:3), producing deliberate irony — worldly “lords” abuse a lordship that Christ alone rightly holds, and holds through service.
• Nepali rendering & risk: शासन गर्छन् / हुकुम चलाउँछन् (shasan garchhan / hukum chalauchhan). Risk: High. CRITICAL RENDERING NOTE: must never use any word built on the प्रभु root reserved for Christ’s Lordship (baseline “lord” entry). If a translator mirrors the Greek wordplay with a प्रभु-cognate, it would wrongly imply that oppressive worldly domination and Christ’s unique saving Lordship (प्रभु, Romans 10:9 — येशू प्रभु हुनुहुन्छ) share moral character. Use a lexically distinct, ordinary word for worldly political domination.

Great ones exercise authority over them

• Original: κατεξουσιάζουσιν (κατεξουσιάζω), from κατά + ἐξουσιάζω (root ἐξουσία, “authority”)
• Transliteration: katexousiazousin (root katexousiazō)
• Literal meaning: “to exercise authority down upon, to hold power over”
• Semantic range: to exercise (often coercive) authority/control over subordinates
• English variants: exercise authority over, dominate, rule over
• Contextual theological meaning: Parallels κατακυριεύουσιν; worldly greatness is measured by the degree of control exerted over others — the inversion of the greatness Jesus defines in vv.43–44.
• Nepali rendering & risk: अधिकार जनाउँछन् / हुकुम गर्छन्। Risk: Medium. Since अधिकार (adhikar, “authority”) is also the natural, positive rendering for Jesus’ own legitimate authority (ἐξουσία, e.g., 1:22, 2:10, 11:28), translators must select verb phrasing here that clearly marks this as illegitimate self-serving misuse, distinct from authority sourced in God the Father.

Mark 10:43–44

“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.”

Great

• Original: μέγας
• Transliteration: megas
• Literal meaning: “great, large, important”
• Semantic range: physical greatness/size; social importance, rank, status
• English variants: great, important, greatest
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus redefines “greatness” within the kingdom community entirely by the criterion of self-giving service, reversing conventional social hierarchy — a direct statement of the “Servanthood versus Worldly Greatness” doctrine.
• Nepali rendering & risk: महान् (mahan). Risk: Medium. Standard word for greatness of status/character. Must be paired consistently with सेवक (servant) to preserve the deliberate paradox.

Servant

• Original: διάκονος
• Transliteration: diakonos
• Literal meaning: “one who serves/waits at table”; root sense of attending to another’s needs, often menial table-service
• Semantic range: household servant/attendant; later a formal Christian ministry office (cf. Rom 16:1, Phoebe as διάκονος); one who serves another’s needs at personal cost
• English variants: servant, minister, deacon, one who serves
• Contextual theological meaning: In 10:43 and 9:35, Jesus makes voluntary servanthood — not achieved status — the defining mark of kingdom greatness, embodied supremely in his own mission (v.45).
• Nepali rendering & risk: सेवक (sevak). Risk: High. सेवा/सेवक is the necessary and natural Nepali rendering, already established in Nepali Christian ministry vocabulary. However, सेवा carries deep independent devotional resonance in Hindu bhakti tradition (guru-seva, temple seva, seva as meritorious religious offering) and in South Asian honor-culture (service rendered to a superior as social duty). Every occurrence in Mark must be anchored to Christ’s own voluntary, cross-shaped model of service (v.45) — never read as merit-generating ritual devotion or caste-linked servile duty.

First

• Original: πρῶτος
• Transliteration: prōtos
• Literal meaning: “first, foremost, chief”
• Semantic range: numerical first; positional/social preeminence
• English variants: first, chief, foremost
• Contextual theological meaning: Paired antithetically with δοῦλος (“slave of all”) — the desire for preeminence is answered only through total self-lowering, the sharpest paradox in this teaching.
• Nepali rendering & risk: पहिलो (pahilo). Risk: Low. Standard, unambiguous term.

Slave

• Original: δοῦλος
• Transliteration: doulos
• Literal meaning: “slave, bondservant” — one who is owned, without personal legal freedom
• Semantic range: chattel slave in the Greco-Roman household/economic system; used metaphorically in the LXX/NT of total, willing submission to God or to another (e.g., Paul, “slave of Christ,” Rom 1:1)
• English variants: slave, bondservant, servant
• Contextual theological meaning: The strongest possible term for self-lowering, beyond διάκονος (one who serves) to δοῦλος (one owned, with no claim to status) — deliberately shocking given slaves’ low social status in the ancient world.
• Nepali rendering & risk: दास (das). Risk: High. दास is the established Nepali Bible term for “slave/bondservant” (believers as Christ’s दास), but Nepal has its own documented history of caste-linked bonded servitude and formal slavery (institutional slavery legally abolished only in 1924/1926; caste-linked bonded-labor systems such as kamaiya persisted into the late twentieth century). दास must always be presented as Jesus’ own deliberate, voluntary self-description of radical kingdom service, never as an endorsement of, or analogy to, any coerced or caste-based servitude structure.

Mark 10:45

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Son of Man

• Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
• Transliteration: ho huios tou anthrōpou
• Literal meaning: “the son of the man/of mankind”
• Semantic range: (1) a generic Semitic idiom for “a human being” (Ps 8:4; Ezekiel, where God addresses the prophet as “son of man”); (2) a specific apocalyptic-messianic title from Daniel 7:13–14, where “one like a son of man” receives everlasting dominion, glory, and kingdom from the Ancient of Days — a figure both human and given divine authority
• English variants: Son of Man, the Human One, Daniel’s “one like a son of man”
• Contextual theological meaning: Mark’s favorite self-designation for Jesus (used 14 times), deliberately ambiguous and claimed by no political/religious faction of the day, allowing Jesus to reveal his identity gradually — central to the Messianic Secret. In 10:45 it fuses Daniel 7’s exalted, authoritative Son of Man with Isaiah 53’s suffering, self-giving Servant: the one destined for cosmic dominion is the one who comes “not to be served but to serve” and to die as a ransom. This is the theological center of the entire core passage and of the “Suffering Servant and Son of God” doctrine.
• Nepali rendering & risk: मानिसका पुत्र (Maniska Putra) — established Nepali Bible rendering. Risk: Critical. Must be clearly distinguished from परमेश्वरका पुत्र (Son of God, baseline term). These are two distinct, converging christological confessions (Son of Man = the exalted-yet-suffering messianic figure of Daniel 7/Isaiah 53; Son of God = eternal divine Sonship), not interchangeable synonyms. Must never be flattened into a generic phrase for “a human being” (erasing the Daniel 7 dominion-and-glory dimension), and must never be absorbed into any category of enlightened-human or bodhisattva-like figure from Nepal’s Buddhist tradition.

To serve / to be served

• Reuses διάκονος root (see v.43 above: सेवा गर्नु / सेवा पाउनु). Risk: High (same collision risk as διάκονος). The infinitive pairing (ἦλθεν… διακονῆσαι, “he came… to serve”) frames Jesus’ entire incarnate mission as purposive, self-giving service culminating in the cross.

Life / soul (to give his life)

• Original: ψυχήν (accusative of ψυχή)
• Transliteration: psychēn (root psychē)
• Literal meaning: “soul, life, self, breath of life”
• Semantic range: the seat of life/personhood; frequently in the LXX/NT simply “(whole, physical) life,” as here (δοῦναι τὴν ψυχὴν, “to give up one’s life,” i.e., to die); can also denote the inner self or, in Greek philosophy, an immortal soul distinct from the body
• English variants: life, soul, self
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus speaks of his whole self/life being given up in death, echoing the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:10–12 (LXX uses ψυχή similarly — “he poured out his ψυχή unto death”), presenting the cross as a voluntary, purposive self-offering, not a tragic accident.
• Nepali rendering & risk: ज्यान (jyan, “life/being”) — preferred over आत्मा (atma). Risk: High. आत्मा must be reserved for पवित्र आत्मा (Holy Spirit, baseline term) and for the distinct anthropological “spirit” concept. Rendering ψυχή here as आत्मा risks strong, unintended resonance with the Hindu Vedantic आत्मन् (ātman) — the eternal individual self ultimately identical with Brahman — a philosophical framework entirely foreign to Mark’s meaning of a mortal life voluntarily surrendered in death. ज्यान (the ordinary Nepali word for one’s physical life/being; “to give up one’s ज्यान” = to die) correctly conveys a real, historical death of the whole person.

Ransom

• Original: λύτρον
• Transliteration: lytron
• Literal meaning: “the price of release” (from λύω, “to loose, release, set free”)
• Semantic range: the specific price paid to redeem/release a slave from bondage, a prisoner of war, or a hostage, in Greco-Roman economic and legal usage (manumission price); by extension in the LXX, God’s redemption of Israel. The only occurrence of λύτρον in the Gospels (parallel Matt 20:28).
• English variants: ransom, redemption price, price of release
• Contextual theological meaning: Jesus interprets his own coming death as the ransom-price securing the release of “many” from bondage to sin — the single most explicit statement in Mark of the cross’s atoning purpose, directly grounding the curriculum doctrines “The Necessity of the Cross” and “The Ransom for Many.”
• Nepali rendering & risk: फिरौती (phirauti) — an ordinary, non-religious Nepali word meaning “ransom” (e.g., a ransom demanded for a kidnapped hostage). Risk: Critical. फिरौती is recommended precisely because it is doctrinally neutral and economically concrete, exactly like λύτρον itself (a commercial/legal manumission term repurposed theologically). It carries no inherited association with either मुक्ति/मोक्ष (Hindu liberation from the rebirth cycle) or निर्वाण (Buddhist cessation of craving/self) — the two forbidden salvation-terms in the baseline. Translators must NOT substitute मुक्तिको मूल्य or any मुक्ति-rooted phrase, since this would reintroduce precisely the liberation-cycle framework the baseline’s “salvation” entry was built to exclude. फिरौती preserves Mark’s own economic exchange-image (an actual price paid to release a captive) while remaining entirely outside Hindu/Buddhist soteriological vocabulary.

In place of / instead of

• Original: ἀντί
• Transliteration: anti
• Literal meaning: “in place of, instead of, in exchange for”
• Semantic range: a preposition of substitution/exchange, common in commercial/legal usage (a price given “in exchange for” goods or a person’s freedom)
• English variants: for, instead of, in exchange for, in place of
• Contextual theological meaning: Reinforces the substitutionary, exchange logic of the ransom saying — Christ’s life is the price paid in the place of the many, grounding a substitutionary understanding of the atonement.
• Nepali rendering & risk: …को सट्टामा (ko sattama). Risk: Medium. A standard grammatical construction; the risk lies in sentence-structure clarity (Christ’s life given in exchange FOR the many’s release), which Nepali word order can obscure if not carefully built.

Many

• Original: πολλῶν (genitive plural of πολύς)
• Transliteration: pollōn (root polys)
• Literal meaning: “many, a large number”
• Semantic range: a great, unspecified number — echoing the “many” of Isaiah 53:11–12 (“he shall justify many… he bore the sin of many”)
• English variants: many, the many, a great number
• Contextual theological meaning: Directly evokes Isaiah 53’s Suffering Servant, who bears the sin of “many” and through whom “many” are accounted righteous — anchoring Mark 10:45 explicitly within the Servant Song and confirming the reading of Jesus as Suffering Servant.
• Nepali rendering & risk: धेरै (dherai). Risk: Medium. A plain quantifier; the risk is exegetical rather than lexical — teachers/translators should keep the Isaiah 53 background clear so “धेरै” is never read as arbitrarily excluding any group, given the baseline’s strong concern (Universal Scope of the Gospel) that salvation invitations not be read as caste- or class-limited.

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PART B — Chapter-by-Chapter Study, Mark 1–16

Chapter 1 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Repentance μετάνοια / μετανοέω metanoia / metanoeō ”a change of mind,” turning around	inward turning from sin toward God; John’s and Jesus’ preaching call (1:4,15) repent, repentance, turn	The gateway response to the in-breaking kingdom; not a single ritual act but ongoing reorientation of life	पश्चाताप (pashchatap) / पश्चाताप गर्नु	High. Must denote genuine inward turning to God, not ritual remorse, austerity, or merit-generating penance (तपस्या, tapasya) practiced in Hindu/Buddhist ascetic traditions.
Authority ἐξουσία exousia ”right/power to act”	delegated or inherent right to act, rule, or command; here Jesus’ teaching and exorcistic authority (1:22,27) authority, power, right	First Markan use establishes Jesus’ authority as self-evidently unlike the scribes’ — direct, not derived from tradition	अधिकार (adhikar)	High. Must convey inherent, divine-sourced authority, not merely administrative or scribal permission; foundational for the “Jesus’ Authority over Sickness, Sin, and Nature” doctrine threaded through the whole book.
Unclean spirit / demon πνεῦμα ἀκάθαρτον / δαιμόνιον pneuma akatharton / daimonion ”unclean spirit” / “small deity, evil spirit”	a personal evil spiritual being that afflicts/possesses humans, opposed to God and to πνεῦμα ἅγιον unclean spirit, evil spirit, demon	Jesus’ first public act of authority (1:23–27) is silencing and expelling an unclean spirit, publicly displaying kingdom-breaking-in power over the demonic realm	अशुद्ध आत्मा / दुष्ट आत्मा	Critical. Nepali folk religion is saturated with belief in bhut-pret (भूत-प्रेत), witches (बोक्सी), and jhankri shamanic exorcism as the culturally dominant explanatory and healing framework for spirit-affliction. Mark’s exorcism narratives risk being assimilated into this shamanic frame rather than read as unique demonstrations of Christ’s divine authority. Must consistently use अशुद्ध आत्मा (echoing पवित्र आत्मा by intentional contrast) or दुष्ट आत्मा; never भूत, प्रेत, or बोक्सी vocabulary.
Cleanse / leprosy καθαρίζω / λέπρα katharizō / lepra ”to make clean” / “leprosy, scaly skin disease”	ritual and physical restoration to a state of cleanness under Levitical categories cleanse, make clean, leprosy	Jesus’ healing of the leper (1:40–42) restores both physical health and covenantal/ritual standing within the community	शुद्ध पार्नु / कुष्ठरोग	Medium. Unlike the baseline’s caution against शुद्ध for the moral-holiness sense of “holy” (reserved for पवित्र), here शुद्ध is correctly used, since the passage concerns literal ritual/physical purity categories under the Law. Translators should note this deliberate distinction rather than treat it as an inconsistency.

Reuses from baseline TM: gospel (सुसमाचार, 1:1,14,15), Son of God (परमेश्वरका पुत्र, 1:1), Holy Spirit (पवित्र आत्मा, 1:8,10,12), kingdom of God (परमेश्वरको राज्य, first occurrence 1:15), called (बोलाइएका, 1:20), sin (पाप, 1:4,5), messiah/Christ (मसीह, 1:1).

Chapter 2 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Son of Man υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου huios tou anthrōpou ”son of the man”	see full treatment in Part A (Mark 10:45) above Son of Man	First Markan occurrence (2:10,28): Jesus claims divine authority to forgive sins and Sabbath-lordship under this title, before the fuller suffering-and-glory sense is unveiled later in the book	मानिसका पुत्र	Critical (see Part A).
Forgive (sins) ἀφίημι / ἄφεσις aphiēmi / aphesis ”to send away, release”	to release a debt, cancel an offense, pardon forgive, release, pardon	Jesus’ claim to forgive sins directly (2:5–10) is presented as evidence of his divine authority, provoking the charge of blasphemy	क्षमा गर्नु / क्षमा	High. Use क्षमा (kshama), not माफी — consistent with the baseline’s caution (under “justification”) against collapsing forensic/relational forgiveness into the thinner माफी. क्षमा here designates God’s own authoritative release of guilt, exercised personally by Jesus.
Sinners ἁμαρτωλός hamartōlos ”sinful one, sinner”	those recognized as morally/religiously transgressing, often social outcasts (tax collectors, etc.) sinners, the sinful	Jesus deliberately associates with “sinners” (2:15–17), embodying the gospel’s reach to the morally and socially excluded	पापी (papi)	Medium. Reuses पाप root; standard term, low ambiguity.
Sabbath σάββατον sabbaton ”Sabbath,” seventh day of rest	the weekly Jewish day of rest and worship, commanded in the Law Sabbath	Jesus asserts he is “Lord of the Sabbath” (2:28), reframing Sabbath as made for humanity’s good, not humanity for the Sabbath’s sake	शबथ (shabath, transliteration)	Medium. Requires explanatory context for readers unfamiliar with the Jewish seven-day week structure; must not be conflated with Hindu vrat (votive fasting/observance) days.

Reuses: authority (अधिकार, 2:10), law (व्यवस्था, implicit).

Chapter 3 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Beelzebul Βεελζεβούλ Beelzeboul ”lord of the house/dung” (proper name)	the accusation’s name for the “prince of demons” Beelzebul, Beelzebub	Jesus is accused of casting out demons by demonic power; he refutes this with the “divided kingdom” logic (3:22–27)	बेल्जबूल (transliteration)	Low. Proper noun; retain transliteration with brief gloss (“prince of demons”).
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit βλασφημία εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον blasphēmia eis to Pneuma to Hagion ”slander/reviling against the Holy Spirit”	willful, defiant attribution of the Spirit’s clearly-evidenced work to Satan; the unforgivable sin blasphemy against the Spirit, the unforgivable sin	Jesus warns that attributing his Spirit-empowered work to Satan is uniquely unforgivable (3:28–29)	पवित्र आत्माको विरुद्धमा निन्दा	High. निन्दा (nindā) must convey defiant, willful rejection of God’s own Spirit-attested revelation, not mere rude or careless speech.

Reuses: apostle/the Twelve (प्रेरित, 3:14), unclean spirit (अशुद्ध आत्मा, 3:11,30), Son of God (3:11).

Chapter 4 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Parable παραβολή parabolē ”a placing beside,” comparison	a short illustrative story conveying a spiritual truth, often veiling it from outsiders parable, illustration	Jesus teaches “the kingdom breaking in” almost exclusively in parables in this chapter, both revealing and concealing truth depending on the hearer’s receptivity — tied to the Messianic Secret motif	दृष्टान्त (drishtanta)	Medium. Standard Nepali term for parable/illustrative example; note that दृष्टान्त is also used in Hindu Nyāya (logical) argumentation as an illustrative example, a minor but non-doctrinal collision.
Mystery of the kingdom μυστήριον τῆς βασιλείας mystērion tēs basileias ”hidden thing, secret” of the kingdom	truth once hidden, now disclosed by revelation to those given ears to hear; not permanently esoteric mystery, secret	Given to the disciples but veiled from “those outside” (4:11) — a key statement of the Messianic Secret doctrine	रहस्य (rahasya)	High. रहस्य is the standard word for “mystery/secret,” but Hindu Tantric tradition also uses रहस्य for esoteric teaching permanently restricted to initiates. Must be taught as truth revealed by grace, ultimately meant for proclamation (cf. 4:21–22’s lamp), not a permanently withheld initiatory secret.
Fear (contrasted with faith) φόβος phobos ”fear, terror”	dread in the face of danger or the numinous; can shade into reverent awe fear, terror, awe	The disciples’ fear of the storm (4:41) is explicitly contrasted with the faith Jesus calls them to — the seed of the “Faith and Discipleship amid Fear” doctrine	डर / भय	Medium. Standard vocabulary; doctrinal weight lies in the deliberate fear-faith contrast (reuse विश्वास), not in lexical collision risk.

Reuses: kingdom of God (4:11,26,30), faith (विश्वास, 4:40).

Chapter 5 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Save / heal (dual sense) σῴζω sōzō ”to save, rescue, deliver, heal”	spans physical rescue/healing and ultimate spiritual salvation save, heal, make well, deliver	The woman with the flow of blood: “your faith has made you well/saved you” (5:34); Jesus’ healings function as signs pointing toward the fuller salvation he brings	निको हुनु / बचाउनु (physical); उद्धार गर्नु (soteriological, reuse)	High. Context-sensitive: use निको हुनु/बचाउनु for physical-healing contexts, reserving उद्धार for the full soteriological sense (baseline term). Mark deliberately plays on the double meaning; translators/teachers should note that the wordplay itself is theologically significant and may need a note where Nepali cannot carry both senses in one word.
Talitha cumi ταλιθα κουμ talitha koum Aramaic, “little girl, arise”	preserved Aramaic command Talitha cumi	Jesus’ raising of Jairus’s daughter (5:41); an early sign anticipating the doctrine of resurrection	तालिथा कूमी (transliteration with gloss)	Low. Preserve transliteration as with Abba (baseline); gloss meaning for readers.

Reuses: unclean spirit/Legion (5:2,8,13), faith (5:34,36), Son of God (5:7, demon’s confession).

Chapter 6 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Compassion σπλαγχνίζομαι splanchnizomai ”to be moved in one’s inward parts/bowels”	visceral, gut-level compassion; personal, embodied mercy toward specific suffering people compassion, pity, moved with pity	Jesus’ compassion drives the feeding of the five thousand (6:34)	दया (daya)	High. दया (personal mercy/compassion) is preferred over करुणा, which in Nepal’s Buddhist communities carries specific technical weight as one of the four brahmavihāras (immeasurables) — a detached, universally-cultivated meditative virtue. Jesus’ σπλαγχνίζομαι is personal, particular, and embodied (God incarnate moved for specific people he encounters), not a cultivated meditative disposition; करुणा risks reframing this as a Buddhist ethical achievement rather than the character of the Suffering Servant.
”It is I” ἐγώ εἰμι egō eimi ”I am”	a self-identifying formula; in the LXX, God’s self-revelation (Exod 3:14; Isa 43:10 etc.) it is I, I am (he)	Jesus walks on water and identifies himself with this phrase (6:50), a subtle echo of divine self-disclosure that anticipates 14:62	म हुँ (ma hun)	Critical. Grammatically plain in Nepali, so the OT divine-name echo will not be self-evident to readers without background in Exodus 3/Isaiah 43; requires a translator’s/teacher’s note wherever it occurs (also 14:62).

Reuses: sending/mission (सुसमाचार प्रचार, 6:7–13), authority (6:7), unclean spirit (6:7,13).

Chapter 7 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Clean / unclean (ritual defilement) κοινός koinos ”common,” hence “defiled, unclean”	ritual impurity contracted through contact, food, or unwashed hands, per Pharisaic tradition common, unclean, defiled	Jesus relocates the source of defilement from external ritual contact to the internal heart (7:15,21–23), a major redefinition	अशुद्ध / भ्रष्ट	High. This point directly intersects the baseline’s central Nepali concern: caste-linked purity/pollution codes historically enforced in Nepal’s own state legal code (the Muluki Ain, in force until 1963, codifying ritual purity/impurity by caste). Jesus’ teaching — defilement originates in the heart, not external contact or ancestry — directly challenges this framework and must be translated with full clarity, not softened.
Tradition of the elders παράδοσις (τῶν πρεσβυτέρων) paradosis (tōn presbyterōn) “that which is handed down”	inherited human custom/teaching, as distinct from God’s own commandment tradition, human tradition	Jesus contrasts merely human tradition with the commandment of God (7:8–9)	पुर्खाका रीतिथिति / मानव-परम्परा	Medium. Use vocabulary for “ancestral custom,” not one implying a sacred teaching-lineage (गुरु-परम्परा), to keep the human/divine contrast Jesus draws intact.
Corban κορβάν korban Hebrew loanword, “a gift/offering devoted to God”	a vow dedicating property to Temple use, exempting it from filial obligation Corban, a vow-offering	Cited by Jesus as an example of tradition subverting God’s actual commandment to honor father and mother (7:11)	कोरबान (transliteration)	Low. Requires an explanatory gloss; proper/technical term.

Reuses: unclean spirit (7:25), faith (implicit in Syrophoenician account), Gentiles/nations (अन्यजाति, 7:26 setting).

Chapter 8 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Christ (confession) ὁ Χριστός ho Christos ”the Anointed One”	reuse of baseline “messiah” term Christ, Messiah	Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ” (8:29), is the narrative turning point of Mark, immediately followed by the first Passion prediction — confession and cross are inseparable	मसीह (reuse)	Critical (reuse, per baseline).
Cross / take up the cross σταυρός / ἆρον τὸν σταυρόν stauros / aron ton stauron ”stake, cross” (Roman execution instrument) / “take up the cross”	a literal Roman instrument of execution; figuratively, in Jesus’ call, a summons to costly self-denial and readiness for suffering or death for his sake cross, take up one’s cross	First of Jesus’ explicit calls to cross-shaped discipleship (8:34), directly grounding the “Necessity of the Cross” doctrine as a pattern for all disciples, not only for Jesus	क्रूस (krus, established loanword) / क्रूस बहनु	Critical. क्रूस is a safe transliterated Christian-specific loanword (via Latin/Portuguese through Hindi usage) with no indigenous religious collision. Must be taught as reference to a real, historical, shameful execution instrument that disciples are called to figuratively take up — not softened into a generic folk-idiom for “everyone’s burden in life,” which would trivialize its costliness.
Deny oneself ἀπαρνέομαι ἑαυτόν aparneomai heauton ”to deny/disown oneself”	renunciation of self-interest and self-preservation for Christ’s sake deny self, renounce self	Paired with cross-bearing as the twin conditions of discipleship (8:34)	आफूलाई इन्कार गर्नु	Medium. Standard phrase; ensure it is not read as self-annihilation/ego-dissolution in the Buddhist sense (anatta, no-self), but as a decisive reordering of loyalty and priority toward Christ.

Reuses: Son of Man (8:31,38), gospel (8:35), Satan (8:33).

Chapter 9 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Transfiguration μετεμορφώθη metemorphōthē ”was transformed/changed in form”	a visible change of outward appearance/form, disclosing an inner reality was transfigured, changed form	Jesus’ inherent, eternal glory is momentarily unveiled to Peter, James, and John (9:2–3), confirmed by the Father’s voice	रूपान्तरण भयो / महिमामय रूपमा प्रकट हुनुभयो	High. Must be distinguished from any notion of a deity temporarily assuming an altered or alternate form, as in avatar theology (cf. baseline’s incarnation warning re: अवतार) or the wrathful/peaceful deity-form transformations of Tantric Buddhist iconography present in the Kathmandu Valley. This is a one-time unveiling of Christ’s own eternal glory, not a change of essence or assumption of a different form.
Beloved Son υἱὸς ἀγαπητός huios agapētos ”beloved son”	God’s own testimony to the unique, eternal Sonship of Jesus beloved Son, my Son whom I love	The Father’s voice at the Transfiguration (9:7), echoing 1:11, confirms Jesus’ identity directly rather than through inference	प्रिय पुत्र (used with परमेश्वरका पुत्र, reuse base)	Critical (reuse “Son of God” risk profile).
Unbelief ἀπιστία apistia ”lack of faith, unbelief”	the negation of πίστις; a father’s cry, “I believe; help my unbelief” (9:24) unbelief, lack of faith	Names the tension named in the doctrine “Faith and Discipleship amid Fear” — faith and doubt coexisting in the same disciple	अविश्वास (avishwas, reuse विश्वास root)	High. Consistency with बिश्वास is essential; must not be rendered with a separate root that would obscure the direct faith/unbelief antithesis.
Gehenna / hell γέεννα geenna ”Valley of Hinnom” (place name become term for final judgment)	a real place near Jerusalem historically associated with child sacrifice and later refuse-burning, used by Jesus as the name for final, decisive divine judgment hell, Gehenna	Jesus warns of Gehenna’s unquenchable fire as the serious consequence of causing others to sin (9:43–48)	गेहेन्ना (transliteration, primary) / नरक (secondary gloss only)	High. नरक is the generic Nepali/Hindu-Buddhist term for a hell-realm within a cyclical, karma-driven cosmology of multiple rebirth-realms (a temporary sentence before further rebirth). Using नरक without qualification risks assimilating Gehenna into that cyclical framework. Prefer गेहेन्ना (transliteration, paralleling मसीह, अब्बा) with an explanatory gloss identifying it as a real and final, not cyclical or temporary, state/place of judgment.

Reuses: Son of Man (9:9,12,31), faith (9:23–24), servant/first-last motif (9:35, anticipates 10:43–45), kingdom of God (9:1,47).

Chapter 10 — Remainder of the chapter (outside vv.35–45, treated fully in Part A)

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Divorce ἀπολύω apolyō ”to release, send away”	legal dissolution of marriage divorce, put away, send away	Jesus intensifies the Law’s provision, grounding marriage in God’s creation design (“one flesh,” 10:6–9)	छोडपत्र दिनु / सम्बन्धविच्छेद गर्नु	Medium. Standard legal-domestic vocabulary; ensure “one flesh” (10:8) is rendered to preserve covenantal, not merely contractual, union.
Eternal life ζωὴ αἰώνιος zōē aiōnios ”life of/belonging to the age (to come)“	resurrection life in the age to come, in fellowship with God; qualitatively and temporally unending eternal life, everlasting life	The rich man’s question (10:17) and Jesus’ answer frame the whole chapter’s teaching on the kingdom and the cost of following Christ	अनन्त जीवन (ananta jivan)	High. Must be clearly distinguished from an unending cycle of rebirths (saṃsāra) — the very thing Hindu mokṣa and Buddhist nirvāṇa traditions seek escape from — and anchored instead to bodily resurrection hope (पुनरुत्थान, baseline term), a definite future consummation, not an indefinite continuation of present existence.

Reuses: kingdom of God (10:14–15,23–25), faith/save (10:52, Bartimaeus — reuse σῴζω discussion from ch.5), Son of Man (10:33,45).

Chapter 11 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Hosanna Ὡσαννά Hōsanna Hebrew/Aramaic, “save now! / save, we pray”	a liturgical acclamation of messianic hope, drawn from Psalm 118:25–26 Hosanna	The crowd’s triumphal-entry acclamation (11:9–10) implicitly appeals for the very salvation (उद्धार root) Jesus came to bring, though the crowd’s expectations remain largely nationalistic	होसाना (transliteration)	Medium. Preserve transliteration with a gloss connecting it to the उद्धार root, while noting the crowd’s likely (mis)understanding of Hosanna in nationalistic-political rather than spiritual terms — an early instance of the Messianic Secret’s ongoing tension between true and false expectation.
Temple ἱερόν / ναός hieron / naos ”sacred precinct” / “sanctuary building”	the literal Jerusalem Temple complex, the historical center of Jewish sacrificial worship temple	Jesus’ temple-cleansing (11:15–17) and citation of Isaiah 56:7/Jeremiah 7:11 (“house of prayer… den of robbers”) enact prophetic judgment on corrupted worship	मन्दिर (mandir)	Medium. IMPORTANT CLARIFYING NOTE: this is the literal, historical Jerusalem Temple building, and मन्दिर is the accurate, correct rendering here — this does not contradict the baseline’s separate instruction that मन्दिर must never be used for “church” (ekklesia, the New Testament assembly of believers, which must remain मण्डली). Translators must keep these two distinct: मन्दिर = the literal historical Temple building referenced narratively in Mark; मण्डली = the Church, God’s covenant assembly.

Reuses: authority (11:28–33), faith (11:22–24), Son of David (implicit in triumphal entry acclamation, cf. baseline “seed of David”/दाऊदको वंश).

Chapter 12 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Love (greatest commandment) ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω agapē / agapaō ”love” (self-giving, covenantal)	committed, self-giving love — for God, and love for neighbor as oneself love	Jesus names love for God and neighbor as the greatest commandment (12:28–31), summarizing the whole Law	प्रेम (prem)	High. प्रेम is standard, but risks blending with bhakti devotional love (भक्ति) in Hindu tradition, a merit-generating devotional practice toward a chosen personal deity. The greatest commandment’s प्रेम must be understood as covenantal, self-giving love modeled on God’s own character and relationship with his people — not devotional bhakti, and not generic romantic/familial प्रेम.
Cornerstone / rejected stone κεφαλὴ γωνίας kephalē gōnias ”head of the corner”	the key structural stone of a building, here applied messianically (citing Ps 118:22) cornerstone, capstone, chief stone	The parable of the tenants (12:1–12) concludes with Jesus applying this messianic image to himself — rejected by the builders yet made the foundation	कुनाको मुख्य ढुङ्गा	Medium. Requires the Psalm 118 background to land with full force; low independent collision risk.

Reuses: resurrection (12:18–27, debate with Sadducees — reuse पुनरुत्थान, explicitly Critical per baseline, must retain बodily, historical sense against any cyclical framework), kingdom of God (12:34), David (12:35–37).

Chapter 13 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Abomination of desolation βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως bdelygma tēs erēmōseōs ”detestable thing of desolation”	an apocalyptic term (from Daniel 9,11,12) for a specific act of Temple profanation signaling coming judgment abomination of desolation, desolating sacrilege	Jesus’ Olivet Discourse warns of this coming event as a sign of impending judgment and the need for urgent flight (13:14)	विनाशको घिनलाग्दो थोक / उजाड-स्थापित घृणित वस्तु	High. An apocalyptic term requiring the Daniel background to be meaningful; a vague generic translation (“a bad thing”) would erase the specific historical-apocalyptic referent (Temple profanation) that anchors this warning.
Watch / be alert γρηγορέω grēgoreō ”to keep awake, be watchful”	eschatological vigilance and readiness for an uncertain but certain return watch, be alert, keep awake	The refrain concluding the Olivet Discourse (13:33–37): disciples must live in expectant readiness for the Son of Man’s return	जागा रहनु / सतर्क रहनु	Medium. Should be distinguished from the self-generated mindfulness/awareness (सति/स्मृति) cultivated through meditative discipline in Nepal’s Buddhist tradition; this is watchful, expectant hope directed toward Christ’s promised return, not a self-cultivated mental state.
Tribulation θλῖψις thlipsis ”pressure, affliction”	intense suffering/distress, especially eschatological distress preceding the end tribulation, affliction, distress	Describes the unprecedented suffering preceding the Son of Man’s coming (13:19,24)	संकष्ट / कष्ट	Medium. Standard vocabulary for severe distress; low independent collision risk.

Reuses: Son of Man coming in glory (13:26, reuse core-passage treatment), elect (परमेश्वरको छनोट, 13:20,22,27, reuse baseline “election”), gospel (13:10).

Chapter 14 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Covenant blood τὸ αἷμα μου τῆς διαθήκης to haima mou tēs diathēkēs ”my blood of the covenant”	sacrificial blood ratifying/inaugurating a covenant (cf. Exod 24:8; Jer 31:31) blood of the covenant, covenant blood	At the Last Supper (14:24), Jesus identifies his own imminent shed blood as inaugurating the covenant, fulfilling Jeremiah’s promise of a new covenant	मेरो करारको रगत	Critical. करार must be reused exactly (baseline term); combined here with रगत (blood) to preserve the sacrificial, atoning, covenant-inaugurating force. Must never be diluted into a merely symbolic memorial meal devoid of blood-atonement significance.
Poured out for many τὸ ἐκχυννόμενον ὑπὲρ πολλῶν to ekchynnomenon hyper pollōn ”poured out on behalf of many”	sacrificial, substitutionary self-giving poured out for many	Directly parallels 10:45’s ransom “for many,” reinforcing substitutionary atonement at the Last Supper itself	धेरैका निम्ति बगाइएको	Critical. Must be rendered consistently with 10:45’s substitutionary theology (reuse धेरै and the substitutionary sense established there), even though the Greek preposition differs (ὑπέρ here vs. ἀντί in 10:45) — both express Christ’s death on behalf of/in place of the many.
Passover πάσχα pascha ”Passover”	the annual Jewish festival commemorating the Exodus deliverance from Egypt Passover	The Last Supper is a Passover meal (14:12–16), and Jesus reinterprets its elements as pointing to his own greater, once-for-all deliverance	निस्तार-चाड / पास्का	Medium. Retain the Exodus-deliverance backdrop explicitly; this is essential background for a Nepali audience with little independent exposure to the Exodus narrative, per the baseline’s general low-OT-literacy assumption.
”I am” (before the high priest) Ἐγώ εἰμι egō eimi ”I am”	see ch.6 above (6:50); here in direct answer to “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” I am	Jesus’ unambiguous self-identification (14:62) as both Christ and (implicitly) the divine “I am,” immediately followed by the high priest’s charge of blasphemy	म हुँ	Critical. As in ch.6, requires explanatory note on the Exodus/Isaiah divine self-declaration echo; the very next verse’s blasphemy charge (14:63–64) only makes narrative sense if this self-identification is understood as at least implicitly claiming divine identity, not merely messianic office.
Betray / hand over παραδίδωμι paradidōmi ”to hand over, deliver up”	to hand a person over to authorities, whether in betrayal or by divine appointment betray, hand over, deliver up	Used of Judas’s betrayal (14:10,18) but also, throughout the Passion narrative, of Jesus being “handed over” by God’s own predetermined plan — human treachery operating within divine providence	धोका दिनु / पक्राउमा दिनु	High. Preserve the dual sense: Judas’s culpable betrayal (धोका दिनु) is real and condemned, yet the same Greek verb elsewhere frames the Father’s sovereign “handing over” of the Son (echoing Providence, baseline term) — do not collapse these into a single flattened sense in translation.

Reuses: Abba, Father (14:36, exact baseline transliteration + gloss), cup (14:36, reuse Part A treatment), Son of Man (14:21,41,62), blasphemy (14:64, reuse ch.3 treatment).

Chapter 15 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Crucify σταυρόω stauroō ”to crucify, fix to a cross”	execution by nailing/binding to a cross crucify	The historical act at the center of “The Necessity of the Cross” doctrine (15:24–25)	क्रूसमा टाँग्नु	Critical. Must remain a plain, literal, historical description of Roman execution; no softening or metaphorical distancing.
King of the Jews ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων ho basileus tōn Ioudaiōn ”the king of the Jews”	Pilate’s official charge/title, used mockingly by Roman soldiers, yet unintentionally true King of the Jews	Placed over the cross as a charge of sedition, yet Mark’s irony makes it an unwitting confession of Jesus’ real, rejected kingship	यहूदीहरूका राजा	Medium. Preserve the ironic double meaning (mockery that is nonetheless true) rather than resolving the irony in translation; connect to परमेश्वरको राज्य (Kingdom of God, baseline term) as its true fulfillment, not a political throne.
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani Ἐλωΐ Ἐλωΐ λαμὰ σαβαχθανί Elōi Elōi lama sabachthani Aramaic, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”	Jesus’ cry from the cross, quoting Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me	The depth of the Son’s God-forsakenness in bearing sin, at the heart of the cross’s necessity	एलोई, एलोई, लमा साबखथानी (transliteration) + gloss “मेरो परमेश्वर, मेरो परमेश्वर, तपाईंले मलाई किन त्याग्नुभयो?”	Critical. Preserve the Aramaic transliteration (as with अब्बा) before giving the gloss, and note the Psalm 22:1 quotation explicitly — this is Scripture-fulfillment, not merely an expression of despair.
Torn temple curtain τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ to katapetasma tou naou ”the veil/curtain of the sanctuary”	the Temple’s inner curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies the temple curtain/veil	Torn “from top to bottom” at the moment of Jesus’ death (15:38), signifying that God himself has opened access into his presence through Christ’s death, ending the old sacrificial separation	मन्दिरको पर्दा	High. Must not be treated as an incidental physical detail; render with the theological weight of God’s own initiative (torn top-to-bottom, i.e., by God, not man) opening access to himself.

Reuses: centurion’s confession, “Truly this man was the Son of God” (15:39, reuse परमेश्वरका पुत्र exactly — Critical, per baseline; note the profound irony that a Roman centurion, not a religious insider, makes Mark’s clearest human confession of Jesus’ divine Sonship), Golgotha (proper noun, transliteration), Christ/Messiah (15:32, mocking use).

Chapter 16 — New load-bearing terms

Terms	Variants	Contextual meaning in Mark	Nepali rendering	Risk
Signs σημεῖα sēmeia ”signs, miraculous signs”	attesting acts confirming the truth of the proclaimed message signs, miraculous signs	The (textually disputed) longer ending (16:17,20) speaks of signs accompanying gospel proclamation	चिन्ह (chinha)	Medium. Standard term. NOTE (textual, not translation risk): Mark 16:9–20 is absent from the earliest and most reliable manuscripts (e.g., Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus); most modern critical editions mark this section as a later addition. Full-book coverage requires this textual note be preserved for the curriculum, distinct from any lexical/doctrinal risk in the terms themselves.

Reuses: resurrection (“he is risen,” ἠγέρθη, 16:6 — reuse पुनरुत्थान, Critical per baseline, the climactic confirmation of the doctrine anticipated throughout the book), gospel/preach to all nations (16:15, reuse सुसमाचार प्रचार), believe and be baptized… will be saved (16:16, reuse विश्वास + बप्तिस्मा + उद्धार together — flag for consistency review since all three baseline/high-risk terms co-occur in one verse).

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Summary Note on Full-Book Coverage

Every chapter of Mark (1–16) has been reviewed. Chapters that introduce no genuinely new load-bearing theological vocabulary beyond what is catalogued above rely entirely on terms already defined either in the baseline Romans package or earlier in this document (e.g., portions of chapters 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 16 lean heavily on reused vocabulary such as faith, Son of Man, resurrection, kingdom of God, and election, as noted in each chapter’s “Reuses” line). No chapter has been silently omitted.