Core Glossary
Core Glossary: James 1–5 (English → Pashto)
How to Read This Table
- Status =
REUSE(term is fixed in the baseline Romanstranslation_memory.json/bible_term_registry.jsonand MUST be used exactly as recorded there) orNEW(term is introduced in this document for James and is proposed for addition to translation memory in Phase 1 Step 2/3). - Risk tiers follow the baseline’s
doctrine_risk_registry.jsondefinitions exactly: Critical (human theologian review, every occurrence), High (human theologian review), Medium (native speaker review), Low (automated review). - Every chapter of James (1–5) is represented; where a term recurs across chapters, the chapter(s) of primary occurrence are listed.
Reused Baseline Terms Appearing in James
| # | English Term | Greek | Pashto (established) | Transliteration | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faith | πίστις | ایمان | iman | High | 1,2,3,5 | Central to Faith-and-Works doctrine; object is trust in Christ, not creedal recitation alone (2:19) |
| 2 | Grace | χάρις | فضل | fazal | High | 4 | 4:6, Prov 3:34 quotation; melmastia reciprocity risk applies as in baseline |
| 3 | Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | صداقت | sadaqat | Critical | 2,3 | 2:23 (imputed), 3:18 (fruit of righteousness) |
| 4 | Justification | δικαιόω / δικαίωσις | صادق ګڼل کیدل | sadiq ganal kedal | Critical | 2 | James’s vindication/evidentiary sense (2:21,24,25) must be distinguished by explanatory note from Paul’s forensic-declaration sense while using the identical Pashto rendering |
| 5 | Salvation / save | σωτηρία / σῴζω | نجات | nejat | Critical | 2,5 | 2:14 (rhetorical), 5:15,20 (physical healing and restoration senses extend the root) |
| 6 | Law | νόμος | ناموس | namus | Critical | 1,2,4 | ”Law of liberty” (1:25), “royal law” (2:8), “lawgiver” (4:12) — all distinct from Mosaic-Law argument in Romans; requires new explanatory layer, never شریعت |
| 7 | Lord | κύριος | خداوند | Khudawand | Critical | 1,4,5 | ”Lord of hosts” (5:4), “coming of the Lord” (5:7-8), “if the Lord wills” (4:15) |
| 8 | God | θεός | خدای | Khudai | Critical | 1–5 | Pervasive throughout |
| 9 | Father | πατήρ | پلار | plar | Critical | 1 | ”Father of lights” (1:17) |
| 10 | Sin | ἁμαρτία | ګناه | gunah | High | 1,4,5 | 1:15 (sin gives birth to death), 4:17, 5:15-16,20 |
| 11 | Peace | εἰρήνη | سوله | sola | Medium | 2,3 | ”Go in peace” (2:16, ironic/empty usage), “peacemakers” (3:18) |
| 12 | Fellowship | κοινωνία / φιλία (extended) | ملګرتیا | malgartia | Low→High (context-dependent) | 2,4 | Root reused for “friend of God” (2:23) positively and stretched to negative “friendship with the world” (4:4) — disambiguation required |
| 13 | Kingdom of God | βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ | د خدای پاچاهي | da Khudai pachahi | Medium | 2 | ”Royal law” (2:8) draws on this root |
| 14 | Called | κλητός (conceptually, “called to be heirs”) | بلل شوی | balal shaway | High | 2 | 2:5, “God chose the poor… to be heirs of the kingdom” |
| 15 | Church (doctrine referent, contrast) | ἐκκλησία (contrasted with συναγωγή, 2:2) | کلیسا | kalisa | Critical | 2 | Must remain distinct from the descriptive غونډ used for James 2:2’s synagogue reference |
New Terms Introduced in James (Proposed for Translation Memory)
| # | English Term | Greek | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Pashto Rendering | Transliteration (Pashto) | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Rationale / Collision Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Works | ἔργα | erga | deeds, actions | کارونه | karona | Critical | Faith and Works | 1,2,3 | Must avoid Arabic-loaded اعمال given Islamic deeds-weighing (mizan) soteriology; native term preferred, per baseline’s ملګرتیا-over-شراکت precedent |
| 17 | Dead (of faith) | νεκρός | nekros | lifeless, inert | مړه | mara | Critical | Faith and Works | 2 | Central thesis term (2:17,26); must carry harmonizing note re: counterfeit vs. genuine faith |
| 18 | Trial | πειρασμός (positive sense) | peirasmos | test, trial | ازموینه | azmwina | High | Trials and Testing of Faith | 1 | External, faith-refining hardship; distinguish from same root’s negative sense below |
| 19 | Temptation (to sin) | πειρασμός/πειράζω (negative sense) | peirasmos/peirazō | enticement, lure to evil | وسوسه | waswasa | High | Trials and Testing of Faith | 1 | Must clarify source is one’s own desire (4:14), not God (1:13); positive Islamic-vocabulary resonance (waswas) requires correction of exclusively-external-satanic-source default |
| 20 | Testing (genuineness) | δοκίμιον | dokimion | proving, refining process | ازموینه (context-combined) | azmwina | Medium | Trials and Testing of Faith | 1 | Metallurgical refining metaphor; rendered contextually with trial above |
| 21 | Steadfastness/Endurance | ὑπομονή | hypomonē | remaining under, enduring | زغم | zgham | High | Trials / Patience and the Lord’s Return | 1,5 | Endurance under trial; distinct from patience-in-waiting below |
| 22 | Patience (in waiting) | μακροθυμία | makrothymia | long-temperedness | صبر | sabr | High | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5 | Distinct Greek root from ὑπομονή; shares Islamic virtue vocabulary — positive resonance requiring clarification of hope-grounded (not fatalistic) basis |
| 23 | Perfect/Complete/Mature | τέλειος | teleios | whole, mature, complete | بشپړ | bashpar | Medium | Trials / general | 1,2,3 | Not sinless perfection; moral-spiritual maturity |
| 24 | Doubting | διακρίνομαι | diakrinomai | to waver, be divided in judgment | شک کول | shak kawul | Medium | Trials and Testing of Faith | 1 | Undermines effective prayer (1:6-8) |
| 25 | Double-minded | δίψυχος | dipsychos | two-souled | دوه‑زړی | dwa-zRy | Medium | Worldliness / Trials | 1,4 | Positive bridge with Pashtunwali’s undivided-loyalty (nang) expectation |
| 26 | Wisdom | σοφία | sophia | wisdom, skill in living | حکمت | hikmat | Medium | Wisdom from Above | 1,3 | Shared positive resonance with Islamic hikmah tradition; must anchor to specific fruit named in 3:17 |
| 27 | Wisdom from above | ἡ ἄνωθεν σοφία | hē anōthen sophia | heavenly-sourced wisdom | له پاسه حکمت | la pasa hikmat | Medium | Wisdom from Above | 3 | Contrasted with earthly/demonic wisdom below |
| 28 | Earthly/soulish/demonic wisdom | ἐπίγειος/ψυχική/δαιμονιώδης | epigeios/psychikē/daimoniōdēs | earthly, natural, demon-like | ځمکنی، نفسي، شیطاني (حکمت) | dzmakani, nafsi, shaytani | Medium | Wisdom from Above | 3 | شیطاني is a genuine resonant bridge (shared devil-figure) |
| 29 | Father of lights | πατὴρ τῶν φώτων | patēr tōn phōtōn | Father of the [heavenly] lights | د رڼاګانو پلار | da rana-ganu plar | High | General (God’s character) | 1 | Combines Critical پلار reuse with light/glory imagery |
| 30 | Word of truth / implanted word | λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος | logos alētheias / emphytos logos | word of truth / in-planted word | د حقیقت کلام / ریښه شوی کلام | da haqiqat kalam / resha shaway kalam | High | Faith and Works (root) | 1 | کلام’s Islamic ilm al-kalam resonance requires clarifying note |
| 31 | Law of liberty / royal law | νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας / νόμος βασιλικός | nomos (teleios) tēs eleutherias / nomos basilikos | perfect law of freedom / kingly law | د ازادۍ ناموس / د پاچاهي ناموس | da azadi namus / da pachahi namus | Critical | Faith and Works / Favoritism | 1,2 | Reuses Critical ناموس; distinct referent from Romans’ Mosaic-Law argument — new explanatory layer required |
| 32 | Religion | θρησκεία | thrēskeia | religious observance | دین | din | High | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 1 | Deliberate use of Islam’s own self-designation term; high-value, high-risk, mandatory clarifying note |
| 33 | Favoritism | προσωποληψία | prosōpolēpsia | face-receiving/partiality | جانبداري | janbdari | High | Favoritism and the Poor | 2 | Opposed to Pashtunwali status-deference etiquette |
| 34 | Assembly (synagogue) | συναγωγή | synagōgē | synagogue, gathering | غونډ | ghund | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2 | Must not be confused with established کلیسا doctrine term |
| 35 | Poor | πτωχός | ptōchos | destitute, poor | غریب | gharib | Medium | Favoritism and the Poor | 2,5 | Foundational to doctrine; God’s special regard for the poor |
| 36 | Rich | πλούσιος | plousios | wealthy | شتمن | shatman | Low | Favoritism and the Poor | 1,2,5 | Consistently in moral tension throughout James |
| 37 | Friend of God | φίλος θεοῦ | philos theou | God’s friend | د خدای ملګری | da Khudai malgari | High | Faith and Works | 2 | Strong bridge to Islamic Khalilullah title for Ibrahim |
| 38 | Tongue | γλῶσσα | glōssa | tongue, speech | ژبه | zheba | High (doctrine) | Taming the Tongue | 3 | Real-world honor/badal escalation danger elevates doctrine-level risk |
| 39 | Gehenna / hell (fire) | γέεννα | geenna | Valley of Hinnom; hell | جهنم | jahannam | Medium | Taming the Tongue | 3 | Shared Islamic eschatological term; avoid importing full tiered-punishment doctrine |
| 40 | Likeness of God | καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ | kath’ homoiōsin theou | according to God’s likeness | د خدای مثال/شان | da Khudai misal/shan | High | Taming the Tongue (imago Dei) | 3 | Tawhid-sensitive; moral/relational likeness, not ontological |
| 41 | Desires/passions | ἐπιθυμία | epithymia | craving, lust | هوس | hawas | High | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4 | Positive bridge with Islamic hawas/nafs ethics; anchor to James’s specific remedy |
| 42 | Spiritual adultery | μοιχαλίδες | moichalides | adulteresses (metaphor) | (روحاني) زنا کوونکې | (rohani) zina kawonke | Critical | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4 | Real lethal honor-code stakes if decontextualized; mandatory metaphor-framing note |
| 43 | Friendship with the world | ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου | hē philia tou kosmou | friendship of the world | د نړۍ سره ملګرتیا | da dunya sara malgartia | High | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4 | Negative stretch of established ملګرتیا root; disambiguate from Christian fellowship doctrine |
| 44 | Submit to God | ὑποτάγητε τῷ θεῷ | hypotagēte tō theō | be subjected to God | خدای ته تابع شئ | Khudai ta tabe shai | High | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4 | Distinguish from Islam’s root-meaning submission and from competing Pashtunwali loyalty codes |
| 45 | Draw near to God | ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ | eggisate tō theō | come near to God | خدای ته نږدې شئ | Khudai ta nzhde shai | Medium | Worldliness vs. Friendship with God | 4 | Relational intimacy counterbalancing “submit” |
| 46 | Purify your hearts | ἁγνίσατε τὰς καρδίας | hagnisate tas kardias | cleanse hearts | زړونه پاک کړئ | zRuna pak krai | Medium | Confession and Restoration (root) | 4 | Distinct from technical sanctification term تقدیس — must not be conflated |
| 47 | Lawgiver and judge | νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής | nomothetēs kai kritēs | lawgiver and judge | د ناموس ورکوونکی او داور | da namus warkawunkay aw dawar | High | Worldliness / general | 4 | Reuses Critical ناموس |
| 48 | If the Lord wills | ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ | ean ho kyrios thelēsē | if the Lord should will | که خداوند وغواړي | ka Khudawand wughwari | Medium | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 4 | Strong natural bridge to “In sha’Allah” formula |
| 49 | Lord of hosts | κύριος σαβαώθ | kyrios sabaōth | Lord of [heavenly] armies | د لښکرو خداوند | da lashkaro Khudawand | High | General (God’s sovereignty) | 5 | Military imagery requires care given regional conflict history |
| 50 | Coming of the Lord (Parousia) | παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου | parousia tou kyriou | the Lord’s arrival/presence | د خداوند راتلل | da Khudawand ratlal | Critical | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5 | Shared Isa-return expectation with sharply different theological content in Islamic eschatology |
| 51 | Job’s endurance | ἡ ὑπομονὴ Ἰώβ | hē hypomonē Iōb | the endurance of Job | د ایوب زغم | da Ayub zgham | Medium | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5 | Positive bridge: “sabr Ayyub” already proverbial in regional Islamic culture |
| 52 | The judge at the door | ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν | ho kritēs pro tōn thyrōn hestēken | the judge stands at the doors | داور د دروازې پر سر ولاړ دی | dawar da drwaze par sar wlaR dai | High | Patience and the Lord’s Return | 5 | Avoid قاضي (sharia-court association); distinguish from tribal jirga adjudication too |
| 53 | Do not swear (oaths) | μὴ ὀμνύετε | mē omnyete | do not take oaths | قسم مه خورئ | qasam ma khwarai | High | General (speech ethics) | 5 | Heavy legal/customary weight of oaths in both Islamic law and Pashtunwali |
| 54 | Prayer of faith | ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως | hē euchē tēs pisteōs | the prayer of faith | د ایمان دعا | da iman du’a | High | Prayer and Healing | 5 | Reuses established ایمان |
| 55 | Anoint with oil | ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ | aleipsantes elaiō | having anointed with oil | په غوړ سره تیلي کول | pa ghwaR sara tayli kawul | High | Prayer and Healing | 5 | Must distinguish from folk-Islamic amulet/ruqya practices |
| 56 | Elders | πρεσβύτεροι | presbyteroi | elder ones | مشران (کلیسا) | meshran (kalisa) | High | Prayer and Healing | 5 | Dual-meaning collision with tribal jirga elders |
| 57 | Forgiven | ἀφεθήσεται | aphethēsetai | will be forgiven/released | بخښل کیږي | bakhshal kegi | Medium | Confession and Restoration | 5 | Tie specifically to Christ’s authority and the prayer of faith |
| 58 | Confess your sins to one another | ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας | exomologeisthe allēlois tas hamartias | confess sins to one another | یو تر بل ګناهونه بیانول | yaw tar bal gunahuna bayanawul | Critical | Confession and Restoration | 5 | Safety-critical given persecution context; never formal/judicial connotation |
| 59 | Cover a multitude of sins | καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν | kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn | will cover many sins | ډیری ګناهونه پوښي | dery gunahuna poshi | High | Confession and Restoration | 5 | Risk of honor-shame “cover-up” misreading; must mean gracious forgiveness through repentance |
| 60 | Turn back a sinner | ἐπιστρέψῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης | epistrepsē hamartōlon ek planēs | turn back a sinner from wandering | ګناهکار له تیري نه راګرځول | gunahkar la tirai na ragarzawul | Medium | Confession and Restoration | 5 | Restorative pursuit theme |
| 61 | Servant (of God) | δοῦλος (θεοῦ) | doulos (theou) | slave/bondservant of God | غلام (د خدای) | ghulam (da Khudai) | Medium | General (author’s self-identification) | 1 | Positive bridge to “Abdullah” naming convention |
| 62 | The Dispersion | διασπορά | diaspora | scattering | شاتیت شوی قوم | shatit shaway qawm | Medium | General (church context) | 1 | Resonant with contemporary scattered/secret house-church reality |
Chapters With No Additional New Terms Beyond Those Listed
All five chapters of James (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) contribute load-bearing new theological vocabulary; none is a “no new terms” chapter. Chapter 2 carries the heaviest load, split between vv. 1-13 (favoritism/poor doctrine, new terms #33-37) and vv. 14-26 (the core passage, terms #16-17, #37 reused, plus REUSE items #1, #3, #4, #5, #6, #12, #14, #15 from Romans baseline).
Summary Risk Counts (This Document)
| Risk Tier | Count (New Terms) | Count (Reused Baseline Terms) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | 7 | 8 | Human theologian, every occurrence |
| High | 24 | 5 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 24 | 2 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 7 | 2 | Automated review |
This glossary is the required input to Phase 1 Step 2 (Doctrine Analysis) and Phase 1 Step 3 (translation memory update), where every NEW term above must be assigned a final risk tier, doctrine mapping, and added to a James-specific extension of translation_memory.json, without altering any existing baseline entry.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: صداقت
Transliteration: sadaqat
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:23 quotes the identical Genesis 15:6 clause behind the baseline’s Critical imputed_righteousness entry (‘credited to him as righteousness’), and 3:18 names ‘the fruit of righteousness’ produced by peacemaking wisdom. This is proof James and Romans describe the same event and must be taught as compatible, not competing, soteriologies.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: محسوبه شوی صداقت
Transliteration: mahsuba shway sadaqat
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: لاسته راوړی صداقت
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:23 (‘ἐπίστευσεν… ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην’) is the identical Greek clause behind Romans 4:3. The forbidden alternative لاسته راوړی صداقت (‘earned righteousness’) remains forbidden here with even higher stakes, since James 2:24 read in isolation (‘justified by works’) is the verse most likely to be cited as license for a merit-earned reading; this entry’s rendering and rejection note must travel with every James 2:14-26 occurrence.
Justification
Approved rendering: صادق ګڼل کیدل
Transliteration: sadiq ganal kedal
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: δικαιόω / δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package, MUST reuse exactly. James 2:21,24,25 uses the same verb (δικαιόω) in an evidentiary/vindication sense (faith proven genuine by its fruit) rather than Paul’s forensic-declaration sense. A mandatory harmonizing translator note is required at every James 2:14-26 occurrence: ‘[TRANSLATOR NOTE: justification rendered as صادق ګڼل کیدل; here James uses the evidentiary/vindication sense — faith already credited as righteousness (per this same verse’s Genesis 15:6 citation) being demonstrated/shown genuine by works — not Paul’s initial forensic-declaration sense in Romans 3-4. These are sequential moments of one reality, not competing definitions.]’ Without this note, 2:24 reads as confirming the Islamic mizan (deeds-weighing) framework the baseline was built to correct.
Salvation
Approved rendering: نجات
Transliteration: nejat
Doctrine: Faith and Works / Prayer and Healing
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:14’s rhetorical question (‘can that faith save him?’) denies bare profession delivers. James 5:15,20 extends the same root to physical healing of the sick and restorative rescue of a wandering sinner; this extension must be flagged clearly so it does not dilute نجات’s core soteriological weight established in Romans.
Law
Approved rendering: ناموس
Transliteration: namus
Doctrine: Faith and Works / Favoritism and the Poor / Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: شریعت
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package, never شریعت. James uses this word for three distinct referents, none of which is the Mosaic-Law argument central to Romans: the ‘perfect law of liberty’ (1:25), the ‘royal law’ of neighbor-love (2:8), and God as sole ‘lawgiver’ (4:12). A NEW explanatory layer beyond the baseline is required: Pashtun readers navigate both formal shari’a and customary Pashtunwali tribal law; James’s law-of-liberty language must be taught as neither of these nor a repeat of the Romans discussion, but Christ’s liberating ethical teaching summarized in love.
Lord
Approved rendering: خداوند
Transliteration: Khudawand
Doctrine: General (Christ and God’s sovereignty)
Rejected alternatives: مالک
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to God the Father (1:7; 4:15; 5:4,10-11) and to Jesus Christ (1:1; 2:1) throughout James. ‘Lord of hosts’ (5:4) and ‘the Lord’s coming’ (5:7-8) both use this Critical term; the military ‘hosts’ imagery requires care given decades of literal armed conflict in the region and must never be taught as endorsing literal warfare/jihad framing.
God
Approved rendering: خدای
Transliteration: Khudai
Doctrine: General
Rejected alternatives: الله
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:19’s ‘you believe God is one’ directly echoes the Shema/shahada; the term carries no independent risk beyond the baseline’s tawhid-versus-Trinity note, but this specific verse requires that note to be surfaced explicitly, not assumed.
Father
Approved rendering: پلار
Transliteration: plar
Doctrine: General (God’s character)
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. ‘Father of lights’ (1:17) combines this Critical term with light/glory imagery; must be taught as generous, relational giving, countering both the tawhid-anthropomorphism objection and the stern-authority default of ‘plar’ in Pashtun patriarchal culture.
Church
Approved rendering: کلیسا
Transliteration: kalisa
Doctrine: General (implied contrast with James 2:2’s assembly)
Rejected alternatives: امت
Original: ἐκκλησία (implied contrast with συναγωγή, 2:2)
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package, never امت. James’s own picture of a scattered, persecuted readership (1:1, διασπορά) matches the baseline’s dispersed, often secret house-church framing exactly. Retained here to mark the deliberate distinction from غونډ, the descriptive term used for James 2:2’s synagogue-style gathering, which must never be confused with this doctrine term.
Works
Approved rendering: کارونه
Transliteration: karona
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: اعمال
Original: ἔργα
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Must render with native Pashto کارونه, never Arabic-loaded اعمال, which carries the specific Qur’anic deeds-weighing (mizan) framework (Qur’an 101:6-9) in which acts are literally weighed on Judgment Day as the basis of salvation. Using اعمال would make ‘faith without works is dead’ sound like confirmation of exactly the works-salvation soteriology the baseline’s Critical imputed_righteousness entry was built to correct. James’s ‘works’ = concrete acts of obedient love flowing from genuine faith, the evidence, not the cause, of saving trust.
Dead Faith
Approved rendering: مړه
Transliteration: mara
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: νεκρός (of πίστις)
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Thesis word of James 2:14-26 (2:17,26) and the verse most likely to be quoted standalone as ‘James contradicts Paul.’ Every occurrence must carry an explanatory note: James describes a counterfeit, merely notional profession that never was living trust — not genuine Spirit-given faith (Romans 8) losing its saving power.
Law Of Liberty Royal Law
Approved rendering: د ازادۍ ناموس / د پاچاهي ناموس
Transliteration: da azadi namus / da pachahi namus
Doctrine: Faith and Works / Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: شریعت
Original: νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας / νόμος βασιλικός
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders νόμος (τέλειος) τῆς ἐλευθερίας (1:25) and νόμος βασιλικός (2:8). Reuses the baseline’s Critical ناموس but requires a NEW explanatory layer: neither Mosaic Law, nor formal shari’a, nor Pashtunwali customary tribal law, but Christ’s liberating ethic fulfilled in love — a distinct referent from the Romans νόμος discussions that must never be flattened into that earlier argument.
Spiritual Adultery
Approved rendering: (روحاني) زنا کوونکې
Transliteration: (rohani) zina kawonke
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: μοιχαλίδες
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW, safety-critical. Renders μοιχαλίδες (James 4:4), an OT-prophetic metaphor for covenant unfaithfulness to God. زنا carries severe, sometimes lethal, real-world legal and honor-code consequences (including honor-killing risk) in Pashtun society when applied to actual persons. This use is entirely metaphorical; the bracketed ‘(روحاني)’ qualifier is a MANDATORY, non-optional safety marker at every occurrence, paired with explicit OT-prophetic covenant-idiom framing, never a literal accusation.
Patience And Lords Return Intro
Approved rendering: صبر او د خداوند راتلل
Transliteration: sabr aw da Khudawand ratlal
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW doctrine-name entry (James 5:7-11 section header rendering) for consistent use across all lesson artifacts referencing this doctrine by name.
Coming Of The Lord
Approved rendering: د خداوند راتلل
Transliteration: da Khudawand ratlal
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW. Renders παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου (James 5:7-8). Islamic eschatology shares an expectation of Isa’s return but subordinates it to the Mahdi and recasts its purpose (affirming Islam, defeating the Dajjal), unlike the NT’s sovereign, self-returning divine Judge and Bridegroom. Must be actively corrected at every occurrence, on the same footing as the baseline’s Critical messiah and resurrection_of_christ entries. No transliterated loanword exists or should be coined; periphrasis with mandatory contrastive teaching is required.
Confess Sins To One Another
Approved rendering: یو تر بل ګناهونه بیانول
Transliteration: yaw tar bal gunahuna bayanawul
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Rejected alternatives: اقرار
Original: ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας
Category: Confession and Restoration
NEW, safety-critical. Renders ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας (James 5:16). اقرار (formal legal confession/admission) carries connotations of judicial or punitive confession under Islamic jurisprudential categories, and must NEVER be used. Given real, sometimes life-threatening danger converts face if private matters become known, this must always be taught as safe, voluntary, healing disclosure within a small trusted house-church circle, never formal, public, or judicially-binding admission.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: انجیل
Transliteration: Injil
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: زیری
Inherited from Romans package. Not a primary term in James’s own argument but underlies James’s whole exhortatory frame (the ‘implanted word,’ 1:21) and must remain consistent with Romans usage across the curriculum.
Faith
Approved rendering: ایمان
Transliteration: iman
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. In James, the identical trust-in-Christ category as Romans, never a different ‘faith.’ James 2:19’s demon confession (‘God is one’) demonstrates bare monotheistic assent — functionally identical to the shahada’s core content — is not this saving trust; the term is unchanged but surrounding argument must correct any equation of doctrinal confession with iman.
Grace
Approved rendering: فضل
Transliteration: fazal
Doctrine: Grace (background to Faith and Works / Worldliness)
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 4:6 quotes Proverbs 3:34 (‘God gives grace to the humble’); melmastia reciprocity-creating gift logic remains the same risk flagged in the baseline; grace here opposes proud self-sufficiency, not merely low social status.
Sin
Approved rendering: ګناه
Transliteration: gunah
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith / Confession and Restoration
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. James 1:14-15’s ‘desire… sin… death’ causal chain must be bridged from Pashtunwali’s honor-shame-primary ethics (which track violations of nang, not internal desire before God) to this internal, generative account of sin’s origin; also underlies 4:17 and 5:15-16,20.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: ملګرتیا
Transliteration: malgartia
Doctrine: Faith and Works / Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: شراکت
Original: κοινωνία / φιλία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package (Low there); risk elevated to High in James because the root is stretched to cover both a strongly positive sense (‘friend of God,’ 2:23) and a strongly negative sense (‘friendship with the world,’ 4:4). Every occurrence in James must carry an explicit qualifier so readers cannot confuse worldly ‘friendship’ with the baseline’s positive Christian fellowship doctrine.
Called
Approved rendering: بلل شوی
Transliteration: balal shaway
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: κλητός (conceptually, ‘called… to be heirs’)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:5 applies this to God’s choice of the poor to be heirs of the kingdom — a deliberate reversal of status-based expectation. Must not be read through Pashtun tribal-lineage/honor-based chosenness, as flagged for ‘election’ in the baseline.
Trial
Approved rendering: ازموینه
Transliteration: azmwina
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: πειρασμός (positive sense)
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Reserved exclusively for the positive, external, faith-refining hardship sense of πειρασμός (James 1:2-4,12). Never use for the negative enticement-to-sin sense (see temptation, below); James 1:13 explicitly denies God tempts anyone toward evil, so the two senses of one Greek word-family require two distinct Pashto lexemes.
Temptation
Approved rendering: وسوسه
Transliteration: waswasa
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: πειρασμός / πειράζω (negative sense)
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Reserved exclusively for the negative, internal enticement-to-sin sense (James 1:13-15), sourced in one’s own desire (ἐπιθυμία), never from God. وسوسه closely echoes the Islamic waswas (Satanic whispering), broadly compatible but tending to locate temptation’s source as exclusively external/satanic; must always be anchored to James 1:14’s internal-source clarification.
Steadfastness Endurance
Approved rendering: زغم
Transliteration: zgham
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith / Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: صبر
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Renders ὑπομονή, ‘remaining under’ present trial (James 1:3-4,12; 5:11). MUST be kept lexically distinct from patience_in_waiting (صبر) even though both gloss as ‘patience’ in English; conflating them blurs James’s two distinct pastoral movements — enduring under present trial versus patiently waiting for the Lord’s future return.
Patience In Waiting
Approved rendering: صبر
Transliteration: sabr
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: زغم
Original: μακροθυμία
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW. Renders μακροθυμία, patient forbearance while waiting for the Lord’s coming, illustrated by the farmer awaiting rain (James 5:7-8,10). صبر is also a central Islamic virtue; a genuine positive resource but must be anchored explicitly to hope in Christ’s specific, promised, imminent return (5:8), never left as generic fatalistic endurance of whatever is decreed.
Father Of Lights
Approved rendering: د رڼاګانو پلار
Transliteration: da rana-ganu plar
Doctrine: General (God’s character)
Original: πατὴρ τῶν φώτων
Category: God
NEW. Renders πατὴρ τῶν φώτων (James 1:17). Combines the baseline’s Critical پلار reuse with light/glory-adjacent imagery; must be taught as relational generosity and unchanging goodness, not a distant cosmological title divorced from personal fatherly care.
Word Of Truth
Approved rendering: د حقیقت کلام / ریښه شوی کلام
Transliteration: da haqiqat kalam / resha shaway kalam
Doctrine: Faith and Works (root)
Original: λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders λόγος ἀληθείας / ἔμφυτος λόγος, the gospel message pictured as a life-giving seed implanted within (James 1:18,21). کلام carries heavy resonance with Islamic ilm al-kalam and ‘Kalam Allah’ (Qur’an as God’s speech); must always appear inside the fuller phrase, never bare, and be clarified as God’s life-giving gospel message, not a technical theological-discourse category or a claim about a rival revealed text.
Religion
Approved rendering: دین
Transliteration: din
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: θρησκεία
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders θρησκεία; James 1:27 redefines ‘pure and undefiled religion’ as caring for orphans and widows and keeping oneself unstained from the world. دین is Islam’s own self-designation as a total way of life; deliberate, high-value, high-risk use — must never be taught as implying good deeds define true religion apart from faith in Christ, which would reinforce the same works-salvation confusion flagged for works.
Favoritism
Approved rendering: جانبداري
Transliteration: janbdari
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: προσωποληψία
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders προσωποληψία (James 2:1,9). Directly opposes Pashtunwali’s own honor-status etiquette, in which deferential treatment of a wealthy or honorable guest (melmastia) is customary and expected; James makes such deference, when it demeans the poor, a sin against ‘the Lord of glory’ (2:1).
Friend Of God
Approved rendering: د خدای ملګری
Transliteration: da Khudai malgari
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Original: φίλος θεοῦ
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders φίλος θεοῦ (James 2:23). Strong positive cultural bridge: Abraham/Ibrahim is already called Khalil Allah (‘Friend/Intimate of God’) in Islamic tradition (Qur’an 4:125). Must clarify the friendship flows from faith credited as righteousness per this very verse, not from Abraham’s own inherent merit as sometimes understood in the Islamic khalil tradition.
Abraham
Approved rendering: ابراهیم
Transliteration: Ibrahim
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW proper name. James 2:21, ‘Abraham our father.’ Shared, positively-regarded Quranic patriarch; James’s argument depends on this shared reverence to land. Must be introduced consistently as ابراهیم per established regional convention (also matches baseline’s proper-name strategy for Dawud, Musa).
Rahab
Approved rendering: راحاب
Transliteration: Rahab
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW proper name. James 2:25, ‘Rahab the prostitute’ (فاحشه). A second witness alongside Abraham, deliberately pairing the most honored figure with one of the least honorable social status, undercutting any status-based reading of who can be vindicated by faith-produced action. Requires careful pastoral framing given honor-shame sensitivities around discussing sexual sin/status openly; the term itself is Low risk, but application is High.
Tongue
Approved rendering: ژبه
Transliteration: zheba
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γλῶσσα
Category: Taming the Tongue
NEW doctrine-level term (Pashto word itself is Low risk lexically). In a culture where speech — gossip, insult, public accusation — can trigger honor-based retaliation and blood feud (badal), James’s warning that the tongue can ‘set the whole course of life on fire’ (3:6) carries acute, real-world social and physical danger, not merely rhetorical force.
Likeness Of God
Approved rendering: د خدای مثال / شان
Transliteration: da Khudai misal / shan
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ
Category: Taming the Tongue
NEW. Renders καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ (James 3:9, echoing Genesis 1:26), the basis for the wrongness of cursing another person. Tawhid theology firmly resists any suggestion of resemblance between humans and God; must be explained as moral/relational representation, never physical or ontological equivalence with God.
Desires Passions
Approved rendering: هوس
Transliteration: hawas
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἐπιθυμία
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders ἐπιθυμία, the internal source of quarrels and of temptation-to-sin (James 1:14-15; 4:1-3). هوس closely parallels the Islamic ethical category of restraining base desire (hawas/nafs), a genuine positive bridge, but must be anchored to James’s specific remedy — submission to God and drawing near to him (4:7-8) — not self-directed nafs-subjugation alone.
Friendship With The World
Approved rendering: د نړۍ سره ملګرتیا
Transliteration: da dunya sara malgartia
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου, declared enmity with God (James 4:4). Negative stretch of the same ملګرتیا root used positively for Christian fellowship and ‘friend of God’ (2:23); must always retain ‘د نړۍ سره’ (with the world) so readers do not confuse this condemned ‘friendship’ with the baseline’s positive fellowship doctrine.
Submit To God
Approved rendering: خدای ته تابع شئ
Transliteration: Khudai ta tabe shai
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ὑποτάγητε τῷ θεῷ
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders ὑποτάγητε τῷ θεῷ (James 4:7). تابع/تسلیم carries the full weight of Islam’s own root meaning (‘submission’); must be distinguished from generic total-submission religious performance and from competing Pashtunwali loyalty codes (nang, tribal-elder authority). Must always be paired with draw_near_to_god in the same teaching unit.
Lawgiver And Judge
Approved rendering: د ناموس ورکوونکی او داور
Transliteration: da namus warkawunkay aw dawar
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Rejected alternatives: قاضي
Original: νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής (James 4:12). Reuses Critical ناموس, paired with judicial authority, connecting forward to the eschatological Judge title in James 5:9. Avoid قاضي’s shari’a-court association and any implication of tribal-jirga adjudication.
Lord Of Hosts
Approved rendering: د لښکرو خداوند
Transliteration: da lashkaro Khudawand
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: κύριος σαβαώθ
Category: God
NEW. Renders κύριος σαβαώθ (James 5:4). Reuses the baseline’s Critical خداوند; the military ‘hosts’ imagery requires particular care given decades of literal armed conflict in the region — must be clarified as sovereign power over all created and heavenly authority, never comparison to literal warfare or jihad framing.
Judge At The Door
Approved rendering: داور د دروازې پر سر ولاړ دی
Transliteration: dawar da drwaze par sar wlaR dai
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Rejected alternatives: قاضي
Original: ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW. Renders ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν (James 5:9). قاضي evokes the formal shari’a-court judge role; داور is more neutral but may still evoke tribal jirga adjudication. Must clarify Christ’s eschatological judgeship as neither role, but unique divine authority.
Do Not Swear
Approved rendering: قسم مه خورئ
Transliteration: qasam ma khwarai
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: μὴ ὀμνύετε
Category: Taming the Tongue
NEW. Renders μὴ ὀμνύετε (James 5:12), echoing Matthew 5:33-37. Oaths (قسم) carry heavy legal-social weight in both Islamic law and Pashtunwali tribal custom (e.g., stone-oath ceremonies in jirga proceedings); must be taught as a call to plain, trustworthy integrity in everyday speech, not a blanket prohibition on all formal legal oath contexts.
Prayer Of Faith
Approved rendering: د ایمان دعا
Transliteration: da iman du’a
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως
Category: Prayer and Healing
NEW. Renders ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως (James 5:15). Reuses the established High-risk ایمان; the compound must retain the explicit trust-in-Christ sense rather than reading as generic ritual petition.
Anoint With Oil
Approved rendering: په غوړ سره تیلي کول
Transliteration: pa ghwaR sara tayli kawul
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ
Category: Prayer and Healing
NEW. Renders ἀλείψαντες ἐλαίῳ (James 5:14). Must be clearly distinguished from folk-Islamic amulet (taweez) and ruqya exorcism practices common in regional folk religion; this is a simple, faith-expressing act of pastoral care, not a magical or protective ritual object.
Elders
Approved rendering: مشران (کلیسا)
Transliteration: meshran (kalisa)
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
Original: πρεσβύτεροι
Category: Prayer and Healing
NEW. Renders πρεσβύτεροι (James 5:14). مشران is the everyday word for tribal/village elders exercising customary jirga authority; must always be qualified as ‘مشران (کلیسا)’ or an equivalent descriptive clause so church elders’ spiritual-care/prayer ministry is not confused with tribal-jirga adjudicative authority.
Cover Multitude Of Sins
Approved rendering: ډیری ګناهونه پوښي
Transliteration: dery gunahuna poshi
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Confession and Restoration
NEW. Renders καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν (James 5:20). High risk of misreading through the honor-shame ‘cover-up-to-preserve-honor’ cultural script; must be clarified as gracious forgiveness following genuine repentance and restoration, never culturally-driven concealment that avoids accountability.
Medium Risk Terms
Peace
Approved rendering: سوله
Transliteration: sola
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:16 uses this positively-resonant term (tied to real sola-jirga peace-negotiation experience) ironically, to expose hollow religious speech detached from material action; this rhetorical, negative use must be flagged so readers do not read the verse as endorsing the empty blessing. James 3:18’s ‘peacemakers’ uses it positively, consistent with the baseline sense.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: د خدای پاچاهي
Transliteration: da Khudai pachahi
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:5 ties this term to God’s special regard for the poor, directly opposing status-based honor hierarchies; must be distinguished from any political/territorial ‘Islamic Emirate’ framing per the baseline note.
Glory
Approved rendering: جلال
Transliteration: jalal
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Inherited from Romans package. James 2:1 calls Christ ‘the Lord of glory,’ anchoring the entire favoritism prohibition in Christ’s own honor; showing favoritism toward the wealthy is framed as an offense against this specific title, not a generic etiquette violation.
Testing Genuineness
Approved rendering: ازموینه
Transliteration: azmwina
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: δοκίμιον
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Renders δοκίμιον (James 1:3), the metallurgical refining-process noun. Rendered contextually together with trial rather than as an independent lexical item, since the outcome (steadfastness) is what must be distinguished from the process, not a separate Pashto word.
Perfect Mature
Approved rendering: بشپړ
Transliteration: bashpar
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: τέλειος
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Renders τέλειος — complete, whole, morally/spiritually mature, not sinless perfection (James 1:4,17,25; 3:2). Must be rendered consistently across all occurrences; explicitly not a claim to flawless performance, which would reintroduce a merit-based reading contrary to the Faith-and-Works doctrine.
Doubting
Approved rendering: شک کول
Transliteration: shak kawul
Doctrine: Trials and the Testing of Faith
Original: διακρίνομαι
Category: Trials and the Testing of Faith
NEW. Renders διακρίνομαι, to waver, be internally divided in judgment, undermining effective prayer (James 1:6-8). Connects to double_minded as the internal state that disqualifies the doubter’s prayer from being answered.
Double Minded
Approved rendering: دوه‑زړی
Transliteration: dwa-zRy
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: δίψυχος
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders δίψυχος, literally ‘two-souled’ (James 1:8; 4:8). Genuine positive bridge: Pashtunwali’s demand for undivided loyalty (nang) makes ‘double-heartedness’ a recognizable form of dishonor, useful for teaching wholehearted trust in God rather than divided allegiance between God and the world.
Wisdom
Approved rendering: حکمت
Transliteration: hikmat
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: σοφία
Category: Wisdom from Above
NEW. Renders σοφία, skill in righteous living granted by God to those who ask in faith (James 1:5; 3:13-17). حکمت carries strong, broadly positive resonance with the Islamic hikmah wisdom-literature tradition, a genuine cultural asset, but must never stand alone as an abstract virtue; always anchor to the specific fruit James names in 3:17.
Wisdom From Above
Approved rendering: له پاسه حکمت
Transliteration: la pasa hikmat
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: ἡ ἄνωθεν σοφία
Category: Wisdom from Above
NEW. Renders ἡ ἄνωθεν σοφία, heavenly-sourced wisdom, contrasted with earthly, unspiritual, demonic wisdom (James 3:15-17). Must be taught alongside its named fruit (pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, sincere).
Earthly Wisdom
Approved rendering: ځمکنی، نفسي، شیطاني
Transliteration: dzmakani, nafsi, shaytani
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
Original: ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης
Category: Wisdom from Above
NEW. Renders ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης, wisdom whose source is merely human nature or actively demonic, producing jealousy and selfish ambition (James 3:15). شیطاني is a strong, largely positive-risk bridge (shared devil-figure tradition); must connect to visible fruit named in context (jealousy, strife, disorder), not occult/folk-magic associations.
Doer Of The Word
Approved rendering: د کلام کوونکی / يوازې اوریدونکی
Transliteration: da kalam kawonkay / yawaze awredonkay
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders ποιητὴς λόγου / ἀκροατής, the doer/hearer contrast (James 1:22-25) that directly anticipates the Faith-and-Works argument of chapter 2; must be rendered so this theme is recognizably continuous with 2:14-26.
Unstained From The World
Approved rendering: له نړۍ نه ناپاک نه شوی
Transliteration: la dunya na napak na shaway
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders ἄσπιλος ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου (James 1:27), moral purity maintained amid worldly corruption; introduces the κόσμος (world) theme fully developed in chapter 4.
Assembly Synagogue
Approved rendering: غونډ
Transliteration: ghund
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Rejected alternatives: کلیسا
Original: συναγωγή
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders συναγωγή (James 2:2), the gathering/meeting place of the early Jewish-Christian community. Distinct from and must NEVER substitute for the baseline’s Critical کلیسا doctrine term; render descriptively as ‘your gathering/assembly.‘
Poor
Approved rendering: غریب
Transliteration: gharib
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πτωχός
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders πτωχός; the object of God’s special regard in James 2:5 and the exploited party in James 5:4. Foundational to the doctrine; God’s choosing of the poor as heirs of the kingdom directly counters status-based honor hierarchies.
Wages Of Laborers
Approved rendering: د کارکوونکو مزدوري
Transliteration: da karkawonko mazduri
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν (James 5:4), withheld/unjust wages, an OT prophetic indictment. Live pastoral-justice application given Pashtun agrarian land-owner/laborer dynamics.
Love Your Neighbor
Approved rendering: ګاونډی/ نژدی دې ته مینه کوه
Transliteration: gawandi/nazhdi de ta mina kawa
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου (James 2:8, quoting Leviticus 19:18), the substance of the ‘royal law.’ Must be rendered consistently with any future Gospels/Leviticus material in this pipeline.
Mercy
Approved rendering: رحم / مهربانۍ
Transliteration: rahm / mehrabani
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders ἔλεος (James 2:13, ‘judgment without mercy… mercy triumphs over judgment’). Ties directly to the poor/favoritism doctrine and anticipates the works-of-mercy argument in 2:14-26.
Isaac
Approved rendering: اسحاق
Transliteration: Ishaq
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW proper name. James 2:21, the son Abraham offered on the altar. The Quranic tradition of the near-sacrifice (Qur’an 37:100-107) is disputed as to whether the son is Ishaq or Ismail; this ambiguity must be flagged pastorally, not resolved by translation choice, and Genesis’s own identification of Isaac must be retained without softening.
Spies Messengers
Approved rendering: استازي
Transliteration: astazi
Doctrine: Faith and Works
Rejected alternatives: فرشتې
NEW. Renders ἀγγέλους in James 2:25 (context: the Israelite spies of Joshua 2, not angels). Translators must never default to فرشتې (‘angels’); context requires human envoys/spies.
Gehenna
Approved rendering: جهنم
Transliteration: jahannam
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
Original: γέεννα
Category: Taming the Tongue
NEW. Renders γέεννα (James 3:6). جهنم is the shared Islamic-Arabic eschatological term for hell, broadly compatible in basic content, but must not import the fully developed Islamic doctrine of hell’s tiered punishments; the point in James is only that the tongue’s corrupting power has an infernal, not divine, source.
Tame
Approved rendering: زبات کول / منزه کول
Transliteration: zabat kawul / manza kawul
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
NEW. Renders δαμάζω (James 3:7-8), ‘no human being can tame the tongue’ — a sobering admission requiring the Spirit’s work, not self-discipline alone, connecting to the established sanctification doctrine (تقدیس).
Peacemakers Fruit Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: د سولې پیدا کوونکي / د صداقت مېوه
Transliteration: da sole paida kawonki / da sadaqat mewa
Doctrine: Wisdom from Above
NEW. Renders εἰρηνοποιοῦντες / καρπὸς δικαιοσύνης (James 3:18), closing benediction of the wisdom passage. Reuses established سوله and صداقت exactly for full consistency with baseline.
Draw Near To God
Approved rendering: خدای ته نږدې شئ
Transliteration: Khudai ta nzhde shai
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
Original: ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ
Category: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. Renders ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ (James 4:8), relational, reciprocal nearness to God. Must counterbalance the preceding submit_to_god language so submission is not read as merely hierarchical.
Purify Hearts
Approved rendering: زړونه پاک کړئ
Transliteration: zRuna pak krai
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration (root)
Rejected alternatives: تقدیس
Original: ἁγνίσατε τὰς καρδίας
Category: Confession and Restoration
NEW. Renders ἁγνίσατε τὰς καρδίας (James 4:8), an everyday repentance-call, from a Greek root distinct from ἁγιάζω. Distinct from the baseline’s technical sanctification doctrine term تقدیس; a mandatory translator note must flag that this is NOT a second rendering of the sanctification doctrine.
If The Lord Wills
Approved rendering: که خداوند وغواړي
Transliteration: ka Khudawand wughwari
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW. Renders ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ (James 4:15). Strong natural-language bridge to the ubiquitous ‘In sha’Allah’ formula; every occurrence must confirm خداوند/خدای still refers to the God of the gospel per established convention, not an emptied-of-content fatalistic idiom.
Jobs Endurance
Approved rendering: د ایوب زغم
Transliteration: da Ayub zgham
Doctrine: Patience and the Lord’s Return
Original: ἡ ὑπομονὴ Ἰώβ
Category: Patience and the Lord’s Return
NEW. Renders ἡ ὑπομονὴ Ἰώβ (James 5:11). Strong positive bridge: Job (Ayub) and his proverbial patience (‘sabr Ayyub’) are already a well-known, positively-regarded virtue paradigm in regional Islamic culture.
Forgiven
Approved rendering: بخښل کیږي
Transliteration: bakhshal kegi
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἀφεθήσεται
Category: Confession and Restoration
NEW. Renders ἀφεθήσεται (James 5:15). Broadly compatible with Islamic forgiveness concepts (Allah’s ghafur/rahim attributes), but must be tied specifically to Christ’s authority and the prayer of faith, not generic divine mercy dispensed apart from the gospel.
Turn Back A Sinner
Approved rendering: ګناهکار له تیري نه راګرځول
Transliteration: gunahkar la tirai na ragarzawul
Doctrine: Confession and Restoration
Original: ἐπιστρέψῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης
Category: Confession and Restoration
NEW. Renders ἐπιστρέψῃ ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης (James 5:19-20). Ties the established ګناه to this restoration doctrine; low independent term risk beyond pastoral care needed in application.
Servant Of God
Approved rendering: غلام (د خدای)
Transliteration: ghulam (da Khudai)
Doctrine: General (author’s self-identification)
Original: δοῦλος (θεοῦ)
Category: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders δοῦλος θεοῦ (James 1:1). Positive bridge: parallels the common Islamic personal-name convention Abdullah (‘servant/slave of God’); models the servant posture James commends throughout.
The Dispersion
Approved rendering: شاتیت شوی قوم
Transliteration: shatit shaway qawm
Doctrine: General (church context)
Original: διασπορά
Category: Church
NEW. Renders διασπορά (James 1:1). Strong contemporary resonance: today’s Pashto-speaking house-church readership is itself scattered and often secret, echoing the letter’s original addressees.
Elijah
Approved rendering: الیاس
Transliteration: Ilyas
Doctrine: Prayer and Healing
NEW proper name. James 5:17-18. Shared, positively-regarded Quranic prophet (Ilyas); the specific narrative detail (withholding rain 3.5 years through prayer) should be taught as consistent biblical history supplementing, not contradicting, the shared prophetic tradition.
Low Risk Terms
Orphans And Widows
Approved rendering: یتیمان او کونډې
Transliteration: yatiman aw kundy
Doctrine: Worldliness versus Friendship with God
NEW. James 1:27’s paradigmatic vulnerable/dependent members of society. Low collision risk; positively resonant with both biblical and regional customary charity expectations.
Rich
Approved rendering: شتمن
Transliteration: shatman
Doctrine: Favoritism and the Poor
Original: πλούσιος
Category: Favoritism and the Poor
NEW. Renders πλούσιος; consistently placed in moral tension with genuine faith throughout James (1:10-11; 2:6-7; 5:1-6).
Altar
Approved rendering: قربانګاه
Transliteration: qurbangah
Doctrine: Faith and Works
NEW. Renders θυσιαστήριον (James 2:21). Concrete OT cultic term; low independent risk, needs comprehension support only for readers unfamiliar with the OT sacrificial system.
Teacher
Approved rendering: ښوونکی
Transliteration: shwonkay
Doctrine: Taming the Tongue
NEW. Renders διδάσκαλος (James 3:1); one who authoritatively instructs the community. Relevant given how ministry/teaching roles are exercised, often informally, in secret, within persecuted house-churches.
Referenced passages