Core Glossary
Core Glossary: Numbers (Português)
This glossary compiles every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, spanning Numbers 1-36. Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json are marked Baseline reuse and carry that exact Portuguese rendering forward unchanged. New terms proposed for this curriculum are marked New entry and are assigned a risk tier using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low framework as the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json.
A. Baseline Terms Reused Exactly (No Deviation Permitted)
| English Term | Portuguese (fixed) | Risk | Doctrine (Numbers) | Chapters | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| faith / believe | fé / crer | High | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | 13, 14, 20 | Negated form (“did not believe,” לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ) is the doctrinal center of chs. 13-14, 20 |
| sin | pecado | Medium | God’s Patience and Judgment | 5, 14, 15, 16, 21, 25 | Never render as a correctable “erro” across lifetimes |
| holy | santo | Medium/High | Census and the People of God; Sanctification | 4, 6, 8, 16, 20 | Applies to tabernacle, Levites, and the whole camp’s calling |
| sanctification | santificação | High | Sanctification (Moses/Israel “sanctified”) | 6, 20 | Numbers 20:12, God “sanctified” through Moses/Aaron’s obedience |
| covenant | aliança | High | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | 10, 18, 25 | Ark of the Covenant; covenant of salt; covenant of peace |
| intercession | intercessão | Critical (elevated from baseline High given curriculum’s dedicated doctrine) | Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas) | 14, 16, 17, 21, 25 | Central assigned doctrine of this curriculum; every occurrence requires human theologian review |
| glory | glória | Medium | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | 14, 20 | ”Glory of the LORD” appearing at rebellion scenes |
| law | lei | High | (Mosaic legal material throughout) | 5, 6, 15, 18, 19, 28-30, 35 | The Torah legal corpus embedded across Numbers |
| Israel | Israel | Low | Census and the People of God | throughout | Proper name, standard |
| God | Deus | Critical | (all doctrines) | throughout | Standard, unambiguous |
| Holy Spirit / Spirit of God | Espírito Santo / Espírito de Deus | Critical | Intercession; Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 11, 24, 27 | Must be distinguished from Kardecist “espíritos guias” and Candomblé/Umbanda incorporação, exactly as the baseline’s holy_spirit entry requires |
| election (sovereign choice) | eleição | High | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | 22-24 | God’s blessing of Israel is sovereign, not humanly procured or revocable by a hired diviner |
| providence | providência | High | God’s Patience and Judgment | 9, 14 | The guiding cloud/fire; must not be read as impersonal fate |
| messiah / messianic promise | Messias | Critical | Balaam’s “Star out of Jacob” oracle | 24 | Numbers 24:17 is a foundational messianic-promise text; must connect explicitly to Jesus as fulfillment, not generic astrology |
| resurrection | ressurreição | Critical | (typological background only; no direct occurrence, but must remain available uncontaminated for later NT teaching built on this curriculum) | — | Reserved; NEVER “reencarnação” |
| salvation | salvação | Critical | Bronze Serpent as Type of Christ | 21 | ”Look and live” (v.8-9) is this curriculum’s OT type for salvation by faith; must connect to John 3:14-15 |
| Lord | Senhor | Critical | (divine name references, YHWH) | throughout | Tetragrammaton rendering follows Almeida convention |
B. New Terms Introduced by Numbers (Proposed Portuguese Renderings)
| English Term | Original (Hebrew) | Transliteration | Portuguese (proposed) | Doctrine | Risk | Chapters | Grounded Risk Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bronze serpent | נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת | nechash ha-nechosheth | serpente de bronze | Bronze Serpent as Type of Christ | Critical | 21 | Risk of syncretistic conflation with Candomblé’s serpent-associated orixá Oxumaré, and with folk-Catholic/Umbanda protective talismans (“patuá”); 2 Kings 18:4 shows Israel itself later idolized this object. Requires mandatory theologian-reviewed teaching note every occurrence. |
| pole/standard (of the serpent) | נֵס | nes | haste | Bronze Serpent as Type of Christ | Critical | 21 | Must not read as a magical object; the pole’s power is derivative of God’s command, not intrinsic |
| look (at the bronze serpent) | רָאָה / הִבִּיט | ra’ah / hibbit | olhar (para) | Bronze Serpent as Type of Christ | Critical | 21 | Functions as the OT type of “believing” (πιστεύων, John 3:15); must retain the sense of trusting, sustained attention, not casual glancing |
| unbelief | לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ | lo he’eminu | incredulidade / não crer | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | Critical | 13, 14, 20 | Doctrinal negation of baseline “faith”; must convey decisive failure of trust, not mere doubt |
| rebellion / rebel | מָרָה | marah | rebelião / rebelar-se | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | High | 14, 16, 20 | Organized or personal defiance against God’s appointed leadership/word |
| murmur/complain | לוּן / תְּלוּנָה | lun / telunah | murmurar | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | Medium | 11, 14, 16, 21 | Recurring narrative pattern preceding judgment |
| craving | תַּאֲוָה | ta’avah | cobiça / desejo ardente | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | Medium | 11 | Contrasts contentment/trust with appetite-driven complaint |
| forgive | סָלַח | salach | perdoar | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 14 | Must show forgiveness and temporal consequence coexisting without contradiction |
| unintentional sin | שְׁגָגָה | shegagah | pecado involuntário | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 15 | Must not collapse into the baseline-flagged Kardecist “erro corrigido em vidas futuras” |
| presumptuous sin | בְּיָד רָמָה | be-yad ramah | pecado deliberado / com mão soberba | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 15 | Willful defiance, contrasted structurally with shegagah above |
| atonement | כִּפֶּר | kipper | expiação | Intercession | Critical | 16, 25, 28-29 | Foundational OT term behind NT propitiation language; must not be read as self-earned karmic reparation (a live Kardecist parallel) |
| plague | נֶגֶף / מַגֵּפָה | negef / maggefah | praga / mortandade | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 16, 25, 31 | Direct divine judicial action, not impersonal misfortune |
| wrath | קֶצֶף | qetsef | ira | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 16 | God’s righteous, purposeful anger, not capricious rage |
| census / numbering | מִפְקָד / פָּקַד | mifqad / paqad | censo | Census and the People of God | Medium | 1, 26 | Purposeful covenantal ordering, not secular headcount |
| congregation | עֵדָה | edah | congregação | Census and the People of God | Medium | 1-20 passim | Distinguish from baseline’s institutional “igreja” |
| tribe / staff / scepter | מַטֶּה / שֵׁבֶט | matteh / shevet | tribo / vara / cetro | Census and the People of God; Messianic Promise | Medium | 1, 17, 24 | Deliberate Hebrew wordplay (tribe = rod = scepter) should be flagged for consistent footnoting across chapters |
| firstborn | בְּכוֹר | bekhor | primogênito | Census and the People of God | Low | 3 | Standard term |
| redeem / ransom | פָּדָה / כֹּפֶר | padah / kofer | redimir / resgate | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | High | 3, 18, 35 | Early substitutionary-payment anchor for later redemption theology; must not flatten to ordinary commercial exchange |
| unclean / clean | טָמֵא / טָהוֹר | tame / tahor | impuro / puro | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 5, 19 | Risk of conflation with Umbanda/Candomblé “limpeza espiritual” and Kardecist “descarrego”; must be taught as relational/covenantal purity before a personal God |
| guilt offering | אָשָׁם | asham | oferta pela culpa | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 5 | |
| jealousy / zeal | קִנְאָה | qin’ah | ciúme / zelo | Intercession (Phinehas) | Medium | 5, 25 | Same root’s negative (jealousy) and positive (godly zeal) senses must be distinguished by context |
| oath | שְׁבוּעָה | shevu’ah | juramento | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Low | 5, 30 | |
| vow | נֶדֶר | neder | voto | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | High | 6, 30 | Risk of conflation with Brazilian folk-Catholic “promessa” made to a saint rather than directly to God |
| Nazirite | נָזִיר | nazir | nazireu | Census and the People of God | Medium | 6 | Must be distinguished from “Nazareno” (of Nazareth) — unrelated etymology, easily confused |
| consecration / separation | הִזִּיר / קדש | hazir / qadash | consagração / separação | Sanctification | Medium | 6, 8 | |
| blessing | בְּרָכָה | berakhah | bênção | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | Medium | 6, 23-24 | Establishes blessing as flowing through God’s appointed means, contrasted later with Balak’s attempted commercial procurement |
| lampstand | מְנוֹרָה | menorah | candelabro | Census and the People of God | Low | 8 | |
| purification | טָהֳרָה | taharah | purificação | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 8, 19 | |
| Passover | פֶּסַח | pesach | Páscoa | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Medium | 9 | Retain Exodus-deliverance referent |
| cloud / glory-presence | עָנָן | anan | nuvem | Providence (baseline reuse: providência) | Medium | 9, 14 | Visible sign of personal divine governance, not impersonal fate |
| trumpet | חֲצוֹצְרָה | chatsotserah | trombeta | Census and the People of God | Low | 10, 28-29 | |
| Ark of the Covenant | אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת | aron ha-edut | Arca da Aliança | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Medium | 10 | |
| prophesy | הִתְנַבֵּא | hitnabbe | profetizar | Inspiration of Scripture (baseline-adjacent) | Medium | 11 | Distinguish from psicografia/mediumship |
| leprosy | צָרַעַת | tsara’at | lepra | God’s Patience and Judgment | Low-Medium | 12 | |
| meekness | עָנָו | anav | humilde / manso | Intercession | Low | 12 | |
| spies/scouts | מְרַגְּלִים | meraggelim | espias | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | Low | 13 | |
| land flowing with milk and honey | אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַש | eretz zavat chalav u-devash | terra que mana leite e mel | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Low-Medium | 13-14 | |
| fringes/tassels | צִיצִת | tsitsit | franjas | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Low | 15 | |
| blasphemy | גִּדֵּף | giddef | blasfêmia | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 15 | |
| sign | אוֹת | ot | sinal | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Low | 17 | |
| tithe | מַעֲשֵׂר | ma’aser | dízimo | Census and the People of God | High | 18 | Real risk of prosperity-gospel “seed faith” distortion widespread in Brazilian Neo-Pentecostalism; anchor in Numbers 18’s provision-for-service context |
| bear guilt/iniquity | נָשָׂא עָוֹן | nasa avon | levar a culpa | Intercession | High | 18 | Priestly type anticipating substitutionary atonement |
| covenant of salt | בְּרִית מֶלַח | berit melach | aliança de sal | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Medium | 18 | |
| red heifer | פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה | parah adumah | novilha vermelha | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 19 | |
| ashes (purification) | אֵפֶר | efer | cinzas | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 19 | Risk of conflation with Umbanda/Kardecist “descarrego” death-purification ritual |
| water of purification | מֵי נִדָּה | mei niddah | água da purificação | God’s Patience and Judgment | High | 19 | Same risk as “ashes” above |
| sanctify (Numbers 20:12) | קדש (hiphil) | le-haqdisheni | santificar-me | Sanctification | High | 20 | God’s holiness vindicated through, or despite, human obedience/failure |
| Meribah (place name) | מְרִיבָה | Meribah | Meribá | Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation | Low | 20 | Retain as transliterated proper name |
| possess/inherit (by conquest) | יָרַשׁ | yarash | possuir / herdar | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Medium | 21 | |
| curse | קָלַל / אָרַר | qalal / arar | maldizer / maldição | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | Critical | 22-24 | Mirrors the widespread Brazilian folk-religious economy of paid cursing/blessing rituals (“trabalho,” “macumba,” “mandinga”); doctrine requires showing blessing/cursing rest solely in God’s sovereign will, never for sale |
| angel of the LORD | מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה | mal’akh YHWH | anjo do Senhor | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 22 | |
| oracle/utterance | מָשָׁל / נְאֻם | mashal / ne’um | oráculo / vaticínio | Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing | High | 23-24 | Must be distinguished from divination; God overriding a pagan diviner ≠ endorsement of divination/mediumship |
| God’s changelessness (“not a man that he should lie”) | לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב | lo ish El vi-yekhazzev | Deus não é homem, para que minta | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | High | 23 | Direct propositional anchor for the curriculum’s divine-faithfulness doctrine |
| star out of Jacob | כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב | kokhav mi-Ya’akov | estrela de Jacó | Messianic Promise | Critical | 24 | Risk of astrology/horoscope (“mapa astral”) misreading in a culture where astrology is mainstream; must connect explicitly to Jesus as fulfillment |
| vengeance | נְקָמָה | neqamah | vingança | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 31 | Must be framed as God’s judicial action through Israel, not license for personal retaliation |
| boundary | גְּבוּל | gevul | fronteira / limite | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Low | 34 | |
| inheritance | נַחֲלָה | nachalah | herança | Faithfulness of God’s Promises | High | 27, 32, 34, 36 | Connects to baseline’s adoption/full-heir-status doctrine; promise persists and even expands despite prior generation’s unbelief |
| laying on of hands | סָמַךְ יָדוֹ | samakh yado | impor as mãos | Census and the People of God | Medium | 27 | |
| appointed times/feasts | מוֹעֲדִים | mo’adim | festas designadas | Census and the People of God | Low-Medium | 28-29 | |
| city of refuge | מִקְלָט | miqlat | cidade de refúgio | Intercession / Faithfulness of God’s Promises | Medium-High | 35 | Fruitful (though not itself syncretism-risky) typological resource; connect pastorally to Christ as refuge |
| avenger of blood | גֹּאֵל הַדָּם | go’el ha-dam | vingador do sangue | God’s Patience and Judgment | Medium | 35 | Same root (go’el) also underlies positive OT “redeemer” language (Ruth, Job 19:25) — flag the double use |
| manslayer | רֹצֵח | rotseach | homicida | God’s Patience and Judgment | Low | 35 |
C. Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count (New Entries) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 7 | Human theologian — mandatory, every occurrence |
| High | 13 | Human theologian |
| Medium | 22 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 12 | Automated review |
D. Cross-Cutting Translation Notes for Phase 2
- Bronze Serpent cluster (serpente de bronze, haste, olhar) is the single highest-density Critical-risk cluster in this book, on par with the baseline’s Incarnation/Resurrection entries. Every occurrence must carry a translator note distinguishing the sign’s derivative, God-instituted power from any independently potent object — and must be positioned to receive the John 3:14-15 typological explanation in teaching material.
- Unbelief vocabulary (incredulidade, rebelião, murmurar) must stay lexically distinct from ordinary “duvidar” (to doubt) — Numbers consistently frames the wilderness generation’s failure as decisive, covenantal betrayal, not tentative uncertainty.
- Balaam’s blessing/cursing cluster (bênção, maldição, oráculo) requires the same weight of cultural awareness the baseline gives to Kardecism: Brazil’s mainstream folk-religious economy of commissioned spiritual “trabalhos” for cursing or blessing is a live, non-marginal parallel that the doctrine of God’s Sovereign Blessing directly confronts.
- Purification vocabulary (impuro/puro, cinzas, água da purificação) must be kept in its covenantal-access register, distinguished explicitly from Umbanda/Candomblé “limpeza espiritual” and Kardecist “descarrego,” exactly as the baseline treats “dons espirituais” versus mediunidade.
- Intercession cluster (intercessão, expiação, levar a culpa) recurs at three narrative peaks (Moses, ch. 14; Aaron, ch. 16-17; Phinehas, ch. 25) plus the core passage (ch. 21) — Phase 2 must render all four with visibly consistent vocabulary so learners recognize the doctrinal throughline.
This glossary must be loaded alongside the baseline translation_memory.json before Phase 2 segment translation begins. New entries above are proposed for promotion into an updated translation_memory.json version increment per the baseline’s Translation Memory Load and Enforcement Instructions.
Critical Risk Terms
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercessão
Transliteration: hitpallel / be’ad
Doctrine: Intercession (Moses, Aaron, Phinehas)
Rejected alternatives: comunicação com espíritos de mortos por meio de médiuns, intercessão exclusiva dos santos e de Maria
Original: פָּלַל (hitpael) / בְּעַד
Category: Intercession
Inherited from Romans package (intercessão) but RISK ELEVATED from the baseline’s High to Critical for this curriculum, which makes Intercession a dedicated core doctrine anchored in three named paradigm figures (Moses ch.14, Aaron ch.16-17, Phinehas ch.25) plus the core passage (ch.21). Must be visibly consistent across all four narrative peaks and distinguished from Kardecist mediumistic communication with the dead and from Catholic saint/Marian petition.
God
Approved rendering: Deus
Transliteration: Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: God (all doctrines)
Original: אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (Deus). Standard and unambiguous throughout Numbers.
Holy Spirit Spirit Of God
Approved rendering: Espírito Santo / Espírito de Deus
Transliteration: ruach YHWH / ruach Elohim
Doctrine: Spirit-Empowered Ministry
Rejected alternatives: espíritos guias ou mentores espirituais (espiritismo), orixás e guias incorporados (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: רוּחַ יְהוָה / רוּחַ אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (Espírito Santo). Empowers the seventy elders (ch.11) and even commandeers Balaam’s speech (ch.24); must be explicitly distinguished from Kardecist and Candomblé/Umbanda mediumistic frameworks, per the baseline’s holy_spirit note.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Messias
Transliteration: — (cf. kokhav, shevet in Num 24:17)
Doctrine: Messianic Promise: The Star out of Jacob
Rejected alternatives: um espírito superior ou mais evoluído (leitura espírita), leitura astrológica genérica (mapa astral)
Original: (theological category; cf. כּוֹכָב, שֵׁבֶט in Num 24:17)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package (Messias). Numbers 24:17 is a foundational messianic-promise text; must connect explicitly to Jesus as fulfillment, never to a generic astrological reading.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: ressurreição
Transliteration: — (reserved; no direct Numbers occurrence)
Doctrine: Eschatology (reserved for NT teaching built on this curriculum’s typology)
Rejected alternatives: reencarnação
Original: (reserved; no direct occurrence in Numbers)
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package (ressurreição). NEVER reencarnação. Reserved for later New Testament teaching built on the bronze-serpent/John 3 typology this curriculum establishes.
Salvation
Approved rendering: salvação
Transliteration: — (cf. ra’ah … chayah, Num 21:8-9)
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: evolução espiritual através de reencarnações sucessivas
Original: (theological category; cf. וְרָאָה … וָחָי, Num 21:8-9)
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (salvação). Numbers 21:8-9’s ‘look and live’ is this curriculum’s Old Testament type for salvation by faith, explicitly picked up in John 3:14-15’s ‘believe … have eternal life.‘
Lord
Approved rendering: Senhor
Transliteration: YHWH / Adonai
Doctrine: God
Original: יְהוָה / אֲדֹנָי
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (Senhor). Tetragrammaton rendering follows Almeida convention throughout Numbers.
Bronze Serpent
Approved rendering: serpente de bronze
Transliteration: nechash ha-nechosheth
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: amuleto/talismã protetor (‘patuá’), símbolo do orixá Oxumaré (Candomblé/Umbanda)
Original: נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת
Category: Christology (Type)
Numbers 21:8-9. Direct collision risk with Candomblé’s serpent-associated orixá Oxumaré (transformation, healing, the rainbow) and with folk-Catholic/Umbanda protective talismans. 2 Kings 18:4 records Israel itself later idolizing this very object (renamed Nechustã), confirming the object’s power was never intrinsic. Mandatory theologian-reviewed teaching note every occurrence.
Pole Standard
Approved rendering: haste
Transliteration: nes
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: estandarte com conotação mágica, objeto ritual de poder intrínseco
Original: נֵס
Category: Christology (Type)
A plain, colorless Portuguese word chosen deliberately to deflate any aura of independent potency; must never read as an amulet or talisman. Its efficacy is entirely derivative of God’s command.
Look Gaze
Approved rendering: olhar (para)
Transliteration: ra’ah / hibbit
Doctrine: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ
Rejected alternatives: vislumbre casual, simples visão física sem sentido de confiança
Original: רָאָה / הִבִּיט
Category: Christology (Type)
Functions as the Old Testament type of ‘believing’ (πιστεύων, John 3:15). The intensified verb of v.9 (hibbit vs. v.8’s ra’ah) confirms a deliberate, sustained, trusting act, not a casual glance.
Unbelief
Approved rendering: incredulidade / não crer
Transliteration: lo he’eminu
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: duvidar (subestima a traição de aliança)
Original: לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ
Category: Faith
Direct negation of the baseline’s Critical-risk faith entry. Must convey decisive, covenantal failure of trust, not tentative doubt. Doctrinal center of Numbers 13-14, 20.
Atonement
Approved rendering: expiação
Transliteration: kipper
Doctrine: Atonement and Propitiation
Rejected alternatives: reparação cármica (leitura espírita)
Original: כִּפֶּר
Category: Intercession
Foundational Old Testament term behind New Testament propitiation language (Romans 3:25 escalation trigger in the baseline). Never self-earned karmic reparation across future lives.
Curse
Approved rendering: maldizer / maldição
Transliteration: qalal / arar
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: ‘trabalho’, ‘macumba contra alguém’, ‘mandinga’ contratados
Original: קָלַל / אָרַר
Category: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Balak’s scheme of hiring a diviner to curse Israel for payment directly mirrors the widespread, mainstream Brazilian folk-religious economy of commissioned cursing/blessing rituals; the doctrine’s force depends on showing blessing/cursing are never for sale or humanly manipulable.
Star Out Of Jacob
Approved rendering: estrela de Jacó
Transliteration: kokhav mi-Ya’akov
Doctrine: Messianic Promise: The Star out of Jacob
Rejected alternatives: leitura astrológica genérica (‘mapa astral’, horóscopo)
Original: כּוֹכָב מִיַּעֲקֹב
Category: Messianic Promise
Numbers 24:17. In a culture where astrology is mainstream, ‘estrela’ language risks being read as generic celestial omen-reading rather than a specific, historically fulfilled promise; must anchor explicitly to the Messias entry and Matthew 2’s fulfillment star.
High Risk Terms
Faith Believe
Approved rendering: fé / crer
Transliteration: he’emin (Heb.); cf. pistis (Gk., Romans baseline)
Doctrine: Faith; Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: convicção espírita, confiança na própria evolução espiritual
Original: אמן (hiphil: הֶאֱמִין)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package (fé / crer). In Numbers this term’s negation (see ‘unbelief’) is the doctrinal center of chs. 13-14, 20; every occurrence must retain personal trust in God’s proven character, never generic belief in ‘the spirit world’ or confidence in one’s own moral progress.
Holy
Approved rendering: santo
Transliteration: qadosh
Doctrine: Sanctification and Separation unto God; Census and the People of God
Rejected alternatives: puro em sentido ritual apenas, vida consagrada como classe especial
Original: קֹדֶשׁ / קָדוֹשׁ
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (santo). Applies to tabernacle furnishings, Levites, Nazirites, and the whole camp’s calling (chs. 4, 6, 8, 16, 20) — a universal set-apartness, not a specially holy ascetic class analogous to Catholic-culture ‘vida consagrada.‘
Sanctification
Approved rendering: santificação
Transliteration: qadash
Doctrine: Sanctification and Separation unto God
Rejected alternatives: purificação cármica ao longo de reencarnações (leitura espírita), autoaperfeiçoamento moral
Original: קדש
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package (santificação). Numbers 20:12 uniquely shows God’s own holiness vindicated through, or despite, Moses’ and Aaron’s obedience/failure — the Spirit’s ongoing work of setting apart, not self-directed moral improvement.
Covenant
Approved rendering: aliança
Transliteration: berit
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: contrato legal
Original: בְּרִית
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (aliança). Anchors Ark of the Covenant (ch.10), covenant of salt (ch.18), covenant of peace (ch.25); relational covenant bond, not a mere legal contract.
Glory
Approved rendering: glória
Transliteration: kavod
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises; Divine Presence and Providence
Original: כָּבוֹד
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (glória). ‘Glory of the LORD’ appears at rebellion scenes (chs.14, 16, 20) as a visible, personal self-disclosure of God, not a metaphorical light source.
Law
Approved rendering: lei
Transliteration: torah
Doctrine: Covenant (Mosaic legal material throughout)
Rejected alternatives: dharma-like cosmic moral order, lei de causa e efeito espírita
Original: תּוֹרָה
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (lei). Embedded legal material throughout Numbers (chs.5, 6, 15, 18, 19, 28-30, 35).
Election
Approved rendering: eleição
Transliteration: bachar
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: mérito conquistado ao longo de reencarnações
Original: בָּחַר
Category: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Inherited from Romans package (eleição). God’s blessing of Israel (chs.22-24) is sovereign, not humanly procured or revocable by a hired diviner.
Providence
Approved rendering: providência
Transliteration: — (theological category; cf. anan)
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Providence
Rejected alternatives: lei de causa e efeito espírita
Original: (theological category; cf. עָנָן)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package (providência). The guiding cloud/fire (ch.9) and God’s response to Moses’ intercession (ch.14) are direct expressions of this doctrine; must not be read as impersonal fate.
Rebellion
Approved rendering: rebelião / rebelar-se
Transliteration: marah
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Rejected alternatives: desacordo comum, murmuração passageira sem consequência
Original: מָרָה
Category: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Open, often organized, defiance against God’s appointed leadership or explicit word (Korah, ch. 16); retains a stronger sense than ordinary disagreement.
Forgive
Approved rendering: perdoar
Transliteration: salach
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: perdão que anula toda consequência temporal, ausência de perdão real quando há consequência
Original: סָלַח
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
Numbers 14:20-23: forgiveness of guilt and real temporal consequence coexist without contradiction. Requires structural teaching note wherever this co-occurs with judgment vocabulary.
Unintentional Sin
Approved rendering: pecado involuntário
Transliteration: shegagah
Doctrine: Unintentional versus Presumptuous Sin
Rejected alternatives: erro a ser corrigido em vidas futuras (leitura espírita)
Original: שְׁגָגָה
Category: Sin
This category exists precisely so grace has structural room within the Law; must not be conflated with Kardecist self-correcting error across lifetimes.
Presumptuous Sin
Approved rendering: pecado deliberado / com mão soberba
Transliteration: be-yad ramah
Doctrine: Unintentional versus Presumptuous Sin
Rejected alternatives: pecar de propósito (achata a força do idioma)
Original: בְּיָד רָמָה
Category: Sin
Lit. ‘with a high hand’ — must preserve the idiom’s force of open defiance, the deliberate counterpart to shegagah.
Redeem Ransom
Approved rendering: redimir / resgate
Transliteration: padah / kofer
Doctrine: Redemption and Ransom
Rejected alternatives: compra/troca comercial comum
Original: פָּדָה / כֹּפֶר
Category: Redemption
Early substitutionary-payment anchor for later New Testament redemption theology; must retain ‘a life given in place of another.‘
Unclean Clean
Approved rendering: impuro / puro
Transliteration: tame / tahor
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Rejected alternatives: limpeza espiritual (Umbanda/Candomblé), descarrego (Kardecismo)
Original: טָמֵא / טָהוֹר
Category: Cultic Purity
Real risk of conflation with impersonal energetic-cleansing rituals mainstream in Brazil; must be taught as relational, covenantal purity before a personal, holy God.
Vow
Approved rendering: voto
Transliteration: neder
Doctrine: Vows and Oaths
Rejected alternatives: promessa a um santo (tradição folk-católica)
Original: נֶדֶר
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
A voluntary, solemn promise made directly and unmediated to God; risk of conflation with the Brazilian folk-Catholic ‘promessa’ typically mediated through a saint and fulfilled by pilgrimage or ex-voto.
Tithe
Approved rendering: dízimo
Transliteration: ma’aser
Doctrine: Tithe and Provision for Service
Rejected alternatives: semeadura de fé / oferta de prosperidade (leitura neopentecostal)
Original: מַעֲשֵׂר
Category: Census and the People of God
In Brazilian Pentecostal/Neo-Pentecostal contexts heavily associated with prosperity-gospel ‘seed faith’ teaching; must be anchored in Numbers 18’s provision-for-service context, not a transactional enrichment formula.
Bear Guilt
Approved rendering: levar a culpa
Transliteration: nasa avon
Doctrine: Intercession; Redemption and Ransom
Rejected alternatives: assumir responsabilidade genérica
Original: נָשָׂא עָוֹן
Category: Intercession
A priestly representative function (ch.18) anticipating substitutionary atonement language in the New Testament.
Ashes
Approved rendering: cinzas
Transliteration: efer
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Rejected alternatives: descarrego (purificação energética espírita/umbandista)
Original: אֵפֶר
Category: Cultic Purity
Ashes of the red heifer used in the water of purification for those defiled by contact with death; real risk of syncretistic conflation with Umbanda/Kardecist death-purification ritual.
Water Of Purification
Approved rendering: água da purificação
Transliteration: mei niddah
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Rejected alternatives: descarrego
Original: מֵי נִדָּה
Category: Cultic Purity
Water mixed with the red heifer’s ashes, used to cleanse defilement from contact with a corpse; same syncretism risk as ‘ashes.‘
Sanctify Moses Aaron
Approved rendering: santificar-me
Transliteration: le-haqdisheni
Doctrine: Holiness of God Vindicated Through Leaders
Rejected alternatives: crescimento espiritual pessoal (leitura de autoaperfeiçoamento)
Original: קדש (hiphil) לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי
Category: Sanctification
Numbers 20:12: to treat God as holy/to hallow him, as Moses and Aaron failed to do at Meribah. Reuses the baseline santo/santificação family; God’s holiness is vindicated through, or despite, human obedience and failure.
Oracle Utterance
Approved rendering: oráculo / vaticínio
Transliteration: mashal / ne’um
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing; True Prophecy versus Divination
Rejected alternatives: adivinhação endossada, psicografia
Original: מָשָׁל / נְאֻם
Category: Prophecy and Divination
Must be distinguished from divination — Balaam is elsewhere called a diviner (Joshua 13:22); God overriding a pagan diviner’s mouth is not an endorsement of divination or mediumship.
Gods Changelessness
Approved rendering: Deus não é homem, para que minta
Transliteration: lo ish El vi-yekhazzev
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
Numbers 23:19; direct propositional statement of divine immutability and truthfulness, standing against any framework — including Kardecist self-correcting spiritual evolution — that treats divine promise as provisional. Must remain verbatim-consistent wherever quoted.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: herança
Transliteration: nachalah
Doctrine: Inheritance and the Promised Land
Original: נַחֲלָה
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
An allotted possession, especially the land inheritance given to each tribe and family; connects to the baseline’s adoption/full-heir-status doctrine. The promise persists and is even extended (Zelophehad’s daughters, ch.27) despite the prior generation’s unbelief.
Medium Risk Terms
Sin
Approved rendering: pecado
Transliteration: chata
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: erro a ser corrigido em vidas futuras (leitura espírita)
Original: חָטָא
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package (pecado). Recurs throughout Numbers 5, 14, 15, 16, 21, 25; never render as a correctable ‘erro’ worked off across future incarnations.
Murmur Complain
Approved rendering: murmurar
Transliteration: lun / telunah
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Original: לוּן / תְּלוּנָה
Category: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Recurring narrative pattern preceding judgment (chs. 11, 14, 16, 21). Teach as the behavioral symptom of ‘incredulidade,’ not a synonym for it.
Craving
Approved rendering: cobiça / desejo ardente
Transliteration: ta’avah
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Original: תַּאֲוָה
Category: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Strong, appetite-driven desire displacing trust in God’s provision (Numbers 11).
Plague
Approved rendering: praga / mortandade
Transliteration: negef / maggefah
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: infortúnio impessoal, energia negativa
Original: נֶגֶף / מַגֵּפָה
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
Direct divine judicial action, not impersonal misfortune or natural disaster.
Wrath
Approved rendering: ira
Transliteration: qetsef
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: raiva caprichosa
Original: קֶצֶף
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
God’s righteous, purposeful anger provoked by covenant violation; measured, not capricious.
Census Numbering
Approved rendering: censo
Transliteration: mifqad / paqad
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Rejected alternatives: contagem burocrática secular
Original: מִפְקָד / פָּקַד
Category: Census and the People of God
Purposeful covenantal ordering of God’s people for worship and warfare; require narrative, named-person framing rather than aggregate statistics language.
Congregation
Approved rendering: congregação
Transliteration: edah
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Rejected alternatives: a Igreja (sentido institucional-hierárquico)
Original: עֵדָה
Category: Census and the People of God
The gathered assembly of Israel as a covenant community; distinguish from the baseline’s institutional ‘igreja.‘
Tribe Staff Scepter
Approved rendering: tribo / vara / cetro
Transliteration: matteh / shevet
Doctrine: Census and the People of God; Messianic Promise
Original: מַטֶּה / שֵׁבֶט
Category: Census and the People of God
Deliberate Hebrew wordplay linking tribe/rod/scepter (chs. 1, 17, 24); Portuguese requires three separate words, so recover the connection via cross-reference teaching notes, not lexical choice.
Guilt Offering
Approved rendering: oferta pela culpa
Transliteration: asham
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Original: אָשָׁם
Category: Cultic Purity
Standard cultic term; a sacrifice offered to make reparation for guilt.
Jealousy Zeal
Approved rendering: ciúme / zelo
Transliteration: qin’ah
Doctrine: Intercession (Phinehas)
Same root’s negative sense (ch.5, the jealousy ordeal) and positive sense (ch.25, Phinehas’ godly zeal) must be distinguished by context; flag for cross-chapter consistency.
Nazirite
Approved rendering: nazireu
Transliteration: nazir
Doctrine: Sanctification and Separation unto God
Rejected alternatives: Nazareno (confusão etimológica)
Original: נָזִיר
Category: Sanctification
Established Portuguese Bible-tradition loanword. Must be explicitly and phonetically distinguished from ‘Nazareno’ (of Nazareth) — unrelated etymology, easily confused in Portuguese.
Consecration Separation
Approved rendering: consagração / separação
Transliteration: hazir / qadash
Doctrine: Sanctification and Separation unto God
Original: הִזִּיר / קדש
Category: Sanctification
To separate or dedicate oneself, or an object, to God’s exclusive use.
Blessing
Approved rendering: bênção
Transliteration: berakhah
Doctrine: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Rejected alternatives: bênção como serviço religioso pago (‘trabalho’/‘macumba’)
Original: בְּרָכָה
Category: Balaam and God’s Sovereign Blessing
Establishes blessing as flowing through God’s appointed means (Aaronic priestly blessing, ch.6), contrasted later with Balak’s attempted commercial procurement of blessing/cursing.
Purification
Approved rendering: purificação
Transliteration: taharah
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Original: טָהֳרָה
Category: Cultic Purity
The state or process of ceremonial cleansing.
Passover
Approved rendering: Páscoa
Transliteration: pesach
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Rejected alternatives: Páscoa cristã genérica sem referente do Êxodo
Original: פֶּסַח
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
Must not be collapsed into the general Christian Easter sense without retaining the Exodus-deliverance referent still active in Numbers 9.
Cloud Glory Presence
Approved rendering: nuvem
Transliteration: anan
Doctrine: Divine Presence and Providence
Rejected alternatives: sinal impessoal da natureza ou do destino
Original: עָנָן
Category: Providence
The visible cloud marking God’s presence and guidance; a direct expression of ‘providência,’ not an impersonal natural sign or fate.
Ark Of The Covenant
Approved rendering: Arca da Aliança
Transliteration: aron ha-edut
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת
Category: Covenant
Reuses the baseline’s fixed ‘aliança’ exactly; the sacred chest containing the tablets of the covenant, the locus of God’s presence.
Prophesy
Approved rendering: profetizar
Transliteration: hitnabbe
Doctrine: True Prophecy versus Divination
Rejected alternatives: psicografia (transcrição mediúnica), médium (canalizador de mensagens espirituais)
Original: הִתְנַבֵּא
Category: Prophecy and Divination
To speak as moved by God’s Spirit; distinguish from psicografia/mediumship, reusing the baseline’s prophecy contrast exactly.
Leprosy
Approved rendering: lepra
Transliteration: tsara’at
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Original: צָרַעַת
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
A skin-disfiguring disease and ritual-impurity condition (Numbers 12).
Land Flowing Milk Honey
Approved rendering: terra que mana leite e mel
Transliteration: eretz zavat chalav u-devash
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבַש
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
Idiom describing the covenant-promised land’s abundance; must retain covenant-promise force, not mere agricultural description.
Blasphemy
Approved rendering: blasfêmia
Transliteration: giddef
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Original: גִּדֵּף
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
To revile or blaspheme God; standard term.
Covenant Of Salt
Approved rendering: aliança de sal
Transliteration: berit melach
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: בְּרִית מֶלַח
Category: Covenant
Reuses the baseline’s fixed ‘aliança’ exactly; salt symbolizes a permanent, incorruptible covenant.
Red Heifer
Approved rendering: novilha vermelha
Transliteration: parah adumah
Doctrine: Ceremonial Purity and Defilement
Original: פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה
Category: Cultic Purity
A red cow sacrificed and burned for producing purification ashes (ch.19).
Possess Inherit
Approved rendering: possuir / herdar
Transliteration: yarash
Doctrine: Inheritance and the Promised Land
Rejected alternatives: conquista pela força própria de Israel
Original: יָרַשׁ
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
To take possession of or inherit land by conquest as covenant fulfillment; ties military victory to promise-fulfillment, not Israel’s own strength.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: anjo do Senhor
Transliteration: mal’akh YHWH
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Original: מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
The LORD’s messenger, appearing to Balaam to block his path (ch.22).
Scepter
Approved rendering: cetro
Transliteration: shevet
Doctrine: Messianic Promise: The Star out of Jacob
Original: שֵׁבֶט
Category: Messianic Promise
A ruler’s scepter, symbol of royal authority; same word as ‘tribe’ elsewhere — parallel wordplay to matteh/tribe in ch.17, flag for consistent footnoting.
Vengeance
Approved rendering: vingança
Transliteration: neqamah
Doctrine: God’s Patience and Judgment
Rejected alternatives: licença para retaliação pessoal
Original: נְקָמָה
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
Retributive justice executed on God’s behalf; must be framed as God’s own judicial vengeance through Israel as instrument, not personal retaliation.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: impor as mãos
Transliteration: samakh yado
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Original: סָמַךְ יָדוֹ
Category: Census and the People of God
The act of leaning/laying a hand upon someone to transfer authority or blessing, as with Joshua’s commissioning (ch.27).
Appointed Times Feasts
Approved rendering: festas designadas / tempos determinados
Transliteration: mo’adim
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Original: מוֹעֲדִים
Category: Census and the People of God
The calendar of God-appointed festivals and offerings (chs.28-29).
City Of Refuge
Approved rendering: cidade de refúgio
Transliteration: miqlat
Doctrine: Cities of Refuge and Justice
Original: מִקְלָט
Category: Intercession
A designated city offering asylum from the avenger of blood for one who kills unintentionally; a fruitful typological resource for refuge in Christ, though carrying no local syncretism risk of its own.
Avenger Of Blood
Approved rendering: vingador do sangue
Transliteration: go’el ha-dam
Doctrine: Cities of Refuge and Justice; God’s Patience and Judgment
Original: גֹּאֵל הַדָּם
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
The kinsman obligated to avenge a slain relative’s blood; go’el is also the root behind the Old Testament’s positive ‘redeemer’ language (Ruth, Job 19:25) — flag the double use for later redemption-theology teaching.
Low Risk Terms
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package (Israel). Standard proper name throughout Numbers.
Firstborn
Approved rendering: primogênito
Transliteration: bekhor
Doctrine: Redemption and Ransom
Original: בְּכוֹר
Category: Census and the People of God
Standard term; bearer of special consecration and inheritance rights.
Oath
Approved rendering: juramento
Transliteration: shevu’ah
Doctrine: Vows and Oaths
Original: שְׁבוּעָה
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
A sworn oath binding the one who takes it; standard term.
Lampstand
Approved rendering: candelabro
Transliteration: menorah
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Original: מְנוֹרָה
Category: Census and the People of God
The tabernacle’s gold lampstand; standard term.
Trumpet
Approved rendering: trombeta
Transliteration: chatsotserah
Doctrine: Census and the People of God
Original: חֲצוֹצְרָה
Category: Census and the People of God
Metal trumpets used for summoning the camp and signaling; standard term.
Meekness
Approved rendering: humilde / manso
Transliteration: anav
Doctrine: Intercession
Original: עָנָו
Category: Intercession
Describes Moses’ character as mediator (ch.12); humility, gentleness of spirit.
Spies Scouts
Approved rendering: espias
Transliteration: meraggelim
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Original: מְרַגְּלִים
Category: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Scouts sent to survey the land of Canaan before the conquest; standard term.
Fringes Tassels
Approved rendering: franjas
Transliteration: tsitsit
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: צִיצִת
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
Tassels worn on garments as a remembrance device for God’s commandments.
Sign
Approved rendering: sinal
Transliteration: ot
Doctrine: Faithfulness of God’s Promises despite Human Failure
Original: אוֹת
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
A sign, token, or proof of God’s word or authority (ch.17); pair conceptually with ‘haste’ at Numbers 21 in teaching material.
Meribah
Approved rendering: Meribá
Transliteration: Meribah
Doctrine: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Original: מְרִיבָה
Category: Unbelief and the Wilderness Generation
Place name meaning ‘strife, contention,’ from the same root as ‘rebellion’; retain as a transliterated proper name.
Boundary
Approved rendering: fronteira / limite
Transliteration: gevul
Doctrine: Inheritance and the Promised Land
Original: גְּבוּל
Category: Faithfulness of God’s Promises
The fixed territorial boundary of the promised land (ch.34).
Manslayer
Approved rendering: homicida
Transliteration: rotseach
Doctrine: Cities of Refuge and Justice
Original: רֹצֵח
Category: God’s Patience and Judgment
One who kills another person, whether by accident or intent; standard term.