Core Glossary
Core Glossary: 3 John (English ↔ Koine Greek ↔ Punjabi)
This glossary extends the baseline Romans translation_memory.json for the 3 John curriculum. Terms marked REUSED are already present in the baseline and MUST be used exactly as recorded there; no new entry should override them. Terms marked NEW are proposed additions for incorporation into an updated translation memory file in a later step, following the same risk-tier and forbidden-substitution conventions established by the baseline.
Doctrine tags map to the five curriculum doctrines:
- HTM = Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
- IGE = Imitating Good rather than Evil
- CLP = Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
- CFW = Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
- TCF = Truth and Christian Fellowship
Reused Baseline Terms (exact reuse required)
| English | Greek / Translit. | Punjabi | Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| church | ἐκκλησία / ekklēsia | ਮੰਡਲੀ | mandli | Medium | CLP, TCF | Reused exactly from baseline. Never ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ or ਮੰਦਰ. In 3 John, the concrete local congregation with real authority to receive or exclude members (vv. 6, 9-10). |
| peace | εἰρήνη / eirēnē | ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ | shanti | Medium | TCF | Reused exactly from baseline. Epistolary blessing in v.14; not ਸਹਿਜ. |
| god | θεός / theos | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ | Parmeshar | Critical | IGE, TCF | Reused exactly from baseline. Appears in v.11 (“is of God” / “has not seen God”). Never ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ or ਭਗਵਾਨ. |
| faith (root only, cf. πιστός in v.5) | πίστις / pistis (adj. πιστός) | ਨਿਹਚਾ | nihcha | High | HTM | Reused exactly from baseline for the root concept; v.5’s πιστόν ποιεῖς is rendered descriptively (see New Terms below) but must visibly share the ਨਿਹਚਾ root so the connection to baseline “faith” is not lost. |
New Terms Introduced by 3 John
| English | Greek / Translit. | Literal Meaning | Punjabi | Translit. | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| truth | ἀλήθεια / alētheia | ”that which is unconcealed” | ਸਚਾਈ | sachai | Critical | TCF, CFW | ਸਤਿ / ਸਤ | NEVER ਸਤਿ/ਸਤ. This is the Sikh Mul Mantar’s foundational term for Truth as God’s own eternal name and nature (ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ; the greeting ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ). Using it for the Johannine ethical-relational “truth” that recurs 7 times across 14 verses would import that entire Sikh metaphysical framework into a fundamentally different sense of truth as gospel-fidelity and Christlike conduct. |
| true (adj.) | ἀληθής / alēthēs | ”true, truthful” | ਸੱਚਾ | sacha | Critical | CFW | ਸਤਿ-ਅਧਾਰਿਤ ਸ਼ਬਦ (any Sat-root construction) | Same collision profile as ਸਚਾਈ above; keep both in the same ਸੱਚ- word family for internal consistency, never drawing on the ਸਤਿ root. |
| the Name (Christological, absolute usage) | ὄνομα / onoma (articular, absolute) | “the name” | ਨਾਮ (with mandatory clarifying gloss) | naam | Critical | HTM, TCF | (no viable substitute word exists; risk is managed by mandatory gloss, not substitution) | Structurally identical in severity to the baseline’s ਮੁਕਤੀ (salvation) case. ਨਾਮ is the central object of Sikh Naam-simran/Naam-japna meditation and the first word of the Mul Mantar’s declaration (ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ). Every doctrinally load-bearing occurrence of “the Name” referring to Christ’s identity/authority (v.7) MUST carry a translator’s gloss such as “ਯਿਸੂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ, ਭਾਵ ਖੁਦ ਯਿਸੂ ਮਸੀਹ ਦੀ ਪਛਾਣ ਅਤੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ.” Ordinary, non-technical uses of “name” (e.g. v.14’s “greet by name”) do NOT require this gloss — flag only the Christological absolute usage. |
| elder | πρεσβύτερος / presbyteros | ”older one; office-holder” | ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ | bazurg | Medium-High | CLP | ਭਾਈ, ਗੁਰੂ | NEVER ਭਾਈ (reserved Sikh title for a religious functionary/granthi/ragi) or ਗੁਰੂ (reserved per baseline for the Ten Gurus/Guru Granth Sahib). ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ is a religiously neutral honorific shared across Punjabi communities; flag for native-speaker check that it reads as “recognized elder/overseer” and not merely “an old man,” given the letter’s Church Leadership focus. |
| love (agapē) | ἀγάπη / agapē (also ἀγαπάω, ἀγαπητός) | “self-giving covenantal love” | ਪਿਆਰ | piar | Medium | TCF, HTM | ਪ੍ਰੇਮ | ਪ੍ਰੇਮ carries Hindu bhakti devotional-romantic connotations (e.g. Radha-Krishna prem literature) that can shade covenantal love toward devotional infatuation; ਪਿਆਰ matches established Punjabi Bible usage (cf. John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13). |
| brother(s) | ἀδελφός / adelphos | ”brother; fellow believer” | ਭਰਾ | bhra | Low | HTM, TCF | — | Standard, well-established Punjabi Christian usage for fellow believers; distinct register from ਮਿੱਤਰ (friend). |
| friend(s) | φίλος / philos | ”friend” | ਮਿੱਤਰ | mittar | Low | TCF | ਦੋਸਤ | Use the more formal ਮਿੱਤਰ rather than colloquial ਦੋਸਤ, matching the formal register elsewhere in the package. Distinct relational category from ਭਰਾ in v.14’s closing. |
| soul / life (whole-person well-being) | ψυχή / psychē | ”soul, inner life” | ਜਾਨ | jaan | Medium | TCF | ਆਤਮਾ | NEVER ਆਤਮਾ here — that term is reserved by the baseline for πνεῦμα in ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਆਤਮਾ (Holy Spirit). Using ਆਤਮਾ for ψυχή in v.2 would blur the Spirit/soul distinction the baseline carefully maintains. |
| testify / witness / testimony | μαρτυρέω, μαρτυρία / martyreō, martyria | ”to bear witness; testimony” | ਗਵਾਹੀ ਦੇਣੀ / ਗਵਾਹੀ | gawahi deni / gawahi | High | CFW, TCF | ਸਾਖੀ | NEVER ਸਾਖੀ — the specific Sikh hagiographic genre of testimonial anecdotes about the Gurus’ lives. ਗਵਾਹੀ is a general, legal-register witness term already standard in Punjabi Christian usage (e.g. John’s Gospel). This term structures both the Diotrephes/Gaius contrast (v.3) and the Demetrius commendation (v.12, triple-layered testimony). |
| stranger / guest | ξένος / xenos | ”outsider, unfamiliar guest” | ਪਰਾਹੁਣੇ | parahune | Medium | HTM | — | OPPORTUNITY-WITH-CAUTION: genuine positive fit with Punjabi hospitality culture and Sikh ਲੰਗਰ/ਪੰਗਤ institutions of open hospitality, but must retain the specific gospel-partnership purpose of vv. 7-8 (support “for the sake of the Name”) rather than flattening into generic cultural hospitality-as-virtue. |
| send on one’s way / support for journey | προπέμπω / propempō | ”to escort, provide for a journey” | ਅੱਗੇ ਤੋਰਨਾ | age torna | Medium | HTM | — | Implies material/logistical support, not merely a farewell; connect explicitly to v.8’s “fellow workers for the truth” so hospitality is understood as gospel partnership. |
| receive / welcome | ἐπιδέχομαι / epidechomai | ”to accept, receive hospitably or authoritatively” | ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰਨਾ | sweekar karna | Medium | HTM, CLP | — | Used positively of Gaius’s expected practice and negatively of Diotrephes’s refusal (vv. 9-10); keep rendering consistent across both occurrences so the contrast is visible in Punjabi. |
| support / take up (a traveler) | ὑπολαμβάνω / hypolambanō | ”to take up, support” | ਸੰਭਾਲਣਾ | sambhalna | Medium | HTM | — | Distinguish from mere social welcome; implies active material/practical support (v.8). |
| fellow worker | συνεργός / synergos | ”co-laborer” | ਸਹਿਕਰਮੀ | sahikarmi | Low-Medium | HTM, TCF | — | Transparent compound; note ਕਰਮੀ’s root connection to ਕਰਮ so it is understood as “worker,” not karma-merit theology. |
| love to be first / preeminence-seeking | φιλοπρωτεύω / philoprōteuō | ”to love being first” (NT hapax legomenon) | ਪਹਿਲਾ ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਲਾਲਸਾ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲਾ | pehla hon di lalsa rakhan wala | High | CLP | ਹੰਕਾਰੀ (alone, too generic) | Requires a full descriptive phrase, not a single adjective; do not shorten to generic ਹੰਕਾਰੀ (proud), which loses the specific status-seeking/leadership-control sense. Comparative theology bridge (not substitution): Sikh ਹਉਮੈ (haumai, self-centered ego) is a useful teaching comparison but not a translation option, as it carries a distinct Guru-mediated resolution framework. |
| cast out / expel | ἐκβάλλω / ekballō | ”to throw out, expel” | ਬਾਹਰ ਕੱਢਣਾ | bahar kadhna | Medium | CLP | — | Clarify in teaching notes that this passage condemns the abuse of legitimate church discipline by a self-serving leader, not the category of church discipline itself. |
| malicious/wicked talk | φλυαρέω (μετά λόγων πονηρῶν) / phlyareō | ”to talk nonsense maliciously” | ਬੁਰੇ ਸ਼ਬਦਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਉਣਾ | bure shabdan naal dosh launa | Medium | CLP | — | Descriptive phrase preferred over any single word; preserve the sense of abuse of a leadership platform, not mere private gossip. |
| imitate | μιμέομαι / mimeomai | ”to imitate, follow as a model” | ਨਕਲ ਕਰਨੀ | nakal karni | Medium | IGE | — | ਨਕਲ can suggest superficial/cheating-style copying in casual Punjabi; clarify in context as “follow as a model of character,” especially at lower reading levels. |
| good (substantive/participle) | ἀγαθός, ἀγαθοποιῶν / agathos, agathopoiōn | ”good; one who does good” | ਭਲਾ / ਭਲਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ | bhala / bhala karan wala | Medium | IGE | — | Preserve the full doctrinal claim “is of God,” not merely a moral truism. Comparative bridge (not substitution): Sikh ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ (Guru-oriented person) is a useful comparison, not a translation option. |
| evil (substantive/participle) | κακός, κακοποιῶν / kakos, kakopoiōn | ”evil; one who does evil” | ਬੁਰਾ / ਬੁਰਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ | bura / bura karan wala | Medium | IGE | — | Preserve the full doctrinal claim “has not seen God.” Comparative bridge (not substitution): Sikh ਮਨਮੁਖਿ (self-willed person) is a useful comparison, not a translation option. |
| prosper | εὐοδόω / euodoō | ”to have a good journey; to succeed” | ਸਫਲ ਹੋਣਾ / ਖੁਸ਼ਹਾਲ ਹੋਣਾ | safal hona / khushhal hona | Low | TCF | — | Ensure paired with soul/ਜਾਨ clause (v.2) so prosperity is not read as strictly material. |
| be healthy | ὑγιαίνω / hygiainō | ”to be sound, healthy” | ਸਿਹਤਮੰਦ ਹੋਣਾ | sihatmand hona | Low | — | — | Standard, unambiguous. |
| joy | χαρά / chara | ”joy, gladness” | ਖੁਸ਼ੀ | khushi | Low-Medium | TCF | ਅਨੰਦ (reserve, do not default) | ਅਨੰਦ carries Sikh/Hindu devotional-bliss resonance (Anand Sahib, Anand Karaj); not contradictory but ਖੁਸ਼ੀ is the safer default for general use. |
| child(ren) (spiritual) | τέκνον / teknon | ”child” | ਬੱਚੇ | bache | Low | TCF | — | Standard extension to spiritual children already understood in Punjabi Christian usage. |
| walk (conduct of life) | περιπατέω / peripateō | ”to walk; to conduct oneself” | (ਸਚਾਈ ਵਿੱਚ) ਚੱਲਣਾ | chalna | Low | TCF | — | Already naturalized ethical idiom in Punjabi Bible usage. |
| owe / ought | ὀφείλω / opheilō | ”to be obligated” | ਫ਼ਰਜ਼ ਹੈ / ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ | farz hai / chahida hai | Low-Medium | HTM | ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਫ਼ਰਜ਼ | Do not add ਧਾਰਮਿਕ (which the baseline reserves for merit-earning religious duty); this obligation flows from grace and shared mission. |
| worthily of God | ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ / axiōs tou theou | ”in a manner worthy of God” | ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੇ ਯੋਗ | Parmeshar de yog | Low (compositional) | HTM | — | Built on baseline ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ; no new independent risk beyond that entry. |
Proper Names (new to this curriculum)
| English | Greek | Punjabi | Translit. | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaius | Γάϊος | ਗਾਯੁਸ | Gayus | Low | Established transliteration pattern consistent with baseline proper-name conventions (cf. ਦਾਊਦ, ਪੌਲੁਸ). |
| Diotrephes | Διοτρέφης | ਦਿਯੁਤ੍ਰੇਫ਼ੇਸ | Diyutrephes | Low | Proper name; no doctrinal content in the name itself, but note the letter treats him as a named negative example — retain full form consistently, do not abbreviate. |
| Demetrius | Δημήτριος | ਦੇਮੇਤ੍ਰਿਯੁਸ | Demetriyus | Low | Proper name; positive named example, paired for contrast with Diotrephes. |
Summary Risk Tally (3 John new terms only)
| Risk Tier | Count | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 3 | truth (ਸਚਾਈ), true (ਸੱਚਾ), the Name (ਨਾਮ, Christological absolute) |
| High | 2 | testify/witness (ਗਵਾਹੀ), love to be first (ਪਹਿਲਾ ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਲਾਲਸਾ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲਾ) |
| Medium-High | 1 | elder (ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ) |
| Medium | 11 | love, stranger/guest, send on one’s way, receive/welcome, support/take up, fellow worker, cast out, malicious talk, good, evil, joy |
| Low-Medium | 3 | fellow worker (compositional note), owe/ought, imitate (Medium, listed once above) |
| Low | 8 | brother, friend, prosper, be healthy, child, walk, worthily of God, proper names (Gaius/Diotrephes/Demetrius) |
All Critical and High risk terms above require Human Theologian review per the baseline doctrine_risk_registry.json routing convention; Medium risk terms require Native Speaker review; Low risk terms require Automated review only, consistent with baseline risk-tier definitions.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ
Transliteration: Parmeshar
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ, ਭਗਵਾਨ
Original: θεός
Category: God
CRITICAL: NEVER use ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ, despite it being the single most natural, warm, and common Punjabi word for God in daily Sikh speech. ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ inherently ties God’s identity to the specific Sikh doctrine of revelation mediated through the closed lineage of the Ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib; using it would imply endorsement of that revelation structure rather than a generic reference to the one true God. ਭਗਵਾਨ is the Hindu-devotional option, also rejected. ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ is the settled, neutral Punjabi Christian standard. In 3 John this term governs both the standard for hospitality (“worthily of God,” 1:6) and the diagnostic claim of 1:11 (“is of God”/“has not seen God”). Inherited from Romans package.
Jesus
Approved rendering: ਯਿਸੂ
Transliteration: Yisu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: ਈਸਾ
CRITICAL: use the established Punjabi Christian form ਯਿਸੂ. ਈਸਾ is used in Punjabi Muslim (Shahmukhi-script, Pakistani Punjabi) contexts and carries a distinct Islamic Christology; not used in this Gurmukhi-script curriculum. Required whenever the mandatory clarifying gloss for “the Name” (3 John 1:7) spells out the referent as ਯਿਸੂ ਮਸੀਹ. Inherited from Romans package.
Messiah
Approved rendering: ਮਸੀਹ
Transliteration: Masih
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Transliterated term, established across Punjabi Bible traditions. Used together with ਯਿਸੂ in the mandatory gloss for “the Name” (3 John 1:7): “ਯਿਸੂ ਮਸੀਹ ਦੀ ਪਛਾਣ ਅਤੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ.” Inherited from Romans package.
Truth
Approved rendering: ਸਚਾਈ
Transliteration: sachai
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ਸਤਿ, ਸਤ
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Truth
NEW TERM. NEVER ਸਤਿ/ਸਤ — the Sikh Mul Mantar’s foundational term for Truth as God’s own eternal Name and nature (ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ; the daily greeting ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ). Occurs SEVEN times across this fourteen-verse letter (1:1, 1:3 x2, 1:4, 1:6, 1:8, 1:12), making it the single highest-density Critical-risk term in this curriculum. Flag EVERY occurrence individually for theologian review, not just the first — repetition is itself the risk here, since a single lapse anywhere would silently rebrand Johannine ethical-relational gospel-truth as the Sikh doctrine of Truth-as-divine-Name.
True
Approved rendering: ਸੱਚਾ
Transliteration: sacha
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Rejected alternatives: ਸਤਿ-ਅਧਾਰਿਤ ਸ਼ਬਦ (any Sat-root construction)
Original: ἀληθής
Category: Truth
NEW TERM. Adjectival relative of ਸਚਾਈ (ἀληθής, describing the reliability of apostolic testimony, 3 John 1:12). Same collision profile as ਸਚਾਈ; keep both in the same ਸੱਚ- word family for internal consistency and never draw on the ਸਤਿ root.
The Name
Approved rendering: ਨਾਮ
Transliteration: naam
Doctrine: The Name of Christ
Original: ὄνομα (articular, absolute usage)
Category: Christology
NEW TERM, retained-with-mandatory-gloss, structurally parallel to the baseline’s ਮੁਕਤੀ (salvation) case. ਨਾਮ is the central object of Sikh Naam-simran/Naam-japna meditation and the first substantive word of the Mul Mantar’s declaration (ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ). No viable substitute word exists, so risk is managed by a MANDATORY CLARIFYING GLOSS rather than substitution. Every doctrinally load-bearing occurrence of the Christological absolute usage “the Name” (3 John 1:7 — traveling missionaries went out “for the sake of the Name”) MUST carry a gloss such as: “ਯਿਸੂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ, ਭਾਵ ਖੁਦ ਯਿਸੂ ਮਸੀਹ ਦੀ ਪਛਾਣ ਅਤੇ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ” (“Jesus’s name, i.e. the very identity and authority of Jesus Christ himself”). Ordinary non-technical uses of “name” (e.g. 1:14’s “greet the friends by name”) do NOT require this gloss — flag only the Christological absolute usage.
High Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: ਨਿਹਚਾ
Transliteration: nihcha
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: ਸ਼ਰਧਾ, ਸਿਦਕ
The Punjabi Bible Society’s standard rendering: personal trust in Christ. In 3 John 1:5 the adjective πιστός (“you do a faithful thing”) shares this root; the new compound rendering ਨਿਹਚਾਵਾਨ ਕੰਮ / ਵਫ਼ਾਦਾਰੀ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ (see faithful_deed entry below) must remain visibly derived from this ਨਿਹਚਾ root so learners see the connection between saving faith and faithful hospitality. Inherited from Romans package.
Grace
Approved rendering: ਕਿਰਪਾ
Transliteration: kirpa
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: ਮੇਹਰ, ਕਰਮ ਦਾ ਫਲ
Referenced conceptually in 3 John’s teaching on ὀφείλω (obligation to support gospel workers, 1:8): the obligation flows from grace already received and shared gospel mission, not merit-earning religious duty. Every use of ਕਿਰਪਾ must keep the exclusivity of its source in Christ explicit, consistent with baseline usage. Inherited from Romans package.
Apostle
Approved rendering: ਰਸੂਲ
Transliteration: rasul
Doctrine: Apostolic and Pastoral Authority
Rejected alternatives: ਗੁਰੂ, ਦੂਤ
NEVER use ਗੁਰੂ, reserved exclusively for the Ten Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib. Relevant background term for teaching notes on 3 John’s author (traditionally the Apostle John), who deliberately chose the modest, relational self-designation ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ (elder) rather than ਰਸੂਲ in this letter’s opening (1:1) — this contrast is itself pedagogically significant and must not be collapsed by using ਰਸੂਲ in place of ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ in the translated text. Inherited from Romans package.
Elder
Approved rendering: ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ
Transliteration: bazurg
Doctrine: Apostolic and Pastoral Authority
Rejected alternatives: ਭਾਈ, ਗੁਰੂ
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM. The author’s self-designation (3 John 1:1), likely the Apostle John writing with pastoral modesty. NEVER ਭਾਈ (a reserved title for a Sikh religious functionary such as a granthi or ragi) or ਗੁਰੂ (reserved exclusively for the Ten Gurus/Guru Granth Sahib). ਬਜ਼ੁਰਗ is a religiously neutral honorific shared across Punjabi communities, but its dominant everyday sense is simply “an elderly/senior person”; flag EVERY occurrence, not just the first, for native-speaker confirmation that it reads as “recognized elder/overseer” — the Church Leadership doctrine depends on there being a real, competing, recognized authority standing against Diotrephes.
Testify Witness
Approved rendering: ਗਵਾਹੀ ਦੇਣੀ / ਗਵਾਹੀ
Transliteration: gawahi deni / gawahi
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Rejected alternatives: ਸਾਖੀ
Original: μαρτυρέω / μαρτυρία
Category: Witness
NEW TERM. NEVER ਸਾਖੀ, the specific and still-active Sikh hagiographic genre of testimonial anecdotes about the Gurus’ lives. ਗਵਾਹੀ is a general, legal-register witness term already standard in Punjabi Christian usage (e.g. John’s Gospel). Structures both the Gaius commendation (3 John 1:3) and the triple-layered Demetrius commendation (1:12, “testified to by everyone, by the truth itself, and by us”) — render the personification of truth-as-witness literally, not smoothed into vague general praise.
Love To Be First
Approved rendering: ਪਹਿਲਾ ਹੋਣ ਦੀ ਲਾਲਸਾ ਰੱਖਣ ਵਾਲਾ
Transliteration: pehla hon di lalsa rakhan wala
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: ਹੰਕਾਰੀ (alone, too generic)
Original: φιλοπρωτεύω
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM for φιλοπρωτεύω, a New Testament hapax legomenon (3 John 1:9), diagnosing Diotrephes’s specific sin: an inordinate love of preeminence and leadership control, not generic pride. No single Punjabi word exists; do NOT compress to bare ਹੰਕਾਰੀ, which loses the status-seeking/leadership-control sense central to the Church Leadership doctrine. Comparative-theology bridge only (never a translation substitute): Sikh ਹਉਮੈ (haumai, self-centered ego) is a real point of comparison but carries a distinct Guru-mediated resolution framework (overcome via Naam-simran and Guru’s grace) rather than repentance and apostolic correction.
Faithful Deed
Approved rendering: ਨਿਹਚਾਵਾਨ ਕੰਮ / ਵਫ਼ਾਦਾਰੀ ਦਾ ਕੰਮ
Transliteration: nihchavan kamm / vafadari da kamm
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: πιστός
Category: Faith
NEW TERM for πιστός used predicatively of Gaius’s hospitality (3 John 1:5): “you do a faithful thing.” Etymologically bound to the baseline High-risk term ਨਿਹਚਾ (faith); this rendering must remain visibly connected to that root so learners see the link between saving faith and faithful action, without implying that hospitality itself earns righteousness.
Medium Risk Terms
Church
Approved rendering: ਮੰਡਲੀ
Transliteration: mandli
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Rejected alternatives: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ, ਮੰਦਰ
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Never ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ or ਮੰਦਰ. In 3 John (1:6, 1:9, 1:10) this is the concrete local congregation with real authority to receive or exclude members; the Church Leadership doctrine hinges on this being understood as a real assembly, not an abstract concept. Inherited from Romans package.
Peace
Approved rendering: ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ
Transliteration: shanti
Doctrine: Epistolary Greeting of Peace
Rejected alternatives: ਸਹਿਜ
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: God
In 3 John 1:14, the standard epistolary closing blessing. Do not let ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ here be reduced to the Sikh meditative state of ਸਹਿਜ; this is a relational blessing flowing from the gospel realities discussed throughout the letter. Inherited from Romans package.
Love Agape
Approved rendering: ਪਿਆਰ
Transliteration: piar
Doctrine: Christian Love in Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ਪ੍ਰੇਮ
Original: ἀγάπη / ἀγαπάω / ἀγαπητός
Category: Fellowship
NEW TERM for ἀγάπη/ἀγαπάω/ἀγαπητός (“beloved,” 3 John 1:1-2, 5, 11; demonstrated love commended before the church, 1:6). NEVER ਪ੍ਰੇਮ, which carries Hindu bhakti devotional-romantic connotations (e.g. Radha-Krishna literature) that could shade covenantal, self-giving love toward devotional infatuation, especially given this letter’s repeated terms of address. ਪਿਆਰ matches established Punjabi Bible usage (cf. John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13).
Soul Life
Approved rendering: ਜਾਨ
Transliteration: jaan
Doctrine: Spiritual Well-Being and Prosperity
Rejected alternatives: ਆਤਮਾ
Original: ψυχή
Category: Christian Life
NEW TERM for ψυχή (3 John 1:2, “as your soul prospers”). NEVER ਆਤਮਾ here — that term is reserved by the baseline for πνεῦμα in ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਆਤਮਾ (Holy Spirit). Using ਆਤਮਾ for ψυχή would blur the Spirit/soul distinction the baseline package carefully maintains.
Joy
Approved rendering: ਖੁਸ਼ੀ
Transliteration: khushi
Doctrine: Apostolic and Pastoral Authority
Rejected alternatives: ਅਨੰਦ
Original: χαρά
Category: Christian Life
NEW TERM for χαρά, pastoral joy at spiritual fruit (3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy”). ਅਨੰਦ carries devotional resonance in both Sikh (Anand Sahib, Anand Karaj) and Hindu usage as blissful spiritual contentment; not contradictory but ਖੁਸ਼ੀ is the safer, neutral default.
Stranger Guest
Approved rendering: ਪਰਾਹੁਣੇ
Transliteration: parahune
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ξένος
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM for ξένος (3 John 1:5). Genuine positive cultural fit with Punjabi hospitality norms and the Sikh institutions of ਲੰਗਰ/ਪੰਗਤ (open communal hospitality). Risk runs opposite most terms here: must not be flattened into generic cultural hospitality-as-virtue; retain the specific gospel-partnership purpose of 1:7-8 (support “for the sake of the Name”) by keeping this term in close co-text with ਨਾਮ or ਸਚਾਈ.
Send On Journey
Approved rendering: ਅੱਗੇ ਤੋਰਨਾ
Transliteration: age torna
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: προπέμπω
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM for προπέμπω (3 John 1:6). Implies material and logistical support for onward gospel travel (cf. Romans 15:24’s use of the same verb), not merely a farewell; must be distinguished from ਸਵਾਗਤ (bare welcome).
Pagans Gentiles
Approved rendering: ਪਰਾਈਆਂ ਕੌਮਾਂ ਦੇ ਲੋਕ
Transliteration: paraiyan kaumaan de lok
Doctrine: Gospel Partnership and Mission Support
Original: ἐθνικός
Category: Church
NEW TERM for ἐθνικός (3 John 1:7), non-believing outsiders from whom traveling missionaries refused support. Distinct from but related to the baseline ἔθνη/“gentiles” entry ਪਰਾਈਆਂ ਕੌਮਾਂ. Ensure not misread as reference to a specific Punjabi qaum-identity group, consistent with the baseline’s ਕੌਮਾਂ caution.
Owe Ought
Approved rendering: ਸਾਡਾ ਫ਼ਰਜ਼ ਹੈ / ਸਾਨੂੰ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ
Transliteration: sada farz hai / sanu chahida hai
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Rejected alternatives: ਧਾਰਮਿਕ ਫ਼ਰਜ਼
Original: ὀφείλω
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM for ὀφείλω (3 John 1:8). Do not add ਧਾਰਮਿਕ, which the baseline reserves for merit-earning religious duty (explicitly rejected for “obedience of faith”); this obligation flows from grace and shared gospel mission, not duty performed to earn standing before God.
Support Take Up
Approved rendering: ਸੰਭਾਲਣਾ / ਸਹਾਇਤਾ ਦੇਣੀ
Transliteration: sambhalna / sahaita deni
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ὑπολαμβάνω
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM for ὑπολαμβάνω (3 John 1:8). Distinguish from mere social reception (ਸਵਾਗਤ) toward active material and practical support, matching the ξένος/προπέμπω cluster in the same passage.
Fellow Worker
Approved rendering: ਸਹਿਕਰਮੀ
Transliteration: sahikarmi
Doctrine: Gospel Partnership and Mission Support
Original: συνεργός
Category: Hospitality
NEW TERM for συνεργός (3 John 1:8). Transparent compound (ਸਹਿ- “co-” + ਕਰਮੀ “worker”); note ਕਰਮੀ’s root connection to ਕਰਮ so it is understood as “worker” in the ordinary sense, not karma-merit theology.
Receive Welcome
Approved rendering: ਸਵੀਕਾਰ ਕਰਨਾ
Transliteration: sweekar karna
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: ἐπιδέχομαι
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM for ἐπιδέχομαι, used positively of Gaius’s expected practice and negatively of Diotrephes’s refusal (3 John 1:9-10). Keep rendering consistent across both occurrences so the contrast is visible in Punjabi as it is in Greek.
Malicious Talk
Approved rendering: ਬੁਰੇ ਸ਼ਬਦਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਦੋਸ਼ ਲਾਉਣਾ
Transliteration: bure shabdan naal dosh launa
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: φλυαρέω (μετὰ λόγων πονηρῶν)
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM for φλυαρέω μετά λόγων πονηρῶν (3 John 1:10). Descriptive phrase preferred over any single word; preserve the sense of abuse of a leadership platform, not private gossip.
Cast Out Expel
Approved rendering: ਬਾਹਰ ਕੱਢਣਾ
Transliteration: bahar kadhna
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: ἐκβάλλω
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM for ἐκβάλλω (3 John 1:10). Because church discipline itself is a legitimate biblical category (cf. Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians 5), teaching notes must clarify this verse condemns discipline’s abuse by a self-serving leader, not the category of church discipline as such.
Imitate
Approved rendering: ਨਕਲ ਕਰਨੀ
Transliteration: nakal karni
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: μιμέομαι
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM for μιμέομαι (3 John 1:11). ਨਕਲ can carry a superficial-copying/cheating connotation in casual Punjabi (e.g. exam copying); at lower reading levels supply a bracketed gloss distinguishing imitation of character from imitation of outward form.
Good Doer
Approved rendering: ਭਲਾ / ਭਲਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ
Transliteration: bhala / bhala karan wala
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: ἀγαθός / ἀγαθοποιῶν
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM for ἀγαθός/ἀγαθοποιῶν (3 John 1:11). Never drop the subordinate clause “is of God” (ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਹੈ) in copyediting; the adjective alone is doctrinally thin and indistinguishable from generic Punjabi moral vocabulary shared across Sikh, Hindu, and secular usage. Comparative bridge only, never substitution: Sikh ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ (Guru-oriented person).
Evil Doer
Approved rendering: ਬੁਰਾ / ਬੁਰਾ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ
Transliteration: bura / bura karan wala
Doctrine: Imitating Good rather than Evil
Original: κακός / κακοποιῶν
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM for κακός/κακοποιῶν (3 John 1:11). Never drop the subordinate clause “has not seen God” (ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਨੂੰ ਵੇਖਿਆ ਨਹੀਂ). Comparative bridge only, never substitution: Sikh ਮਨਮੁਖਿ (self-willed person).
Low Risk Terms
Brother
Approved rendering: ਭਰਾ
Transliteration: bhra
Doctrine: Christian Love in Fellowship
Original: ἀδελφός
Category: Fellowship
NEW TERM for ἀδελφός, fellow believer (3 John 1:3, 1:5, 1:10). Standard, well-established Punjabi Christian usage; distinct register from ਮਿੱਤਰ (friend).
Friend
Approved rendering: ਮਿੱਤਰ
Transliteration: mittar
Doctrine: Christian Love in Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: ਦੋਸਤ
Original: φίλος
Category: Fellowship
NEW TERM for φίλος (3 John 1:14 closing greetings). Use the more formal ਮਿੱਤਰ rather than colloquial ਦੋਸਤ, matching the formal register required elsewhere in this package. Distinct relational category from ਭਰਾ.
Prosper
Approved rendering: ਸਫਲ ਹੋਣਾ / ਖੁਸ਼ਹਾਲ ਹੋਣਾ
Transliteration: safal hona / khushhal hona
Doctrine: Spiritual Well-Being and Prosperity
Original: εὐοδόω
Category: Christian Life
NEW TERM for εὐοδόω (3 John 1:2). Must be paired in the same verse with the ψυχή/ਜਾਨ clause so prosperity is not over-read as strictly material well-being.
Be Healthy
Approved rendering: ਸਿਹਤਮੰਦ ਹੋਣਾ
Transliteration: sihatmand hona
Doctrine: Spiritual Well-Being and Prosperity
Original: ὑγιαίνω
Category: Christian Life
NEW TERM for ὑγιαίνω (3 John 1:2). Standard, unambiguous vocabulary; no doctrinal risk.
Child Spiritual
Approved rendering: ਬੱਚੇ
Transliteration: bache
Doctrine: Apostolic and Pastoral Authority
Original: τέκνον
Category: Church
NEW TERM for τέκνον, spiritual child (3 John 1:4). Standard extension already understood in Punjabi Christian usage.
Walk Conduct
Approved rendering: (ਸਚਾਈ ਵਿੱਚ) ਚੱਲਣਾ
Transliteration: (sachai vich) chalna
Doctrine: Truth and Christian Fellowship
Original: περιπατέω
Category: Ethics
NEW TERM for περιπατέω, ethical idiom for manner of life (3 John 1:3, 1:4). Already naturalized in Punjabi Bible usage; ensure not rendered as a literal ambulatory image alone.
Worthily Of God
Approved rendering: ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ ਦੇ ਯੋਗ
Transliteration: Parmeshar de yog
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
NEW compositional phrase for ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ (3 John 1:6), built on the baseline ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ entry; no new independent risk beyond that entry.
Hinder Prevent
Approved rendering: ਰੋਕਣਾ
Transliteration: rokna
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: κωλύω
Category: Church Leadership
NEW TERM for κωλύω (3 John 1:10). Standard vocabulary; no significant doctrinal risk.
Gaius
Approved rendering: ਗਾਯੁਸ
Transliteration: Gayus
Doctrine: Hospitality to Traveling Ministers
Original: Γάϊος
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name, the letter’s recipient (3 John 1:1). Established transliteration pattern consistent with baseline proper-name conventions (cf. ਦਾਊਦ, ਪੌਲੁਸ).
Diotrephes
Approved rendering: ਦਿਯੁਤ੍ਰੇਫ਼ੇਸ
Transliteration: Diyutrephes
Doctrine: Church Leadership and Pride (Diotrephes)
Original: Διοτρέφης
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name (3 John 1:9-10). No doctrinal content in the name itself, but retain full form consistently, never abbreviated, given his function as the letter’s sole extended negative case study.
Demetrius
Approved rendering: ਦੇਮੇਤ੍ਰਿਯੁਸ
Transliteration: Demetriyus
Doctrine: Commendation of Faithful Witness (Demetrius)
Original: Δημήτριος
Category: Proper Names
NEW proper name (3 John 1:12), the letter’s positive counter-example to Diotrephes; retain full form consistently.
Referenced passages