Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Acts (Full Book)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across all 28 chapters of Acts. Terms already fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json / bible_term_registry.json are marked REUSED and reproduced with their exact recorded Somali rendering — these MUST NOT be altered. New terms proposed for the Acts curriculum are marked NEW and must be added to translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json in Phase 1 Step 2 with the risk tier recorded here.
Section A — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Baseline
| Term | Somali Rendering | Risk | Doctrine Link (Acts) | Key Acts Passages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | Ilaah | Critical | all doctrines | throughout |
| Jesus (always with Masiixa) | Ciise (Masiixa) | Critical | Lordship, Deity of Christ | throughout |
| Christ/Messiah | Masiixa | Critical | Messianic Promise | 2:31-36; 9:22; 13:23; 17:3; 18:5, 28 |
| Lord | Rabbiga | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 2:21, 34-36; 4:33; 10:36; 16:31 |
| Son of God | Wiilka Ilaah | Critical | Sonship/Deity of Christ | 9:20; 13:33 |
| Holy Spirit | Ruuxa Quduuska ah | Critical | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 1:5, 8; 2:4, 33, 38; 4:31; 5:3; 8:15-19; 10:44-47; 15:8, 28; 19:2-6 |
| Resurrection | Sarakicidda | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 1:22; 2:24, 31-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 32; 23:6-8; 24:15, 21; 26:23 |
| Salvation | Badbaado | Critical | Gospel to Jews/Gentiles; core kerygma | 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 11:14; 13:26, 47; 16:17, 30-31; 28:28 |
| Faith | Iimaan | High | Repentance and Baptism; Conversion of Paul | 3:16; 6:5, 7; 11:24; 13:8; 14:9, 22, 27; 15:9; 16:5, 31; 20:21; 26:18 |
| Grace | Nimco | High | Justification apart from Law | 4:33; 11:23; 13:43; 14:3, 26; 15:11, 40; 18:27; 20:24, 32 |
| Righteousness | Xaqnimo | Critical | Justification apart from Law | 13:38-39; 17:31; 24:25 |
| Justification | Xaq lagu caddeeyay | Critical | Justification apart from Law | 13:38-39 |
| Apostle | Diray | Medium/High | Apostolic Authority | 1:2, 25-26; 2:37, 42-43; 4:33-37; 5:12-18; 8:1, 14; 9:27; 14:4, 14; 15:2-6, 22-23; 16:4 |
| Called / Calling | Loo yeedhay / Yeedhid | High | Divine Calling; Conversion of Paul | 2:39; 9:15; 13:2; 16:10 |
| Holy | Quduus | High | Sanctification; Holy One of Christ | 2:27; 3:14, 21; 4:27, 30; 9:13, 32, 41 |
| Saints | Quduusiinta | High | Church as Community | 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10 |
| Sanctification | Quduusnimo | High | Church as Community | 20:32; 26:18 |
| Church | Kiniisadda | Medium | Church as Community | 2:47; 5:11; 8:1, 3; 9:31; 11:22, 26; 12:1, 5; 13:1; 14:23, 27; 15:3-4, 22, 41; 20:17, 28 |
| Fellowship | Wadaaga | Low | Church as Community | 2:42 |
| Kingdom of God | Boqortooyada Ilaah | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:3, 6; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31 |
| Law (Mosaic) | Qaanuunka Muuse | High | Justification apart from Law | 6:13; 7:53; 13:39; 15:5, 24; 18:13; 21:20-24; 23:29; 25:8 |
| Sin | Dembi | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 22:16; 26:18 |
| Gentiles | Quruumaha | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 9:15; 10:45; 11:1, 18; 13:46-48; 14:27; 15:3, 7, 12, 14, 19, 23; 18:6; 21:19, 21, 25; 22:21; 26:17, 20, 23; 28:28 |
| Glory | Ammaan | High | Deity of Christ; Stephen’s vision | 7:2, 55; 12:23 |
| Power of God | Awoodda Ilaah | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 1:8; 4:33; 26:18 |
| Messianic proper name: David | Daa’uud | Medium | Davidic Covenant | 1:16; 2:25-34; 4:25; 7:45; 13:22, 34-36; 15:16 |
| Israel | Israa’iil | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 1:6; 2:36; 5:31; 9:15; 10:36; 13:17, 23-24; 28:20 |
| Prophet | Nabi | High | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:16, 30; 3:18, 21-25; 7:37, 48, 52; 10:43; 13:20, 27, 40; 15:15, 32; 21:10; 24:14; 26:22, 27; 28:23 |
| Prophecy | Wax sii sheegidda | Medium | Fulfillment of Prophecy | 2:17-18 |
| Covenant | Axdiga | Medium | Davidic Covenant | 3:25; 7:8 |
| Election | Doorashada Ilaah | High | Conversion of Paul; Divine Calling | 9:15 (as “chosen instrument”) |
| Providence | Daryeelka Ilaah | High | Persecution/Providence themes throughout | 17:26-28; 27:23-25 |
| Mission (spreading good news) | Warka wanaagsan faafinta | Critical | Great Commission Fulfilled | 1:8; 8:4, 25, 40; 10:36; 13:5, 32; 14:7, 21; 20:24 |
| Exhort | Dhiirigelin | Low | Persecution and Bold Witness | 2:40; 11:23; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2 |
| Spiritual Gifts | Hadiyado Ruuxa ah | Medium | (background; distinguish from the “gift of the Holy Spirit” himself, see New Terms below) | — |
Section B — New Terms Introduced for the Acts Curriculum
| Term | Original (Greek) | Transliteration | Literal Meaning | Somali Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Key Passages | Risk Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pentecost | Πεντηκοστή | Pentēkostē | fiftieth [day] | Bentekoste | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:1; 20:16 | Unfamiliar festival name to Somali readers; no doctrinal collision, but requires brief explanatory gloss (Jewish harvest feast fulfilled as the Spirit’s outpouring). |
| Filled (with the Spirit) | ἐπλήσθησαν / πίμπλημι | eplēsthēsan | filled completely | way ka buuxsameen (Ruuxa Quduuska ah) | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52 | Risk of conflation with folk spirit-possession phenomena (saar/qorriin, jinn); must teach as God’s own indwelling of the believer’s will, not involuntary possession. |
| Tongues / other tongues | γλῶσσαι / ἑτέραις γλώσσαις | glōssai / heterais glōssais | tongues / other tongues | afaf kale | Medium | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:4, 11; 10:46; 19:6 | Must be taught as real, known, unlearned human languages (confirmed by “each in his own language,” 2:6, 8), not unintelligible ecstatic speech. |
| Repentance | μετάνοια / μετανοέω | metanoia / metanoeō | change of mind, turning | Toobadkeenid | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20 | Shares Islamic tawba vocabulary; must teach as Spirit-enabled turning that receives rather than earns forgiveness, not a merit-generating act under one’s own effort. |
| Turning back | ἐπιστρέφω | epistrephō | to turn back, return | soo noqosho | High | Repentance and Baptism | 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 15:19; 26:18, 20 | Always pair with Toobadkeenid; ongoing reorientation, not a one-time formula. |
| Baptism / baptize | βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω | baptisma / baptizō | immersion, washing | Baabtiis / baabtiisid | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3-5 | Lexically distinct from Islamic ritual ablution (wadaraysi/ghusl), reducing lexical collision; but must be taught as identification with Christ’s death/resurrection and reception of the Spirit, not generic ritual cleansing, and not itself a meritorious cause of salvation apart from repentant faith. |
| Forgiveness of sins | ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν | aphesis hamartiōn | release/pardon of sins | cafiga dembiyada | High | Repentance and Baptism | 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18 | Must never substitute for the fuller forensic doctrine of Xaq lagu caddeeyay (justification); functions here as one distinct benefit of repentance and baptism, not the entirety of salvation. |
| Gift of the Holy Spirit | δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος | dōrea tou Hagiou Pneumatos | the gift of the Holy Spirit | Hadiyadda Ruuxa Quduuska ah | High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost | 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17 | Distinguish from the plural “Hadiyado Ruuxa ah” (spiritual gifts/enablements, Rom 12); here the gift IS the Spirit’s own personal indwelling. |
| Witness / testify | μάρτυς / μαρτυρέω | martys / martyreō | legal/eyewitness testimony | Markhaati | High | Persecution and Bold Witness; Apostolic Authority | 1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:15, 20; 26:16 | Must never be rendered with shahaado-family vocabulary (Islamic creedal testimony); use the more neutral legal/eyewitness term consistently throughout the book. |
| Martyrdom (dying for the faith) | (no single lexeme; narrated event) | — | dying while giving faithful witness | kii dhintay isagoo aaminsan markhaatinimadiisa (descriptive phrase; avoid the single noun “shahiid”) | Critical | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:54-60; 12:1-2; 22:20 | ”Shahiid” imports the Islamic martyrdom framework (jihad associations, specific afterlife rewards); use a descriptive phrase built on the Markhaati root instead. Mandatory human theologian review, extending existing forbidden-substitution logic. |
| Boldness | παρρησία | parrēsia | freedom/confidence of speech | Dhiirranaan | Medium | Persecution and Bold Witness | 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31 | Concept is culturally admired in Somali oral tradition; risk lies in application (proclaiming Christ’s exclusive name), which intersects the Critical evangelism-safety doctrine. |
| Signs and wonders | σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα | sēmeia kai terata | signs and wonders | Calaamooyin iyo Yaabab | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:19, 22, 43; 4:16, 22, 30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11 | Avoid “mucjiso” (Qur’anic prophet-proof-miracle) and “karaamad” (Sufi saint-miracle, already rejected in Romans TM); teach as Spirit-empowered confirmation of the apostolic gospel, not free-floating personal spiritual status/power. |
| Mighty works / works of power | δυνάμεις | dynameis | works of power | Shuqullada Awoodda | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles | 2:22; 8:13; 19:11 | Reuses Awoodda Ilaah (power of God, High); distinguish personal apostolic works from occult power (sixir). |
| Name of Jesus (invocation formula) | ἐν/ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ | en/epi tō onomati Iēsou | in/on the name of Jesus | magaca Ciise Masiixa | Critical | Repentance and Baptism; Apostolic Authority | 2:38; 3:6, 16; 4:10, 12, 18, 30; 8:16; 9:27-28; 10:48; 16:18; 19:5, 13, 17 | Reuses established Ciise+Masiixa pairing; never used bare. |
| Call on the name of the Lord | ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου | epikalesētai to onoma Kyriou | to call upon the name of the Lord | ku dhawaaqa magaca Rabbiga | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:21; 22:16 | Must match the force/register of the Romans 10:9-13 salvation confession per baseline consistency rules; universal, unqualified formula, never softened. |
| Foreknowledge | πρόγνωσις | prognōsis | knowing beforehand | Aqoonta Hore ee Ilaah | High | Conversion of Paul; Providence | 2:23 | Connects to Daryeelka Ilaah/Doorashada Ilaah (High); must avoid fatalistic qaddar-style rendering. |
| Determined plan | βουλὴ ὡρισμένη | boulē hōrismenē | fixed/determined counsel | Qorshaha Go’an ee Ilaah | High | Conversion of Paul; Providence | 2:23 | Same fatalism-avoidance caution as Foreknowledge. |
| Cross / crucify | σταυρός / σταυρόω / προσπήγνυμι | stauros / stauroō | stake/cross; to nail to a cross | Iskutallaabta / lagu iskutallaabeeyay | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39; 13:28-29 | Qur’an 4:157 denies the crucifixion/death; never soften to a generic “suffered/was killed” phrasing that omits the specific historical means; must always precede resurrection claims. |
| Loosed the pangs of death | λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου | lysas tas ōdinas tou thanatou | having loosed the birth-pangs of death | ka furay xanuunkii dhimashada | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 2:24 | Presupposes and must follow the affirmed prior death; sequence integrity is doctrinally essential. |
| Hades | ᾅδης | Hadēs | realm/state of the dead | She’ool | Medium | Resurrection of Christ | 2:27, 31 | Distinguish from Naar/Jahannam (hell, place of punishment); Hades/She’ool is the temporary abode of the dead, not a punitive fire. |
| Holy One (of Christ) | ὅσιος | hosios | holy, consecrated one | Kan Quduuska ah | High | Deity/Sinlessness of Christ | 2:27; 3:14 | Christological application of Quduus (High); reinforces sinlessness and unique consecration. |
| Corruption / decay | διαφθορά | diaphthora | decay, decomposition | qudhun / kharribaad | Medium | Resurrection of Christ | 2:27, 31; 13:34-37 | Confirms bodily, not merely spiritual, resurrection: the body did not decompose because it was raised. |
| Made Lord and Christ | Κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν ἐποίησεν | Kyrion kai Christon epoiēsen | made [him] Lord and Christ | si xaqiiqa ah wuxuu Ilaah ka dhigay Rabbi iyo Masiix | Critical | Lordship/Sonship of Christ | 2:36 | Public declarative enthronement of what is eternally true, not adoptionist origination; requires translator note. |
| Community of goods | ἅπαντα κοινά | hapanta koina | all things common | hantida wadaagga | Medium | Church as Community | 2:44-45; 4:32-37 | Genuine resonance with Somali clan mutual-aid custom (qaraan); teach as voluntary Spirit-motivated generosity, not enforced collectivism or a redirection of clan obligations. |
| Breaking of bread | κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου | klasis tou artou | breaking of bread | kibis-jajabinta | Low/Medium | Church as Community | 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11 | May carry both ordinary shared-meal and distinct commemorative senses; do not flatten to only one. |
| Sanhedrin/council | συνέδριον | synedrion | council | Golaha Sare ee Yuhuudda | Medium | Apostolic Authority; Persecution | 4:15; 5:21, 27, 34, 41; 6:12, 15; 22:30; 23:1, 6, 15, 20, 28; 24:20 | Institutional proper-noun term; no Somali equivalent institution, brief gloss recommended. |
| Salvation in no other name | οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία | ouk estin en allō oudeni hē sōtēria | there is salvation in no other | (reuses Badbaado + magaca Ciise Masiixa) | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 4:12 | Absolute exclusivity claim; must not be softened toward religious pluralism. Mandatory theologian review. |
| Angel (of the Lord) | ἄγγελος (Κυρίου) | angelos (Kyriou) | messenger (of the Lord) | Malaa’ig(ta Rabbiga) | Medium/High | Holy Spirit and Pentecost (contrast); Providence | 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7-11; 27:23 | Shared term with Islamic malak/Jibriil; every use should be paired, at least on first teaching use per lesson, with a reminder that angels are created beings, categorically distinct from the Holy Spirit. |
| Deacon / service | διάκονος / διακονία | diakonos / diakonia | servant / service | Adeeg / Adeegayaal | Medium | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | 1:17, 25; 6:1-6 | Distinguish from generic NGO/humanitarian aid-worker vocabulary common in the Somali context; this is a Spirit-qualified church office. |
| Hellenists / Hebrews | Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι | Hellēnistai / Hebraioi | Greek-speakers / Aramaic-speakers | Yuhuudda Heleeniyiinta ah / Yuhuudda Cibraaniyiinta ah | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (intra-Jewish template) | 6:1 | Template for group-favoritism dynamics; connects directly to the baseline’s qabiil-sensitive unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine. |
| Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | huios tou anthrōpou | son of man | Wiilka Aadanaha | Critical | Deity/Sonship of Christ (Stephen’s vision) | 7:56 | Distinct from Wiilka Ilaah (Son of God); both must be taught together, neither substituting for the other. Mandatory theologian review. |
| Stoning | λιθοβολέω | lithoboleō | to stone | Dhagxin | High/Critical | Persecution and Bold Witness | 7:58-59; 14:19 | Physical-safety-sensitive: stoning (rajm) is a live category in some extremist-controlled areas of Somalia; route to human theologian review for pastoral/safety framing, as with the baseline’s evangelism doctrine. |
| Sorcery / magic | μαγεία | mageia | sorcery, magic | Sixir | High | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (contrast) | 8:9-24; 13:6-11; 19:19 | Genuine shared moral condemnation with Islamic teaching; must be sharply distinguished from genuine Spirit-given signs/gifts, reinforcing grace-cannot-be-bought theme. |
| Samaritans | Σαμαρῖται | Samaritai | Samaritans | Samaariyiinta | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Great Commission Fulfilled | 8:5, 25; 9:31; 15:3 | No Somali cultural equivalent; requires explanatory gloss; second concentric circle of Acts 1:8’s outline. |
| Laying on of hands | ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν | epithesis tōn cheirōn | placing of the hands | Gacmo-saarid | High | Apostolic Authority; Conversion of Paul | 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8 | Adjacent to barako (Sufi blessing-transmission, already rejected for grace) and folk-healing touch; teach as sign of commissioning under the Spirit’s sovereign action, not mechanical potency-transfer. |
| The Way | ἡ ὁδός | hē hodos | the road/way | Jidka | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled | 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 | Recurring self-designation; track consistently; note resonance with, but distinctness from, Islamic “the [right] path” terminology. |
| Chosen instrument | σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς | skeuos eklogēs | vessel of election | (reuses Doorashada Ilaah, applied to Paul) | High | Conversion of Paul | 9:15 | Anchors Paul’s conversion to sovereign election doctrine already fixed High in baseline. |
| Common/unclean (extended to persons) | κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος | koinos / akathartos | common / impure | wasakh / aan daahirin | Critical | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:14-15, 28; 11:8-9 | Narrative hinge of Gentile inclusion; must not be rendered with xalaal/xaraan vocabulary (imports Islamic dietary law framework); must make the food-to-people metaphorical extension (10:28) explicit. Mandatory theologian review. |
| God shows no partiality | οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός | ouk estin prosōpolēptēs ho theos | God is not a respecter of faces | Ilaah ma kala eexdo | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Unity of Jews/Gentiles | 10:34 | Direct reinforcement of the baseline’s qabiil-sensitive unity doctrine. |
| God-fearer | φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν | phoboumenos ton theon | one who fears God | kuwa Ilaah ka cabsada | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 10:2, 22; 13:16, 26; 16:14; 18:7 | Technical category distinct from full proselyte; requires explanatory gloss. |
| Proselyte | προσήλυτος | prosēlytos | convert [to Judaism] | kuwii diinta Yuhuudda soo galay | Medium | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles | 2:11; 6:5; 13:43 | No ready Somali equivalent category; distinguish from God-fearer. |
| Christian(s) | Χριστιανός | Christianos | Christ-one(s) | Masiixi / Masiixiyiin | High | Great Commission Fulfilled; Christian Identity | 11:26; 26:28 | Built on established Masiixa root; carries acute pastoral/identity-cost weight in the contemporary Somali context, paralleling the baseline’s christian_identity_in_christ doctrine. |
| Fasting | νηστεία | nēsteia | fasting | Soon | Medium | Apostolic Authority (commissioning) | 13:2-3; 14:23 | Shares vocabulary with the Islamic Pillar of fasting (siyaam/Ramadan); genuine resonance, but clarify as voluntary occasion-specific discipline, not an obligatory merit-earning pillar. |
| Idols | εἴδωλα | eidōla | idols | Sanamyo | Medium/High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles (contextual) | 14:15; 15:20, 29; 17:16, 23; 19:26 | Genuine shared condemnation with Islamic tawhid/anti-shirk theology; but this agreement does not extend to resolving the separate, sharper collision over Christ’s deity, which Islamic theology itself classifies as a form of shirk. |
| Circumcision (as salvation requirement) | περιτομή | peritomē | circumcision | Gudniinka | High | Justification apart from Law | 15:1, 5, 24; 21:21 | Nearly universal, religiously significant Somali cultural practice; the doctrinal point (not required for salvation) is about the ground of salvation, not a condemnation of the practice itself. |
| Yoke | ζυγός | zygos | yoke | Harqoodka | Medium | Justification apart from Law | 15:10 | Metaphor for the burden of law-observance as a salvation-requirement; reinforces grace-versus-works contrast. |
| Spirit of divination | πνεῦμα πύθωνα | pneuma pythōna | python-spirit | ruux faaliye | Medium | Apostolic Authority and Miracles (contrast) | 16:16 | Correctly applied here to demonic counterfeit; sharpens the existing prophet/diviner distinction from the baseline. |
| Household salvation | σωθήσῃ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου | sōthēsē sy kai ho oikos sou | you and your household will be saved | (reuses Badbaado; qoyskaaga) | High | Gospel to Jews and Gentiles; Repentance and Baptism | 16:31-34 | Must not be heard as automatic family/clan-based salvation by association; each household member individually believes. |
| Unknown God | ἀγνώστῳ θεῷ | agnōstō theō | to an unknown god | Ilaaha aan la aqoon | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled (contextualization model) | 17:23 | Rhetorical bridge into gospel proclamation; underlying evangelism-safety caution still applies to derived application material. |
| Vow | εὐχή | euchē | vow | Nidar | Medium | (background; Pauline practice) | 18:18; 21:23-26 | Shared vocabulary with Islamic nadhr; dated first-century Jewish-Christian ritual practice, not a general ongoing obligation. |
| Elder (church office) | πρεσβύτερος | presbyteros | elder | Waayeel | High | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | 11:30; 14:23; 15:2, 4, 6, 22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18 | Strong overlap with Somali clan-elder (waayeel/oday) authority structures; must distinguish spiritual qualification from clan-based lineage/age authority while retaining positive “trusted leader” resonance. |
| Overseer | ἐπίσκοπος | episkopos | overseer | Ilaaliye | Medium | Church as Community; Apostolic Authority | 20:28 | Same office as elder viewed from oversight angle, not a separate higher rank. |
| Shepherd (verb/noun) | ποιμαίνω / ποιμήν | poimainō / poimēn | to shepherd / shepherd | Adhijir | Low/Medium | Apostolic Authority; Church as Community | 20:28 | Strong positive resonance with Somali pastoralist culture; ensure spiritual content (doctrinal guarding, sacrificial care) is not lost beneath familiarity. |
| Flock | ποίμνιον | poimnion | flock | Idaha / Adhiga | Low | Church as Community | 20:28-29 | Positive pastoral-metaphor resonance. |
| Wolves (false teachers) | λύκοι βαρεῖς | lykoi bareis | savage wolves | Yeey | Low | Apostolic Authority (doctrinal vigilance) | 20:29 | Standard predator-metaphor for false teachers. |
| Sect | αἵρεσις | hairesis | party, sect | kooxda / dariiqa | Medium | Great Commission Fulfilled (outsider framing) | 24:5, 14; 28:22 | Same movement described neutrally by insiders (as “the Way”) and dismissively by outsiders; relevant to how believers’ faith may be characterized by others. |
| Appeal to Caesar | ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα | epikaloumai Kaisara | I appeal to Caesar | waxaan u race-doonaa Kaysar | Low | (legal/narrative only) | 25:11-12; 26:32; 28:19 | Legal-procedural term; no doctrinal content. |
| Satan | Σατανᾶς | Satanas | adversary | Shaydaan | Medium/High | Conversion of Paul; cosmic conflict | 5:3; 13:10; 26:18 | Shared recognition with Islamic Shaydaan/Iblis tradition; teach the specifically Christian resolution (Christ’s decisive victory) rather than assuming full narrative equivalence. |
| Son of Man / Pharisees-Sadducees resurrection dispute proper nouns | Φαρισαῖοι / Σαδδουκαῖοι | Pharisaioi / Saddoukaioi | Pharisees / Sadducees | Farisiisiinta / Sadukiyiinta | Low (proper nouns); Medium (doctrinal context) | Resurrection of Christ (background) | 23:6-9 | Useful evidence that bodily resurrection was already a contested Jewish theological question pre-Christ. |
Section C — Proper Nouns (Low Risk, Standard Transliteration)
| Term | Somali Rendering | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paul (Saul) | Bawlos (Sawlos before conversion) | Established Somali Bible form, per baseline transliteration standards |
| Peter | Petros | Standard form |
| Barnabas | Barnabas | Standard form |
| Stephen | Isteefanos | Standard form |
| Philip | Filibos | Standard form |
| Cornelius | Korneliyos | Standard form |
| Antioch | Antiyokh | Standard form |
| Ephesus | Efesos | Standard form |
| Athens | Ateenaay | Standard form |
| Rome | Rooma | Note: distinct from the book-name “Rooma” (Romans) already used in baseline citation conventions — context always disambiguates |
| Caesarea | Kaysariya | Standard form |
| Damascus | Dimishiq | Standard form |
| Malta | Maalta | Standard form |
| Agrippa, Felix, Festus, Gallio | (transliterated as-is) | Roman/Herodian officials, proper nouns only |
Summary Risk Counts (Acts New Terms, Section B)
| Risk Tier | Count |
|---|---|
| Critical | 8 |
| High | 15 |
| Medium | 20 |
| Low | 5 |
Notes for Phase 1 Step 2
- All Critical and High risk new terms in Section B must be added to
translation_memory.jsonandbible_term_registry.jsonwith full field parity to the baseline Romans entries, and cross-referenced into an extendeddoctrine_risk_registry.jsonfor Acts. - The Section A reused terms must be loaded from the existing baseline files without modification; no new entries are needed for them beyond adding the Acts passage references to their
primary_passagesfields. - Terms flagged Critical in Section B (Martyrdom, Son of Man, Cross/Crucify, Loosed the pangs of death, Made Lord and Christ, Salvation in no other name, Stoning [High/Critical], Common/unclean) require mandatory human theologian review per the escalation rules already established in
12_ai_translation_requirements.md, and this Language Package’s Step 2 update should explicitly extend those escalation rules to name these new terms.
This document must be loaded alongside 07_semantic_analysis.md before Phase 1 Step 2 (extending translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json for Acts) begins.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: Xaqnimo
Transliteration: khahk-NEE-moh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: camal wanaagsan (good deeds, as the ground itself)
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: Never present as equivalent to camal wanaagsan (good deeds). Acts 13:38-39 and 17:31 use this term as a direct preview of the Romans argument; must never collapse into a deeds-ledger category.
Justification
Approved rendering: Xaq lagu caddeeyay
Transliteration: khahk lah-goo cah-DEH-yay
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: dembiyada la cafiyay (forgiveness of sins, alone)
Original: δικαίωσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. A forensic declaration, not merely forgiveness. Acts 13:38-39, ‘freed/justified from everything the law of Moses could not free you from,’ is a core anchor text for Justification apart from the Law; must retain the full compound phrase, never abbreviated to forgiveness alone.
Salvation
Approved rendering: Badbaado
Transliteration: bahd-BAH-doh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: jannada gelid (entering paradise, as the whole content)
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: A present reality secured by Christ’s finished work, not a deferred hope of entering jannada. Acts 2:21, 40, 47; 4:12; 16:31; 28:28 all use Badbaado this way.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: Sarakicidda
Transliteration: sah-rah-kee-CID-dah
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: kor loo qaaday (being raised up to heaven, without dying)
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: Must affirm real bodily death followed by bodily resurrection. Acts repeatedly presupposes a prior real death (2:23-24, 31-32; 4:2, 33; 17:18, 32; 24:15, 21; 26:23); Acts additionally supplies the specific historical means of death (see cross_crucify below), which the Romans-only baseline did not need to name.
Lord
Approved rendering: Rabbiga
Transliteration: RAHB-bee-gah
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sayidka (master/boss, non-divine)
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:21, 34-36; 10:36; 16:31 all use Rabbiga with exclusive, supreme force; sayidka must never substitute.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Wiilka Ilaah
Transliteration: WEEL-kah ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: addoonka jecel ee Ilaah (God’s beloved servant)
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:20 and 13:33 both use this; must remain lexically and doctrinally distinct from the separate title ‘Son of Man’ (Wiilka Aadanaha, see son_of_man below).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Masiixa
Transliteration: mah-SEE-khah
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: nabi kaliya (merely a prophet)
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:31-36; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5, 28 repeatedly argue from the OT that Ciise IS this Masiixa; must always carry full Davidic-covenant, atoning-savior content, never the emptied Qur’anic al-Masih title.
Mission
Approved rendering: Warka wanaagsan faafinta
Transliteration: WAR-kah wah-NAHG-sahn fah-ah-FIN-tah
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: wacdinta (preaching/proselytizing, an especially dangerous word given the lethal risk of open evangelism in much of Somalia)
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:8’s programmatic ‘Jerusalem… to the ends of the earth’ outline structures the entire book; never use wacdinta, and route derived application content to human theologian review given the acute danger of open evangelism in parts of Somalia.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Ciise
Transliteration: SEE-say
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Nabi Ciise’ (Prophet Jesus, without Masiixa)
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Acts pairs Ciise with Masiixa throughout doctrinally significant references (2:38; 3:6; 4:10; 10:36); never leave Ciise bare, which signals only the Qur’anic prophet-Jesus.
God
Approved rendering: Ilaah
Transliteration: ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Eebe (a warmly familiar, invocation-style Somali term), Alle (the direct Arabic loan)
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Acts; retain Ilaah for doctrinal consistency across both curricula.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Ruuxa Quduuska ah
Transliteration: ROO-khah koo-DOOS-kah ah
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: Jibriil (the archangel Gabriel)
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 5:3-4 shows the Spirit can be lied to and tested as a personal divine agent; 1:5, 8; 2:4, 33, 38; 8:15-19; 10:44-47; 15:8, 28; 19:2-6 are all load-bearing occurrences. This risk is compounded in Acts by the need to distinguish the Spirit both from angelic messengers (see angel_of_the_lord below) and from folk spirit-possession categories (see filled_with_spirit below).
Martyrdom
Approved rendering: kii dhintay isagoo aaminsan markhaatinimadiisa
Transliteration: kee dhin-TAY ee-sah-GOH ah-min-SAHN mar-khah-tee-nee-mah-DEE-sah
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: shahiid (the Islamic martyrdom category tied to jihad and guaranteed afterlife reward)
Original: (no single lexeme; narrated event, cf. Rev 2:13)
Category: Persecution
New term for Acts. Acts 7:54-60; 12:1-2; 22:20. Shahiid must never substitute; it imports jihad and armed-struggle associations entirely foreign to Luke’s account. Use this descriptive phrase built on the Markhaati root instead, extending the baseline’s apostle/Rasuul forbidden-substitution logic. Mandatory human theologian review for every occurrence.
Name Of Jesus Invocation
Approved rendering: magaca Ciise Masiixa
Transliteration: mah-GAH-kah SEE-say mah-SEE-khah
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘Ciise’ without Masiixa
Original: ἐν/ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:38; 3:6, 16; 4:10, 12, 18, 30; 8:16; 9:27-28; 10:48; 16:18; 19:5, 13, 17. Reuses the established Ciise+Masiixa pairing throughout; never used bare, which would signal only the Qur’anic prophet-Jesus rather than the full authoritative Christ Acts proclaims.
Call On Name Of Lord
Approved rendering: ku dhawaaqa magaca Rabbiga
Transliteration: koo dhah-WAH-kah mah-GAH-kah RAHB-bee-gah
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: softened or qualified rendering suggesting one valid path among several
Original: ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 2:21 (quoting Joel 2:32) and 22:16. Must match the exact force and register of the Romans 10:9-13 salvation confession already fixed in the baseline’s Theological Consistency Rules; never softened.
Cross Crucify
Approved rendering: Iskutallaabta / lagu iskutallaabeeyay
Transliteration: ees-koo-tah-LAHB-tah / lah-goo ees-koo-tah-lah-BEH-yay
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: generic ‘he suffered’ or ‘he was killed’ phrasing that omits the specific historical means
Original: σταυρός / σταυρόω / προσπήγνυμι
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:23, 36; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39; 13:28-29. Qur’an 4:157 explicitly denies that Ciise was crucified and killed. Must never be softened or generalized to a vaguer phrasing that omits the specific historical means, which would blur precisely the point of collision the baseline requires be confronted directly.
Loosed Pangs Of Death
Approved rendering: ka furay xanuunkii dhimashada
Transliteration: kah foo-RAY khah-noon-KEE dhee-mah-SHAH-dah
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:24. Must presuppose and follow the affirmed prior death (2:23); sequence integrity — real death, then loosing of death’s grip — is doctrinally essential and must never be collapsed or reordered.
Made Lord And Christ
Approved rendering: si xaqiiqa ah wuxuu Ilaah ka dhigay Rabbi iyo Masiix
Transliteration: see khah-KEE-kah ah woo-KHOO ee-LAHH kah DHEE-gay RAHB-bee ee-yoh mah-SEEKH
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: adoptionist origination rendering (‘God turned him into Lord’)
Original: Κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν ἐποίησεν
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:36. Must be rendered as a public forensic-style declaration/enthronement of what was always eternally true in Christ’s identity — not adoptionist origination. Requires a mandatory [TRANSLATOR NOTE] and human theologian review every occurrence.
Salvation No Other Name
Approved rendering: Badbaado kuma jirto qof kale, magaca Ciise Masiixa mooyaane
Transliteration: bahd-BAH-doh koo-mah JEER-toh kohf KAH-leh, mah-GAH-kah SEE-say mah-SEE-khah moh-yah-AH-neh
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: softening toward religious pluralism (‘one valid path among several’)
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 4:12. Reuses Badbaado and magaca Ciise Masiixa. One of the strongest exclusivity claims in the New Testament; must not be softened. Mandatory human theologian review.
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Wiilka Aadanaha
Transliteration: WEEL-kah ah-dah-NAH-hah
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: merging with, or substituting for, Wiilka Ilaah (Son of God)
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 7:56, Stephen’s dying vision. A distinct Christological title (Daniel 7:13-14) denoting Christ’s exalted, authoritative, judging humanity. Must be kept lexically and doctrinally distinct from Wiilka Ilaah; both titles must be taught together. Mandatory human theologian review.
Stoning
Approved rendering: Dhagxin
Transliteration: dhahg-KHIN
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: λιθοβολέω
Category: Persecution
New term for Acts. Acts 7:58-59; 14:19. Stoning (rajm) is a recognized punishment category under classical Islamic penal law, still invoked by some armed extremist authorities operating in parts of Somalia today. Mandatory human theologian review for both translation accuracy and pastoral/physical-safety framing.
Common Unclean
Approved rendering: wasakh / aan daahirin
Transliteration: wah-SAKH / ahn dah-hee-RIN
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: xalaal/xaraan (Islamic legal-dietary framework)
Original: κοινός / ἀκάθαρτος
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 10:14-15, 28; 11:8-9. The narrative hinge of the Gentile-inclusion doctrine; the food-to-PEOPLE metaphorical extension (10:28) must be made unmistakably explicit. Xalaal/xaraan vocabulary must NEVER be used. Mandatory human theologian review.
High Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Injiilka
Transliteration: in-JEEL-kah
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: war wanaagsan (generic ‘good news’, without the proclamation weight)
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Injiilka is the established Somali term, shared with the Qur’anic name for the revelation given to Ciise, which Islamic doctrine treats as historically altered (tahriif). This curriculum uses Injiilka for the living apostolic proclamation specifically. In Acts the gospel is preached as a specific historical kerygma (Christ crucified, raised, exalted — Acts 2:22-36; 10:36-43) rather than a generalized moral teaching; keep the proclamation weight Injiilka carries.
Grace
Approved rendering: Nimco
Transliteration: NIM-koh
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: naxariis (mercy/compassion), barako (blessing, often tied to a sheekh’s or saint’s spiritual potency)
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Nimco conveys unearned favor apart from merit, distinct from naxariis (mercy within a deeds-and-mercy framework) and barako (Sufi blessing transmitted through a sheekh’s lineage or tomb). Acts 15:11 (‘we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus’) is a direct anchor for Justification apart from the Law.
Faith
Approved rendering: Iimaan
Transliteration: ee-MAHN
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: rumaysad (generic belief/conviction)
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Iimaan is shared with Islamic pillars-of-belief vocabulary; the object of faith (the Lord Jesus specifically, e.g. Acts 16:31, 26:18) must always be stated explicitly, not left as generalized religious conviction.
Apostle
Approved rendering: Diray
Transliteration: dee-RYE
Doctrine: Apostleship
Rejected alternatives: Rasuul (the specific Islamic title functioning as a near-proper-title for Muhammad)
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. In Acts (1:2, 21-26; 2:42-43; 5:12-18; 15:2-23) apostleship is repeatedly tied to eyewitness testimony to the risen Christ (1:21-22); never render with Rasuul. NOTE: the traditional Somali Bible BOOK TITLE for Acts itself (‘Falimaha Rasuulada’) is an established proper-noun citation convention and is NOT a contradiction of this rule — see 12_ai_translation_requirements.md Cross-Reference Preservation Rules.
Called
Approved rendering: Loo yeedhay
Transliteration: loh yeh-DHAI
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: la casuumay (invited, as to a social event)
Original: κλητός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Applies in Acts 2:39 (call to salvation) and 9:15 (call to apostolic service); keep distinct from casuumaad (mere invitation) and qaddar-style fatalism.
Calling
Approved rendering: Yeedhid
Transliteration: yeh-DHID
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: casuumaad
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to the Spirit’s directive calling of Barnabas and Paul in Acts 13:2.
Holy
Approved rendering: Quduus
Transliteration: koo-DOOS
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: nadiif (ritually/physically clean)
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to the Spirit throughout Acts and, at 2:27 and 3:14, Christologically to Christ himself as ‘the Holy One’ (see holy_one entry below); avoid ritual-purity-only connotations.
Saints
Approved rendering: Quduusiinta
Transliteration: koo-doo-SEEN-tah
Doctrine: Sainthood
Rejected alternatives: awliyada / wadaaddada (Sufi saints/sheekhs venerated at tombs during siyaaro pilgrimage)
Original: ἅγιοι
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 9:13, 32, 41; 26:10 use this of ordinary believers corporately, not a Sufi-style venerated holy-man elite.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: Quduusnimo
Transliteration: koo-doos-NEE-moh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: nadiifin (ritual cleaning)
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 20:32 and 26:18 apply this to the inheritance believers receive; keep distinct from the ceremonial purification rite of Acts 21:24-26.
Law
Approved rendering: Qaanuunka Muuse
Transliteration: kah-noon-kah MOO-say
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: Sharciga (the same word used for Islamic religious law/Sharia)
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to the Acts 15 Jerusalem Council debate and the Acts 13:39 justification argument; never use Sharciga.
Sin
Approved rendering: Dembi
Transliteration: DEM-bee
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: qalad (mistake/error)
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31 tie forgiveness of dembi directly to repentance and Christ’s name; keep distinct from qalad.
Glory
Approved rendering: Ammaan
Transliteration: ah-MAHN
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: nuur (divine light, associated with Sufi Nuurka Muxammed pre-existent-light devotion)
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Stephen’s vision of Christ’s glory (7:55) and to God’s judgment of Herod (12:23); avoid nuur.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: Awoodda Ilaah
Transliteration: ah-WOHD-dah ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Rejected alternatives: xoogga Ilaah (raw force, less precise for saving power)
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:8 and 4:33 tie Awoodda Ilaah directly to the Spirit’s empowering of witness; keep distinct from xoog (raw force) and from sixir (sorcery, contrasted directly in Acts 8, 13, 19).
Prophet
Approved rendering: Nabi
Transliteration: NAH-bee
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: faaliye (fortune-teller/diviner)
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:22 applies Deut 18:15’s ‘prophet like Moses’ directly to Christ; teaching must show Christ exceeding, not merely matching, the closed Islamic category of nubuwwah.
Election
Approved rendering: Doorashada Ilaah
Transliteration: doh-rah-SHAH-dah ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: qaddar (fate/decree), nasiib (luck/fortune)
Original: ἐκλογή
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Applied to Paul’s own commissioning in Acts 9:15 (‘a chosen instrument’); never use qaddar or nasiib.
Providence
Approved rendering: Daryeelka Ilaah
Transliteration: dar-YEHL-kah ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: qaddar (fate/decree), waa la iga qoray-style fatalistic idiom (‘it was written for me’)
Original: πρόνοια
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 17:26-28 and 27:23-25 (the shipwreck) both illustrate God’s personal sustaining care; never use qaddar or its fatalistic idioms.
Filled With Spirit
Approved rendering: way ka buuxsameen Ruuxa Quduuska ah
Transliteration: wai kah boo-sah-MEEN ROO-khah koo-DOOS-kah ah
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: reading as saar/qorriin folk spirit-possession by jinn
Original: ἐπλήσθησαν / πίμπλημι
Category: Pneumatology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9, 52. Somali folk religion and folk Islam across the Horn of Africa have an established category of involuntary spirit-possession (saar/qorriin, jinn), often requiring exorcistic ritual. Being filled with the Spirit must be explicitly taught as God himself indwelling and empowering the believer’s own will and speech, never involuntary alien possession.
Gift Of Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Hadiyadda Ruuxa Quduuska ah
Transliteration: hah-dee-YAHD-dah ROO-khah koo-DOOS-kah ah
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: conflating with Hadiyado Ruuxa ah (plural spiritual gifts, Romans 12)
Original: δωρεὰ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: Pneumatology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17. The Spirit’s own personal indwelling presence given once for all at conversion — distinct from a distributed ministry enablement.
Repentance
Approved rendering: Toobadkeenid
Transliteration: toh-bahd-keh-eh-NID
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 8:22; 11:18; 17:30; 20:21; 26:20. Shares the Arabic-loan root with Islamic tawba, a genuine point of vocabulary contact, but Islamic tawba operates within a framework where sincere repentance plus good deeds may earn Allah’s forgiveness on one’s own merit. Must be taught as the Spirit-enabled turning that RECEIVES, not earns, forgiveness through Christ’s finished work.
Turning Back
Approved rendering: soo noqosho
Transliteration: soh noh-KOH-shoh
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Original: ἐπιστρέφω
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 15:19; 26:18, 20. Always pair with Toobadkeenid; teach as an ongoing reorientation of life, not a one-time formulaic utterance.
Baptism
Approved rendering: Baabtiis
Transliteration: bahb-TEES
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: wadaraysi/ghusl (Islamic ritual ablution)
Original: βάπτισμα / βαπτίζω
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 2:38, 41; 8:12-13, 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:8; 19:3-5. Lexically distinct from Islamic ritual ablution, reducing lexical collision risk; but must be taught as identification with Christ’s death/resurrection and reception of the Spirit, not generic ritual cleansing, and not itself a meritorious cause of salvation apart from repentant faith.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Approved rendering: cafiga dembiyada
Transliteration: kah-FEE-gah dem-bee-YAH-dah
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: standing alone as a substitute for Xaq lagu caddeeyay (justification)
Original: ἄφεσις ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18. Must never substitute for the fuller forensic doctrine of justification; functions here as one distinct benefit of repentance and baptism, not the entirety of salvation.
Witness
Approved rendering: Markhaati
Transliteration: mar-KHAH-tee
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Rejected alternatives: shahaado (the specific Islamic creedal testimony/confession)
Original: μάρτυς / μαρτυρέω
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 1:8, 22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:15, 20; 26:16. A neutral, court-testimony-flavored term (also used of witnesses to a marriage contract or business transaction) that avoids the Islamic creedal-confession resonance of shahaado; used consistently for the apostles’ legal/eyewitness testimony to the risen Christ.
Signs And Wonders
Approved rendering: Calaamooyin iyo Yaabab
Transliteration: kah-lah-moh-YEEN ee-yoh yah-BAB
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: mucjiso (a Qur’anic prophet’s proof-of-prophethood miracle), karaamad (a Sufi saint’s personal miraculous endowment, already rejected in the baseline)
Original: σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 2:19, 22, 43; 4:16, 22, 30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6, 13; 14:3; 15:12; 19:11. Teach as Spirit-empowered confirmation of the corporate apostolic gospel message, not free-floating personal spiritual status/power.
Foreknowledge
Approved rendering: Aqoonta Hore ee Ilaah
Transliteration: ah-KOHN-tah HOH-reh eh ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Rejected alternatives: qaddar-style fatalistic rendering
Original: πρόγνωσις
Category: God
New term for Acts. Acts 2:23. Holds together God’s sovereign plan and full human moral responsibility for the crucifixion without contradiction. Connects to Daryeelka Ilaah/Doorashada Ilaah; must avoid fatalistic rendering that would erase human responsibility.
Determined Plan
Approved rendering: Qorshaha Go’an ee Ilaah
Transliteration: kor-SHAH-hah GOH-ahn eh ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: qaddar (impersonal fate/decree)
Original: βουλὴ ὡρισμένη
Category: God
New term for Acts. Acts 2:23. Same fatalism-avoidance caution as foreknowledge; must not read as an impersonal, unknowable decree but as the personal, purposive plan of a Father-hearted God, paralleling Romans 8:28.
Holy One
Approved rendering: Kan Quduuska ah
Transliteration: kahn koo-DOOS-kah ah
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: ὅσιος
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:27; 3:14. Christological application of Quduus; reinforces Christ’s sinlessness and unique consecration to God, directly relevant to incarnation and deity-of-Christ doctrines already Critical in the baseline.
Angel Of The Lord
Approved rendering: Malaa’igta Rabbiga
Transliteration: mah-lah-EEG-tah RAHB-bee-gah
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: conflating with, or substituting for, Ruuxa Quduuska ah
Original: ἄγγελος Κυρίου
Category: God
New term for Acts. Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7-11; 27:23. Malaa’ig is the standard shared Somali/Islamic term for angel (cf. Jibriil). Lexically appropriate and unavoidable, but every occurrence should be paired, at least on first teaching use per lesson, with a reminder that angels are created beings, categorically distinct from the Holy Spirit, who is God himself.
Sorcery
Approved rendering: Sixir
Transliteration: see-KHEER
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: μαγεία
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 8:9-24; 13:6-11; 19:19. Genuine shared moral condemnation with Islamic teaching; must be sharply distinguished from genuine Spirit-given signs/gifts, reinforcing the baseline’s grace-cannot-be-bought rule.
Laying On Of Hands
Approved rendering: Gacmo-saarid
Transliteration: gahk-MOH sah-REED
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Rejected alternatives: barako (Sufi blessing physically transmitted through a sheekh’s touch, already rejected as an alternative for grace)
Original: ἐπίθεσις τῶν χειρῶν
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 6:6; 8:17-19; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 28:8. Must be taught as a sign of commissioning under the Spirit’s sovereign, freely-given action, not a transferable spiritual potency located in a particular holy person’s hands or lineage.
Chosen Instrument
Approved rendering: qalab loo doortay
Transliteration: kah-LAHB loh dohr-TAY
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 9:15. Reuses Doorashada Ilaah; anchors Paul’s dramatic conversion to God’s sovereign, purposive choice.
God Shows No Partiality
Approved rendering: Ilaah ma kala eexdo
Transliteration: ee-LAHH mah KAH-lah eh-EKH-doh
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: οὐκ ἔστιν προσωπολήπτης ὁ θεός
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 10:34. Direct reinforcement of the baseline’s qabiil-sensitive unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine; should be cross-referenced with that doctrine entry in all teaching materials.
Christian
Approved rendering: Masiixi / Masiixiyiin
Transliteration: mah-SEE-khee / mah-see-khee-YEEN
Doctrine: Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 11:26; 26:28. Built on the established Masiixa root; the historic origin of the very identity-label many present-day Somali believers must weigh adopting at real personal cost, paralleling the baseline’s christian_identity_in_christ doctrine.
Circumcision
Approved rendering: Gudniinka
Transliteration: good-NEEN-kah
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: περιτομή
Category: Covenant
New term for Acts. Acts 15:1, 5, 24; 21:21. A nearly universal, religiously significant Somali male practice (understood as sunnah); the doctrinal point is about the GROUND of salvation (faith vs. law-works), not a condemnation of the practice itself — must be taught with this scope explicit to avoid a serious cultural misreading.
Household Salvation
Approved rendering: Badbaado — adiga iyo dadka gurigaaga oo dhan
Transliteration: bahd-BAH-doh — ah-DEE-gah ee-yoh DAHD-kah goo-ree-GAH-gah oh DHAHN
Doctrine: Repentance and Baptism
Rejected alternatives: automatic family/clan-based salvation-by-association reading
Original: σωθήσῃ σὺ καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου
Category: Salvation
New term for Acts. Acts 16:31-34. Given the exceptional weight Somali culture places on family/clan solidarity, this could be misheard as automatic salvation for household members by virtue of a family head’s faith. Must be taught alongside 16:32-34’s confirmation that each household member individually believed.
Elder
Approved rendering: Waayeel
Transliteration: WAH-yehl
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18. Waayeel/oday is a deeply established Somali clan-elder authority term; church-elder qualification (spiritual maturity, sound teaching, godly character) must be explicitly distinguished from clan-elder qualification (age, lineage, negotiated clan representation).
Medium Risk Terms
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: Hadiyado Ruuxa ah
Transliteration: hah-dee-YAH-doh ROO-khah ah
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Rejected alternatives: karaamad (a miraculous sign attributed to a Sufi sheekh or wali)
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Must remain distinct in Acts from the singular ‘gift of the Holy Spirit’ (see gift_of_holy_spirit below), which is the Spirit’s own indwelling presence, not a distributed enablement.
Church
Approved rendering: Kiniisadda
Transliteration: kee-nee-SAHD-dah
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: masjidka-shaped ‘jamaaco’ framing (mosque-congregation model)
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts narrates the church’s founding and spread (2:47; 8:1; 11:26; 14:23; 20:28); remains distinct from masjid-modeled congregational structures.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Boqortooyada Ilaah
Transliteration: boh-kor-toh-YAH-dah ee-LAHH
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: dawladda Ilaah (God’s state/government)
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:3, 6 shows the disciples initially misreading this as national political restoration; 28:31 closes the book with it as the content of open, unhindered proclamation. Keep distinct from dawladda given Somalia’s decades without a stable central state.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: Quruumaha
Transliteration: koo-roo-MAH-hah
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Rejected alternatives: gaalada (unbelievers/infidels, an Islamic religious-legal category with strong pejorative force in Somali usage)
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. The central narrative arc of Acts (10:45; 11:18; 13:46-48; 15; 28:28) turns on Gentile inclusion; never use gaalada.
Prophecy
Approved rendering: Wax sii sheegidda
Transliteration: wahkh see sheh-eh-GID-dah
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Rejected alternatives: faal (divination/fortune-telling)
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:17-18 (Joel’s prophecy fulfilled) and Agabus’s prophecy (21:10-11) both use this; keep distinct from faal and from ruux faaliye (Acts 16:16’s demonic counterfeit).
Covenant
Approved rendering: Axdiga
Transliteration: AKH-dee-gah
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: ballan kaliya (bare appointment/promise, without covenantal weight)
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 3:25 and 7:8 both invoke the Abrahamic covenant as the basis for the promise now extended to ‘all the families of the earth.‘
David
Approved rendering: Daa’uud
Transliteration: dah-OOD
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Peter’s (2:25-34) and Paul’s (13:22, 34-36) sermons as OT witness to Christ’s resurrection.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israa’iil
Transliteration: is-rah-EEL
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 1:6; 2:36; 13:23-24 all use this; handle with the same contemporary-geopolitical pastoral awareness as the baseline.
Pentecost
Approved rendering: Bentekoste
Transliteration: ben-teh-KOS-teh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Original: Πεντηκοστή
Category: Pneumatology
New term for Acts. The fiftieth day after Passover, the Jewish Feast of Weeks/Harvest, on which the Spirit was poured out (Acts 2:1; 20:16). No Islamic festival calendar equivalent exists in Somali religious life, creating a clarity gap rather than a doctrinal collision. Requires a brief explanatory gloss on first use per lesson (a Jewish harvest feast now marking the Spirit’s outpouring).
Tongues
Approved rendering: afaf kale
Transliteration: ah-FAF kah-leh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit and Pentecost
Rejected alternatives: unintelligible ecstatic/trance-speech rendering
Original: γλῶσσαι / ἑτέραις γλώσσαις
Category: Pneumatology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:4, 6, 8, 11; 10:46; 19:6. Confirmed by ‘each in his own language’ as real, known, unlearned human languages, not ecstatic speech; must be anchored to this confirmation at every occurrence.
Boldness
Approved rendering: Dhiirranaan
Transliteration: dheer-rah-NAHN
Doctrine: Persecution and Bold Witness
Original: παρρησία
Category: Persecution
New term for Acts. Acts 4:13, 29, 31; 9:27-28; 14:3; 19:8; 26:26; 28:31. The concept itself is culturally admired in Somali oral/poetic tradition; the acute risk lies in application (proclaiming Christ’s exclusive name), which intersects the Critical evangelism-safety doctrine.
Mighty Works
Approved rendering: Shuqullada Awoodda
Transliteration: shoo-kool-LAH-dah ah-WOHD-dah
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: δυνάμεις
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 2:22; 8:13; 19:11. Reuses Awoodda Ilaah; distinguish apostolic works of power from occult power (sixir), sharpened directly by the narrative contrasts in Acts 8, 13, and 19.
Hades
Approved rendering: She’ool
Transliteration: sheh-OHL
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Naar/Jahannam (the Islamic term for hell/fire, a place of punishment)
Original: ᾅδης
Category: Eschatology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:27, 31. The temporary realm of the dead awaiting resurrection or judgment, distinct from a place of punishment; a reader could otherwise wrongly infer Christ descended into a punitive hell.
Corruption Decay
Approved rendering: qudhun
Transliteration: koo-DHOON
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: διαφθορά
Category: Christology
New term for Acts. Acts 2:27, 31; 13:34-37. Confirms bodily, not merely spiritual, resurrection: Christ’s actual corpse did not decompose because he was bodily raised before decay could occur.
Community Of Goods
Approved rendering: hantida wadaagga
Transliteration: hahn-TEE-dah wah-DAHG-gah
Doctrine: Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: enforced collectivist economic system framing
Original: ἅπαντα κοινά
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37. Genuine resonance with Somali clan mutual-aid custom (qaraan, collective diya responsibility); must be taught as voluntary, Spirit-motivated generosity across clan lines, not enforced collectivism.
Sanhedrin
Approved rendering: Golaha Sare ee Yuhuudda
Transliteration: goh-LAH-hah SAH-reh eh yoo-HOOD-dah
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: συνέδριον
Category: Covenant
New term for Acts. Acts 4:15; 5:21, 27, 34, 41; 6:12, 15; 22:30; 23:1-28; 24:20. No direct Somali cultural-institutional equivalent; a brief explanatory gloss is recommended on first use.
Deacon Service
Approved rendering: Adeeg / Adeegayaal
Transliteration: ah-DEHG / ah-deh-gah-YAHL
Doctrine: Church as Community
Rejected alternatives: generic NGO/humanitarian aid-worker vocabulary
Original: διάκονος / διακονία
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 1:17, 25; 6:1-6. Must be distinguished from secular relief-work vocabulary common in Somalia’s NGO-saturated context; this is a recognized, Spirit-qualified church office.
Hellenists Hebrews
Approved rendering: Yuhuudda Heleeniyiinta ah / Yuhuudda Cibraaniyiinta ah
Transliteration: yoo-HOOD-dah heh-leh-nee-YEEN-tah ah / yoo-HOOD-dah kib-rah-nee-YEEN-tah ah
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἑλληνισταί / Ἑβραῖοι
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 6:1. A template for group-favoritism dynamics resolved through structured, Spirit-guided appointment; directly analogous to the baseline’s qabiil-sensitive unity_of_jews_and_gentiles doctrine.
Samaritans
Approved rendering: Samaariyiinta
Transliteration: sah-mah-ree-YEEN-tah
Doctrine: Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: Σαμαρῖται
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 8:5, 25; 9:31; 15:3. No ready Somali cultural equivalent; requires an explanatory gloss on first use. The second concentric circle of Acts 1:8’s programmatic outline.
The Way
Approved rendering: Jidka
Transliteration: JID-kah
Doctrine: Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ἡ ὁδός
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22. Should be tracked as a recurring proper-noun-like title; note resonance with, but distinctness from, Islamic ‘the [right] path’ (as-Sirāt al-Mustaqīm) terminology.
God Fearer
Approved rendering: kuwa Ilaah ka cabsada
Transliteration: koo-WAH ee-LAHH kah kahb-SAH-dah
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 10:2, 22; 13:16, 26; 16:14; 18:7. A technical category distinct from a full proselyte; requires an explanatory gloss.
Proselyte
Approved rendering: kuwii diinta Yuhuudda soo galay
Transliteration: koo-WEE deen-TAH yoo-HOOD-dah soh gah-LAY
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: προσήλυτος
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 2:11; 6:5; 13:43. No ready Somali cultural equivalent category (Islam lacks a parallel intermediate ‘convert without full membership’ status); distinguish clearly from god_fearer.
Fasting
Approved rendering: Soon
Transliteration: SOHN
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: νηστεία
Category: Sanctification
New term for Acts. Acts 13:2-3; 14:23. Fasting is one of the Five Pillars of Islam (siyaam, especially Ramadan), a genuine devotional bridge; must clarify this is a voluntary, occasion-specific discipline tied to seeking guidance for mission, not an obligatory merit-earning pillar.
Idols
Approved rendering: Sanamyo
Transliteration: sah-NAHM-yoh
Doctrine: Gospel to Jews and Gentiles
Original: εἴδωλα
Category: Sin
New term for Acts. Acts 14:15; 15:20, 29; 17:16, 23; 19:26. Genuine shared condemnation with Islamic tawhid/anti-shirk theology; this agreement does not extend to, or resolve, the separate and sharper collision over Christ’s deity, which Islamic theology itself classifies as a form of shirk.
Yoke
Approved rendering: Harqoodka
Transliteration: hahr-KOHD-kah
Doctrine: Justification apart from the Law
Original: ζυγός
Category: Covenant
New term for Acts. Acts 15:10. Metaphor for the burden of law-observance imposed as a salvation requirement; reinforces the grace-versus-law-works contrast.
Spirit Of Divination
Approved rendering: ruux faaliye
Transliteration: roo-KH fah-lee-YEH
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: πνεῦμα πύθωνα
Category: Apostolic Ministry
New term for Acts. Acts 16:16. Correctly applied here to a demonically-inspired counterfeit, sharpening the existing prophet/diviner distinction from the baseline (faaliye already rejected as a rendering of ‘prophet’).
Unknown God
Approved rendering: Ilaaha aan la aqoon
Transliteration: ee-LAH-hah ahn lah ah-KOHN
Doctrine: Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: ΑΓΝΩΣΤΩ ΘΕΩ
Category: Missiology
New term for Acts. Acts 17:23. A rhetorical bridge into gospel proclamation, not an endorsement of generic natural theology as sufficient; the surrounding evangelism-safety caution still applies to any derived application material.
Vow
Approved rendering: Nidar
Transliteration: NEE-dahr
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: εὐχή
Category: Covenant
New term for Acts. Acts 18:18; 21:23-26. Shared term with Islamic nadhr; genuine positive resonance, but this reflects a dated first-century Jewish-Christian ritual practice, not an ongoing devotional obligation for believers generally.
Overseer
Approved rendering: Ilaaliye
Transliteration: ee-lah-lee-YEH
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: ἐπίσκοπος
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 20:28. The same office as elder viewed from the angle of oversight/guarding responsibility, not a separate, higher rank.
Sect
Approved rendering: kooxda / dariiqa
Transliteration: koh-OKH-dah / dah-REE-kah
Doctrine: Great Commission Fulfilled
Original: αἵρεσις
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 24:5, 14; 28:22. The same movement described neutrally/positively from inside (as ‘the Way’) and dismissively from outside; relevant to how Somali believers may hear their faith minimized by outsiders.
Satan
Approved rendering: Shaydaan
Transliteration: shay-DAHN
Doctrine: Conversion of Paul
Original: Σατανᾶς
Category: God
New term for Acts. Acts 5:3; 13:10; 26:18. Shaydaan is a shared figure recognized across Islamic tradition, a genuine point of resonance, but Islamic tradition’s own extensive Shaydaan/Iblis narrative material does not fully align with the New Testament’s cosmic-conflict framing of a defeated enemy whose downfall is secured by Christ.
Pharisees Sadducees
Approved rendering: Farisiisiinta / Sadukiyiinta
Transliteration: fah-ree-see-SEEN-tah / sah-doo-kee-YEEN-tah
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: Φαρισαῖοι / Σαδδουκαῖοι
Category: Covenant
New term for Acts. Acts 23:6-9. Proper nouns for two Jewish religious-political parties whose dispute over bodily resurrection provides useful background evidence that resurrection was already a contested, live theological question in Second Temple Judaism before Christ.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: Wadaaga
Transliteration: wah-DAH-gah
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Rejected alternatives: walaaltinimo (brotherhood, often specifically clan-brotherhood)
Original: κοινωνία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Acts 2:42 lists it among the founding marks of the church; keep distinct from walaaltinimo (clan-brotherhood).
Exhort
Approved rendering: Dhiirigelin
Transliteration: dhee-ree-geh-LEEN
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Context-sensitive: use baryid (entreat/beseech) for pleading; dhiirigelin (embolden/encourage) for building up. Acts 2:40; 14:22; 15:32; 16:40; 20:1-2 all use this term.
Breaking Of Bread
Approved rendering: kibis-jajabinta
Transliteration: kee-bis jah-jah-BIN-tah
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11. May carry both an ordinary shared-meal sense and a distinct commemorative sense; do not flatten to only one reading.
Shepherd
Approved rendering: Adhijir
Transliteration: ahd-hee-JEER
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ποιμαίνω / ποιμήν
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 20:28. Somali pastoralist culture gives this metaphor unusually strong, positive, immediately legible resonance; ensure the spiritual content (doctrinal guarding, sacrificial care) is not lost beneath its familiarity.
Flock
Approved rendering: Idaha / Adhiga
Transliteration: ee-DAH-hah / ahd-HEE-gah
Doctrine: Church as Community
Original: ποίμνιον
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 20:28-29. Positive pastoral-metaphor resonance, paired with shepherd.
Wolves
Approved rendering: Yeey
Transliteration: YEH-eh
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: λύκοι βαρεῖς
Category: Church
New term for Acts. Acts 20:29. Standard predator-metaphor for false teachers threatening the flock, reinforcing the need for doctrinal vigilance.
Appeal To Caesar
Approved rendering: waxaan u race-doonaa Kaysar
Transliteration: wah-KHAHN oo RAH-seh doh-NAH KAY-sahr
Doctrine: Apostolic Authority and Miracles
Original: ἐπικαλοῦμαι Καίσαρα
Category: Legal
New term for Acts. Acts 25:11-12; 26:32; 28:19. A Roman legal-procedural right invoked by Paul as a Roman citizen; no doctrinal content beyond narrative context.
Referenced passages