Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Leviticus (English → Spanish)
How to Use This Glossary
This glossary extends, but never contradicts, the baseline Romans translation_memory.json. Where a term already exists in the baseline (e.g., pecado, santo, pacto, gloria, Israel, ley), the recorded Spanish rendering is reused exactly; this glossary only adds Leviticus-specific contextual notes and, where the sacrificial context materially changes the risk exposure, a re-justified risk tier. All genuinely new terms are assigned fresh risk tiers using the same Critical/High/Medium/Low definitions as doctrine_risk_registry.json.
Legend: ⭐ = term reused exactly from the baseline Romans Language Package.
1. The Sacrificial System and Atonement
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burnt offering | עֹלָה / olah | holocausto | Critical | 1, 6-9, 16, 17, 22, 23 | Sole viable Spanish rendering across all traditions, but dominant modern association is the WWII genocide. Requires an explicit teaching note at every occurrence. |
| Grain offering | מִנְחָה / minchah | ofrenda de cereal | Low | 2, 6, 7, 23 | RV1960 legacy term “presente” noted as archaic alternative; not preferred for this curriculum. |
| Peace/fellowship offering | שְׁלָמִים / shelamim | ofrenda de paz | Medium | 3, 7, 9, 17, 19, 22, 23 | NVI’s “sacrificio de comunión” is an acceptable synonym emphasizing the shared meal; must not collapse into mere emotional “paz” (reuses baseline caution on ⭐ paz). |
| Sin offering | חַטָּאת / chattat | ofrenda por el pecado | High | 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16 | Distinct category from asham; ⭐ pecado itself reused exactly from baseline. |
| Guilt offering | אָשָׁם / asham | ofrenda por la culpa | Medium | 5, 6, 7, 14, 19 | Must be kept lexically distinct from chattat. |
| Sin (moral category) | חַטָּאת / chattat | pecado ⭐ | High (elevated from baseline Medium) | throughout | Baseline forbids softening to “falta”; in Leviticus’s sacrificial frame this is even more critical since sin here demands literal blood, not mere private regret. |
| Atonement / to atone | כִּפֶּר / kipper | expiar / expiación | Critical | 1, 4-10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 23 | The book’s central verb. Risk: assimilation into the Catholic sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, implying the worshiper’s own contrition and acts of satisfaction accomplish atonement, rather than God’s provided substitute. Must always be taught as God’s gracious provision, echoing the baseline’s grace-not-merit distinction for ⭐ gracia and ⭐ justificación. |
| Blood | דָּם / dam | sangre | High | 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 | Risk of being read chiefly through Eucharistic/Mass sacramental categories before Leviticus 17:11’s own “life is in the blood” logic is taught. |
| Life / soul / person | נֶפֶשׁ / nephesh | vida (not alma, when denoting life/being) / persona (when denoting an individual) | High | 4, 5, 11, 17, 20, 24 | Never default to “alma” — Hebrew nephesh denotes the unified living being, not a Greek-style immortal disembodied soul. See Lev 17:11 analysis. |
| Fat (sacrificial) | חֵלֶב / chelev | grasa / sebo / grosura | Low | 3, 4, 7, 8, 16, 17 | Reserved exclusively for God; no lexical rival. |
| Pleasing aroma | רֵיחַ נִיחוֹח / reach nichoach | aroma grato / olor grato | Medium | 1, 2, 3 | Anthropomorphic; teach as figurative divine pleasure, not literal divine nourishment by smoke. |
| Altar | מִזְבֵּחַ / mizbeach | altar | Low | 1-9, 16, 17 | Standard, unambiguous. |
2. The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holy | קָדוֹשׁ / qadosh | santo ⭐ | High (elevated from baseline Medium) | 10, 11, 19-22 | Baseline’s ⭐ santo reused exactly. In Leviticus 19, holiness is defined through concrete social ethics (justice, honesty, neighbor-love) — must not be taught as ritual-only. |
| Holiness | קְדֻשָּׁה / qedushah | santidad | High | 19-22 | Follows qadosh risk exactly. |
| Sanctify / make holy | קָדַש / qadash | santificar | High | 8, 16, 20, 21, 22 | Must be kept distinct from taher (cleanse) — a two-step logic (remove defilement, then re-consecrate). |
| Set apart / separate | הִבְדִּיל / hivdil | apartar / separar | Medium | 10, 20 | God’s own initiating action grounds Israel’s ethical distinctiveness. |
| Profane | חָלַל / chalal | profanar | Medium | 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 | Consistently paired with “the holy Name” (chillul HaShem). |
| Distinguishing holy/common, unclean/clean | קֹדֶש/חֹל; טָמֵא/טָהוֹר | santo y profano; impuro y puro | High | 10 | Lev 10:10 is the book’s own statement of the priesthood’s core teaching task. |
3. The Priesthood and Mediation
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Priest | כֹּהֵן / kohen | sacerdote | Critical | 1-10, 13-17, 21-22 | Both Catholic and Protestant Spanish traditions use “sacerdote,” but Catholic usage also applies it to an ongoing ordained clergy administering sacraments (Confession, Eucharist) understood to mediate grace. Levitical priest typology, left untaught, risks reinforcing an ongoing human-priestly-mediation model rather than pointing to Christ’s unique, once-for-all high priesthood (Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:23-27) and the priesthood of all believers. Directly parallels the baseline’s Critical ⭐ intercession entry. |
| High priest | כֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל / kohen gadol | sumo sacerdote | High | 4, 16, 21 | Same collision risk as kohen, intensified: the singular office most directly typologically fulfilled by Christ (Hebrews). |
| The anointed priest | כֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ / kohen hamashiach | el sacerdote ungido | High | 4, 6, 16 | Note the (coincidental but instructive) shared root with mashiach (Messiah) — a valuable, carefully-taught typological bridge, not to be overstated as direct identity. |
| Ordain / consecrate (“fill the hand”) | מִלֵּא יָד / mille yad | consagrar / investir | High | 8, 16, 21 | Catholic sacramental “ordenación” (Holy Orders) association; teach as OT ritual installation typologically fulfilled, not a continuing sacramental pattern. |
| Anoint | מָשַׁח / mashach | ungir | Medium | 4, 6, 8, 16, 21 | Catholic “unción de los enfermos” (Anointing of the Sick) association; here it means consecration to office, not care for the sick or dying. |
| Mediation (synthesis term; not a single Hebrew lexeme) | — | mediación | Critical | 16 (synthesis) | The Levitical priest mediates access to God through blood and intercessory ritual. Must be taught pointing forward to Christ’s unique mediatorial role (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 9:15), explicitly not validating an ongoing need for human, saintly, or Marian mediation — reuses and extends the baseline’s Critical ⭐ intercesión caution. |
| Tent of Meeting | אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד / ohel mo’ed | tabernáculo de reunión | Low | 1-9, 16, 17 | Standard rendering. |
4. Clean and Unclean
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean | טָהוֹר / tahor | puro (legacy: limpio) | High | 4-7, 10-15, 17, 20, 22 | Primary rendering “puro/impuro” (matches RVA2015/NVI usage); “limpio/inmundo” is the RV1960 legacy alternative and remains acceptable in quotations. |
| Unclean | טָמֵא / tame | impuro (legacy: inmundo) | High | 5, 7, 10-15, 17, 20, 22 | Must not be flattened into mere modern “hygiene” categories nor into moral condemnation; this is ceremonial/ritual status. |
| Detestable thing | שֶׁקֶץ / sheqetz | cosa detestable | Medium | 11, 20 | Strong term of ritual abhorrence. |
| Abomination | תּוֹעֵבָה / to’evah | abominación | High | 18, 20 | Contemporary social/political sensitivity around specific named behaviors; flag for human theologian review; render faithfully without softening or weaponizing. |
| Carcass | נְבֵלָה / nevelah | cadáver / cuerpo muerto | Low | 11 | |
| Skin disease (“leprosy”) | צָרַעַת / tzara’at | lepra | Medium | 13, 14 | Broader category than modern clinical Hansen’s disease; also applies to fabric and walls — teach the wider scope explicitly. |
| Discharge | זָב / zav | flujo | Medium | 15 | |
| Menstrual impurity | נִדָּה / niddah | impureza menstrual | High | 12, 15, 18, 20 | Strictly ceremonial category; must not be taught as implying moral or spiritual inferiority. |
5. The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day of Atonement | יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים / yom hakkippurim | el Día de la Expiación | Critical | 16, 23, 25 | Formal festival name for the rite of ch. 16; reuses the Critical rating of kipper. |
| Mercy seat / atonement cover | כַּפֹּרֶת / kapporet | propiciatorio | Critical | 16 | LXX ἱλαστήριον — the same word Paul applies to Christ in Romans 3:25; a direct typological bridge that must not be lost. |
| Veil / curtain | פָּרֹכֶת / parokhet | velo | Medium | 16 | Torn at Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51); connect explicitly. |
| Sabbath of complete rest | שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן / shabbat shabbaton | día de completo reposo | High | 16, 23 | The most intensive Sabbath category, applied to the Day of Atonement itself. |
| Afflict the soul (fast) | עִנּוּי נֶפֶשׁ / `inuy nephesh | afligir el alma (ayunar) | Medium | 16, 23 | Risk of dualistic misreading via “alma”; see nephesh entry above. |
| Once a year / once for all (contrast set up for NT fulfillment) | אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה / achat bashanah | una vez al año | High | 16 | Sets up the NT’s “una vez para siempre” (Hebrews 9:26-28, 10:10) contrast; preserve precisely. |
6. The Scapegoat and Substitution
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azazel | עֲזָאזֵל / Azazel | Azazel (transliterated) | Critical | 16 | Proper noun; must not be collapsed into a mere generic description, nor read as appeasement of a rival deity. |
| Scapegoat (as English translation strategy) | שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל / sa’ir la-Azazel | macho cabrío para Azazel; AVOID unexplained use of the idiom “chivo expiatorio” without a doctrinal clarification | Critical | 16 | Secular Spanish idiom “chivo expiatorio” denotes an unfairly blamed innocent party — nearly the opposite of divinely appointed, justly transferred substitution. Every occurrence must be flagged for human theologian review. |
| Lot (casting of) | גּוֹרָל / goral | suerte (echar suertes) | Low | 16 | Minor risk of suggesting randomness rather than divine sovereignty; brief note recommended. |
| Lay hands on | סָמַךְ יָד / samakh yad | poner las manos (sobre) | Medium | 1, 3, 4, 16, 24 | Distinguish from NT “laying on of hands” for blessing/ordination — here specifically a transfer-of-guilt gesture. |
| Confess | הִתְוַדָּה / hitvaddah | confesar | Medium | 5, 16, 26 | Directional difference from the Catholic sacrament of Confession must be taught: here the priest confesses corporately over the substitute, not the individual to a priest for personal absolution. |
| Bear / carry (guilt) | נָשָׂא / nasa’ | llevar, cargar | Critical | 5, 10, 16, 20, 24 | The exact verb linking Leviticus 16 to Isaiah 53:12 and John 1:29 — must retain unmistakable “carrying away a burden” force. |
| Send away | שָׁלַח / shalach | enviar, echar, dejar ir | Medium | 16 | |
| Outside the camp | מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה / michutz lamachaneh | fuera del campamento | Medium | 16, 24 | Typological bridge to Hebrews 13:11-13. |
7. Sabbath and Sacred Time
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sabbath | שַׁבָּת / shabbat | sábado / reposo | High | 16, 19, 23, 25, 26 | Seventh-day Adventist/Sabbatarian presence in Latin America creates real confusion risk; must pair with NT fulfillment teaching (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4). Flag for human theologian review. |
| Appointed feasts | מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה / mo’adei YHWH | fiestas señaladas / tiempos señalados | Medium | 23 | |
| Passover | פֶּסַח / pesach | Pascua | Medium | 23 | Backdrop to “Cristo, nuestra Pascua” (1 Corinthians 5:7). Note: distinct from the Christian liturgical calendar’s “Pascua” (Easter) — clarify which referent is meant in any given lesson. |
| Firstfruits | בִּכּוּרִים / bikkurim | primicias | Low | 23 | |
| Feast of Trumpets | יוֹם תְּרוּעָה / yom teru’ah | fiesta de las trompetas | Low | 23 | |
| Feast of Tabernacles/Booths | חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת / chag hassukkot | Fiesta de los Tabernáculos | Low | 23 | |
| Sabbatical year | שְׁמִטָּה / shemittah | año sabático | Medium | 25 | |
| Jubilee | יוֹבֵל / yovel | jubileo | Medium | 25 | Distinguish from the Catholic “Año Jubilar”/indulgence-granting Holy Year tradition; the term is standard but the referent differs. |
8. Love of Neighbor (Leviticus 19:18)
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love your neighbor as yourself | וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ / ve’ahavta lere’akha kamokha | amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo | High | 19 | Standard, undisputed rendering; risk is scope — the command is explicitly extended to the ger (foreigner) in 19:34 and must not be quietly narrowed to one’s in-group. |
| Neighbor | רֵעַ / rea’ | prójimo | Medium | 19 | |
| Sojourner / foreigner | גֵּר / ger | extranjero | Medium | 19, 24, 25 | Entitled to the same love and justice as the native-born. |
| Oppress | עָשַׁק / `ashaq | oprimir | Low | 19 | |
| Just scales | מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק / moznei tzedeq | balanzas justas | Low | 19 | |
| Medium / necromancer | אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי / ov ve-yidde’oni | espiritista, encantador, nigromante | High | 19, 20 | Directly confronts practices with live modern equivalents (Espiritismo, Santería, curanderismo) already flagged as a risk zone in the baseline package under ⭐ holy_spirit and ⭐ resurrection. Must not be softened into an innocuous “gifted person” gloss. Flag for human theologian review in Caribbean-facing lessons. |
9. Supporting Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Romans Package
| Term (English) | Spanish Rendering | Baseline Risk | Leviticus Context | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sin | pecado ⭐ | Medium (elevated to High here) | throughout | See section 1 above. |
| Holy | santo ⭐ | Medium (elevated to High here) | 10, 11, 19-22 | See section 2 above. |
| Covenant | pacto ⭐ | High | 26 | Reused exactly; RV1960 tradition. |
| Glory | gloria ⭐ | Medium (High here, Lev 9) | 9 | The visible confirmation of the newly instituted sacrificial/priestly system. |
| Israel | Israel ⭐ | Low | throughout | Standard proper name. |
| Law | ley ⭐ | High | throughout (Leviticus is Torah legislation) | |
| Intercession | intercesión ⭐ | Critical | (typological background to Priesthood/Mediation, section 3) | The baseline’s Critical caution against saint/Marian-mediated framing applies directly to how Levitical priestly mediation must be taught. |
10. Other Load-Bearing Terms Introduced Elsewhere in the Book
| Term (English) | Hebrew / Translit. | Spanish Rendering | Risk | Chapters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blemish / defect (sacrificial or priestly) | מוּם / mum | mancha, defecto | Medium | 21, 22 | Typological pointer to Christ’s sinless perfection (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19); must not be taught as devaluing persons with disabilities. |
| Devoted thing (irrevocable) | חֵרֶם / cherem | cosa dedicada / anatema | Medium | 27 | Irrevocable, distinct from an ordinary vow. |
| Vow | נֶדֶר / neder | voto | Low | 27 | |
| Tithe | מַעְשֵׂר / ma’aser | diezmo | Low | 27 | |
| Redemption / redeemer (kinship-based) | גְּאֻלָּה / גֹּאֵל / ge’ulah / go’el | redención / redentor | Medium-High | 25, 27 | Valuable typological bridge to Christ as Redeemer; teach the human, kinship-specific meaning first. |
| Strange fire | אֵשׁ זָרָה / esh zarah | fuego extraño | Medium | 10 | Danger is unauthorized worship, not enthusiasm as such. |
| Molech | מֹלֶךְ / Molech | Moloc | Medium | 18, 20 | Historically specific rival cult (child sacrifice), not a generic idol reference. |
| Goat-demons / satyrs | שְׂעִירִים / se’irim | demonios (con figura de cabrío), ídolos | High | 17 | Direct ancient parallel to modern spirit-veneration practices; do not soften into vague “false gods.” |
| Eye for eye | עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן / ayin tachat ayin | ojo por ojo | Medium | 24 | Teach as a limiting principle of proportionate justice, not a license for vengeance. |
| Blessing and curse | בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה / berakhah uqelalah | bendición y maldición | Medium | 26 | Covenantal cause-effect, not fatalism. |
Risk Summary
| Risk Tier | Count (approx.) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 10 | Human theologian review — every occurrence |
| High | 20 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 28 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 17 | Automated review sufficient |
This glossary must be loaded, alongside the baseline translation_memory.json, before any Phase 2 segment translation of Leviticus material begins. New terms recorded here should be merged into an updated translation_memory.json version prior to Phase 2 execution, per the versioning procedure defined in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Righteousness
Approved rendering: justicia
Transliteration: dikaiosynē
Doctrine: Salvation / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: rectitud moral autónoma, mérito acumulado
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies the forensic logic of substitutionary atonement in Leviticus: a right standing before God is provided, not achieved through ritual performance. Relevant background for teaching ‘expiación’ and ‘justicia imputada’ alongside Leviticus 16’s substitution rite.
Justification
Approved rendering: justificación
Transliteration: dikaiōsis
Doctrine: Salvation / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: proceso gradual de purificación interior
Inherited from Romans package. Preserve the same Reformation/Trent fault line caution when teaching Leviticus’s atonement rites: the sacrificial system points forward to a forensic declaration received by faith, not a gradual, merit-cooperated infusion.
Salvation
Approved rendering: salvación
Transliteration: sōtēria
Doctrine: Salvation / The Day of Atonement
Rejected alternatives: salvarse por buenas obras, merecer el cielo mediante sacramentos y penitencia
Inherited from Romans package. Leviticus 16’s Day of Atonement is the Old Testament ritual backdrop for this doctrine; must not be taught as a lifelong, uncertain outcome secured through sacraments, penance, or saintly/Marian intercession, echoing folk Catholic piety risk already documented in the baseline.
Imputed Righteousness
Approved rendering: justicia imputada
Transliteration: elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn
Doctrine: Justification by Faith / The Scapegoat and Substitution
Rejected alternatives: justicia infundida (categoría tridentina de justicia infundida y aumentada mediante el mérito)
Inherited from Romans package. ‘Justicia infundida’ remains explicitly forbidden. Provides the doctrinal vocabulary for teaching how guilt is credited to, and removed from, a substitute in Leviticus 16:20-22 (nasa’, ‘llevar/cargar’) without implying the goat or the offerer achieves anything by merit.
Saints
Approved rendering: santos
Transliteration: hagioi
Doctrine: Sainthood / The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Rejected alternatives: los santos (canonizados, objeto de veneración e intercesión)
Inherited from Romans package. The baseline’s Critical caution against a canonized-saint reading applies directly to Leviticus’s holiness-code chapters (19-22): every Israelite, not an ascetic elite, is called to the holiness these chapters describe.
God
Approved rendering: Dios / Jehová
Transliteration: theos / Elohim / YHWH
Doctrine: God
Original: יהוה / אֱלֹהִים
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Where the covenant name YHWH is specifically in view in Leviticus’s legislative formulas (‘Yo soy Jehová vuestro Dios’), follow established Reina-Valera-tradition practice of rendering it ‘Jehová,’ never a name associated with a rival deity.
Intercession
Approved rendering: intercesión
Transliteration: hyperentynchanei / enteuxis
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Rejected alternatives: intercesión de los santos o de la Virgen como mediadores necesarios ante Dios
Original: (typological background to Levitical priestly mediation, cf. Lev 16)
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Inherited from Romans package. Directly extended to govern how Levitical priestly mediation (blood, ritual, representative confession) is taught: it points forward to Christ’s and the Spirit’s direct intercession, never to an ongoing need for human, saintly, or Marian mediators.
Messiah
Approved rendering: Mesías
Transliteration: Christos / Mashiach
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: un ungido más, entre otros santos o profetas venerados
Inherited from Romans package. Leviticus’s phrase ‘kohen hamashiach’ (the anointed priest) shares a root with this term; teach as a carefully-bounded typological echo, never as a direct identity claim between the Levitical office and the unique, OT-promised Messiah fulfilled exclusively in Jesus.
Burnt Offering
Approved rendering: holocausto
Transliteration: olah
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: עֹלָה
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
No viable lexical alternative exists in Spanish; universal Catholic/Protestant rendering. Modern Spanish ‘holocausto’ is now overwhelmingly associated with the Nazi genocide (el Holocausto). Every occurrence (chapters 1, 6-9, 16, 17, 22, 23) requires a mandatory teaching note distinguishing the ancient cultic term (total surrender to God) from the modern historical event.
Atonement
Approved rendering: expiar / expiación
Transliteration: kipper
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: hacer las paces por mérito propio, satisfacción penitencial obtenida por obras
Original: כִּפֶּר
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
The book’s central verb. Reina-Valera and virtually all Spanish traditions render this ‘expiar/expiación.’ Must always be taught as God’s own gracious provision through the appointed priest and substitute, never as the worshiper’s own contrition, confession, or works of satisfaction accomplishing atonement — mirroring the grace-not-merit distinction already fixed for ‘gracia’ and ‘justificación.‘
Priest
Approved rendering: sacerdote
Transliteration: kohen
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: כֹּהֵן
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Both Catholic and Protestant Spanish traditions use ‘sacerdote,’ but Catholic usage also applies it to an ongoing ordained clergy administering sacraments understood to mediate grace. Untaught, this typology risks reinforcing an ongoing human-priestly-mediation model rather than pointing to Christ’s unique, once-for-all high priesthood (Hebreos 4:14-16; 7:23-27) and the priesthood of all believers. Directly parallels the Critical caution already recorded for ‘intercesión.‘
Mediation
Approved rendering: mediación
Transliteration: —
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: (synthesis term; cf. priestly mediatorial function throughout Lev 1-16)
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Synthesis term for the Levitical priest’s role of mediating Israel’s access to God through blood, ritual, and intercessory acts. Must be taught pointing forward to Christ’s unique, sufficient mediatorial role (1 Timoteo 2:5; Hebreos 9:15), explicitly not validating ongoing human, saintly, or Marian mediation.
Day Of Atonement
Approved rendering: el Día de la Expiación
Transliteration: yom hakkippurim
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Original: יוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים
Category: Day of Atonement
Formal festival name for the rite of chapter 16; reuses the Critical rating of ‘expiar/expiación.’ On first use per lesson, render as ‘el Día de la Expiación (Yom Kipur)’ with the transliteration as a parenthetical anchor.
Mercy Seat
Approved rendering: propiciatorio
Transliteration: kapporet
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Rejected alternatives: cubierta, tapa (reducen el término a mueble sin carga teológica)
Original: כַּפֹּרֶת
Category: Day of Atonement
The Septuagint renders this Hebrew word ἱλαστήριον, the exact term Paul applies to Christ in Romanos 3:25. A flattened rendering would sever this explicit Old Testament-New Testament typological bridge.
Azazel
Approved rendering: Azazel
Transliteration: Azazel
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Rejected alternatives: el macho cabrío que se va (descripción genérica sin el nombre propio)
Original: עֲזָאזֵל
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
Must remain a transliterated proper noun, per Reina-Valera precedent, not collapsed into a mere generic description, which would erase the vivid image of sin banished to a desolate place. Must be explicitly taught as NOT a rival deity being appeased.
Scapegoat
Approved rendering: macho cabrío para Azazel
Transliteration: sa’ir la-Azazel
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Rejected alternatives: chivo expiatorio (sin glosa doctrinal explícita)
Original: שָׂעִיר לַעֲזָאזֵל
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
NEVER use the secular idiom ‘chivo expiatorio’ unaccompanied — it denotes an unfairly blamed innocent party, nearly the inverse of this doctrine’s justly, divinely appointed, confession-transferred substitution. Flag every occurrence for human theologian review.
Bear Carry Guilt
Approved rendering: llevar, cargar
Transliteration: nasa’
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Rejected alternatives: representar, estar asociado con (demasiado débil)
Original: נָשָׂא
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
The exact theological hinge connecting Leviticus 16 to Isaías 53:12 and Juan 1:29. A weak translation implying mere association or representation would sever this typological line entirely; must retain unmistakable ‘carrying away a burden’ force.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: gracia
Transliteration: charis
Doctrine: Grace / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: favor merecido, recompensa por buenas obras
Inherited from Romans package. In Leviticus, the vivid, costly ritual imagery of the sacrificial system can reinforce rather than correct a merit-based intuition; every teaching on ‘expiar/expiación’ must echo this term’s grace-not-merit distinction (Romans 4:4-5; 11:5-6) so atonement is taught as God’s provision, never the worshiper’s achievement.
Holy
Approved rendering: santo
Transliteration: hagios / qadosh
Doctrine: Sanctification / The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Rejected alternatives: puro en sentido ritual
Original: קָדוֹשׁ
Category: Holiness
Inherited from Romans package and elevated above its baseline Medium rating for Leviticus. Leviticus 19:2 grounds this term in God’s own character and Leviticus 19:9-18 unpacks it entirely through concrete social ethics; must not be taught as ritual-only or as reserved for a spiritually elite few.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: santificación
Transliteration: hagiasmos
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: purificación penitencial, vía purgativa
Inherited from Romans package. Must be kept lexically distinct in Leviticus from ‘santificar’ (qadash, to consecrate) and ‘purificar’ (taher, to cleanse from defilement); Leviticus insists on a two-step logic (remove defilement, then re-consecrate) that a single generic ‘hacer santo’ would erase.
Sin
Approved rendering: pecado
Transliteration: hamartia / chattat / avon / pesha’
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: falta (eufemismo minimizador)
Original: חַטָּאת / עָוֹן / פֶּשַׁע
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Inherited from Romans package, risk elevated above the baseline’s Medium rating for Leviticus. Never soften to ‘falta.’ In Leviticus’s sacrificial frame, sin is an objective defilement requiring literal blood atonement, not merely a private failing; the same rendering must be kept distinct from the sacrifice-category compounds ‘ofrenda por el pecado’ (chattat) and ‘ofrenda por la culpa’ (asham).
Covenant
Approved rendering: pacto
Transliteration: diathēkē / berit
Doctrine: Covenant Blessings and Curses
Rejected alternatives: contrato legal, alianza (variante católica aceptable en contextos ecuménicos)
Original: בְּרִית
Category: Covenant and Law
Inherited from Romans package. Leviticus 26’s blessing-and-curse structure must be taught as relational, covenantal cause-and-effect, not the fatalistic ‘destino/suerte’ framing the baseline already cautions against under ‘election’ and ‘providence.‘
Law
Approved rendering: ley
Transliteration: nomos / torah / chuqqah / mishpat
Doctrine: Covenant and Law
Original: תּוֹרָה / חֻקָּה / מִשְׁפָּט
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Leviticus is itself a central body of this legislation (statutes, ordinances, instructions given through Moses); must not be rendered with a term suggesting general cosmic duty or dharma-like moral order.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Espíritu Santo
Transliteration: pneuma hagion
Doctrine: Prohibition of Occult Practices and Rival Spiritual Powers
Rejected alternatives: una fuerza impersonal, un espíritu guía o ancestral
Inherited from Romans package. Leviticus 19:31 and 20:6, 27’s prohibition of consulting mediums/necromancers, and 17:7’s prohibition of se’irim (‘goat-demons’), extend this term’s existing baseline caution regarding Espiritismo and Santería: the Holy Spirit must be taught as the personal third Person of the Trinity, categorically distinct from any spirit consulted through prohibited practices.
Election
Approved rendering: elección
Transliteration: eklogē
Doctrine: Effectual Calling / The Scapegoat and Substitution
Rejected alternatives: destino, suerte
Inherited from Romans package. Cited as precedent for the fatalism caution required when teaching Leviticus 16’s casting of lots (goral) to select the two goats: God, not chance, determines the outcome.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: resurrección
Transliteration: anastasis
Doctrine: Prohibition of Occult Practices and Rival Spiritual Powers
Rejected alternatives: reencarnación
Inherited from Romans package. Cited alongside ‘holy_spirit’ as existing baseline precedent for the Espiritismo/Santería syncretism caution now directly relevant to Leviticus 19:31’s medium/necromancer prohibition and chapter 17’s goat-demon prohibition.
Sin Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda por el pecado
Transliteration: chattat
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: sacrificio genérico por pecado (que fusiona chattat y asham)
Original: חַטָּאת
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Must be kept lexically distinct from ‘ofrenda por la culpa’ (asham); Leviticus consistently distinguishes the two sacrifice categories and Spanish must preserve that distinction.
Blood
Approved rendering: sangre
Transliteration: dam / haima
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: דָּם
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
No lexical rival, but real doctrinal risk: teach Leviticus 17:11’s ‘the life is in the blood’ logic explicitly before any Eucharistic/Mass-sacramental application is drawn, so ‘la sangre de Cristo’ is not heard first through Real-Presence categories.
Life Soul Person
Approved rendering: vida / persona
Transliteration: nephesh
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: alma (en el sentido griego/platónico de facultad inmortal separable del cuerpo)
Original: נֶפֶשׁ
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Never default to ‘alma.’ Render ‘vida’ for the life-in-the-blood sense (Leviticus 17:11); render ‘persona’/‘alguien’ where nephesh means simply ‘an individual’ (chapters 4-5). This is a permanent split-rendering rule, not a per-segment judgment call.
Holiness
Approved rendering: santidad
Transliteration: qedushah
Doctrine: The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Original: קְדֻשָּׁה
Category: Holiness
Follows the same risk profile as ⭐ santo; must be taught with the full ethical/relational scope of Leviticus 19, not narrowed to ceremonial purity alone.
Sanctify
Approved rendering: santificar
Transliteration: qadash
Doctrine: The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Rejected alternatives: hacer santo (fusión genérica que borra la lógica de dos pasos)
Original: קָדַש
Category: Holiness
Must be kept doctrinally distinct from ‘purificar’ (taher, to cleanse from defilement): Leviticus insists on a two-step logic — first remove defilement, then re-consecrate for divine use.
Holy Common Unclean Clean Distinction
Approved rendering: santo y profano; impuro y puro
Transliteration: qodesh/chol; tame/tahor
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation / Clean and Unclean
Rejected alternatives: lo sagrado (fusión vaga de las cuatro categorías)
Original: קֹדֶשׁ / חֹל; טָמֵא / טָהוֹר
Category: Holiness
Leviticus 10:10 is the book’s own statement of the priesthood’s core teaching task. The four Spanish terms must remain sharply distinguished, never blurred into one vague category.
Abomination
Approved rendering: abominación
Transliteration: to’evah
Doctrine: Sexual Ethics and Family Holiness
Original: תּוֹעֵבָה
Category: Holiness
The strongest Hebrew term for an act utterly repugnant to God’s order. Contemporary social/political sensitivity requires faithful, non-inflammatory rendering that neither softens the text nor weaponizes it against persons; flag every occurrence for human theologian review.
High Priest
Approved rendering: sumo sacerdote
Transliteration: kohen gadol
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: כֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Same collision risk as ‘sacerdote,’ intensified: the singular office most directly typologically fulfilled and superseded by Christ’s unique high priesthood in Hebrews.
Anointed Priest
Approved rendering: el sacerdote ungido
Transliteration: kohen hamashiach
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: כֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Shares a root with ‘mashiach’ (Messiah) — a valuable, carefully-taught typological bridge, but must not be overstated as a direct identity claim between the Levitical office and Christ himself.
Ordain Consecrate
Approved rendering: consagrar / investir
Transliteration: mille yad
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: מִלֵּא יָד
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Literally ‘to fill the hand.’ Catholic sacramental ‘ordenación’ (Holy Orders) carries strong ongoing-clergy associations; teach as OT ritual installation typologically fulfilled, not evidence for a continuing sacramental priestly order today.
Clean
Approved rendering: puro
Transliteration: tahor
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: טָהוֹר
Category: Clean and Unclean
Primary rendering; ‘limpio’ is the RV1960 legacy alternative, acceptable only in direct quotations. Must not be flattened into modern hygiene categories nor into moral condemnation — this is ceremonial/ritual status.
Unclean
Approved rendering: impuro
Transliteration: tame
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Rejected alternatives: inmundo (legado de RV1960, aceptable solo en citas directas)
Original: טָמֵא
Category: Clean and Unclean
Same caution as ‘puro’: must not be taught as a hygiene classification, a moral/spiritual verdict, or an ethnic-purity category; it is a ceremonial status requiring ritual restoration.
Menstrual Impurity
Approved rendering: impureza menstrual
Transliteration: niddah
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: נִדָּה
Category: Clean and Unclean
Strictly a ceremonial category, not a statement about a woman’s moral or spiritual worth; must not be taught as implying moral or spiritual inferiority.
Uncleanness
Approved rendering: impureza
Transliteration: tum’ah
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: טֻמְאָה
Category: Clean and Unclean
General noun for ritual and moral defilement capable of contaminating even the sanctuary itself; teach the systemic, not merely individual, dimension.
Sabbath Of Complete Rest
Approved rendering: día de completo reposo
Transliteration: shabbat shabbaton
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) / Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן
Category: Day of Atonement
The most intensive Sabbath category, applied to the Day of Atonement itself. Given active Sabbatarian movements across Latin America, requires explicit New Testament framing (Colosenses 2:16-17; Hebreos 4:9-10).
Once A Year
Approved rendering: una vez al año
Transliteration: achat bashanah
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Original: אַחַת בַּשָּׁנָה
Category: Day of Atonement
Sets up the New Testament’s ‘una vez para siempre’ contrast (Hebreos 9:26-28; 10:10); this frequency detail is a load-bearing argument, not incidental, and must be preserved precisely.
Most Holy Place
Approved rendering: Lugar Santísimo
Transliteration: qodesh haqqodashim
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Original: קֹדֶשׁ הַקֹּדָשִׁים
Category: Day of Atonement
Standard rendering; the risk is catechetical, not lexical — teach that Christ’s death abolished this restricted-access pattern (Hebreos 10:19-20; the torn veil), not that it still requires a human priestly class.
Sabbath
Approved rendering: sábado / reposo
Transliteration: shabbat
Doctrine: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: שַׁבָּת
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Seventh-day Adventism and other Sabbatarian movements have substantial presence across Latin America. Must pair every occurrence with New Testament framing (Colosenses 2:16-17; Hebreos 4:9-10) so it is not read as endorsing mandatory Saturday observance for Christians today.
Love Neighbor
Approved rendering: amarás a tu prójimo como a ti mismo
Transliteration: ve’ahavta lere’akha kamokha
Doctrine: Love of Neighbor (Leviticus 19:18)
Original: וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ
Category: Love of Neighbor
Standard, undisputed rendering, matching Mateo 22:39. The risk is scope: Leviticus 19:34 explicitly extends the same command to the ‘extranjero.’ Any teaching that quietly narrows ‘prójimo’ to in-group, family, or coreligionists contradicts the text’s own extension.
Medium Necromancer
Approved rendering: espiritista, encantador, nigromante
Transliteration: ov ve-yidde’oni
Doctrine: Prohibition of Occult Practices and Rival Spiritual Powers
Rejected alternatives: persona con dones/sensitiva (eufemismo suave que diluye la prohibición)
Original: אוֹב וְיִדְּעֹנִי
Category: Love of Neighbor
Espiritismo (Kardecist spiritism) and Santería remain live, practiced religious frameworks in the Caribbean and parts of Latin America, involving precisely the spirit/ancestor consultation these texts prohibit. Render with unmistakable clarity; flag for human theologian review in Caribbean-facing lessons.
Goat Demons
Approved rendering: demonios (con figura de cabrío), ídolos
Transliteration: se’irim
Doctrine: Prohibition of Occult Practices and Rival Spiritual Powers
Rejected alternatives: dioses falsos (glosa vaga que pierde el referente específico)
Original: שְׂעִירִים
Category: Love of Neighbor
A direct biblical-era instance of the kind of unauthorized spirit-worship already flagged as a live risk in Espiritismo/Santería contexts. Do not soften into a vague ‘false gods’ gloss.
Redemption Redeemer
Approved rendering: redención / redentor
Transliteration: ge’ulah / go’el
Doctrine: Redemption and the Kinsman-Redeemer
Original: גְּאֻלָּה / גֹּאֵל
Category: Vows and Redemption
Establishes the kinship-redemption pattern the New Testament applies typologically to Christ (cf. Rut; Isaías; Efesios 1:7). Ground the human, kinship-based, land/debt-specific meaning first, before drawing the Christological analogy.
Medium Risk Terms
Glory
Approved rendering: gloria
Transliteration: doxa / kevod YHWH
Doctrine: Deity of Christ / God’s Confirming Presence
Original: כְּבוֹד יְהוָה
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. In Leviticus 9, God’s visible glory appears to ratify the newly instituted sacrificial system and priesthood; risk rises to High-adjacent significance specifically in that chapter, since it demonstrates divine acceptance rather than assuming it.
Providence
Approved rendering: providencia
Transliteration: pronoia
Doctrine: Covenant Blessings and Curses
Rejected alternatives: destino, la suerte
Inherited from Romans package. Cited as precedent for the same fatalism caution applied to Leviticus 26’s blessing-and-curse structure and to the casting of lots in chapter 16; God’s personal governance, not impersonal fate.
Peace
Approved rendering: paz
Transliteration: eirēnē
Doctrine: Peace with God / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: tranquilidad emocional
Inherited from Romans package. Directly cited when rendering ‘ofrenda de paz’ (shelamim, the peace/fellowship offering): must not collapse into mere emotional calm but convey restored, celebratory relational fellowship with God.
Peace Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda de paz
Transliteration: shelamim
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: שְׁלָמִים
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
NVI’s ‘sacrificio de comunión’ is an acceptable synonym emphasizing the shared meal. Must not collapse into mere emotional ‘paz’; see the ⭐ paz entry above.
Guilt Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda por la culpa
Transliteration: asham
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: ofrenda por el pecado (fusión indebida con chattat)
Original: אָשָׁם
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
An offering for sins involving quantifiable loss or desecration, often requiring restitution in addition to sacrifice; must never be merged with the sin offering category.
Pleasing Aroma
Approved rendering: aroma grato / olor grato
Transliteration: reach nichoach
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: רֵיחַ נִיחוֹח
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Anthropomorphic figure of speech for God’s genuine pleasure at obedient worship; must not be taught as if God is literally nourished or appeased by smoke.
Lay Hands
Approved rendering: poner las manos (sobre)
Transliteration: samakh yad
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Original: סָמַךְ יָד
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Ritual gesture of identification and transfer. Must be taught as distinct from the New Testament’s laying on of hands for blessing, healing, or ordination; here the sense is specifically identification and transfer of guilt onto a substitute.
Set Apart
Approved rendering: apartar / separar
Transliteration: hivdil
Doctrine: The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Original: הִבְדִּיל
Category: Holiness
God’s own initiating act of separating Israel from other nations; must not be read as Israel’s own achievement.
Profane
Approved rendering: profanar
Transliteration: chalal
Doctrine: Sanctity of the Divine Name
Original: חָלַל
Category: Holiness
Consistently paired in Leviticus with ‘the holy Name’ (18:21; 19:12; 20:3; 21:6; 22:2, 32); consistent rendering aids recognition of this recurring formula.
Strange Fire
Approved rendering: fuego extraño
Transliteration: esh zarah
Doctrine: Unauthorized Worship
Original: אֵשׁ זָרָה
Category: Holiness
Unauthorized, self-devised worship practice offered on human initiative. Teach carefully: the danger is unauthorized worship, not spiritual enthusiasm or fervency as such.
Blemish
Approved rendering: mancha / defecto
Transliteration: mum
Doctrine: Priestly Qualification and Blemish Typology
Original: מוּם
Category: Holiness
Must not be taught as devaluing persons with disabilities today; the point is typological, pointing to Christ’s own sinless perfection (Hebreos 7:26; 1 Pedro 1:19).
Detestable Thing
Approved rendering: cosa detestable
Transliteration: sheqetz
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: שֶׁקֶץ
Category: Holiness
Strong term of ritual abhorrence applied to certain unclean creatures; distinct from and weaker than ‘to’evah.‘
Anoint
Approved rendering: ungir
Transliteration: mashach
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: מָשַׁח
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Catholic ‘unción de los enfermos’ (Anointing of the Sick) is a live sacramental association; in Leviticus the sense is consecration to sacred office, not care for the sick or dying.
Skin Disease
Approved rendering: lepra
Transliteration: tzara’at
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: צָרַעַת
Category: Clean and Unclean
Broader category than the modern clinical category of Hansen’s disease; also applies to fabric and walls — teach the wider scope explicitly.
Discharge
Approved rendering: flujo
Transliteration: zav
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: זָב
Category: Clean and Unclean
Abnormal bodily discharge causing ritual impurity; ordinary bodily processes, not moral choices, place a person temporarily outside full ritual participation.
Veil
Approved rendering: velo
Transliteration: parokhet
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Original: פָּרֹכֶת
Category: Day of Atonement
The dividing curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place; connect explicitly to the veil torn at Christ’s death (Mateo 27:51).
Afflict Soul Fast
Approved rendering: afligir el alma (ayunar)
Transliteration: `inuy nephesh
Doctrine: The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Original: עִנּוּי נֶפֶשׁ
Category: Day of Atonement
Risk of dualistic misreading via ‘alma’; matches the caution already recorded for nephesh generally — the whole living person, not an immortal inner faculty.
Confess
Approved rendering: confesar
Transliteration: hitvaddah
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Original: הִתְוַדָּה
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
In a Catholic-majority context, ‘confesar’ is strongly associated with the sacrament of Confession to a priest. Here the priest confesses corporately over the animal on the nation’s behalf — the opposite direction; must be taught explicitly.
Send Away
Approved rendering: enviar, echar, dejar ir
Transliteration: shalach
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Original: שָׁלַח
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
Should be paired in teaching with the concrete, physical removal of sin, not merely its abstract forgiveness.
Outside The Camp
Approved rendering: fuera del campamento
Transliteration: michutz lamachaneh
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Original: מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
Directly connects typologically to Hebreos 13:11-13 (‘Jesús también sufrió fuera de la puerta’); preserve this cross-reference in teaching notes.
Appointed Feasts
Approved rendering: fiestas señaladas / tiempos señalados
Transliteration: mo’adei YHWH
Doctrine: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Israel’s full festival calendar, structured around God’s redemptive acts rather than agricultural convenience alone.
Passover
Approved rendering: Pascua
Transliteration: pesach
Doctrine: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: פֶּסַח
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Direct backdrop to ‘Cristo, nuestra Pascua’ (1 Corintios 5:7). Note that Spanish ‘Pascua’ also names the Christian liturgical Easter; specify ‘la Pascua judía / el Éxodo’ vs. ‘la Pascua cristiana / la resurrección’ as needed.
Sabbatical Year
Approved rendering: año sabático
Transliteration: shemittah
Doctrine: Sabbatical Year and Jubilee as Kingdom Economics
Original: שְׁמִטָּה
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Even the land participates in sacred rhythms of rest; Israel’s trust in God’s provision is tested by this practice.
Jubilee
Approved rendering: jubileo
Transliteration: yovel
Doctrine: Sabbatical Year and Jubilee as Kingdom Economics
Original: יוֹבֵל
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
In Catholic tradition, ‘Jubileo’/‘Año Jubilar’ (Holy Year) is closely associated with pilgrimage and indulgences. Leviticus 25’s jubilee is a distinct, this-worldly economic-social institution (land/debt/slave release); must not be assimilated to the indulgence-granting sense, though the term itself is standard and correct.
Neighbor
Approved rendering: prójimo
Transliteration: rea’
Doctrine: Love of Neighbor (Leviticus 19:18)
Original: רֵעַ
Category: Love of Neighbor
Must be taught with the full scope Leviticus 19 gives it, extending beyond kin and covenant-insiders.
Sojourner
Approved rendering: extranjero
Transliteration: ger
Doctrine: Love of Neighbor (Leviticus 19:18)
Original: גֵּר
Category: Love of Neighbor
Entitled to the same justice and love as the native-born (Leviticus 19:33-34).
Molech
Approved rendering: Moloc
Transliteration: Molech
Doctrine: Sexual Ethics and Family Holiness
Rejected alternatives: un dios pagano / un ídolo (pierde el referente cultico específico)
Original: מֹלֶךְ
Category: Love of Neighbor
The text confronts a specific, historically attested rival cult (child sacrifice), not sexual or religious ethics generically; retain as a transliterated proper name.
Blessing And Curse
Approved rendering: bendición y maldición
Transliteration: berakhah uqelalah
Doctrine: Covenant Blessings and Curses
Original: בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה
Category: Covenant and Law
Must be taught as relational, covenantal cause and effect, not impersonal fatalism, echoing the ⭐ election/⭐ providence caution against ‘destino/suerte’ framing.
Devoted Thing
Approved rendering: cosa dedicada / anatema
Transliteration: cherem
Doctrine: Vows, Dedication, and Tithing
Original: חֵרֶם
Category: Vows and Redemption
Must be distinguished from an ordinary vow (neder); cherem admits no possibility of redemption or reversal — the most absolute category of consecration.
Nakedness Euphemism
Approved rendering: desnudez (“descubrir la desnudez de”)
Transliteration: ervah (gilluy ervah)
Doctrine: Sexual Ethics and Family Holiness
Original: עֶרְוָה (גִּלּוּי עֶרְוָה)
Category: Holiness
Euphemism for illicit sexual relations, especially incest. Render faithfully as the standard euphemistic formula, without unnecessary explicitness or vagueness that obscures the command.
Blaspheme Holy Name
Approved rendering: blasfemar / profanar el santo nombre
Transliteration: naqav shem / chillel shem qodesh
Doctrine: Sanctity of the Divine Name
Original: נָקַב שֵׁם / חִלֵּל שֵׁם קֹדֶשׁ
Category: Holiness
Distinguish the text’s specific covenantal formula from casual everyday Spanish use of ‘blasfemia’ for any strong swearing.
Eye For Eye
Approved rendering: ojo por ojo
Transliteration: ayin tachat ayin
Doctrine: Justice and Honest Dealing in Community Life
Original: עַיִן תַּחַת עַיִן
Category: Love of Neighbor
Frequently caricatured in popular Spanish-language culture as endorsing personal vengeance; must be taught as a limiting principle of proportionate civil justice, not license for cruelty.
Cut Off Formula
Approved rendering: ser cortado (de su pueblo)
Transliteration: karat
Doctrine: The Holiness of God and the Call to Be Holy
Original: כָּרַת
Category: Holiness
Severe covenantal consequence for violating blood-sanctity or holiness laws; teach within its Old Covenant civil-law context, not as direct NT church discipline.
Anointing Oil
Approved rendering: aceite de la unción
Transliteration: shemen hamishchah
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
A visible, tangible sign of God’s setting-apart of persons and objects for sacred use; distinguish from Catholic ‘unción de los enfermos’ associations.
Cedar Scarlet Hyssop
Approved rendering: madera de cedro, escarlata, hisopo
Transliteration: erez, shani, ezov
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: אֶרֶז, שֵׁנִי, אֵזוֹב
Category: Clean and Unclean
Ritual cleansing materials also recurring at the Exodus Passover and Salmo 51:7; valuable cross-reference material for teaching notes.
Living Bird Release
Approved rendering: ave viva
Transliteration: tzippor chayah
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: צִפֹּר חַיָּה
Category: Clean and Unclean
A live bird released as part of the skin-disease cleansing rite, echoing the two-goat pattern of Leviticus 16; draw this parallel explicitly in teaching.
Low Risk Terms
Fellowship
Approved rendering: compañerismo
Transliteration: koinōnia
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship / The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: comunión de los santos (fórmula litúrgica católica específica)
Inherited from Romans package. Relevant background for teaching the communal-meal dimension of the shelamim (peace/fellowship offering), shared between offerer, priest, and God.
Israel
Approved rendering: Israel
Transliteration: Yisra’el
Doctrine: Covenant and Law
Original: יִשְׂרָאֵל
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Standard proper name; the covenant people to whom the whole of Leviticus’s legislation is addressed.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: acción de gracias
Transliteration: eucharistia
Doctrine: Gratitude and Firstfruits Offerings
Inherited from Romans package. Governs the register for Leviticus’s ‘ofrenda de acción de gracias’ (todah, thank offering), a subtype of the peace offering.
Grain Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda de cereal
Transliteration: minchah
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Rejected alternatives: presente (arcaísmo de RV1960, no preferido para este currículo)
Original: מִנְחָה
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Bloodless offering of grain, oil, and frankincense acknowledging God as provider. No collision risk.
Sacrificial Fat
Approved rendering: grasa / sebo / grosura
Transliteration: chelev
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: חֵלֶב
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
The choicest fat portions, reserved exclusively for God and never eaten by Israelites. No lexical rival.
Altar
Approved rendering: altar
Transliteration: mizbeach
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: מִזְבֵּחַ
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Standard, unambiguous term across all Spanish Bible traditions.
Offering General
Approved rendering: ofrenda
Transliteration: qorban
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: קָרְבָּן
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
General umbrella term for any specific sacrificial offering category.
Tent Of Meeting
Approved rendering: tabernáculo de reunión
Transliteration: ohel mo’ed
Doctrine: The Priesthood and Mediation
Original: אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד
Category: Priesthood and Mediation
Standard rendering across Spanish Bible traditions.
Carcass
Approved rendering: cadáver / cuerpo muerto
Transliteration: nevelah
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: נְבֵלָה
Category: Clean and Unclean
Contact with death itself, not merely with a live unclean animal, transmits impurity.
Plague Mark
Approved rendering: llaga / mancha
Transliteration: nega’
Doctrine: Clean and Unclean
Original: נֶגַע
Category: Clean and Unclean
The visible mark or symptom the priest diagnoses; a ritual-diagnostic, not medical, procedure.
Lot Casting
Approved rendering: suerte (echar suertes)
Transliteration: goral
Doctrine: The Scapegoat and Substitution
Original: גּוֹרָל
Category: Scapegoat and Substitution
Modern Spanish ‘suerte’ can suggest randomness rather than divine sovereignty; a brief clarifying note is recommended, echoing the ⭐ election/⭐ providence fatalism caution.
Firstfruits
Approved rendering: primicias
Transliteration: bikkurim
Doctrine: Gratitude and Firstfruits Offerings
Original: בִּכּוּרִים
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Acknowledges God as source and owner of the whole harvest.
Feast Of Trumpets
Approved rendering: fiesta de las trompetas
Transliteration: yom teru’ah
Doctrine: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: יוֹם תְּרוּעָה
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
A sacred assembly marked by trumpet-blowing. Standard rendering.
Feast Of Tabernacles
Approved rendering: Fiesta de los Tabernáculos
Transliteration: chag hassukkot
Doctrine: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Original: חַג הַסֻּכּוֹת
Category: Sabbath and Sacred Time
Week-long festival commemorating the wilderness wandering. Standard rendering.
Oppress
Approved rendering: oprimir
Transliteration: `ashaq
Doctrine: Justice and Honest Dealing in Community Life
Original: עָשַׁק
Category: Love of Neighbor
To exploit or wrong another, especially economically or through withheld wages.
Just Scales
Approved rendering: balanzas justas
Transliteration: moznei tzedeq
Doctrine: Justice and Honest Dealing in Community Life
Original: מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק
Category: Love of Neighbor
Commercial integrity is itself a holiness issue in the text.
Vow
Approved rendering: voto
Transliteration: neder
Doctrine: Vows, Dedication, and Tithing
Original: נֶדֶר
Category: Vows and Redemption
A voluntary, binding promise made directly to God — must not be assimilated to the popular Hispanic Catholic ‘manda’/promesa made to a saint or the Virgin, which involves an intermediary.
Tithe
Approved rendering: diezmo
Transliteration: ma’aser
Doctrine: Vows, Dedication, and Tithing
Original: מַעְשֵׂר
Category: Vows and Redemption
The tenth portion owed to God as acknowledgment of his ownership of all things.
Bread Of Presence
Approved rendering: pan de la Presencia
Transliteration: lechem happanim
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
Twelve loaves continually set before God, a perpetual symbol of God’s provision for all twelve tribes.
Thank Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda de acción de gracias
Transliteration: todah
Doctrine: Gratitude and Firstfruits Offerings
Original: תּוֹדָה
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
A subtype of the peace offering, offered specifically in gratitude for God’s deliverance; reuses the register of ⭐ acción de gracias.
Wave Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda mecida / presentada
Transliteration: tenufah
Doctrine: The Sacrificial System and Atonement
Original: תְּנוּפָה
Category: Sacrificial System and Atonement
A ritual gesture of presenting or waving a portion before the Lord before it is given to the priest; dedication precedes distribution.
Spoiled Offering
Approved rendering: ofrenda repugnante / rechazada
Transliteration: piggul
Doctrine: Unauthorized Worship
Original: פִּגּוּל
Category: Holiness
An offering rendered ritually invalid, e.g. by being eaten too late; form and timing express the worshiper’s heart-attitude.