Core Glossary
Core Glossary — Gospel of John (English → Thai)
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing theological term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md, covering all 21 chapters of John. Terms already present in the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json are marked [REUSED] and must be rendered exactly as recorded there — no deviation is permitted. New terms introduced by John are marked [NEW] and are proposed here for addition to the project’s translation memory, pending Phase 2 theologian sign-off on Critical/High items per the baseline’s escalation rules.
Risk tiers follow the baseline’s doctrine_risk_registry.json definitions exactly:
- Critical — mistranslation destroys essential doctrine; human theologian review required for every occurrence.
- High — mistranslation creates significant theological confusion or syncretism risk; human theologian review required.
- Medium — mistranslation reduces clarity but preserves essential meaning; native speaker review recommended.
- Low — minor imprecision; automated review sufficient.
Part A — Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans/Galatians Baseline
| Term | Thai Rendering | Chapters | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| god | พระเจ้า | 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20 | Critical | Reused exactly. Never เทวดา/พระพรหม. |
| jesus | พระเยซู | throughout | Critical | Reused exactly. |
| christ / messiah | พระคริสต์ / พระเมสสิยาห์ | 1, 4, 7, 11, 20 | Critical | Reused exactly; never พระศรีอริยเมตไตรย. |
| son_of_god | พระบุตรของพระเจ้า | 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20 | Critical | Reused exactly. |
| holy_spirit | พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์ | 1, 3, 7, 14, 15, 16, 20 | Critical | Reused exactly; never ผี/วิญญาณ alone. |
| father | พระบิดา | 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 14, 17, 20 | High | Reused exactly. |
| lord | องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า | 20, 21 | Critical | Reused exactly; key at 20:28. |
| holy | บริสุทธิ์ | 6, 17 | High | Reused exactly (ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ, sanctify). |
| sanctification | การทรงชำระให้บริสุทธิ์ | 17 | High | Reused exactly (17:17, 19). |
| resurrection | การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย | 5, 11, 20 | Critical | Reused exactly; never การเกิดใหม่. |
| sin | บาป | 1, 3, 8, 9, 16, 20 | High | Reused exactly. |
| grace | พระคุณ | 1 | Critical | Reused exactly (1:14, 16-17). |
| faith / believe | ความเชื่อ / เชื่อ | 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 20 | Medium | Reused exactly; object of belief must remain explicit. |
| salvation | ความรอด | 3, 4, 12 | Critical | Reused exactly; root also underlies “Savior of the world” (4:42). |
| flesh | เนื้อหนัง | 1, 3, 6 | Medium (sense-shift flag) | Reused exactly but John’s sense (neutral human nature, 1:14; 3:6) differs from Galatians’ technical sinful-nature sense (5:16-24); flag for Phase 2 disambiguation. |
| freedom | เสรีภาพ | 8 | Critical | Reused exactly; never หลุดพ้น/วิมุตติ. Direct extension of the Galatians doctrine into John 8:32-36. |
| slavery | ความเป็นทาส | 8 | High | Reused exactly (8:34, “slave of sin”). |
| church | คริสตจักร | (background; not a Johannine narrative term but relevant to doctrine teaching) | Medium | Reused exactly where applicable. |
| kingdom_of_god | แผ่นดินของพระเจ้า | 3, 18 | High/Medium | Reused exactly. |
| israel | อิสราเอล | 1, 3 | Medium | Reused exactly. |
| abraham | อับราฮัม | 8 | Low | Reused exactly. |
| glory | พระสิริ | 1, 2, 11, 12, 17 | High | Reused exactly. |
| election / chosen | การทรงเลือก | 15 | High | Reused exactly (15:16, 19). |
| mission | พันธกิจ | (background doctrine teaching) | Medium | Root shared with ἀπέστειλεν (“sent”) vocabulary throughout John. |
| covenant | พันธสัญญา | (background; OT covenant allusions, e.g. bronze serpent, manna) | High | Reused exactly where explicit OT covenant background is taught. |
Part B — New Terms Introduced by John (Proposed for Translation Memory)
| Term | Greek | Thai Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Chapters | Notes / Forbidden Substitutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| word_logos | ὁ λόγος | พระวาทะ | Phra Watha | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 1 | Established Thai Bible term. Never a generic “words/speech” term (คำพูด); never an impersonal cosmic ordering-principle reading. |
| born_again_from_above | γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν | บังเกิดใหม่ | bangkoet mai | CRITICAL — highest-priority term in curriculum | New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | 3 | NEVER plain เกิดใหม่ or กลับชาติมาเกิด (rebirth/reincarnation). Must use the formal บังเกิด root (shared with the established incarnation term). LINGUISTIC GAP: ἄνωθεν’s “again”/“from above” double sense cannot be carried by one Thai word; requires translator note. |
| eternal_life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος | ชีวิตนิรันดร์ | chiwit nirandon | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | 3, 17, 20 | Never conflated with escape from samsara/rebirth cycle; a relational, personal, present-and-everlasting gift, defined explicitly at 17:3 as knowing God. Must remain identical at every occurrence (3:15-16, 36; 4:14; 5:24; 6:47, 54; 10:28; 17:3). |
| only_begotten | μονογενής | พระบุตรองค์เดียว(ของพระองค์) | Phra But Ong Diao | Critical | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ / Sonship of Christ | 1, 3 | Extends the baseline’s son_of_god doctrine. Never softened to “a son” or “a favorite child”; องค์เดียว (“the only one”) must be retained. |
| world_kosmos | ὁ κόσμος | โลก | lok | High | God’s Love for the World | 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 16, 17 | Dual usage: (a) all humanity, object of God’s love (3:16); (b) fallen system opposed to God (7:7; 15:18-19). Context must disambiguate; never narrowed to “our nation/the righteous.” |
| love_agape | ἀγαπάω | รัก / ความรัก | rak / khwam rak | High | God’s Love for the World | 3, 13, 15, 21 | Must be distinguished from เมตตา (Buddhist cultivated loving-kindness generating merit) and from romantic/filial รัก in ordinary usage; God’s ἀγάπη is initiating, unmerited, sacrificial love. |
| perish | ἀπόλλυμι | พินาศ | phinat | Medium-High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3 | Contrast term to eternal life; a real, final loss — not a temporary or reversible rebirth-state. |
| judgment_condemnation | κρίνω / κρίσις / κατακρίνω | การพิพากษา / พิพากษาลงโทษ | kan phiphaksa | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 3, 5, 9, 12, 16 | Personal, forensic verdict grounded in relationship to the Son; NEVER rendered through กรรม/เวรกรรม (impersonal karmic mechanism) vocabulary. |
| light_phos | τὸ φῶς | ความสว่าง | khwam sawang | High | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief; deity self-revelation | 1, 3, 8, 9, 12 | God’s own self-revealing presence, received not self-attained; must not read as human insight/enlightenment achieved through meditative discipline. |
| darkness_skotos | τὸ σκότος / ἡ σκοτία | ความมืด | khwam muet | Medium | Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | 1, 3, 12 | A willed moral preference, not neutral ignorance. |
| son_of_man | ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου | บุตรมนุษย์ | but manut | High | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ; Judgment | 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13 | Distinct entry from son_of_god; Daniel 7 background carrying divine authority must not be flattened to “a human being.” |
| lifted_up | ὑψόω | ถูกยกขึ้น | thuk yok khuen | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 3, 8, 12 | Deliberate double sense (crucifixion = exaltation); consistent rendering required at all three occurrences (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34). |
| testimony_witness | μαρτυρία | คำพยาน | kham phayan | Medium | supports Deity/Pre-existence and Mission doctrines | 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 21 | Legal/eyewitness sense; John the Baptist, the Spirit, and the disciples all “bear witness” to Christ. |
| truth_aletheia | ἀλήθεια | ความจริง | khwam jing | High | Deity of Christ / Way-Truth-Life | 1, 3, 4, 8, 14, 16, 18 | Relational, personal truth embodied in Christ, not abstract propositional accuracy nor the Buddhist “Noble Truths” (อริยสัจ) framework; risk of collision with a philosophical/impersonal truth-principle reading. |
| worship_in_spirit_and_truth | προσκυνέω / ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθεί�ᾳ | นมัสการ (ด้วยจิตวิญญาณและความจริง) | namatsakan | Critical | (supports God’s Love/Deity of Christ context) | 4 | Sharply distinguish from ไหว้ (reverential gesture to Buddha images/monks/spirits) and บูชา (ritual veneration/offering); one of the book’s most significant syncretism risks. |
| savior_of_the_world | ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου | พระผู้ช่วยให้รอดของโลก | Phra Phu Chuai Hai Rot khong Lok | High | God’s Love for the World | 4 | Built on baseline salvation (ความรอด) root exactly. |
| resurrection_of_life_and_judgment | ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / κρίσεως | การเป็นขึ้นจากตายสู่ชีวิต / สู่การพิพากษา | Critical | Judgment; Christ’s Resurrection | 5 | Built on baseline resurrection term exactly; two-destiny framing must be retained. | |
| i_am_bread_of_life | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς | เราเป็นอาหารแห่งชีวิต | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements | 6 | 1st of 7. Cultural note: bread not staple in Thai diet; retain literal image, add teaching note. | |
| eat_flesh_drink_blood | φάγητε τὴν σάρκα / πίητε τὸ αἷμα | กินเนื้อของเรา / ดื่มโลหิตของเรา | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 6 | Not literal cannibalism; not a spirit-offering ritual (เซ่นไหว้); points to Lord’s Supper fulfillment. Distinct sense of σάρξ from 1:14/3:6 and from Galatians. | |
| the_father_draws | ἕλκω | ทรงชักนำ / ทรงดึงดูดมาหา | High | (Effectual Calling extension) | 6 | Sovereign personal divine initiative, not fate (โชคชะตา). | |
| i_am_light_of_the_world | ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου | เราเป็นความสว่างของโลก | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements | 8 | 2nd of 7. | |
| truth_will_set_you_free | ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς | ความจริงจะทำให้ท่านเป็นเสรี | Critical | Judgment/Belief; extends Galatians Freedom doctrine | 8 | Reuses เสรีภาพ root; never หลุดพ้น/วิมุตติ. | |
| absolute_i_am | ἐγώ εἰμι (unpredicated) | เราเป็น | rao pen | CRITICAL | Deity and Pre-existence of Christ | 8, 18 | Echoes LXX Exodus 3:14 (เราเป็นผู้ที่เราเป็น); requires cross-reference translator note. Distinct from the seven predicated “I am [X]” statements. |
| i_am_the_door | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα | เราเป็นประตู | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements | 10 | 3rd/4th of 7 (narrative order varies by tradition). | |
| i_am_good_shepherd | ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός | เราเป็นผู้เลี้ยงที่ดี | Critical | Seven “I Am” Statements; Substitutionary Death | 10 | 3rd/4th of 7. | |
| lay_down_life | τίθημι τὴν ψυχήν | สละชีวิต(ของตน) | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 10, 15 | Voluntary, purposeful, substitutionary self-sacrifice; reused consistently at 10:11, 15, 17-18 and 15:13. | |
| father_and_son_are_one | ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν | เรากับพระบิดาเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกัน | CRITICAL | Unity of the Father and the Son | 10, 17 | Ontological unity of essence, not mere agreement; consistent with Galatians unity_in_christ construction. Reused at 17:11, 21-23. | |
| i_am_resurrection_and_life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή | เราเป็นการเป็นขึ้นจากตายและเป็นชีวิต | CRITICAL | Seven “I Am” Statements; Resurrection | 11 | 5th of 7. Reuses baseline resurrection term exactly. | |
| die_on_behalf_of | ὑπέρ + death formula | …ตายแทน… | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 6, 10, 11, 15, 17 | ὑπέρ (“instead of/on behalf of”) consistently rendered แทน wherever substitutionary. | |
| ruler_of_this_world | ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | เจ้าโลกนี้ | High | (background to Judgment/Substitutionary Death) | 12 | Satan as defeated usurper, never a legitimate rival deity. | |
| new_commandment_love | ἐντολὴ καινή / ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους | บัญญัติใหม่ / รักซึ่งกันและกัน | High | (ethical outworking of Father-Son love) | 13 | Distinguish from ธรรมบัญญัติ (Mosaic Law); parallel logic to Galatians’ law_of_christ. | |
| i_am_way_truth_life | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή | เราเป็นทางนั้น ความจริง และชีวิต | CRITICAL | Seven “I Am” Statements | 14 | 6th of 7. Highest cultural-confrontation risk: exclusivity claim vs. Thai “many paths” popular framing. | |
| counselor_parakletos | ὁ παράκλητος | ผู้ช่วยเหลือ | phu chuai leua | CRITICAL | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14, 15, 16 | Must retain full personal, divine identity (= พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์); never an impersonal helper-force nor a folk-animist guardian spirit (ผีคุ้มครอง). Pair with full Holy Spirit title at first mention in each passage. |
| spirit_of_truth | τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας | พระวิญญาณแห่งความจริง | High | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 14, 15, 16 | Builds on Holy Spirit + truth terms. | |
| i_am_true_vine | ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή | เราเป็นเถาองุ่นแท้ | CRITICAL | Seven “I Am” Statements | 15 | 7th of 7. Comprehension note (grapevine unfamiliar), not doctrinal. | |
| abide | μένω | ติดสนิท / เข้าสนิทกับ | High | Christian Identity in Christ (union) | 15 | Ongoing, intimate, dependent relational union, not mere proximity. | |
| bear_fruit_john | καρπὸν φέρειν | เกิดผล / ติดผล | Critical | (extends Galatians Fruit of the Spirit doctrine) | 15 | Organic outcome of abiding union with Christ; never ผลบุญ/ผลกรรม. | |
| convict_world_of_sin | ἐλέγχω | ทำให้โลกรู้แจ้งเรื่องบาป | Medium-High | The Holy Spirit as Counselor | 3, 16 | Cross-reference 3:20 and 16:8; reuses established sin term. | |
| overcome_the_world | νικάω τὸν κόσμον | มีชัยชนะเหนือโลก | High | Assurance of Salvation (extension) | 16 | Christ’s own accomplished victory, not a self-achieved ongoing struggle. | |
| eternal_life_defined | … ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε | นี่แหละคือชีวิตนิรันดร์ คือการรู้จักพระองค์ | CRITICAL | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | 17 | The Gospel’s own definitional anchor: relational knowledge of God, not unending existence or nibbana. | |
| kingdom_not_of_this_world | ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου | แผ่นดินของเรามิได้เป็นแห่งโลกนี้ | High | (Kingdom / Lordship background) | 18 | Same lèse-majesté-sensitive register the baseline flags for Romans 13; native-speaker + theologian review. | |
| it_is_finished | τετέλεσται | สำเร็จแล้ว | samret laew | CRITICAL | Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | 19 | Completed accomplishment toward a goal, never mere cessation (จบแล้ว); capstone term for the atonement’s sufficiency. |
| blood_and_water | αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ | พระโลหิตและน้ำ | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Death | 19 | Honorific พระโลหิต for Christ’s blood. | |
| my_lord_and_my_god | ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου | องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้าของข้าพระองค์และพระเจ้าของข้าพระองค์ | CRITICAL | Deity of Christ (capstone confession) | 20 | Both baseline terms (lord, god) verbatim together; parallel status to Romans 10:9 for cross-document consistency. | |
| that_you_may_believe_and_have_life | ἵνα πιστεύσητε … ζωὴν ἔχητε | เพื่อท่านทั้งหลายจะเชื่อ…และมีชีวิต | Critical | Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | 20 | Gospel’s thesis statement; must remain identical wherever quoted, parallel to Romans 1:16-17’s fixed-rendering rule. | |
| agape_vs_phileo_love | ἀγαπάω / φιλέω | รัก | rak | High — linguistic gap | (pastoral restoration; supports God’s Love doctrine) | 21 | Thai รัก does not lexically distinguish the two Greek verbs; requires translator note so Peter’s consistent φιλέω answers are not flagged as translation errors. |
| shepherd_feed_sheep | βόσκε / ποίμαινε | จงเลี้ยงลูกแกะของเรา / จงดูแลแกะของเรา | Medium | (pastoral commission, extends ch. 10 shepherd imagery) | 21 | Builds on established good-shepherd imagery. |
Part C — Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference (Quick Index)
| Assigned Curriculum Doctrine | Primary Terms | Primary Chapters |
|---|---|---|
| The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word) | word_logos, absolute_i_am, son_of_man, my_lord_and_my_god | 1, 3, 5, 8, 13, 18, 20 |
| The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit | born_again_from_above, water/spirit (John 3:5-8), flesh (John 3:6) | 3 |
| Eternal Life through Faith in Christ | eternal_life, eternal_life_defined, that_you_may_believe_and_have_life, i_am_resurrection_and_life | 3, 6, 11, 17, 20 |
| God’s Love for the World | love_agape, world_kosmos, savior_of_the_world | 1, 3, 4, 13, 15, 21 |
| Judgment and Belief/Unbelief | judgment_condemnation, light_phos, darkness_skotos, perish, convict_world_of_sin | 3, 5, 9, 12, 16 |
| The Seven “I Am” Statements | i_am_bread_of_life, i_am_light_of_the_world, i_am_the_door, i_am_good_shepherd, i_am_resurrection_and_life, i_am_way_truth_life, i_am_true_vine | 6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15 |
| The Holy Spirit as Counselor | counselor_parakletos, spirit_of_truth, convict_world_of_sin, receive_the_holy_spirit (20) | 14, 15, 16, 20 |
| Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection | lay_down_life, die_on_behalf_of, eat_flesh_drink_blood, it_is_finished, blood_and_water, i_am_resurrection_and_life, resurrection (reused) | 6, 10, 11, 12, 15, 19, 20 |
| Unity of the Father and the Son | father_and_son_are_one, ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν (John 17), honor_father_and_son (John 5) | 5, 10, 17 |
Part D — Forbidden Substitutions Introduced or Reinforced by John (extends baseline list)
| Concept | NEVER use | ALWAYS use | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Born again / new birth | เกิดใหม่, กลับชาติมาเกิด | บังเกิดใหม่ | John 3:3, 5, 7 |
| Eternal life | (any phrase implying nibbana or samsara-escape) | ชีวิตนิรันดร์ | John 3:15-16, 17:3 |
| Freedom (truth sets free) | หลุดพ้น, วิมุตติ | เสรีภาพ | John 8:32-36 (reinforces Galatians rule) |
| Fruit-bearing (abiding in the vine) | ผลบุญ, ผลกรรม | เกิดผล / ผลของพระวิญญาณ (reused) | John 15:1-8 (reinforces Galatians rule) |
| Absolute “I am” | (any phrasing that severs the Exodus 3:14 echo) | เราเป็น, cross-referenced to เราเป็นผู้ที่เราเป็น | John 8:58, 18:5-8 |
| ”It is finished” | จบแล้ว (mere cessation) | สำเร็จแล้ว | John 19:30 |
| Counselor / Holy Spirit | ผี, ผีคุ้มครอง, an impersonal helper-force | ผู้ช่วยเหลือ paired with พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์ | John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7 |
| Worship (in spirit and truth) | ไหว้, บูชา (as functional equivalents) | นมัสการ | John 4:23-24 |
This glossary extends, and must never contradict, the baseline Romans/Galatians translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. All Part A terms are locked; all Part B terms are proposed new entries pending Phase 2 theologian review per the escalation rules in 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
God
Approved rendering: พระเจ้า
Transliteration: Phra Chao
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: เทวดา, พระพรหม
Original: θεός
Category: God
CRITICAL: Never use เทวดา (a deva, one of many minor deities in the Buddhist-Brahmanic cosmology) or พระพรหม (Brahma, worshipped at popular shrines such as the Erawan Shrine). พระเจ้า is the established Thai Christian term for the one supreme personal Creator. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; central to John 1:1, 3:16, 20:28.
Jesus
Approved rendering: พระเยซู
Transliteration: Phra Yesu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Standard Thai Bible form. The honorific prefix พระ (phra) is shared with Buddha images, monks, and Thai royalty, so teaching notes should reinforce that its use here marks unique deity, not generic sacredness. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; used throughout John.
Christ
Approved rendering: พระคริสต์
Transliteration: Phra Khrit
Doctrine: Crucified with Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans/Galatians package’s transliteration standards table (established proper-name form) unchanged. Used throughout John (1:41; 4:25; 11:27; 20:31).
Messiah
Approved rendering: พระเมสสิยาห์
Transliteration: Phra Messiya
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Rejected alternatives: พระศรีอริยเมตไตรย
Original: Χριστός / Μεσσίας
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Never use พระศรีอริยเมตไตรย (Phra Si Ariya Metrai), the future Buddha of popular Thai millenarian expectation. The transliterated พระเมสสิยาห์ preserves the unique, exclusively fulfilled OT promise. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; identified with Jesus at John 1:41, 4:25.
Son Of God
Approved rendering: พระบุตรของพระเจ้า
Transliteration: Phra But khong Phra Chao
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: เทพบุตร, อวตารของพระเจ้า
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Full phrase required. Never use เทพบุตร (a minor deva/celestial being’s son) or อวตารของพระเจ้า (an avatar of God). Conveys eternal, unique Sonship within the Godhead, not a lesser divine being or a temporary manifestation. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; confessed at John 1:49 and stated as the Gospel’s own narrative purpose at 20:31.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์
Transliteration: Phra Winyan Borisut
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: วิญญาณ, ผี
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
CRITICAL: Never use วิญญาณ alone or ผี (a ghost or spirit in Thai folk animism). The qualifiers พระ and บริสุทธิ์ together mark this as the divine, personal third Person of the Trinity, not an ancestral or nature spirit. Inherited from Romans package unchanged. In John, also functions as the Counselor (ผู้ช่วยเหลือ, see counselor_parakletos entry below) and must never collapse into a folk-animist guardian spirit (ผีคุ้มครอง).
Lord
Approved rendering: องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้า
Transliteration: ong phra phu pen chao
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: เจ้านาย, ท่านผู้นำ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Must clearly convey Christ’s unique, supreme divine Lordship and never blur into ordinary respectful address (เจ้านาย, ท่านผู้นำ) or read as a claim about political sovereignty. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; climaxes at John 20:28’s ‘my Lord and my God,’ which must render this term verbatim together with god.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย
Transliteration: kan pen khuen chak tai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: การเกิดใหม่, การกลับชาติมาเกิด
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER use การเกิดใหม่ or การกลับชาติมาเกิด (rebirth/reincarnation into a new existence within the cycle of samsara). การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย = the same body raised bodily, once for all, not a new life in the wheel of rebirth. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; forms the base of the two-destiny ‘resurrection of life/of judgment’ (5:29) and Christ’s own resurrection appearances (ch. 20), and of the fifth ‘I Am’ statement (11:25).
Salvation
Approved rendering: ความรอด
Transliteration: khwam rot
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: การบรรลุนิพพาน, การหลุดพ้น
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use การบรรลุนิพพาน (attaining nibbana) or การหลุดพ้น (liberation from the cycle of rebirth). Inherited from Romans package unchanged; God sent the Son ‘that the world might be saved through him’ (3:17), and Christ is confessed as ‘the Savior of the world’ (4:42, see savior_of_the_world entry).
Freedom
Approved rendering: เสรีภาพ
Transliteration: seriphap
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Rejected alternatives: หลุดพ้น, วิมุตติ
Original: ἐλευθερία / ἐλευθερόω
Category: Freedom
CRITICAL: never หลุดพ้น (liberation from samsara) or วิมุตติ (Pali technical term for liberation from defilements). Inherited from Galatians package unchanged. In John 8:31-36 this collision is especially tempting because the surrounding ‘slave to sin’ language parallels Buddhist bondage-and-liberation vocabulary more closely than almost any other NT passage.
Word Logos
Approved rendering: พระวาทะ
Transliteration: Phra Watha
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: คำพูด, ถ้อยคำ, ธรรม/หลักธรรม (impersonal cosmic ordering-principle)
Original: ὁ λόγος
Category: Christology
NEW. Established Thai Bible term for the eternal, personal, pre-existent Son (John 1:1-3, 14). Must not be replaced with a generic ‘words/speech’ term, which would lose the personal, pre-existent, divine referent, nor read as an impersonal Dharma-like cosmic ordering principle.
Born Again From Above
Approved rendering: บังเกิดใหม่
Transliteration: bangkoet mai
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: เกิดใหม่, กลับชาติมาเกิด
Original: γεννηθῇ ἄνωθεν
Category: Salvation
NEW. THE SINGLE HIGHEST-PRIORITY FORBIDDEN-SUBSTITUTION RULE IN THIS CURRICULUM. เกิดใหม่ is the everyday Thai word for rebirth/reincarnation within samsara; NEVER use it or กลับชาติมาเกิด. Must use the elevated บังเกิด root shared with the established incarnation term. LINGUISTIC GAP: ἄνωθεν’s dual sense (‘again’/‘from above’) cannot be carried by one Thai word; requires a mandatory translator note at every occurrence (John 3:3, 5, 7).
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: ชีวิตนิรันดร์
Transliteration: chiwit nirandon
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Rejected alternatives: ชีวิตอมตะ (as primary term), any nibbana/samsara-escape phrasing, การบรรลุนิพพาน
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must never be conflated with escape from the cycle of rebirth or the self-attained extinguishing of craving (nibbana); a relational, personal, present-and-everlasting gift, explicitly defined at 17:3 as knowing God. FIXED RENDERING required at every occurrence (3:15-16, 36; 5:24; 6:47, 54; 10:28; 17:3).
Only Begotten
Approved rendering: พระบุตรองค์เดียว(ของพระองค์)
Transliteration: Phra But Ong Diao
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: a son, a favorite child, เทพบุตร, อวตารของพระเจ้า
Original: μονογενής
Category: Christology
NEW. Extends the baseline’s Critical son_of_god doctrine. Never softened to ‘a son’ or ‘a favorite child’; องค์เดียว (‘the only one’) must be retained to preserve exclusivity (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18).
Worship In Spirit And Truth
Approved rendering: นมัสการ (ด้วยจิตวิญญาณและความจริง)
Transliteration: namatsakan (duai chit winyan lae khwam jing)
Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Rejected alternatives: ไหว้, บูชา
Original: προσκυνέω / ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ
Category: Worship
NEW. ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SYNCRETISM RISKS IN THE BOOK. Sharply distinguish from ไหว้ (a general reverential gesture toward Buddha images, monks, elders, and spirits) and บูชา (ritual veneration/offering to Buddha images, spirits, or ancestors), both live, culturally dominant daily practices (John 4:19-24).
Resurrection Of Life And Judgment
Approved rendering: การเป็นขึ้นจากตายสู่ชีวิต / สู่การพิพากษา
Transliteration: kan pen khuen chak tai su chiwit / su kan phiphaksa
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: การเกิดใหม่ (in any construction)
Original: ἀνάστασις ζωῆς / ἀνάστασις κρίσεως
Category: Eschatology
NEW. Built on the baseline resurrection term (การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย) exactly, with the two destiny-clauses added (John 5:28-29); the judgment contrast must remain explicit, never compressed into a single generic ‘afterlife’ phrase.
I Am Bread Of Life
Approved rendering: เราเป็นอาหารแห่งชีวิต
Transliteration: rao pen ahan haeng chiwit
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: substituting ‘rice’ for ‘bread’ in the base text
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς
Category: Christology
NEW. First of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 6:35, 48, 51). Bread is not a Thai dietary staple (rice is); retain the literal bread/manna imagery and supply a teaching note rather than substituting into the text.
Eat Flesh Drink Blood
Approved rendering: กินเนื้อของเรา … ดื่มโลหิตของเรา
Transliteration: kin nuea khong rao … duem lohit khong rao
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: φάγητε τὴν σάρκα … πίητε τὸ αἷμα
Category: Christology
NEW. Must not be read literally (cannibalism) nor collapsed into any Thai ritual food/spirit offering practice (การเซ่นไหว้); a translator note distinguishing this from any actual consumption ritual and pointing to its fulfillment in the Lord’s Supper is required (John 6:53-56). Distinct sense of เนื้อหนัง from both 1:14/3:6 and the Galatians technical sense.
I Am Light Of The World
Approved rendering: เราเป็นความสว่างของโลก
Transliteration: rao pen khwam sawang khong lok
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Christology
NEW. Second of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 8:12). Same light-vs-self-achieved-enlightenment caution as light_phos applies with heightened force since this is a direct divine self-identification.
Truth Will Set You Free
Approved rendering: ความจริงจะทำให้ท่านเป็นเสรี
Transliteration: khwam jing ja tham hai than pen seri
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ (John 8)
Rejected alternatives: หลุดพ้น, วิมุตติ
Original: ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐλευθερώσει ὑμᾶς
Category: Freedom
NEW. MUST reuse the Galatians baseline’s established เสรีภาพ root exactly; NEVER หลุดพ้น or วิมุตติ. An especially tempting collision point given the surrounding ‘slave to sin’ language (John 8:31-36).
Absolute I Am
Approved rendering: เราเป็น
Transliteration: rao pen
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Rejected alternatives: a plain, unremarkable copula rendering (‘I am he’) with no cross-reference note
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι (unpredicated)
Category: Christology
NEW. The unpredicated, absolute ἐγώ εἰμι (John 8:58; 18:5-8), echoing the LXX rendering of Exodus 3:14. Must echo the established Thai OT rendering (เราเป็นผู้ที่เราเป็น) with a mandatory cross-reference translator note at every occurrence; distinct entry from the seven predicated ‘I am [X]’ statements.
I Am The Door
Approved rendering: เราเป็นประตู
Transliteration: rao pen pratu
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύρα
Category: Christology
NEW. One of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 10:9); Christ as the sole legitimate means of access to salvation.
I Am Good Shepherd
Approved rendering: เราเป็นผู้เลี้ยงที่ดี
Transliteration: rao pen phu liang thi di
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός
Category: Christology
NEW. One of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 10:11, 14); directly ties to the Substitutionary Death doctrine via the ‘lays down his life’ clause.
Lay Down Life
Approved rendering: สละชีวิต(ของตน)
Transliteration: sala chiwit (khong ton)
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: a heroic but non-substitutionary death framing, a merit-generating self-sacrifice performed for the actor’s own future benefit
Original: τίθησιν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. Must convey voluntary, purposeful self-sacrifice for the benefit of others (substitution); the beneficiary object must remain explicit at every occurrence (John 10:11, 15, 17-18; 15:13) to avoid assimilation to Thai popular-Buddhist merit-generating self-sacrifice narratives.
Father And Son Are One
Approved rendering: เรากับพระบิดาเป็นหนึ่งเดียวกัน
Transliteration: rao kap Phra Bida pen nueng diao kan
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: ลงรอยกัน (are in agreement)
Original: ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν
Category: Christology
NEW. Must convey ontological unity of essence, never mere agreement, teamwork, or moral harmony. Reuses the Galatians baseline’s unity_in_christ construction (เป็นอันหนึ่งอันเดียวกัน) for cross-reference stability. FIXED rendering reused identically at John 10:30 and 17:11, 21-23.
I Am Resurrection And Life
Approved rendering: เราเป็นการเป็นขึ้นจากตายและเป็นชีวิต
Transliteration: rao pen kan pen khuen chak tai lae pen chiwit
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: any rebirth/reincarnation-adjacent gloss
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀνάστασις καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
NEW. Fifth of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 11:25). Reuses the baseline resurrection term (การเป็นขึ้นจากตาย) exactly; the doctrine most exposed to reincarnation-vocabulary collision among the seven.
I Am Way Truth Life
Approved rendering: เราเป็นทางนั้น ความจริง และชีวิต
Transliteration: rao pen thang nan, khwam jing, lae chiwit
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Rejected alternatives: ‘a way’ (softened, non-exclusive rendering)
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή
Category: Christology
NEW. Sixth of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 14:6); the single most culturally confrontational verse for a Thai-Buddhist-majority context. The exclusivity clause (‘no one comes to the Father except through me’) must not be softened into compatibility with Thailand’s popular ‘many paths, one destination’ framing (ทุกศาสนาสอนให้เป็นคนดี).
Counselor Parakletos
Approved rendering: ผู้ช่วยเหลือ
Transliteration: phu chuai leua
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Rejected alternatives: ผี, ผีคุ้มครอง, an impersonal helper-force
Original: ὁ παράκλητος
Category: God
NEW. Must retain full personal, divine identity (= พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์); NEVER a folk-animist guardian/familiar spirit (ผีคุ้มครอง). MANDATORY: pair with the full title พระวิญญาณบริสุทธิ์ at first mention in each passage (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).
I Am True Vine
Approved rendering: เราเป็นเถาองุ่นแท้
Transliteration: rao pen thao a-ngun thae
Doctrine: The Seven ‘I Am’ Statements
Original: ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή
Category: Christology
NEW. Final of the Seven ‘I Am’ Statements (John 15:1, 5). Grapevine has low cultural familiarity in Thailand; comprehension issue requiring a brief note, not a doctrinal collision.
Bear Fruit John
Approved rendering: เกิดผล (ติดผล)
Transliteration: koet phon (tit phon)
Doctrine: Union with Christ: Abiding and Bearing Fruit
Rejected alternatives: ผลบุญ, ผลกรรม
Original: καρπὸν φέρειν
Category: Ethics
NEW. Must reuse the Galatians baseline’s fruit-of-the-Spirit logic exactly: never ผลบุญ/ผลกรรม (karmic fruit generated by one’s own accumulated action). Fruit is Christ’s own organic produce in a person united to him (John 15:2, 4-8, 16).
Eternal Life Defined
Approved rendering: นี่แหละคือชีวิตนิรันดร์ คือการรู้จักพระองค์
Transliteration: ni lae khue chiwit nirandon khue kan ru chak Phra Ong
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή, ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε
Category: Salvation
NEW. Reuses the ชีวิตนิรันดร์ term established at 3:15-16 exactly. The Gospel’s own definitional anchor (John 17:3) for the entire Eternal Life doctrine: relational knowledge of a personal God, not unending existence or nibbana.
It Is Finished
Approved rendering: สำเร็จแล้ว
Transliteration: samret laew
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: จบแล้ว (mere cessation)
Original: τετέλεσται
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must convey completed accomplishment toward an intended goal, never mere cessation (จบแล้ว). Capstone term for the atonement’s sufficiency (John 19:30); the work needs no supplementation through the believer’s own merit-accumulation.
My Lord And My God
Approved rendering: องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้าของข้าพระองค์และพระเจ้าของข้าพระองค์
Transliteration: Ong Phra Phu Pen Chao khong kha Phra Ong lae Phra Chao khong kha Phra Ong
Doctrine: The Deity and Pre-existence of Christ (the Word)
Original: ὁ κύριός μου καὶ ὁ θεός μου
Category: Christology
NEW. Both established baseline terms (lord, god) must appear together exactly as recorded, without qualification or softening. Functions in John’s Gospel (20:28) the way Romans 10:9 functions in the Romans baseline — a non-negotiable, verbatim-consistent confession.
That You May Believe And Have Life
Approved rendering: เพื่อท่านทั้งหลายจะเชื่อ…และมีชีวิต
Transliteration: phuea than thang lai ja cheua … lae mi chiwit
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ταῦτα δὲ γέγραπται ἵνα πιστεύσητε … ζωὴν ἔχητε
Category: Salvation
NEW. Gospel’s own thesis statement (John 20:31), structurally parallel to Romans 1:16-17. Must remain identical wherever quoted elsewhere in the curriculum.
High Risk Terms
Father
Approved rendering: พระบิดา
Transliteration: Phra Bida
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Rejected alternatives: พ่อขุน
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal, relational Father. Avoid พ่อขุน (the paternalistic ‘father-ruler’ title of Sukhothai-era Thai kingship), which frames fatherhood as benevolent political rule rather than intimate family relationship. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; John gives the NT’s most extensive Father-Son relational vocabulary (chs. 5, 8, 10, 14, 17).
Holy
Approved rendering: บริสุทธิ์
Transliteration: borisut
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: ศักดิ์สิทธิ์
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure. ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ leans toward the sacred potency of an object (an amulet or shrine); keep บริสุทธิ์ for moral/relational holiness. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; applied to Christ as ‘the Holy One of God’ (6:69) and in the sanctification prayer of 17:17, 19.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: การทรงชำระให้บริสุทธิ์
Transliteration: kan song chamra hai borisut
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: การชำระบาปด้วยตนเอง
Original: ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy, not self-directed ritual purification or merit-building practice. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; used at John 17:17, 19.
Sin
Approved rendering: บาป
Transliteration: bap
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: อกุศลกรรม
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
บาป is shared vocabulary with Thai Buddhism, so it must always be anchored to an offense against a personal God, not left as the impersonal negative-karma sense of อกุศลกรรม. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; the Lamb of God ‘takes away the sin of the world’ (1:29) and the Spirit convicts the world concerning sin (16:8-9).
Grace
Approved rendering: พระคุณ
Transliteration: phra khun
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: บุญ, กรรมดี, บารมี
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: Never use บุญ (merit) or กรรมดี (good karma), and never บารมี (accumulated charisma/perfection). พระคุณ must be taught as favor given apart from any accumulated merit. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; embodied in the incarnate Word ‘full of grace and truth’ (1:14) and received as ‘grace upon grace’ (1:16).
Slavery
Approved rendering: ความเป็นทาส
Transliteration: khwam pen that
Doctrine: Freedom in Christ
Original: δουλεία / δοῦλος
Category: Freedom
Contrast term to freedom. Inherited from Galatians package unchanged; used at John 8:34, ‘slave to sin.‘
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: แผ่นดินของพระเจ้า
Transliteration: phaendin khong Phra Chao
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Rejected alternatives: อาณาจักรของพระเจ้า
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Distinguish from an earthly territorial kingdom (อาณาจักร). Inherited from Romans package unchanged; entered only through the new birth (John 3:3, 5) and explicitly not a rival earthly kingdom (18:36, see kingdom_not_of_this_world entry).
Glory
Approved rendering: พระสิริ
Transliteration: Phra Siri
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: บารมี
Original: δόξα
Category: God
บารมี must never substitute for พระสิริ. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; manifested through signs (John 2:11) and supremely through the cross (12:23; 17:1).
Election
Approved rendering: การทรงเลือก
Transliteration: kan song lueak
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: โชคชะตา, เวรกรรม
Original: ἐκλέγομαι
Category: Salvation
Never โชคชะตา/เวรกรรม. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; John 15:16, 19, ‘you did not choose me, but I chose you.‘
Covenant
Approved rendering: พันธสัญญา
Transliteration: phanthasanya
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Rejected alternatives: ข้อตกลง
Original: διαθήκη (background)
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package unchanged; presupposed by John’s OT allusions (manna/Exodus ch. 6, the bronze serpent/Numbers ch. 3, the vine/Israel imagery ch. 15).
World Kosmos
Approved rendering: โลก
Transliteration: lok
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ὁ κόσμος
Category: Anthropology
NEW. Dual usage: (a) all humanity, object of God’s love (3:16); (b) the fallen system in active opposition to God (7:7; 15:18-19). Context must disambiguate; never narrowed to ‘our nation’ or ‘the righteous.‘
Love Agape
Approved rendering: รัก / ความรัก
Transliteration: rak / khwam rak
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Rejected alternatives: เมตตา (as primary gloss)
Original: ἀγαπάω / ἀγάπη
Category: Ethics
NEW. Must be distinguished from เมตตา (Buddhist loving-kindness, a cultivated meditative virtue generating merit for the practitioner) and ordinary romantic/filial รัก. God’s ἀγάπη is unearned and initiating; every occurrence applied to God must be anchored by its accompanying giving/sending action in context (3:16; 13:34-35; 15:9-13).
Perish
Approved rendering: พินาศ
Transliteration: phinat
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: ἀπόλλυμι
Category: Salvation
NEW. Contrast term to eternal life (3:16). Must not be softened into a temporary or reversible state such as an intermediate rebirth; this is final loss.
Judgment Condemnation
Approved rendering: การพิพากษา / พิพากษาลงโทษ
Transliteration: kan phiphaksa / phiphaksa long thot
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Rejected alternatives: กรรม, เวรกรรม
Original: κρίνω / κρίσις / κατακρίνω
Category: Judgment
NEW. NEVER rendered through กรรม/เวรกรรม (impersonal, self-operating karmic ledger). The verdict is personal and forensic, grounded in one’s relationship to the Son (John 3:18-19; 5:22-30; 12:47-48).
Light Phos
Approved rendering: ความสว่าง
Transliteration: khwam sawang
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: τὸ φῶς
Category: Judgment
NEW. God’s own self-revealing presence, received not self-attained; must not read as human insight/enlightenment achieved through meditative discipline, given Buddhism’s own use of light/illumination imagery for the Buddha’s awakening (1:4-9; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5).
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: บุตรมนุษย์
Transliteration: but manut
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ and the Son of Man
Original: ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
NEW. Distinct entry from son_of_god; must not be flattened to mean merely ‘a human being,’ which would lose the Daniel 7:13-14 background of divine authority and pre-existence (3:13-14; 5:27; 9:35).
Lifted Up
Approved rendering: ถูกยกขึ้น
Transliteration: thuk yok khuen
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὑψόω
Category: Christology
NEW. Must preserve the deliberate double sense (crucifixion = exaltation) with the SAME Thai verb form at every occurrence (3:14; 8:28; 12:32-34) for cross-reference consistency.
Truth Aletheia
Approved rendering: ความจริง
Transliteration: khwam jing
Doctrine: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Rejected alternatives: อริยสัจ (Noble Truths, as an explanatory frame)
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Christology
NEW. Relational, personal truth embodied in Christ (14:6), not abstract propositional accuracy, and must not be assimilated to the Buddhist ‘Noble Truths’ (อริยสัจ) framework, which names diagnostic teachings, not a Person to be known.
Savior Of The World
Approved rendering: พระผู้ช่วยให้รอดของโลก
Transliteration: Phra Phu Chuai Hai Rot khong Lok
Doctrine: God’s Love for the World
Original: ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου
Category: Salvation
NEW. Built on the baseline’s established ความรอด root exactly; reinforces the Romans baseline’s High-risk Universal Scope of the Gospel doctrine (John 4:42).
The Father Draws
Approved rendering: ทรงชักนำ / ทรงดึงดูดมาหา
Transliteration: song chaknam / song duengdut ma ha
Doctrine: The New Birth and Regeneration by the Spirit
Rejected alternatives: โชคชะตา (fate)
Original: ἕλκω
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must convey a sovereign, personal divine initiative, not fate (โชคชะตา) or an impersonal magnetic pull; directly continuous with the baseline’s Effectual Calling/Election doctrine (John 6:44).
Die On Behalf Of
Approved rendering: …ตายแทน…
Transliteration: …tai thaen…
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: …ตายเพื่อ… (ambiguous ‘for the sake of/for the benefit of’)
Original: ὑπέρ
Category: Christology
NEW. ὑπέρ (‘instead of/on behalf of’) must be rendered consistently with แทน wherever it carries substitutionary force (John 6:51; 10:11, 15; 11:50-51; 15:13; 17:19), so the doctrine of substitution is not diluted into a merely exemplary or sympathetic death.
Ruler Of This World
Approved rendering: เจ้าโลกนี้
Transliteration: chao lok ni
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: ὁ ἄρχων τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Christology
NEW. A title for Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), a defeated and temporary usurper, never suggested as a legitimate rival deity of comparable standing to God.
New Commandment Love
Approved rendering: บัญญัติใหม่ / รักซึ่งกันและกัน
Transliteration: banyat mai / rak sueng kan lae kan
Doctrine: The New Commandment of Love
Original: ἐντολὴ καινή
Category: Ethics
NEW. Must be distinguished sharply from ธรรมบัญญัติ (the established Mosaic Law term); a relational, grace-flowing ethic modeled on Christ’s own self-giving love (John 13:34-35; 15:12-17), parallel to the Galatians baseline’s law_of_christ entry.
Spirit Of Truth
Approved rendering: พระวิญญาณแห่งความจริง
Transliteration: Phra Winyan haeng khwam jing
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας
Category: God
NEW. Builds on the established Holy Spirit and truth terms; emphasizes the Spirit’s role guiding believers into truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).
Abide
Approved rendering: ติดสนิท (อยู่ในเรา) / เข้าสนิทกับเรา
Transliteration: tit sanit (yu nai rao) / khao sanit kap rao
Doctrine: Union with Christ: Abiding and Bearing Fruit
Original: μένω
Category: Salvation
NEW. Must convey ongoing, intimate, dependent relational union, not mere physical proximity or occasional visitation (John 15:4-10).
Convict World Of Sin
Approved rendering: ทำให้โลกรู้แจ้งเรื่องบาป (ถูกเปิดเผยความผิด)
Transliteration: tham hai lok ru chaeng rueang bap
Doctrine: The Holy Spirit as Counselor
Original: ἐλέγχω
Category: Judgment
NEW. Cross-reference John 3:20 and 16:8; reuses the established sin (บาป) term exactly; must never be rendered through an impersonal karmic-accounting frame.
Overcome The World
Approved rendering: มีชัยชนะเหนือโลก
Transliteration: mi chai chana nuea lok
Doctrine: Assurance and Victory over the World
Original: νικάω τὸν κόσμον
Category: Salvation
NEW. Christ’s own accomplished, decisive victory (John 16:33), not an ongoing self-achieved struggle resembling sustained meditative discipline toward liberation.
Kingdom Not Of This World
Approved rendering: แผ่นดินของเรามิได้เป็นแห่งโลกนี้
Transliteration: phaendin khong rao mi dai pen haeng lok ni
Doctrine: Christ’s Kingship and Divine Authority
Original: ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου
Category: Kingdom
NEW. Same lèse-majesté-sensitive register the Romans baseline flags for Romans 13:1-7, intensified here by direct juxtaposition with Pilate’s political authority (John 18:36). Categorical difference in kind from any earthly monarchy, neither endorsing nor subverting it.
Agape Vs Phileo Love
Approved rendering: รัก
Transliteration: rak
Doctrine: Pastoral Restoration and Discipleship (Peter)
Rejected alternatives: an artificial two-word Thai solution not native to the language
Original: ἀγαπάω / φιλέω
Category: Ethics
NEW. LINGUISTIC GAP: standard Thai รัก does not lexically distinguish ἀγαπάω from φιλέω (John 21:15-17). A translator note is mandatory so back-translation reviewers do not flag Peter’s consistent φιλέω answers as a translation error.
Wrath Of God
Approved rendering: พระพิโรธของพระเจ้า
Transliteration: Phra Phirot khong Phra Chao
Doctrine: The Wrath and the Love of God Contrasted
Rejected alternatives: เคราะห์กรรม (impersonal karmic misfortune)
Original: ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: God
NEW. Must be taught as the personal, righteous, judicial response of a personal God to unbelief (John 3:36), never เคราะห์กรรม — the same personal-vs-impersonal distinction the baseline establishes for curse and providence.
Lamb Of God
Approved rendering: พระเมษโปดกของพระเจ้า
Transliteration: Phra Mesapodok khong Phra Chao
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: a generic sacrificial-animal offering term (เครื่องเซ่น)
Original: ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Christology
NEW. Established Thai Bible term (John 1:29, 36). Requires an explanatory translator note on the OT Passover/sacrificial background; must not be read through Buddhist merit-making animal-release practices (ปล่อยนก/ปล่อยปลาเพื่อทำบุญ), the opposite direction of a substitute dying in the sinner’s place.
Authority Exousia
Approved rendering: สิทธิอำนาจ
Transliteration: sitthi amnat
Doctrine: Christ’s Kingship and Divine Authority
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
NEW. Must convey a divine, shared prerogative, not mere delegated permission of the sort a subordinate official receives (John 5:21-27).
Equal Honor Father Son
Approved rendering: ให้เกียรติพระบุตรเหมือนให้เกียรติพระบิดา
Transliteration: hai kiati Phra But muean hai kiati Phra Bida
Doctrine: Unity of the Father and the Son
Rejected alternatives: a softened, derivative/lesser-honor rendering
Original: τιμᾷ τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα
Category: Christology
NEW. Must not be softened into a lesser, derivative honor; the equal-honor claim (John 5:23) is itself the doctrinal point.
Sign Semeion
Approved rendering: หมายสำคัญ
Transliteration: maisamkhan
Doctrine: Signs Pointing to Christ’s Identity
Rejected alternatives: ลางบอกเหตุ (omen/portent)
Original: σημεῖον
Category: Christology
NEW. Must be anchored as a divinely given, Christ-attesting act, not a fortune/omen (ลางบอกเหตุ) interpreted by a fortune-teller (หมอดู) (John 2:11; 20:30-31).
Medium Risk Terms
Faith
Approved rendering: ความเชื่อ
Transliteration: khwam cheua
Doctrine: Faith
Rejected alternatives: ศรัทธา
Original: πιστεύω / πίστις
Category: Faith
Object of faith must always be specified as Christ. ศรัทธา carries strong Buddhist devotional connotation. Inherited from Romans package unchanged; John’s most frequent theological verb (πιστεύω, used approximately 98 times).
Flesh
Approved rendering: เนื้อหนัง
Transliteration: nuea nang
Doctrine: Flesh versus Spirit
Rejected alternatives: กิเลส (as the primary gloss)
Original: σάρξ
Category: Anthropology
CRITICAL forbidden substitution rule inherited unchanged: never กิเลส (Buddhist defilements). SENSE-SHIFT FLAG for John: in Galatians σάρξ names the sinful nature in active rebellion; in John 1:14 and 3:6 σάρξ names ordinary/neutral human nature (‘the Word became flesh’; ‘that which is born of the flesh is flesh’), and in John 6:51-56 it carries a third, provocative sacramental sense. Phase 2 translator notes must flag which sense is active at each occurrence so the wrong doctrine note is not imported.
Church
Approved rendering: คริสตจักร
Transliteration: khritsatchak
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: วัด
Original: ἐκκλησία (background doctrine)
Category: Church
Never use วัด (a Buddhist temple compound). Inherited from Romans package unchanged; relevant background doctrine to John’s flock/fold (ch. 10) and vine/branches (ch. 15) imagery.
Israel
Approved rendering: อิสราเอล
Transliteration: Itsarael
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package unchanged; used at John 1:49 (‘King of Israel’) and 3:10 (‘the teacher of Israel’).
Mission
Approved rendering: พันธกิจ
Transliteration: phanthakit
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Rejected alternatives: งานเผยแผ่ศาสนา
Original: ἀποστέλλω / πέμπω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package unchanged; root shared with the Father’s sending of the Son and the Son’s sending of the disciples (John 17:18; 20:21).
Darkness Skotos
Approved rendering: ความมืด
Transliteration: khwam muet
Doctrine: Judgment and Belief/Unbelief
Original: τὸ σκότος / ἡ σκοτία
Category: Judgment
NEW. A willed moral preference for opposition to God (3:19), not neutral ignorance.
Testimony Witness
Approved rendering: คำพยาน
Transliteration: kham phayan
Doctrine: Testimony and Witness to Christ
Original: μαρτυρία
Category: Christology
NEW. Legal/eyewitness sense; low collision risk. Must remain consistent across John’s several distinct witnesses (John the Baptist, the Father, the Spirit, the disciples, Scripture) at 1:7-8; 1:19-34; 3:11; 5:31-39; 8:13-18; 15:26-27.
Blood And Water
Approved rendering: พระโลหิตและน้ำ
Transliteration: Phra Lohit lae nam
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Original: αἷμα καὶ ὕδωρ
Category: Christology
NEW. Uses the honorific พระโลหิต (‘royal/sacred blood’) consistent with Thai Bible convention for Christ’s blood, distinct from ordinary เลือด (John 19:34).
Shepherd Feed Sheep
Approved rendering: จงเลี้ยงลูกแกะของเรา / จงดูแลแกะของเรา
Transliteration: chong liang luk kae khong rao / chong dulae kae khong rao
Doctrine: Pastoral Restoration and Discipleship (Peter)
Original: βόσκε / ποίμαινε
Category: Ethics
NEW. Builds on the established Good Shepherd imagery from chapter 10 (John 21:15-17).
Living Water
Approved rendering: น้ำที่ธำรงชีวิต
Transliteration: nam thi thamrong chiwit
Doctrine: Eternal Life through Faith in Christ
Original: ὕδωρ ζῶν / ποταμοὶ ὕδατος ζῶντος
Category: Salvation
NEW. Built consistently on the established ชีวิต (life) root; must not be confused with holy/blessed water rituals (น้ำมนต์) used in Thai folk-Buddhist practice (John 4:10-14; 7:38-39).
Hour Appointed Time
Approved rendering: วาระของเรา / เวลาที่กำหนดไว้
Transliteration: wara khong rao / wela thi kamnot wai
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Death and Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: ฤกษ์งามยามดี (astrologically auspicious moment)
Original: ἡ ὥρα
Category: God
NEW. Parallel to the Galatians baseline’s fullness_of_time (เมื่อครบกำหนดเวลา); God’s own appointed moment, never an astrologically auspicious moment determined by horoscope (John 2:4; 7:30; 12:23; 13:1; 17:1).
Low Risk Terms
Abraham
Approved rendering: อับราฮัม
Transliteration: Abraham
Doctrine: The Abrahamic Covenant and Promise
Original: Ἀβραάμ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Galatians package unchanged; central to the ‘children of Abraham’ dispute (John 8:31-58) and Christ’s pre-existence claim (‘before Abraham was, I am’).
Referenced passages