Semantic Analysis

Romans — Semantic Analysis (Koine Greek → Twi)

TRI Phase 1 · Step 1 — First Language Package for Twi

0. Baseline Decisions (binding on all future twi curricula)

Because no twi Language Package exists yet, the choices below are not stylistic preferences — they are the permanent baseline. Every future twi curriculum in this pipeline must reuse these renderings unless a formal revision note supersedes this document.

Dialect/script: Standard Akan orthography as codified for Asante Twi, the literary/liturgical register used by the historic Twi Bible tradition (Christaller–Akrofi lineage, Bible Society of Ghana). Special characters ɛ and ɔ are used throughout; no tone marking.
Register: Formal, literary, “Bible Twi” — the register of public Scripture reading and hymnody, not conversational/market Twi. Second person plural respectful forms are used for address (e.g., “mo” not “wo” in exhortation contexts), consistent with existing Twi Bible practice.
Divine names: θεός → Onyankopɔn (not the colloquial “Onyame”); κύριος → Awurade; these are the existing pan-denominational Twi Christian convention and are adopted rather than innovated.
Citation convention: Greek word first (Greek script), then transliteration in italics-equivalent, then gloss. Verse references as Rom. C:V.
Risk-tier definitions (used throughout, shared with the glossary):
- Critical — core salvation doctrine + strong, specific collision with dominant Akan traditional religious belief/practice; doctrinal distortion likely without explicit teaching.
- High — major theological weight or clear partial collision; requires deliberate catechetical support in every lesson that uses the term.
- Medium — manageable ambiguity or mild collision; footnote/gloss sufficient.
- Low — stable, already-idiomatic in Twi Christian usage, minimal collision risk.

Where a term’s chosen Twi rendering deliberately avoids a loaded traditional-religion word (e.g., avoiding nkrabea for “election,” avoiding abosom for “idols”), that reasoning is recorded so future translators do not “correct” it back toward the native term.

1. CORE PASSAGE — Romans 1:1–17 (verse-by-verse)

Rom. 1:1

Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ

δοῦλος doulos — lit. “slave, bondman”; range: slave, indentured servant, one wholly owned; EN variants: “servant,” “slave,” “bondservant”; theological sense: total ownership/submission to Christ as Master, a title of honor in Paul’s usage, not shame. Twi: akoa. Risk: Medium — Ghana’s own history with the transatlantic and internal slave trade makes akoa an emotionally loaded word; however it is the established Twi Bible rendering for doulos and must be retained, with teaching notes clarifying Paul’s paradoxical use (slavery to Christ = true freedom, cf. Rom. 6).
κλητός klētos — lit. “called, invited”; range: summoned, appointed; EN: “called”; theological sense: divine summons, not self-appointment. Twi: ɔfrɛfo / wɔafrɛ no (“one whom [God] has called”). Risk: Low.
ἀπόστολος apostolos — lit. “one sent, envoy, delegate”; range: messenger with delegated authority; EN: “apostle”; theological sense: authorized representative of Christ. Twi: ɔsomafo (“one who is sent”). Risk: Low — already standard.
ἀφωρισμένος aphōrismenos (perf. pass. ptc.) — lit. “having been marked off/separated”; range: set apart, designated; EN: “set apart,” “separated”; theological sense: divine election to a specific task. Twi: wɔatew no ho (“he has been separated/set apart”). Risk: Low.
εὐαγγέλιον euangelion — lit. “good news, good message”; range: proclamation of victory/good tidings (imperial background: news of a ruler’s accession); EN: “gospel,” “good news”; theological sense: the saving message about Christ — the anchor term of the whole book (cf. “Gospel as Power of God” doctrine). Twi: Asɛmpa (“good word/news”). Risk: Low — long-established, but see Ch.1 doctrinal note below on dynamis pairing.
θεοῦ theou — “of God.” Twi: Onyankopɔn. Risk: Medium — see §0.3 and Ch.1 doctrinal note.

Rom. 1:2

ὃ προεπηγγείλατο διὰ τῶν προφητῶν αὐτοῦ ἐν γραφαῖς ἁγίαις

προεπηγγείλατο proepēngeilato — lit. “promised beforehand”; theological sense: continuity between OT promise and NT fulfillment. Twi: hyɛɛ ho bɔ dedaw (“promised it beforehand”). Risk: Low.
προφητῶν prophētōn — “prophets.” Twi: adiyifo. Risk: Low.
γραφαῖς ἁγίαις graphais hagiais — lit. “holy writings”; EN: “holy Scriptures.” Twi: Kyerɛwsɛm Kronkron. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:3

περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, τοῦ γενομένου ἐκ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ κατὰ σάρκα

υἱοῦ huiou — “Son.” Twi: Ɔba (of God: Onyankopɔn Ba). Risk: Low.
σπέρματος spermatos — lit. “seed”; range: offspring, physical descent; EN: “seed,” “descendant.” Twi: aseni (descendant). Risk: Low.
σάρκα sarka — lit. “flesh”; range: (1) physical body/human descent (this verse), (2) fallen sinful nature (Ch. 7–8); EN: “flesh,” “human nature,” “body.” Twi: honam. Risk: High — honam is a good literal match for physical body, but Paul’s later technical sense (sinful nature dominated by self) has no ready one-word Twi equivalent and risks being read only as “the physical body is bad,” a body/soul dualism foreign to both Akan and biblical anthropology. Requires consistent contextual glossing across the book (flagged again at Ch. 7–8).

Rom. 1:4

τοῦ ὁρισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ ἐν δυνάμει κατὰ πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν

ὁρισθέντος horisthentos — lit. “having been declared/appointed/marked out”; theological sense: publicly designated as Son of God by the resurrection. Twi: wɔadi adanse sɛ (“it has been proven/attested that…”). Risk: Medium — nuance of “installed/declared” vs “made” must not imply Christ became divine only at resurrection (adoptionism risk); teaching note required.
δυνάμει dynamei — “power.” Twi: tumi. Risk: Low.
πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης pneuma hagiōsynēs — lit. “spirit of holiness.” Twi: Honhom a ɛyɛ Kronkron. Risk: see πνεῦμα note (1:4 and Ch.8).
ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν anastaseōs nekrōn — “resurrection of the dead.” Twi: awufo owusɔre. Risk: Low.
κυρίου kyriou — “Lord.” Twi: Awurade. Risk: Low (established; distinct from human “owura” = “mister/master”).

Rom. 1:5

δι’ οὗ ἐλάβομεν χάριν καὶ ἀποστολήν εἰς ὑπακοὴν πίστεως ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ

χάριν charin — lit. “grace, favor, gift”; range: unearned favor, gift, thanks; EN: “grace,” “favor”; theological sense: God’s unearned saving kindness — anchor term for “Grace and Salvation by Faith Alone.” Twi: Adom. Risk: Medium — Adom is already deeply embedded in Twi Christian usage (low collision), but must be consistently distinguished from generic human “kindness/favor” (also adom in secular speech) so hearers grasp its specifically undeserved, God-initiated character.
ἀποστολήν apostolēn — “apostleship” (the office). Twi: ɔsomafodwuma. Risk: Low.
ὑπακοὴν πίστεως hypakoēn pisteōs — lit. “obedience of faith”; a genitive construction debated as “the obedience that faith is/produces.” Theological sense: faith is not passive; it issues in obedience — critical for holding Justification and Sanctification together. Twi: gyidi mu osetie (“obedience within faith”). Risk: High — mistranslating this as merely “obey and believe” (two separate requirements) would reintroduce works-righteousness into the very verse that frames the whole letter; must be rendered/taught as faith’s inherent fruit, not a second condition alongside faith.
πίστεως pisteōs — “faith.” Twi: Gyidi. Risk: Low — established, but see Ch.3–4 doctrinal note on pistis as trust vs. mere intellectual assent.
ἔθνεσιν ethnesin — “nations, Gentiles.” Twi: amanaman. Risk: Low.
ὀνόματος onomatos — “name.” Twi: din. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:6–7

ἐν οἷς ἐστὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς κλητοὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ … πᾶσιν τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἀγαπητοῖς θεοῦ, κλητοῖς ἁγίοις· χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ

ἀγαπητοῖς agapētois — “beloved.” Twi: adɔfo. Risk: Low.
ἁγίοις hagiois (subst. “holy ones/saints”) — lit. “set-apart ones”; range: consecrated, belonging to God; EN: “saints,” “holy ones.” Twi: ahotefo (lit. “the purified/set-apart ones,” from hotew, “to be clean/set apart”), distinct from the adjective kronkron used for God’s own holiness. Risk: Medium — ahotefo must not be confused with ritual/cultic purity attained by traditional cleansing rites (guare, taboo observance); the Pauline sense is status-in-Christ, not achieved ritual cleanness.
εἰρήνη eirēnē — “peace.” Twi: Asomdwoe. Risk: Low.
πατρὸς patros — “Father.” Twi: Agya. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:8

Πρῶτον μὲν εὐχαριστῶ τῷ θεῷ μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν καταγγέλλεται ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ

εὐχαριστῶ eucharistō — “I give thanks.” Twi: meda (Onyankopɔn) ase. Risk: Low.
κόσμῳ kosmō — “world.” Twi: wiase. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:9–10

λατρεύω latreuō — lit. “I render cultic service/worship”; range: priestly/religious service; EN: “serve,” “worship.” Twi: mesom (from som, “to worship/serve [a deity]”). Risk: Medium — som is the exact verb used for worship of abosom (traditional deities) and ancestors; this overlap is actually useful for communicating exclusive devotion but must be paired with teaching that this service is rendered “ɛnam Kristo so” (through Christ) — the object of worship, not the verb, is the safeguard.
δέησις deēsis — “prayer, request.” Twi: mpaebɔ. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:11–13

χάρισμα charisma — lit. “gift of grace”; range: spiritual gift, endowment; EN: “gift.” Twi: akyɛde (a general “gift”), qualified as Honhom akyɛde where the spiritual sense must be explicit. Risk: Medium — plain akyɛde alone loses the grace-gift theological nuance; always pair with modifier.
στηριχθῆναι / παρακληθῆναι stērichthēnai / paraklēthēnai — “to be strengthened / encouraged.” Twi: hyɛ den / hyɛ nkuran. Risk: Low.
καρπόν karpon — “fruit” (metaphor for gospel result). Twi: aba. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:14

Ἕλλησίν τε καὶ βαρβάροις, σοφοῖς τε καὶ ἀνοήτοις ὀφειλέτης εἰμί

ὀφειλέτης opheiletēs — lit. “debtor”; range: one who owes an obligation; EN: “debtor,” “one obligated.” Twi: ɔdefirifo. Risk: Low, but note theological force: Paul is “in debt” to preach, not financially indebted — gloss required so ka (debt) is not read commercially.

Rom. 1:15–16

οὐ γὰρ ἐπαισχύνομαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστὶν εἰς σωτηρίαν παντὶ τῷ πιστεύοντι

ἐπαισχύνομαι epaischynomai — “I am ashamed of.” Twi: mefɛre (+ negation: mimfɛre… ho). Risk: Low.
δύναμις dynamis — “power.” Twi: tumi. Risk: Medium — theologically load-bearing (anchor for “Gospel as the Power of God” doctrine); tumi is the same word used for chiefly/political/spiritual power (including power attributed to abosom and charms/asuman), so the phrase “Onyankopɔn tumi” must be consistently taught as unique, saving, resurrection-power, not one power among many competing supernatural forces.
σωτηρίαν sōtērian — lit. “deliverance, rescue”; range: rescue from danger, health, salvation; EN: “salvation,” “deliverance.” Twi: Nkwagye (lit. “life-rescue/saving of life”). Risk: Low — well-established, semantically strong (rescue-to-life), good match.
πιστεύοντι pisteuonti — “believing/the one who believes.” Twi: obiara a ogye di (“everyone who believes/trusts”). Risk: Low.
Ἰουδαίῳ / Ἕλληνι Ioudaiō / Hellēni — “Jew / Greek.” Twi: Yudani / Helanini. Risk: Low.

Rom. 1:17

δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται

δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ dikaiosynē theou — lit. “righteousness of God”; range: (a) God’s own moral character, (b) God’s saving activity that puts people right, (c) the righteous status God grants; EN: “righteousness,” “justice.” Theological sense: THE anchor phrase for Justification by Faith. Twi: Onyankopɔn trenee. Risk: Critical — this is the single most doctrinally load-bearing phrase in the letter. Trenee (from “straight/upright”) accurately conveys moral uprightness, but Twi has no built-in forensic/legal register that automatically signals “a righteous status credited to another.” Without deliberate catechesis distinguishing trenee as (1) attribute, (2) saving act, and (3) imputed status, hearers will likely default to sense (1) only — God’s own personal uprightness — and miss the gift-status dimension central to justification.
ἀποκαλύπτεται apokalyptetai — “is being revealed.” Twi: wɔda no adi. Risk: Low.
ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν ek pisteōs eis pistin — lit. “from faith to faith/unto faith”; range: debated — “from God’s faithfulness to human faith,” or “entirely by faith, beginning to end.” Twi: efi gyidi, kɔ gyidi mu. Risk: Medium — ambiguity is in the Greek itself; Twi rendering should preserve rather than resolve the ambiguity.
δίκαιος dikaios — “the righteous (one).” Twi: ɔtreneeni. Risk: shares Critical flag with dikaiosynē above.
ζήσεται zēsetai — “will live.” Twi: ɔbenya nkwa (“he will have/receive life”). Risk: Low.

2. CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER STUDY — WHOLE BOOK

Chapter 1 (remainder, vv. 18–32) — Universal guilt, idolatry, God’s wrath

New load-bearing terms beyond 1:1–17:

ὀργή orgē — lit. “wrath, settled anger” (not a losing-control rage); EN: “wrath,” “anger.” Twi: abufuhyew (“burning anger”). Risk: High — must be taught as God’s just, controlled judicial response to sin, not capricious anger like that attributed to offended abosom/ancestral spirits in traditional belief, which is often placated by ritual rather than resolved by substitution.
ἀσέβεια asebeia — lit. “lack of reverence/piety”; EN: “ungodliness,” “impiety.” Twi: Onyame animtiabu (“disrespect toward God”). Risk: Medium.
ἀδικία adikia — lit. “un-righteousness, wrongdoing”; EN: “wickedness,” “unrighteousness.” Twi: amumɔyɛsɛm. Risk: Low.
εἴδωλον eidōlon — lit. “image, likeness”; EN: “idol.” Twi: ohoni / ahoni (carved images), deliberately chosen over abosom (the traditional deities/spirits themselves). Risk: Critical — ahoni names the physical object (a culturally “safer,” more distant referent), but Paul’s critique in 1:23–25 is aimed at the worship of created things generally, including the spiritual beings Akan tradition calls abosom. Using only ahoni risks softening the text into “don’t worship carved statues” while missing the direct challenge to the wider traditional spiritual economy (abosom, ancestor veneration). Teaching notes must make the broader referent explicit.
κτίσις ktisis — “creation.” Twi: abɔdeɛ. Risk: Low.
παραδίδωμι paradidōmi (“God gave them over”) — lit. “handed over, delivered up”; theological sense: judicial abandonment, God’s judgment expressed by withdrawal, not just active punishment. Twi: Onyankopɔn de wɔn hyɛɛ…mu. Risk: Medium.
δικαίωμα dikaiōma (“God’s righteous decree,” 1:32) — Twi: Onyankopɔn atemmu a ɛteɛ. Risk: Low.

Chapter 2 — Impartial judgment, the Law, the true Jew

κρίμα / κρίσις krima/krisis — “judgment.” Twi: atemmu. Risk: Low.
μετάνοια metanoia — lit. “change of mind”; EN: “repentance.” Twi: adwensakra. Risk: Medium — must be distinguished from mere regret/remorse (awerɛhow) common in traditional contexts of taboo-breach confession; Pauline repentance includes reoriented trust, not only sorrow.
περιτομή peritomē — “circumcision.” Twi: twetiatwa. Risk: Low (a literal, non-metaphorical Akan practice exists, aiding comprehension of the literal referent, though Paul’s point is precisely that it is insufficient alone).
νόμος nomos — lit. “law, custom, principle”; range: the Mosaic Law, law in general, a governing principle; EN: “law,” “Law.” Twi: Mmara. Risk: Medium — lexically stable and reused throughout the book (Ch. 2–10), but the doctrine “The Law and Its Purpose” requires teaching to distinguish Mmara as (a) Mosaic code, (b) moral law written on the heart (2:14–15), and (c) “law” as a general principle (e.g., “law of faith,” 3:27) — Twi has one word for all three, so context must always be supplied.
συνείδησις syneidēsis — “conscience.” Twi: ahonim. Risk: Low.
Ἰουδαῖος Ioudaios — “Jew.” Twi: Yudani. Risk: Low.

Chapter 3 — No one righteous, justification, propitiation

δικαιόω dikaioō — lit. “to declare righteous/acquit” (forensic verb); EN: “justify.” Twi: bu (obi) bem (lit. “to judge/rule someone innocent” — an existing Akan legal-court idiom). Risk: Critical — this is the central verb of the doctrine “Justification by Faith.” Bu bem is an excellent structural match (forensic acquittal, exactly as in a chief’s/elder’s court) but carries the risk that hearers think of a human court simply finding someone already innocent, rather than God crediting righteousness to someone who is actually guilty (the scandal of Rom. 3–4). Every use requires the qualifying clause “ɛnyɛ ne ho tenenee nti, na ɛyɛ Kristo tenenee a wɔde ama no” (“not because of his own righteousness, but Christ’s righteousness credited to him”).
δικαίωσις dikaiōsis (noun) — Twi: bembuo. Risk: Critical (shared with dikaioō).
ἱλαστήριον hilastērion — lit. “place/means of atonement” (OT: mercy seat; here: propitiatory sacrifice); EN: “propitiation,” “atoning sacrifice,” “mercy seat.” Twi: mpata (lit. “compensation/appeasement-payment”). Risk: Critical — mpata is the exact term used in Akan traditional religion for appeasement offerings/libation given by humans to pacify an offended deity, ancestor, or aggrieved party. This creates a direction-of-action collision: traditional mpata flows from humans upward to appease a deity; biblical mpata in Rom. 3:25 flows from God himself, who provides and initiates the propitiatory sacrifice in Christ. Every use of mpata in this curriculum must be accompanied by explicit teaching that God is the giver, not merely the recipient, of this mpata.
αἷμα haima — “blood.” Twi: mogya. Risk: Medium — blood-sacrifice associations with traditional cultic practice run parallel to mpata above; same teaching safeguard applies.
καύχησις kauchēsis — “boasting.” Twi: ahantan/ahoahoa. Risk: Low.
ἔργα (νόμου) erga (nomou) — “works (of the law).” Twi: Mmara ho nnwuma. Risk: Medium — must be clear these are deeds done to earn standing, not good works generally (which Paul commends elsewhere, e.g., Rom. 12).

Chapter 4 — Abraham, faith counted as righteousness

λογίζομαι logizomai — lit. “to reckon, count, credit” (accounting term); EN: “count,” “reckon,” “impute.” Twi: bu (obi) sɛ (“to regard/count someone as”). Risk: High — foundational for imputation doctrine; must be distinguished from bu bem (Ch.3) — here the emphasis is the accounting metaphor (crediting a status not yet actually possessed), which needs its own teaching note alongside the court-metaphor of dikaioō.
ἐπαγγελία epangelia — “promise.” Twi: bɔhyɛ. Risk: Low.
κληρονόμος klēronomos — “heir.” Twi: ɔdedifo. Risk: Low.
παράπτωμα paraptōma (4:25, also Ch.5) — lit. “false step, trespass”; distinct from general hamartia (sin as a state/power); EN: “trespass,” “transgression.” Twi: mmarato (“breaking of a command/boundary”). Risk: Medium — must be kept distinct from bɔne (sin, general) so Rom. 5’s Adam/Christ argument (one trespass vs. one act of righteousness) is not flattened.

Chapter 5 — Adam and Christ, reconciliation, grace abounding

ἁμαρτία hamartia — lit. “missing the mark”; range: sinful act, sinful state/power, indwelling principle; EN: “sin.” Twi: Bɔne. Risk: Critical — anchor term for “Original Sin and Universal Guilt.” In Akan traditional thought, bɔne is generally an individual, discrete act — a taboo violation or wrong against a person, family, or spirit-world — addressed through confession, restitution, or ritual cleansing. Paul’s usage in Rom. 5:12–19 (sin as an inherited condition/reigning power entering the world through one man, Adam) has no native equivalent in Akan thought, which does not have a doctrine of a single ancestral fall corrupting all humanity’s nature. This is one of the highest-risk collisions in the entire book and requires sustained catechetical development, not merely a glossary note.
θάνατος thanatos — “death.” Twi: owu. Risk: Low lexically, but High doctrinally when paired with hamartia above (death as sin’s inherited wage, not merely biological end or ancestral transition — contrast the traditional view of death as passage into ancestorhood).
καταλλαγή / καταλλάσσω katallagē/katallassō — lit. “exchange, reconciliation”; EN: “reconciliation,” “to reconcile.” Twi: nkabɔmu (a deliberately constructed term, “the-bringing-together,” from bɔ + mu), chosen instead of extending mpata to this concept, to keep propitiation (God’s dealing with wrath, Ch.3) and reconciliation (restored relationship, Ch.5) as distinct theological moments. Risk: Medium — as a less common compound, it requires definition on first use; the risk of not distinguishing it from mpata was judged greater than the risk of introducing a new compound.
δικαίωσις (5:18, “justification… resulting in life”) — reuses Ch.3 rendering bembuo.
χάρις charis — reuses Ch.1 rendering Adom; note intensified in 5:20 (“grace abounded all the more”) — Twi: Adom no boroo so.

Chapter 6 — Union with Christ, baptism, slaves to righteousness

βαπτίζω baptizō — lit. “to dip, immerse”; EN: “baptize.” Twi: bɔ asu (lit. “to strike/administer water” — established church usage; noun asubɔ, “baptism”). Risk: Low — established, though denominational practice (immersion vs. affusion) varies; lexical choice does not resolve that debate and should not be read as doing so.
σῶμα sōma — “body.” Twi: nipadua (lit. “person-tree/frame” — the whole embodied person). Risk: Low, distinguish from honam (flesh, Ch.1/7) — sōma is more neutral (the body as instrument, cf. 6:12–13), sarx carries the negative moral freight.
ἐλευθερόω eleutheroō — “to set free.” Twi: gye … fi … mu (“to rescue/free from”). Risk: Low.
ἁγιασμός hagiasmos — lit. “the process/state of being made holy”; EN: “sanctification,” “holiness.” Twi: kronkronyɛ (from kronkron, “holy,” + nominalizer). Risk: Medium — anchor term for “Sanctification and Life in the Spirit”; must be distinguished from ritual/cultic purity attained by traditional rites of cleansing before approaching shrines — biblical kronkronyɛ is a Spirit-wrought, progressive moral transformation flowing from union with Christ (6:1–14), not a ritual state achieved by the worshiper’s own observance.
δοῦλος (again, “slaves of righteousness” 6:18) — reuses Ch.1 akoa; note the deliberate paradox is preserved (slave of sin vs. slave of righteousness), teaching point rather than translation problem.

Chapter 7 — Law, sin, and the inner conflict

σάρξ sarx — reuses Ch.1 honam; this chapter is where the High risk flagged in 1:3 becomes most acute (7:5, 7:18, 7:25 — “in my flesh dwells no good thing”). Teaching material must repeatedly clarify honam here = “the old, sin-dominated self,” not “the physical body is evil.”
ἐπιθυμία epithymia — “desire, craving, lust.” Twi: akɔnnɔ. Risk: Low-Medium (akɔnnɔ is morally neutral in general Twi usage — “craving/appetite” — so context must mark it negative here).
ἐντολή entolē — “commandment.” Twi: ɔhyɛde. Risk: Low.
ἔσω ἄνθρωπος esō anthrōpos — “inner man.” Twi: onipa mu nipa (“the person within the person”). Risk: Medium — must not be read through the lens of Akan tripartite personhood (ɔkra/sunsum/honam) as naming one of those three components; it is Paul’s own metaphor for the regenerate will versus the flesh.
νόμος — reused; 7:23 introduces “another law” (a governing principle in the members) — flag that Mmara here is metaphorical, not the Mosaic code; teaching note required (see Ch.2 above).

Chapter 8 — Life in the Spirit, adoption, glory, no condemnation, God’s purpose

πνεῦμα pneuma (Holy Spirit, dominant chapter theme) — Twi: Honhom (Kronkron). Risk: Medium — deliberately chosen over sunsum, the Akan term for personality-spirit/spiritual power, which carries strong indigenous associations (ancestral spirits, spirit-possession, protective/malevolent spiritual forces). Honhom (breath/spirit) was judged the safer established option, but “Kronkron” must always accompany it in this doctrine’s teaching to prevent conflation with generic sunsum categories.
υἱοθεσία huiothesia — lit. “placing as a son”; EN: “adoption.” Twi: mmayɛ (“being made a child/son”). Risk: Medium — Akan customary adoption/fosterage practices exist and can aid understanding (a real, socially legible category), but must be taught with the added dimension of full inheritance rights (8:17), which is stronger than typical customary fosterage.
Ἀββά Abba — Aramaic term of intimate address to father. Twi: transliterated Aba, glossed immediately as Agya (“Father”). Risk: Low — kept as a loanword deliberately, to preserve the text’s own cross-lingual intimacy (Paul retains it in Greek too).
δόξα doxa — “glory.” Twi: Anuonyam. Risk: Low.
προορίζω proorizō — lit. “to mark out/determine beforehand”; EN: “predestine, foreordain.” Twi: hyɛɛ ho nhyehyɛe fii mfiase (“determined/planned it from the beginning”). Risk: Critical — see extended note under “Election and the Sovereignty of God,” Ch.9, below; the collision is most acute there but begins here.
ἐκλεκτός / ἐκλογή eklektos/eklogē — “elect/chosen; election.” Twi: verb paw (“to choose/select”); noun nyiyi (“the act of choosing”). Risk: Critical (see Ch.9).
προγινώσκω proginōskō — “to know beforehand.” Twi: nim (obi) dedaw. Risk: Medium, tied to the same election cluster.
τέκνα θεοῦ tekna theou — “children of God.” Twi: Onyankopɔn mma. Risk: Low.

Chapter 9 — Israel, God’s sovereign choice, mercy and hardening

Ἰσραήλ Israēl — Twi: Israel (transliterated proper noun). Risk: Low lexically, but this chapter and Ch.11 anchor “The Future of Israel” doctrine — care needed that “Israel” is not silently allegorized into “the Church” in teaching materials without flagging the interpretive choice being made.
ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτός (reused from Ch.8) — this is the chapter of highest concentration and highest risk. Critical note: Akan traditional cosmology holds that every person receives from Onyankopɔn, before birth, a personal nkrabea — a largely fixed life-destiny. This curriculum’s chosen renderings (paw = “choose,” nhyehyɛe = “plan/arrangement”) deliberately avoid the word nkrabea specifically so that Paul’s argument about God’s sovereign, merciful choice in salvation is not collapsed into fatalistic destiny-assignment, nor read as removing human responsibility to believe (which Paul himself insists on in Ch.10 immediately following). Teaching notes must name this cultural concept explicitly so teachers can address it head-on rather than let it operate silently in hearers’ minds.
σκληρύνω sklērynō — “to harden” (Pharaoh’s heart). Twi: pirim (ne koma). Risk: Medium.
ἔλεος eleos — “mercy.” Twi: Mmɔborɔhunu. Risk: Low.
σκεῦος skeuos — “vessel” (metaphor, potter/clay). Twi: kuruwa. Risk: Low.
λίθος προσκόμματος lithos proskommatos — “stone of stumbling.” Twi: ɔhintibo. Risk: Low.

Chapter 10 — Righteousness by faith, confession, universal call to believe

ὁμολογέω homologeō — “to confess, acknowledge openly.” Twi: pae mu ka (“to declare openly”). Risk: Low.
ἐπικαλέομαι epikaleomai — “to call upon (a name).” Twi: frɛ (Awurade) din. Risk: Low.
κηρύσσω / εὐαγγελίζομαι kēryssō/euangelizomai — “to preach/proclaim good news.” Twi: ka Asɛmpa (reuses Ch.1 Asɛmpa). Risk: Low.
ζῆλος zēlos — “zeal.” Twi: mmɔdenbɔ / anibere. Risk: Low.

Chapter 11 — The remnant, the olive tree, Israel’s future restoration

ῥίζα rhiza — “root.” Twi: ntini. Risk: Low.
κλάδος klados — “branch.” Twi: aban. Risk: Low.
ἐγκεντρίζω enkentrizō — “to graft in.” Twi: ka bata ho (“to attach/join to”). Risk: Low — horticultural grafting is a familiar Ghanaian agricultural practice (cocoa, citrus), a genuine cultural asset for this metaphor.
πλήρωμα plērōma — “fullness.” Twi: ahyɛmma. Risk: Low.
μυστήριον mystērion — lit. “mystery, hidden secret now revealed”; EN: “mystery.” Twi: ahintasɛm (“a hidden matter [now disclosed]”). Risk: Medium — must be distinguished from the Akan-traditional sense of “mystery” tied to esoteric spiritual/occult knowledge (secrets of shrines, divination); Paul’s mystērion is a once-hidden, now openly-proclaimed truth, the opposite of guarded esoteric secrecy.
χρηστότης / ἀποτομία chrēstotēs/apotomia — “kindness / severity.” Twi: ayamye / atemmu a ano yɛ den. Risk: Low.

Chapter 12 — Living sacrifice, transformed mind, body of Christ, love

θυσία thysia — lit. “sacrifice, offering”; EN: “sacrifice.” Twi: afɔrebɔ. Risk: High — afɔrebɔ is the standard Akan term for literal cultic sacrifice to abosom or ancestors. Paul’s “living sacrifice” (12:1) is a deliberate metaphor transferring cultic vocabulary to ethical, whole-life devotion; without explicit teaching, hearers may either (a) read it as calling for literal ritual sacrifice, or (b) file it under traditional sacrificial categories (appeasement, ancestor-honoring) rather than glad, once-for-all-secured self-offering in response to grace already received (12:1 follows eleven chapters of grace).
λογικὴ λατρεία logikē latreia — “reasonable/spiritual service.” Twi: adwene mu ɔsom (“worship/service performed with the mind/understanding”). Risk: Medium.
μεταμορφόω metamorphoō — “to transform.” Twi: sakra (obi) su (“to change someone’s character/nature”). Risk: Low.
νοῦς nous — “mind.” Twi: adwene. Risk: Low.
σῶμα Χριστοῦ sōma Christou — “body of Christ.” Twi: Kristo nipadua (reuses Ch.6 nipadua). Risk: Medium — anchor image for “Christian Living and Unity in the Church” and “Union with Christ”; must be taught as organic, interdependent unity (12:4–5), a concept that resonates well with Akan communal/lineage identity (abusua) — a genuine cultural bridge, but with the risk of over-identifying “body of Christ” with a single ethnic abusua (clan) rather than the trans-ethnic, trans-clan body Paul describes (cf. Ch.9–11’s Jew/Gentile theme).
ἀγάπη agapē — “love.” Twi: Ɔdɔ. Risk: Medium — ɔdɔ covers the full range of Twi “love” including romantic/family love; Paul’s self-giving, covenantal agapē (12:9–10) needs contextual reinforcement so it is not narrowed to affection/emotion.
φιλαδελφία philadelphia — “brotherly love.” Twi: anuadɔ. Risk: Low.
ταπεινοφροσύνη tapeinophrosynē — “humility.” Twi: ahobrɛase. Risk: Low.

Chapter 13 — Civic authority, love as law’s fulfillment

ἐξουσία exousia — “authority.” Twi: tumi (reused; here specifically governing/civic authority — teaching note distinguishes this from dynamis, Ch.1, though both render “tumi” — see glossary flag). Risk: Medium — collapsing dynamis and exousia into the same Twi word risks losing Paul’s distinction between raw power and legitimated authority; context and modifiers (“aban tumi,” “tumi a wɔde ama no”) should be used to disambiguate.
ὑποτάσσω hypotassō — “to submit, be subject to.” Twi: brɛ (wo) ho ase (“to humble/submit oneself”). Risk: Low.
φόρος / ὀφειλή phoros/opheilē — “tax / debt.” Twi: towtua / ka. Risk: Low.
σκότος / φῶς skotos/phōs — “darkness / light.” Twi: esum / hann. Risk: Low.
νόμος (fulfilled by love, 13:8–10) — reuses Ch.2 Mmara.

Chapter 14 — The weak and the strong, Christian unity, the kingdom of God

ἀσθενῶν τῇ πίστει asthenōn tē pistei — “weak in faith.” Twi: gyidi mu ayarefo (“the sick/weak ones in faith”). Risk: Low.
βασιλεία θεοῦ basileia theou — “kingdom of God.” Twi: Onyankopɔn Ahenni (using ahenni, “chieftaincy/kingship rule,” a living Akan governance institution). Risk: Medium — good cultural resonance (chieftaincy is a real, respected institution), but risks importing expectations of territorial, ethnic, or hereditary kingship rather than the Spirit’s already-inaugurated-but-not-yet-consummated reign (14:17, “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”).
σκάνδαλον skandalon — “stumbling block.” Twi: hintidua. Risk: Low.
οἰκοδομέω oikodomeō — “to build up, edify.” Twi: kyekyere (“to build”). Risk: Low.

Chapter 15 — Christ’s example, unity, Paul’s ministry plans

ὑπομονή hypomonē — “endurance, patience.” Twi: abotare. Risk: Low.
παράκλησις paraklēsis — “comfort/encouragement” (reused root from Ch.1). Twi: nkuranhyɛ. Risk: Low.
λειτουργός leitourgos — “minister” (priestly-toned service word). Twi: ɔsomfo. Risk: Low — same Twi word as diakonos (Ch.16); the priestly nuance of leitourgos is a teaching point, not a lexical distinction, in this Twi rendering.
προσφορά prosphora — “offering.” Twi: afɔrebɔdeɛ — shares the High-risk cultic-sacrifice profile flagged for thysia (Ch.12); same teaching safeguard applies.

Chapter 16 — Greetings, commendations, warning against divisions

διάκονος diakonos — “servant, deacon” (of Phoebe, 16:1). Twi: ɔsomfo. Risk: Low — note for future curricula: this Twi word does not by itself resolve the exegetical/ecclesiological debate over whether this designates an office; that determination belongs to doctrinal commentary, not the lexical choice.
συνεργός synergos — “fellow worker.” Twi: ɔboafo (“helper/co-worker”). Risk: Low.
ἀσπάζομαι aspazomai — “to greet.” Twi: kyia. Risk: Low.
σχίσμα schisma — “division, split.” Twi: mpaepaemu. Risk: Low, but doctrinally important for “Christian Living and Unity in the Church” — pairs with Ch.12’s sōma Christou and Ch.14’s unity material; teaching should cross-reference all three.
ἀκέραιος akeraios — “innocent, unmixed, pure.” Twi: ɔho a ɛtew (“one who is clean/pure”). Risk: Low.
μυστήριον (16:25, reused from Ch.11) — ahintasɛm.

3. Summary of Highest-Priority Risk Items Carried Into the Glossary

The following term-clusters carry Critical risk and require dedicated teaching notes in every downstream curriculum artifact:

δικαιοσύνη/δικαιόω — Onyankopɔn trenee / bu bem (justification, forensic righteousness)
ἁμαρτία — Bɔne (original sin/inherited guilt vs. discrete taboo-acts)
ἱλαστήριον — mpata (propitiation vs. traditional appeasement direction)
ἐκλογή/προορίζω — paw/nhyehyɛe (election vs. nkrabea fatalism)
εἴδωλον — ahoni (idols as objects vs. abosom as spiritual beings)

These five recur across multiple chapters and multiple doctrines and are the load-bearing risk core of the whole book for a Twi-speaking, Akan-traditional-religion-influenced audience.