Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 1 Peter (English → Vietnamese)
This glossary extends the baseline Romans translation_memory.json for the 1 Peter curriculum. Terms marked Reused carry the baseline rendering forward unchanged, per the hard rule that established renderings must be reused exactly. Terms marked New are proposed additions specific to 1 Peter’s doctrinal content, each with a risk tier assigned using the identical Critical/High/Medium/Low framework and grounded in a specific Vietnamese religious/cultural collision where applicable. All New terms below must be added to translation_memory.json before Phase 2 segment translation begins.
Reused Baseline Terms Appearing in 1 Peter
| English Term | Vietnamese Rendering | Risk | Doctrine | Key 1 Peter Passages | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | God | 1:2-3, 1:21, 4:19, 5:10 | No change; occurs pervasively |
| Jesus | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 1:1, 1:3, 1:7, 3:21 | Combined as “Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ” per Romans transliteration standard |
| Lord | Chúa | Critical | Lordship of Christ | 1:3, 2:3, 2:13, 3:15 | Domestic uses of κύριος (e.g., 3:6, Sarah/Abraham) must NOT use this reserved title — see New term “domestic lord/master” |
| Holy Spirit | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Sanctification | 1:2, 1:11, 1:12, 4:14 | Never bare “thần linh” |
| Father | Cha | High | Adoption/Fatherhood | 1:2-3, 1:17 | 1:17’s “Father who judges impartially” reinforces grace-not-hierarchy framing |
| grace | ân điển | High | Grace | 1:2, 1:10, 1:13, 3:7, 4:10, 5:5, 5:10, 5:12 | Never phước đức/công đức/ơn nghĩa; NOTE 2:19-20 uses χάρις non-technically (“credit”) — do not force “ân điển” there |
| faith | đức tin | Medium | Faith | 1:5, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:21, 5:9 | Standard |
| salvation | sự cứu rỗi | Critical | Salvation | 1:5, 1:9, 1:10, 2:2, 3:21 | Never sự giải thoát |
| holy | thánh | Medium | Sanctification | 1:15-16, 2:5, 2:9, 3:5 | Foundational Lev 11:44 quotation at 1:16 |
| sanctification | sự nên thánh | Medium | Sanctification | 1:2 | ”sanctification of the Spirit” |
| resurrection | sự sống lại | Critical | Resurrection of Christ | 1:3, 1:21, 3:21 | Never đầu thai/luân hồi |
| glory | sự vinh hiển | Medium | Deity of Christ | 1:7, 1:8, 1:11, 1:21, 4:13-14, 5:1, 5:4, 5:10 | Very frequent throughout |
| gospel | Tin Lành | Medium | Gospel | 1:12, 1:25, 4:6, 4:17 | Anchor to specific proclamation of Christ each occurrence |
| sin | tội lỗi | Medium | Sin | 2:22, 2:24, 4:1, 4:8 | Never nghiệp xấu |
| election / elect | sự lựa chọn / được chọn | Medium | Effectual Calling | 1:1-2, 2:4, 2:6, 2:9 | Applied corporately to the church as “chosen race” |
| apostle | sứ đồ | Medium | Apostleship | 1:1 | Peter’s self-designation |
| power of God | quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | Power of God for Salvation | 1:5 | ”guarded by the power of God” |
| exhort | khích lệ / khuyên nài | Low | Mutual Edification | 5:1, 5:12 | Context-sensitive per baseline rule |
| peace | sự bình an | Medium | Peace with God | 1:2, 3:11, 5:14 | Standard closing/greeting use also present |
| righteousness | sự công bình | High | Salvation / Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | 2:24, 3:14 | Key term for the named doctrine “Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake” |
| spiritual gifts | ân tứ thuộc linh | Medium | Spiritual Gifts | 4:10 | Standard |
| providence | sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | Providence | 5:7 | ”he cares for you” |
| fellowship | sự thông công | Low | Christian Fellowship | 4:13 (κοινωνέω root) | Root shared with “sharing in Christ’s sufferings” |
New Terms Required for 1 Peter
| English Term | Vietnamese Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine | Alternatives Rejected | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mercy | sự thương xót | su thuong xot | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | từ bi | Từ bi is impersonal Buddhist compassion/karuna; God’s mercy is personal, covenantal, directed toward the wretched |
| born again / regeneration | được sinh lại | duoc sinh lai | Critical | Living Hope of the Resurrection | tái sinh, đầu thai, luân hồi | NEVER “tái sinh” — the standard Vietnamese Buddhist term for rebirth into a new existence within samsara. Regeneration is a single, decisive, non-repeatable divine begetting into permanent life |
| living hope | sự trông cậy sống | su trong cay song | High | Living Hope of the Resurrection | hy vọng sống (acceptable secondary gloss for “hope” register) | Hope grounded in a historical, bodily resurrection fact, not vague optimism or an impersonal wish directed at “số trời” |
| hope (general) | sự trông cậy | su trong cay | High | Living Hope of the Resurrection | hy vọng (acceptable but less formal) | Recurs 1:3, 1:13, 1:21, 3:15; must remain consistent throughout |
| inheritance | cơ nghiệp | co nghiep | High | Living Hope of the Resurrection | gia sản, tài sản dòng họ | Contrast with ancestral/lineage-based property inheritance; this inheritance is heavenly, imperishable, granted by grace not lineage |
| imperishable / incorruptible | không hư nát | khong hu nat | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Contrast with the Buddhist doctrine of universal impermanence (vô thường); here permanence is granted by God’s power, not a denial of impermanence as a general metaphysical claim |
| undefiled | không ô uế | khong o ue | Low | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Standard |
| unfading | chẳng hề tàn | chang he tan | Low | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Echoed again at 5:4 (crown of glory) |
| guarded/protected | được gìn giữ | duoc gin giu | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Military-garrison metaphor; present, active divine protection |
| trial/testing | sự thử thách | su thu thach | Medium | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Contrast with impersonal karmic testing/retribution framework |
| proven genuineness of faith / testing by fire | sự thử luyện của đức tin | su thu luyen cua duc tin | Medium | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Fire proves, not creates, faith’s value; distinguish from karmic purification burning off bad merit |
| revelation/appearing of Jesus Christ | sự hiện ra của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ | su hien ra cua Duc Chua Gie-xu Christ | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Second Coming; distinguish from mystical enlightenment (giác ngộ) |
| inexpressible joy | sự vui mừng khôn xiết | su vui mung khon xiet | Low | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Standard |
| outcome/goal of faith | kết quả của đức tin | ket qua cua duc tin | Low | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Standard |
| soul | linh hồn | linh hon | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Must not be conflated with a deceased ancestor’s linh hồn requiring ritual appeasement or offerings |
| sufferings of Christ / Passion | sự thương khó của Đấng Christ | su thuong kho cua Dang Christ | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | “Thương khó” is the established Vietnamese Christian term for Christ’s Passion (cf. Tuần Thương Khó, Holy Week); must convey vicarious, foreordained suffering, not generic hardship |
| sojourners and exiles | khách lạ và người ở trọ | khach la va nguoi o tro | Medium | Holiness in Conduct | — | Spiritual, temporary-dwelling identity; must not be read as commanding rejection of literal homeland (quê hương) or family rootedness |
| conduct/way of life | cách ăn ở | cach an o | Medium | Holiness in Conduct | — | Key recurring idiom (1:15, 18; 2:12; 3:1-2, 16); consistency required across all occurrences |
| sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ | sự rưới huyết của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ | su ruoi huyet cua Duc Chua Gie-xu Christ | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | OT covenant-ratification/cleansing rite (Exodus 24:8); teach as covenant-inaugurating, not a magical blood-rite |
| ransomed/redeemed | được cứu chuộc | duoc cuu chuoc | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | A price-paid release, distinct from the broader “sự cứu rỗi”; grounds the “not with silver/gold but with precious blood” contrast (1:18-19) |
| futile ancestral way of life | cách ăn ở hư không bởi tổ tiên truyền lại | cach an o hu khong boi to tien truyen lai | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering / Holiness in Conduct | — | Directly names inherited ancestral custom as “futile.” Requires explicit teaching that this critiques specific God-dishonoring practices, not filial respect or family honor generally; sensitive collision point with thờ cúng tổ tiên (ancestor veneration) |
| precious blood | huyết báu | huyet bau | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | Sacrificial, costly, substitutionary blood |
| lamb without blemish or spot | Chiên Con không tì không vít | Chien Con khong ti khong vit | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | OT sacrificial-lamb qualification (Exodus 12, Isaiah 53) fulfilled in Christ; foundational atonement image |
| foreknown before the foundation of the world | đã được biết trước từ trước khi sáng thế | da duoc biet truoc tu truoc khi sang the | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | số trời, số mệnh | Eternal divine plan, not impersonal fate |
| imperishable seed | hạt giống không hư nát | hat giong khong hu nat | Critical | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Compounds “được sinh lại” and “không hư nát”; source of new birth is God’s living word, not biology or ritual |
| Word of God / word of the Lord | Lời Đức Chúa Trời / lời của Chúa | Loi Duc Chua Troi / loi cua Chua | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | Identified explicitly with the gospel preached (1:25) |
| living stone | đá sống | da song | Medium | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Christological building-material metaphor |
| spiritual house | nhà thuộc linh | nha thuoc linh | Medium | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Replaces the absent ἐκκλησία vocabulary in 1 Peter |
| holy priesthood | chức tế lễ thánh | chuc te le thanh | High | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Corporate status of every believer, not a specialized clerical/monastic class (parallel risk to baseline’s “saints” vs. bare “các thánh”) |
| spiritual sacrifices | của lễ thuộc linh | cua le thuoc linh | Medium | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Non-animal offerings (praise, obedience, good works) |
| cornerstone | đá góc nhà | da goc nha | Medium | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Structure-defining foundation stone (Isaiah 28:16) |
| chosen race | dòng dõi được chọn | dong doi duoc chon | High | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Echoes Israel’s election language; must not read as an ethnic/racial category |
| royal priesthood | chức tế lễ nhà vua | chuc te le nha vua | High | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Every believer’s shared royal-priestly status in Christ’s Kingdom (Nước Đức Chúa Trời); risk of collision with (1) Buddhist monastic clergy (tăng, sư) as a specialized holy class, (2) folk-temple priests/mediums (ông đồng, bà cốt) who ritually mediate with spirits, (3) institutional clergy hierarchies in other Vietnamese religious movements |
| holy nation | dân thánh | dan thanh | High | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Corporate, not ethnic, identity |
| people for God’s own possession | dân riêng của Đức Chúa Trời | dan rieng cua Duc Chua Troi | High | Church as Holy and Royal Priesthood | — | Intimate, exclusive divine ownership |
| submission/subjection | thuận phục / sự thuận phục | thuan phuc / su thuan phuc | High | Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance | vâng phục (reserved for “obedience of faith”) | Voluntary, Christ-modeled submission “for the Lord’s sake” — must not collapse into automatic Confucian hierarchical duty owed strictly by social role (parallel risk already flagged in baseline for “obedience of faith” vs. đạo hiếu) |
| domestic lord/master (of a husband) | chồng mình (avoid “Chúa”) | chong minh | High | Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance | Chúa | κύριος of Abraham (3:6) must never use the reserved divine title “Chúa”; use a plain domestic term to preserve Christ’s exclusive Lordship title |
| suffering unjustly | chịu khổ một cách bất công | chiu kho mot cach bat cong | High | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Christlike endurance of unjust suffering as commendable before God |
| conscience (toward God) | lương tâm (đối với Đức Chúa Trời) | luong tam (doi voi Duc Chua Troi) | Medium | Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance | — | Must be explicitly anchored to God, not left as a generic secular moral sense |
| Christ suffered for you (substitutionary) | Đấng Christ đã chịu khổ vì anh em | Dang Christ da chiu kho vi anh em | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | ὑπέρ = substitutionary/representative preposition; both atoning act and ethical example |
| he bore our sins on the tree | Ngài đã tự mình gánh tội lỗi chúng ta trên cây gỗ | Ngai da tu minh ganh toi loi chung ta tren cay go | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | Core Isaiah 53 substitutionary atonement statement (2:24) |
| healed by his wounds | nhờ vết thương của Ngài mà anh em được lành bệnh | nho vet thuong cua Ngai ma anh em duoc lanh benh | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | Primarily healing from sin’s bondage; must not be reduced to a promise of physical/prosperity healing only |
| shepherd and overseer of souls | Đấng chăn chiên và Đấng coi giữ linh hồn | Dang chan chien va Dang coi giu linh hon | Medium | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering / Elders and Humility | giám mục | Avoid “giám mục” (bishop), which carries a later institutional/hierarchical overtone |
| humility | sự khiêm nhường | su khiem nhuong | High | Elders and Humility | khiêm tốn (as mere social propriety) | Christlike voluntary self-lowering toward others regardless of rank, not Confucian ritual deference owed strictly according to hierarchical position |
| sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts | hãy để Đấng Christ là Chúa được tôn thánh trong lòng anh em | hay de Dang Christ la Chua duoc ton thanh trong long anh em | High | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Combines Lordship of Christ and sanctification doctrines; inner reverence sustaining courageous public testimony |
| defense/reasoned answer | lời giải đáp / sự bào chữa | loi giai dap / su bao chua | Low | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Grounds respectful, reasoned Christian testimony |
| once for all (suffered) | một lần đủ cả | mot lan du ca | High | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | Finality/sufficiency of Christ’s atoning suffering; contrasts with repeated ritual offerings or ongoing appeasement practices |
| the righteous for the unrighteous | Đấng công bình chịu chết vì kẻ không công bình | Dang cong binh chiu chet vi ke khong cong binh | Critical | Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | — | Substitutionary-atonement statement (3:18) |
| put to death in the flesh, made alive in the spirit | chịu chết về phần xác, nhưng sống về phần tâm linh | chiu chet ve phan xac, nhung song ve phan tam linh | Critical | Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits | — | Exegetically disputed construction; render literally, preserve ambiguity, route to theologian review rather than resolving unilaterally |
| spirits in prison | những tâm linh bị giam cầm trong ngục | nhung tam linh bi giam cam trong nguc | Critical | Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits | ma, cô hồn, vong hồn lang thang | MAJOR syncretism risk: must not be conflated with Vietnamese folk/Buddhist “cô hồn” (wandering hungry ghosts) awaiting ritual release via merit-transfer offerings (as in Lễ Vu Lan / cúng cô hồn). These are spirit-beings from Noah’s day (most likely fallen angelic/spiritual powers), not ancestor or wandering-ghost spirits, and Christ’s act is a proclamation of triumph/judgment, not a merit-transfer ritual |
| gospel preached to the dead | Tin Lành cũng đã được truyền cho những kẻ chết | Tin Lanh cung da duoc truyen cho nhung ke chet | Critical | Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits | — | Must not imply a postmortem “second chance” at salvation, which would both contradict the letter’s judgment theology and syncretize with rites performed for the deceased’s benefit; same review routing as 3:18-22 |
| baptism now saves (with qualifying clause) | phép báp-têm… cứu anh em — không phải là rửa sạch xác thịt, nhưng là lời cầu xin Đức Chúa Trời cho được lương tâm tốt | phep bap-tem… cuu anh em | Critical | Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits | — | The qualifying clause denying mere ritual washing as the saving mechanism must NEVER be dropped or shortened in any rendering, to prevent both a baptismal-regeneration error and syncretism with ritual-purification practices |
| idolatry | sự thờ hình tượng | su tho hinh tuong | High | Holiness in Conduct | — | Directly relevant to image/altar veneration practices; retain unambiguous doctrinal force while pastorally distinguishing idolatrous worship from ordinary cultural respect for the deceased |
| love covers a multitude of sins | tình yêu thương che lấp nhiều tội lỗi | tinh yeu thuong che lap nhieu toi loi | High | Holiness in Conduct | — | Relational forbearance among believers; must not be read as love itself atoning for sin (only Christ’s blood atones, per 1:18-19; 2:24) |
| fiery trial | sự thử thách như lửa | su thu thach nhu lua | Medium | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Echoes 1:7’s refining metaphor; no notion of burning off karmic debt |
| sharing in Christ’s sufferings | cùng chia sẻ những sự thương khó của Đấng Christ | cung chia se nhung su thuong kho cua Dang Christ | High | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Present union/fellowship with Christ through suffering, joined to future glory |
| Christian (identity) | Cơ Đốc nhân | Co Doc nhan | Medium | Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | — | Positive identity label to be embraced without shame |
| faithful Creator | Đấng Tạo Hóa trung tín | Dang Tao Hoa trung tin | Medium | Living Hope of the Resurrection | — | God named as reliable Maker amid suffering |
| elder | trưởng lão | truong lao | Medium | Elders and Humility | — | Established Vietnamese Protestant church-office term |
| shepherd the flock of God | chăn bầy của Đức Chúa Trời | chan bay cua Duc Chua Troi | Medium | Elders and Humility | — | The flock belongs to God, not to the elder |
| not for shameful gain | không phải vì tiền bạc bất chính | khong phai vi tien bac bat chinh | High | Elders and Humility | — | Guards against leadership exploited for financial gain; culturally relevant given fee-based temple/fortune-telling/mediumship practices |
| chief Shepherd | Đấng Chăn Chiên Lớn | Dang Chan Chien Lon | Medium | Elders and Humility | — | Christ as supreme Shepherd over human elders |
| unfading crown of glory | mão triều thiên vinh hiển chẳng hề tàn | mao trieu thien vinh hien chang he tan | Medium | Elders and Humility | — | Eschatological reward, imperishable like the ch.1 inheritance |
| devil/adversary | ma quỷ | ma quy | High | Elders and Humility | — | A personal spiritual enemy resisted through firm faith, not a capricious folk spirit or ghost (ma, tà ma) to be placated or bargained with through ritual offering |
Doctrine-to-Term Cross-Reference Summary
| Curriculum Doctrine | Primary New Terms |
|---|---|
| The Living Hope of the Resurrection | được sinh lại, sự trông cậy sống, cơ nghiệp, không hư nát, hạt giống không hư nát, linh hồn |
| Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake | sự thử thách, chịu khổ một cách bất công, một lần đủ cả, cùng chia sẻ những sự thương khó của Đấng Christ, sự thử thách như lửa |
| The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood | chức tế lễ thánh, chức tế lễ nhà vua, dòng dõi được chọn, dân thánh, dân riêng của Đức Chúa Trời, đá sống, nhà thuộc linh |
| Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance | thuận phục / sự thuận phục, lương tâm, chồng mình (avoid Chúa) |
| Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering | sự thương khó của Đấng Christ, huyết báu, Chiên Con không tì không vít, Ngài đã tự mình gánh tội lỗi chúng ta trên cây gỗ, được cứu chuộc, một lần đủ cả |
| Holiness in Conduct | cách ăn ở, sự thờ hình tượng, cách ăn ở hư không bởi tổ tiên truyền lại |
| Elders and Humility | trưởng lão, sự khiêm nhường, không phải vì tiền bạc bất chính, ma quỷ |
| Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits (1 Peter 3:18-22) | chịu chết về phần xác nhưng sống về phần tâm linh, những tâm linh bị giam cầm trong ngục, phép báp-têm… cứu anh em (with full qualifying clause), Tin Lành cũng đã được truyền cho những kẻ chết |
All Critical- and High-risk New terms above require human theologian review before entering translation memory, per the baseline’s risk-tier review-routing convention. This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment required) before any Phase 2 segment translation of 1 Peter begins.
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER use sự giải thoát (liberation from the cycle of rebirth, the central goal in Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist practice). Sự cứu rỗi = deliverance BY God THROUGH Christ, a rescue by another, not liberation self-attained through practice and insight. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:5, 1:9, 1:10, 2:2, 3:21. The 3:21 baptism statement must always retain the qualifying clause denying that ritual washing itself saves — see baptism_saves.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
CRITICAL: NEVER use sự đầu thai or luân hồi (rebirth/reincarnation into a new existence within the cycle of samsara, central to Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist cosmology). Sự sống lại = the same body raised bodily, once for all, not a new incarnation in a cycle of rebirth. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:3, 1:21, 3:21. The letter’s opening thesis (1:3) grounds ‘living hope’ directly in this event.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς / יֵשׁוּעַ
Category: Christology
CRITICAL: Standard Vietnamese Protestant Bible form since the 1926 Bản Dịch Truyền Thống. Keep consistent across all documents; Catholic tradition uses the related but distinct ‘Chúa Giê-su.’ Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: combined as ‘Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ’ at 1:1, 1:3, 1:7, 3:21.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
CRITICAL: Never use bare thần linh (the broad Vietnamese folk-religious category of spirits and local deities). Đức Thánh Linh in full marks the divine, personal third Person of the Trinity. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:2, 1:12, 4:14. See also spirit_of_christ (1:11) for the Trinitarian identification with Christ.
Born Again
Approved rendering: được sinh lại
Transliteration: duoc sinh lai
Doctrine: New Birth / Regeneration
Rejected alternatives: tái sinh, đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀναγεννάω
Category: Salvation
CRITICAL: NEVER ‘tái sinh’ — the standard Vietnamese Buddhist term for rebirth into a new existence within the cycle of samsara — nor ‘đầu thai’/‘luân hồi’. 1 Peter 1:3, 1:23 (via imperishable seed). A single, decisive, non-repeatable divine begetting into permanent new life, not a repeated cycle of birth-and-death.
Spirit Of Christ
Approved rendering: Thánh Linh của Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Thanh Linh cua Dang Christ
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ
Category: God
1 Peter 1:11. The Holy Spirit identified as Christ’s own Spirit, active in OT prophets — a Trinitarian identification. Must retain the full divine weight of ‘Đức Thánh Linh’; not read as a lesser or generic spiritual influence.
Futile Ancestral Custom
Approved rendering: cách ăn ở hư không bởi tổ tiên truyền lại
Transliteration: cach an o hu khong boi to tien truyen lai
Doctrine: Rejection of Ancestral Idolatry and Futile Customs
Original: πατροπαράδοτος…μάταιος ἀναστροφή
Category: Sin
1 Peter 1:18. CRITICAL: Directly names inherited ancestral custom as ‘futile.’ Requires explicit teaching that this critiques specific God-dishonoring ritual practices, not filial respect or family honor generally — a sensitive collision point with thờ cúng tổ tiên (ancestor veneration).
Lamb Without Blemish
Approved rendering: Chiên Con không tì không vít
Transliteration: Chien Con khong ti khong vit
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: ἀμνὸς ἄμωμος καὶ ἄσπιλος
Category: Christology
1 Peter 1:19. OT sacrificial-lamb qualification (Exodus 12; Isaiah 53). Christ as the perfect Passover/sacrificial lamb; foundational atonement image requiring OT sacrificial background. Must retain the sacrificial-substitute force, not be flattened into a generic gentleness metaphor.
Imperishable Seed
Approved rendering: hạt giống không hư nát
Transliteration: hat giong khong hu nat
Doctrine: New Birth / Regeneration
Original: σπορὰ ἄφθαρτος
Category: Salvation
1 Peter 1:23. Compounds ‘được sinh lại’ and ‘không hư nát’; the source of new birth is God’s living word, not biology, ritual, or ancestral lineage.
Christ Suffered For You
Approved rendering: Đấng Christ đã chịu khổ vì anh em
Transliteration: Dang Christ da chiu kho vi anh em
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: Χριστὸς ἔπαθεν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν
Category: Christology
1 Peter 2:21. ὑπέρ marks substitutionary/representative suffering. Both an atoning, substitutionary act and an ethical example; the substitutionary force must never be reduced to mere moral exemplarism.
Bore Our Sins
Approved rendering: Ngài đã tự mình gánh tội lỗi chúng ta trên cây gỗ
Transliteration: Ngai da tu minh ganh toi loi chung ta tren cay go
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν…ἀνήνεγκεν…ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον
Category: Christology
1 Peter 2:24. Core Isaiah 53 substitutionary-atonement statement; the letter’s central vicarious-atonement claim. Must retain the personal, once-for-all sacrificial ‘bearing’ sense, not be flattened into generic empathetic suffering.
Righteous For Unrighteous
Approved rendering: Đấng công bình chịu chết vì kẻ không công bình
Transliteration: Dang cong binh chiu chet vi ke khong cong binh
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: δίκαιος ὑπὲρ ἀδίκων
Category: Christology
1 Peter 3:18. Core substitutionary-atonement statement; ὑπέρ marks representative, in-place-of suffering, which must never be softened into mere shared solidarity with sinners.
Put To Death In Flesh Made Alive In Spirit
Approved rendering: chịu chết về phần xác, nhưng sống về phần tâm linh
Transliteration: chiu chet ve phan xac, nhung song ve phan tam linh
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Original: θανατωθεὶς σαρκί, ζωοποιηθεὶς πνεύματι
Category: Christology
1 Peter 3:18. Exegetically disputed construction (Christ’s own spirit vs. the Holy Spirit). Render literally and preserve the interpretive ambiguity present in the Greek rather than resolving it unilaterally; flag every occurrence for theologian review of interpretive options.
Spirits In Prison
Approved rendering: những tâm linh bị giam cầm trong ngục
Transliteration: nhung tam linh bi giam cam trong nguc
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Rejected alternatives: ma, cô hồn, vong hồn lang thang
Original: τοῖς ἐν φυλακῇ πνεύμασιν
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 3:19. MAJOR syncretism risk: must never be conflated with the Vietnamese folk/Buddhist ‘cô hồn’ (wandering hungry ghosts awaiting ritual release via merit-transfer offerings, as at Lễ Vu Lan / cúng cô hồn) nor with ancestor spirits. These are fallen spiritual/angelic powers from Noah’s day, not human dead; Christ’s act toward them is proclamation of triumph/judgment, not a merit-transfer ritual. Single highest-priority fencing item in the whole curriculum.
Gospel Preached To The Dead
Approved rendering: Tin Lành cũng đã được truyền cho những kẻ chết
Transliteration: Tin Lanh cung da duoc truyen cho nhung ke chet
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Original: τοῖς νεκροῖς εὐηγγελίσθη
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 4:6. Must never be read as offering a postmortem ‘second chance’ at salvation, which would contradict the letter’s own judgment theology and syncretize with Vietnamese folk/Buddhist rites performed for the benefit of the deceased. Same review routing as 3:18-22.
Baptism Saves
Approved rendering: phép báp-têm… cứu anh em — không phải là rửa sạch xác thịt, nhưng là lời cầu xin Đức Chúa Trời cho được lương tâm tốt
Transliteration: phep bap-tem cuu anh em - khong phai la rua sach xac thit, nhung la loi cau xin Duc Chua Troi cho duoc luong tam tot
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Original: ἀντίτυπον…βάπτισμα…νῦν σῴζει…οὐ σαρκὸς ἀπόθεσις ῥύπου ἀλλὰ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς ἐπερώτημα εἰς Θεόν
Category: Salvation
1 Peter 3:21. The qualifying clause denying that mere physical/ritual washing saves must NEVER be dropped, shortened, or translated separately from the main clause, in any document, to prevent both a baptismal-regeneration error and syncretism with ritual-purification practices.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: ân điển
Transliteration: an dien
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: phước đức, công đức, ơn nghĩa
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Never use phước đức or công đức (merit accumulated through good deeds in Buddhist practice) or ơn nghĩa (a favor that creates a Confucian-style reciprocal obligation to repay). Ân điển must be taught as a gift creating no debt to repay. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:2, 1:10, 1:13, 3:7, 4:10, 5:5, 5:10, 5:12. CAUTION: 2:19-20 uses the same Greek word χάρις non-technically (‘credit,’ ‘a commendable thing’) — do NOT force ‘ân điển’ there; render as ‘đáng khen’ to protect the technical soteriological term from dilution.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Right standing before God received by faith. Đức hạnh (moral virtue cultivated through practice, a strongly Confucian concept) describes a quality built up over time, not a status granted. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 2:24, 3:14 — central to the named curriculum doctrine ‘Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake.‘
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
In Romans 10:9 the confession ‘Jesus is Lord’ = Đức Chúa Giê-xu là Chúa. Established term; must convey exclusive, supreme Lordship, distinguished from generic lord/master usage in Vietnamese address. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:3, 2:3, 2:13, 3:15 (see sanctify_christ_as_lord). CRITICAL CAUTION specific to 1 Peter: 3:6 uses the same Greek word κύριος for a wife’s domestic address to Abraham (‘lord’) — this usage must NEVER be rendered with this reserved divine title; see domestic_master.
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός / אֱלֹהִים / יהוה
Category: God
The established 1926 Protestant Bible term incorporates Trời (Heaven/Sky), the indigenous Vietnamese folk concept of a supreme cosmic authority, into a compound with Đức Chúa (Lord). Every occurrence should be taught as naming a personal, covenant-making God, not left to default to Ông Trời. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: pervasive throughout — 1:2-3, 1:21, 4:19 (‘faithful Creator’), 5:10.
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal, relational Father. Because Vietnamese family relationships are strongly shaped by Confucian filial duty (đạo hiếu), teaching should emphasize the relationship’s basis in grace and intimacy, not primarily hierarchical obligation. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:2-3, 1:17 (‘the Father who judges each one impartially’) — reinforces grace-and-intimacy framing precisely because 1:17 also introduces impartial judgment.
Living Hope
Approved rendering: sự trông cậy sống
Transliteration: su trong cay song
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: hy vọng sống
Original: ἐλπὶς ζῶσα
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:3, the letter’s programmatic phrase. Hope that is alive because grounded in the living, risen Christ; distinguish from vague optimism or an impersonal wish directed at ‘số trời.‘
Hope
Approved rendering: sự trông cậy
Transliteration: su trong cay
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: hy vọng
Original: ἐλπίς
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:13, 1:21, 3:15. Must remain consistent with ‘sự trông cậy sống’ (1:3) throughout the letter; not generic wish but certainty grounded in a historical resurrection.
Inheritance
Approved rendering: cơ nghiệp
Transliteration: co nghiep
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: gia sản, tài sản dòng họ
Original: κληρονομία
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 1:4. Contrast with ancestral/lineage-based family property inheritance; this inheritance is heavenly, imperishable, and granted by grace, not transmitted through bloodline.
Sufferings Of Christ
Approved rendering: sự thương khó của Đấng Christ
Transliteration: su thuong kho cua Dang Christ
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: παθήματα…εἰς Χριστόν / τοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Christology
1 Peter 1:11, 4:13, 5:1. ‘Thương khó’ is the established Vietnamese Christian term for Christ’s Passion (cf. Tuần Thương Khó, Holy Week); must convey vicarious, foreordained suffering, not generic hardship.
Sprinkling Of Blood
Approved rendering: sự rưới huyết của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ
Transliteration: su ruoi huyet cua Duc Chua Gie-xu Christ
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: ῥαντισμὸς αἵματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Christology
1 Peter 1:2. OT covenant-ratification/cleansing rite (Exodus 24:8) applied to Christ’s blood. Requires OT sacrificial background teaching; covenant-inaugurating and cleansing, not a magical or ritual blood-rite.
Ransomed
Approved rendering: được cứu chuộc
Transliteration: duoc cuu chuoc
Doctrine: Redemption and Ransom
Original: λυτρόω
Category: Salvation
1 Peter 1:18-19. A price-paid release, distinct from the broader ‘sự cứu rỗi’; must not be modeled on paying a ritual fee or offering to a spirit, deity, or ancestor to secure release or favor — the price paid here is Christ’s own precious blood, once.
Precious Blood
Approved rendering: huyết báu
Transliteration: huyet bau
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: τίμιον αἷμα
Category: Christology
1 Peter 1:19. Costly, valuable sacrificial blood; the price of redemption, contrasted explicitly with silver and gold (1:18).
Foreknown Before Foundation Of World
Approved rendering: đã được biết trước từ trước khi sáng thế
Transliteration: da duoc biet truoc tu truoc khi sang the
Doctrine: Divine Election and Foreknowledge
Rejected alternatives: số trời, số mệnh
Original: προγνωσμένου πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου
Category: God
1 Peter 1:20. Eternal, pre-temporal divine plan, not impersonal fate. Christ’s redemptive role fixed in eternity, not a contingency.
Holy Priesthood
Approved rendering: chức tế lễ thánh
Transliteration: chuc te le thanh
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: ἱεράτευμα ἅγιον
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:5. All believers, corporately, exercise priestly access and offering — must not be read as a specialized clerical class, paralleling the baseline risk documented for ‘saints’ vs. bare ‘các thánh.’ Risk of collision with Buddhist ordained clergy (tăng, sư) as a specially holy class.
Chosen Race
Approved rendering: dòng dõi được chọn
Transliteration: dong doi duoc chon
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: γένος ἐκλεκτόν
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:9. Echoes Israel’s election language (Isaiah 43; Exodus 19); must not be read as an ethnic or racial category, or confused with Vietnamese ethnic-nationalist or ancestral-lineage (dòng họ) identity language.
Royal Priesthood
Approved rendering: chức tế lễ nhà vua
Transliteration: chuc te le nha vua
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: βασίλειον ἱεράτευμα
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:9. Priesthood belonging to and serving a King (Exodus 19:6). Every believer shares royal-priestly status in Christ’s kingdom; risk of collision with (1) Buddhist monastic clergy as a specialized holy class, (2) folk-temple priests/mediums (ông đồng, bà cốt) who ritually mediate with spirits, (3) institutional clergy hierarchies elsewhere in Vietnamese religious life.
Holy Nation
Approved rendering: dân thánh
Transliteration: dan thanh
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: ἔθνος ἅγιον
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:9. Corporate spiritual identity, not an ethnic or political nation; distinguish from ‘Nước Đức Chúa Trời’ and from any earthly nationalist framing.
Peculiar People
Approved rendering: dân riêng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: dan rieng cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: λαὸς εἰς περιποίησιν
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:9. A people specially acquired and owned by God, echoing Exodus 19:5’s covenant language; intimate, exclusive divine ownership, not an ancestral clan or lineage-based possession.
Submission
Approved rendering: thuận phục / sự thuận phục
Transliteration: thuan phuc / su thuan phuc
Doctrine: Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance
Rejected alternatives: vâng phục (reserved for the compound ‘obedience of faith’)
Original: ὑποτάσσω
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:13, 2:18, 3:1, 3:5, 3:22, 5:5. Voluntary, Christlike submission ‘for the Lord’s sake,’ not automatic Confucian hierarchical duty owed strictly by social role. Kept distinct in translation memory from ‘sự vâng phục’ (obedience, see obedience) and from the baseline’s compound ‘sự vâng phục của đức tin’ (obedience of faith).
Domestic Master
Approved rendering: chồng mình
Transliteration: chong minh
Doctrine: Marriage and Household Relationships
Rejected alternatives: Chúa
Original: κύριος (domestic usage)
Category: Church
1 Peter 3:6 (Sarah addressing Abraham as ‘lord’). The Greek κύριος here is the same word as the divine title Κύριος. Must NEVER be rendered with the reserved divine title ‘Chúa’; use only this plain domestic term so Christ’s exclusive Lordship title is never diluted.
Suffering Unjustly
Approved rendering: chịu khổ một cách bất công
Transliteration: chiu kho mot cach bat cong
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: πάσχων ἀδίκως
Category: Suffering
1 Peter 2:19-20. Suffering with no just cause; Christlike endurance of unjust suffering is commendable before a personal God who observes, not an impersonal karmic accounting of merit and demerit.
Healed By His Wounds
Approved rendering: nhờ vết thương của Ngài mà anh em được lành bệnh
Transliteration: nho vet thuong cua Ngai ma anh em duoc lanh benh
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: τῷ μώλωπι ἰάθητε
Category: Christology
1 Peter 2:24 (Isaiah 53:5 quotation). Primarily healing from sin’s bondage, restoring believers to righteousness; must not be reduced to a promise of physical or prosperity healing only, which risks syncretism with folk-healing/spirit-appeasement expectations.
Humility
Approved rendering: sự khiêm nhường
Transliteration: su khiem nhuong
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Rejected alternatives: khiêm tốn (as mere social propriety)
Original: ταπεινοφροσύνη / ταπεινός
Category: Leadership
1 Peter 3:8, 5:5-6. Voluntary self-lowering, modeled supremely on Christ. Must be distinguished from Confucian ritual modesty/deference (khiêm tốn as propriety owed strictly according to hierarchical rank), which is rule-governed rather than freely offered.
Sanctify Christ As Lord
Approved rendering: hãy để Đấng Christ là Chúa được tôn thánh trong lòng anh em
Transliteration: hay de Dang Christ la Chua duoc ton thanh trong long anh em
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: Κύριον τὸν Χριστὸν ἁγιάσατε ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις
Category: Christology
1 Peter 3:15. Combines the Lordship of Christ and sanctification doctrines; inner reverence for Christ’s Lordship sustains courageous public testimony under hostile scrutiny.
Once For All
Approved rendering: một lần đủ cả
Transliteration: mot lan du ca
Doctrine: Christ’s Substitutionary Suffering
Original: ἅπαξ…ἔπαθεν
Category: Christology
1 Peter 3:18. Suffered once, a single unrepeatable occurrence. Emphasizes finality/sufficiency of Christ’s atoning suffering, contrasted with repeated ritual offerings, repeated merit-generating acts, or ongoing appeasement of spiritual powers.
Idolatry
Approved rendering: sự thờ hình tượng
Transliteration: su tho hinh tuong
Doctrine: Rejection of Ancestral Idolatry and Futile Customs
Original: εἰδωλολατρία
Category: Sin
1 Peter 4:3. Directly relevant to image/altar veneration practices in the Vietnamese context; retain unambiguous doctrinal force while pastorally distinguishing idolatrous worship from ordinary cultural respect for the deceased.
Love Covers Sins
Approved rendering: tình yêu thương che lấp nhiều tội lỗi
Transliteration: tinh yeu thuong che lap nhieu toi loi
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: ἀγάπη καλύπτει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν
Category: Sanctification
1 Peter 4:8 (echoing Proverbs 10:12). Describes relational forbearance among believers; must not be read as love itself atoning for sin (only Christ’s blood atones, per 1:18-19, 2:24), nor absorbed into a merit-generating (công đức) framework.
Sharing In Christs Sufferings
Approved rendering: cùng chia sẻ những sự thương khó của Đấng Christ
Transliteration: cung chia se nhung su thuong kho cua Dang Christ
Doctrine: Fellowship in Christ’s Sufferings
Original: κοινωνεῖτε τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήμασιν
Category: Suffering
1 Peter 4:13. κοινωνέω shares its root with κοινωνία (‘fellowship,’ see fellowship). Present suffering is a form of present union with Christ joined to future glory, not ordinary misfortune or a means of accumulating merit.
Not For Shameful Gain
Approved rendering: không phải vì tiền bạc bất chính
Transliteration: khong phai vi tien bac bat chinh
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: μὴ αἰσχροκερδῶς ἀλλὰ προθύμως
Category: Leadership
1 Peter 5:2. Guards against leadership exploited for personal financial gain; culturally pointed given the practice of paying fees to temple priests, fortune-tellers, or mediums for blessing or ritual service. Preserve the explicit financial-integrity warning at full strength; do not soften into generic ‘serve willingly’ language that drops the money reference.
Devil Adversary
Approved rendering: ma quỷ
Transliteration: ma quy
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare and the Adversary
Rejected alternatives: ma, tà ma
Original: ἀντίδικος…διάβολος
Category: Spiritual Warfare
1 Peter 5:8. Adversary, the devil, described as a roaring lion. A personal spiritual enemy to be resisted through firm faith, not a capricious folk spirit or ghost (‘ma’, ‘tà ma’) to be placated or bargained with through ritual offering; resistance, not appeasement, is the biblical response.
Obedience
Approved rendering: sự vâng phục
Transliteration: su vang phuc
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: ὑπακοή
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:2, 1:14, 1:22. Compliance flowing from a relationship of trust; obedience flowing from new birth and faith. Kept distinct from ‘thuận phục’ (submission to human authority, see submission) and must not collapse into đạo hiếu-style hierarchical duty. Also kept distinct from the baseline’s compound ‘sự vâng phục của đức tin’ (obedience of faith, Romans 1:5/16:26), which names a related but formally separate Pauline phrase.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Tin Lành
Transliteration: tin lanh
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: tin tức tốt lành
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Established Vietnamese Protestant Bible term (‘good news’); so established that ‘Tin Lành’ is itself the common Vietnamese name for Protestantism generally. Must still be anchored to the specific proclamation of salvation through Christ. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:12, 1:25, 4:6 (see gospel_preached_to_the_dead), 4:17.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Object of faith must always be specified as Christ; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:5, 1:7, 1:8, 1:9, 1:21, 5:9.
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Established Vietnamese Bible term; conveys a directly commissioned, authoritative sent-one. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:1, Peter’s self-designation.
Holy
Approved rendering: thánh
Transliteration: thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Set apart for God and morally pure; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:15-16 (directly quoting Leviticus 11:44/19:2), 2:5, 2:9, 3:5.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἁγιασμός
Category: Sanctification
The Spirit’s ongoing work of making believers holy; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:2 (‘sanctification of the Spirit’).
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
God’s radiant honor and majesty; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:7, 1:8, 1:11, 1:21, 4:13-14, 5:1, 5:4, 5:10 — very frequent throughout the letter.
Power Of God
Approved rendering: quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: quyen nang cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις Θεοῦ
Category: God
God’s own power to save; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:5, ‘guarded by the power of God’ (see guarded).
Covenant Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
God’s sovereign personal choice, not số mệnh (fixed fate/destiny). Inherited from Romans package (baseline key ‘election’). In 1 Peter: 1:1-2 (‘elect exiles’), 2:4, 2:6, 2:9 (‘chosen race’), applied corporately to the church rather than to an individual.
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
In Romans 5:1, relational peace with God through justification, not merely the inner calm sought through Buddhist meditation practice. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:2 (greeting), 3:11, 5:14 (closing benediction).
Spiritual Gifts
Approved rendering: ân tứ thuộc linh
Transliteration: an tu thuoc linh
Doctrine: Spiritual Gifts
Original: χαρίσματα
Category: Church
Spirit-given enablements for service; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 4:10, ‘each has received a gift.‘
Providence
Approved rendering: sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: su quan phong cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: μέλει περὶ ὑμῶν
Category: God
God’s personal, purposive care; never số trời (an impersonal, fate-dispensing ‘Heaven’) or nghiệp (karma). Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 5:7, ‘he cares for you.‘
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Moral transgression against a personal God, not nghiệp xấu (bad karma, an impersonal cause-and-effect concept from Buddhist teaching). Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 2:22, 2:24, 4:1, 4:8.
Mercy
Approved rendering: sự thương xót
Transliteration: su thuong xot
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Rejected alternatives: từ bi
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God
1 Peter 1:3. Must not be rendered ‘từ bi’ (impersonal Buddhist compassion/karuna); God’s covenant mercy here is personal and directed toward the wretched, and grounds the act of regeneration.
Imperishable
Approved rendering: không hư nát
Transliteration: khong hu nat
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἄφθαρτος
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 1:4; compounded at 1:23 (see imperishable_seed). Distinguish from the Buddhist doctrine of universal impermanence (vô thường) as a general metaphysical claim — here permanence is a specific gift, not a denial of impermanence generally.
Guarded
Approved rendering: được gìn giữ
Transliteration: duoc gin giu
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: φρουρέω
Category: Salvation
1 Peter 1:5. Military-garrison metaphor; present, active divine protection of believers, not passive or fatalistic security.
Trial
Approved rendering: sự thử thách
Transliteration: su thu thach
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: πειρασμός
Category: Suffering
1 Peter 1:6, 4:12. Contrast with an impersonal karmic testing-and-retribution framework; trials occur under a personal God’s purposive care.
Proven Genuineness Of Faith
Approved rendering: sự thử luyện của đức tin
Transliteration: su thu luyen cua duc tin
Doctrine: Faith Tested by Trial
Original: δοκίμιον τῆς πίστεως
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:7. Trial proves, not creates, faith’s value, like fire proving gold; distinguish from trials purifying karma or generating merit through endurance.
Revelation Of Jesus Christ
Approved rendering: sự hiện ra của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ
Transliteration: su hien ra cua Duc Chua Gie-xu Christ
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment and Hope
Original: ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 1:7, 1:13, 4:13. Christ’s future visible appearing (Second Coming), a single historical future event; distinguish from mystical enlightenment (giác ngộ) or a repeatable spiritual manifestation.
Soul
Approved rendering: linh hồn
Transliteration: linh hon
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ψυχή
Category: Salvation
1 Peter 1:9, 1:22, 2:11, 2:25, 3:20, 4:19. Must not be conflated with the folk-religious ‘linh hồn’ of a deceased ancestor requiring ritual appeasement or offerings; here it names the whole inner/eternal person as the object of God’s saving work.
Sojourners And Exiles
Approved rendering: khách lạ và người ở trọ
Transliteration: khach la va nguoi o tro
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: πάροικοι καὶ παρεπίδημοι
Category: Church
1 Peter 1:1, 2:11. The letter’s controlling social-identity image. Spiritual, temporary-dwelling identity in a hostile society; must not be read as commanding rejection of literal homeland (quê hương) or family rootedness.
Conduct
Approved rendering: cách ăn ở
Transliteration: cach an o
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: ἀναστροφή
Category: Sanctification
Key recurring idiom: 1 Peter 1:15, 1:18, 2:12, 3:1-2, 3:16. Consistency required across all occurrences.
Word Of God
Approved rendering: Lời Đức Chúa Trời / lời của Chúa
Transliteration: Loi Duc Chua Troi / loi cua Chua
Doctrine: New Birth / Regeneration
Original: λόγος ζῶν Θεοῦ / ῥῆμα Κυρίου
Category: Covenant
1 Peter 1:23, 1:25. God’s enduring, life-giving proclaimed word, explicitly identified with the gospel preached to the readers (1:25).
Living Stone
Approved rendering: đá sống
Transliteration: da song
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: λίθος ζῶν
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:4-5. Christ as a living, life-giving foundation stone; believers also become ‘living stones.’ Christological building-material metaphor carrying ecclesiology in the absence of ἐκκλησία vocabulary in this letter.
Spiritual House
Approved rendering: nhà thuộc linh
Transliteration: nha thuoc linh
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: οἶκος πνευματικός
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:5. A temple-like community of believers, not a physical building; replaces the entirely absent ἐκκλησία (‘church’) vocabulary of Romans in this letter.
Spiritual Sacrifices
Approved rendering: của lễ thuộc linh
Transliteration: cua le thuoc linh
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: θυσίαι πνευματικαί
Category: Church
1 Peter 2:5. Non-animal, Spirit-empowered offerings (praise, obedience, good works); fulfills the OT sacrificial pattern without literal blood offerings; must not be understood as offerings that generate merit (công đức).
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: đá góc nhà
Transliteration: da goc nha
Doctrine: The Church as a Holy and Royal Priesthood
Original: ἀκρογωνιαῖος
Category: Christology
1 Peter 2:6. The foundation-defining stone of a building (Isaiah 28:16).
Conscience
Approved rendering: lương tâm (đối với Đức Chúa Trời)
Transliteration: luong tam (doi voi Duc Chua Troi)
Doctrine: Submission to Authority and Christlike Endurance
Original: συνείδησις (Θεοῦ)
Category: Sanctification
1 Peter 2:19, 3:16, 3:21. Must be explicitly anchored to God, not left as a generic secular moral sense (modern Vietnamese ‘lương tâm’ alone is fully secularized).
Shepherd And Overseer Of Souls
Approved rendering: Đấng chăn chiên và Đấng coi giữ linh hồn
Transliteration: Dang chan chien va Dang coi giu linh hon
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Rejected alternatives: giám mục
Original: ποιμὴν καὶ ἐπίσκοπος τῶν ψυχῶν
Category: Christology
1 Peter 2:25. Shepherd and overseer titles applied to Christ, prefiguring the human-elder shepherding of chapter 5. Avoid ‘giám mục’ (bishop), a later institutional/hierarchical overtone not present here.
Fiery Trial
Approved rendering: sự thử thách như lửa
Transliteration: su thu thach nhu lua
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: πύρωσις
Category: Suffering
1 Peter 4:12. Echoes the 1:7 fire-testing metaphor; carries no notion of burning off karmic debt.
Christian Identity
Approved rendering: Cơ Đốc nhân
Transliteration: Co Doc nhan
Doctrine: Christian Identity Amid Suffering
Original: Χριστιανός
Category: Church
1 Peter 4:16. Christian, follower of Christ — an identity label, originally likely used by outsiders. A positive identity to be embraced without shame even under social reproach.
Faithful Creator
Approved rendering: Đấng Tạo Hóa trung tín
Transliteration: Dang Tao Hoa trung tin
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: πιστὸς κτίστης
Category: God
1 Peter 4:19. God named specifically as reliable Maker, to whom sufferers entrust their souls amid trial.
Elder
Approved rendering: trưởng lão
Transliteration: truong lao
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: πρεσβύτερος
Category: Leadership
1 Peter 5:1. A recognized, appointed local church leader; established Vietnamese Protestant church-office term.
Shepherd The Flock
Approved rendering: chăn bầy của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: chan bay cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ποιμάνατε τὸ ποίμνιον τοῦ Θεοῦ
Category: Leadership
1 Peter 5:2. Ecclesial leadership as shepherding care, not ruling by force; the flock belongs to God, not to the elder.
Chief Shepherd
Approved rendering: Đấng Chăn Chiên Lớn
Transliteration: Dang Chan Chien Lon
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ἀρχιποίμην
Category: Christology
1 Peter 5:4. Christ as the supreme Shepherd over human under-shepherds; human elders are answerable to and modeled after him.
Unfading Crown Of Glory
Approved rendering: mão triều thiên vinh hiển chẳng hề tàn
Transliteration: mao trieu thien vinh hien chang he tan
Doctrine: Elders and Humility
Original: ἀμαράντινος στέφανος τῆς δόξης
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 5:4. Eschatological victor’s-wreath image, echoing 1:4’s imperishable inheritance and 1:23’s unfading language; the reward for faithful eldership.
Fear Of God
Approved rendering: sự kính sợ
Transliteration: su kinh so
Doctrine: Holiness in Conduct
Original: φόβος
Category: Sanctification
1 Peter 1:17, 2:17, 3:2. Reverent awe, as distinct from servile dread; reverent awe before a Father-Judge, not servile terror of ancestral-spirit wrath or fear of karmic retribution.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
God’s spokesperson; do not confuse with thầy bói (a fortune-teller), a figure still consulted in Vietnamese folk practice. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 1:10-12, OT prophets who searched out this salvation beforehand.
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Context-sensitive: use khuyên nài for entreaty and khích lệ for building up in encouragement. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: 5:1, 5:12.
Fellowship
Approved rendering: sự thông công
Transliteration: su thong cong
Doctrine: Christian Fellowship
Original: κοινωνία / κοινωνέω
Category: Church
Shared participation in Christ; standard, well-established term. Inherited from Romans package. In 1 Peter: root shared with κοινωνέω at 4:13 (see sharing_in_christs_sufferings).
Undefiled
Approved rendering: không ô uế
Transliteration: khong o ue
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀμίαντος
Category: Sanctification
1 Peter 1:4. Standard term, low risk.
Unfading
Approved rendering: chẳng hề tàn
Transliteration: chang he tan
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: ἀμάραντος
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 1:4; echoed at 5:4 (see unfading_crown_of_glory).
Inexpressible Joy
Approved rendering: sự vui mừng khôn xiết
Transliteration: su vui mung khon xiet
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: χαρὰ ἀνεκλάλητος
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:8. Standard term, low risk.
Outcome Of Faith
Approved rendering: kết quả của đức tin
Transliteration: ket qua cua duc tin
Doctrine: The Living Hope of the Resurrection
Original: τέλος τῆς πίστεως
Category: Faith
1 Peter 1:9. Faith’s guaranteed destination, not an uncertain possibility.
Reasoned Defense
Approved rendering: lời giải đáp / sự bào chữa
Transliteration: loi giai dap / su bao chua
Doctrine: Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
Original: ἀπολογία
Category: Faith
1 Peter 3:15. Grounds Christian apologetics in respectful, reasoned testimony, not argumentative defensiveness.
Angels
Approved rendering: thiên sứ
Transliteration: thien su
Doctrine: Christ’s Proclamation to the Spirits
Original: ἄγγελος
Category: Eschatology
1 Peter 1:12, 3:22. Heavenly messengers; standard term, low risk on its own, though contextually adjacent to the Critical-risk spirits_in_prison term at 3:22’s ‘angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.’
Referenced passages