Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — 2 Timothy
English → Vietnamese | Per-Term Translation Risk Reference
Purpose
This glossary consolidates every load-bearing term identified in 07_semantic_analysis.md across all four chapters of 2 Timothy into a single translation-risk reference table. Terms marked Reused carry forward the exact rendering fixed in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json; these renderings are not open for revision. Terms marked New are proposed for the first time in this curriculum and require formal entry into an updated translation memory (with theologian sign-off for Critical/High risk terms) before Phase 2 translation begins.
Risk tiers: Critical / High / Medium / Low, per the baseline definitions (theologian review / theologian review / native-speaker review / automated review, respectively).
A. Terms Reused Exactly from the Baseline Romans Translation Memory
| Term (EN) | Greek Original | Vietnamese Rendering | Risk (baseline) | Doctrine Link (2 Timothy) | Primary 2 Timothy Passages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gospel | εὐαγγέλιον | Tin Lành | Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel; The Charge to Preach the Word | 1:8, 1:10, 2:8, 4:5 | Reused exactly; underlies “evangelist” (người truyền giảng Tin Lành) |
| Grace | χάρις | ân điển | High | Perseverance under Suffering; framing of ministry empowerment | 1:2, 1:9, 2:1, 4:22 | Never phước đức/công đức/ơn nghĩa |
| Faith | πίστις | đức tin | Medium | Guarding Sound Doctrine; Assurance of Reward | 1:5, 2:18, 2:22, 3:8, 3:10, 4:7 | Object of faith consistently Christ |
| Righteousness | δικαιοσύνη | sự công bình | High | Assurance of Reward (“crown of righteousness”) | 3:16, 2:22, 4:8 | Never đức hạnh |
| Salvation | σωτηρία / σῴζω | sự cứu rỗi | Critical | Inspiration/Sufficiency of Scripture; Assurance of Reward | 2:10, 3:15, 4:18 | Never sự giải thoát |
| Resurrection | ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω | sự sống lại | Critical | Guarding Sound Doctrine (against the Hymenaeus/Philetus heresy) | 2:8, 2:18 | Never đầu thai/luân hồi; Critical also because 2:18 records a heresy denying it |
| Apostle | ἀπόστολος | sứ đồ | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | 1:1, 1:11 | — |
| Holy Spirit | πνεῦμα ἅγιον | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | Guarding Sound Doctrine (indwelling enablement) | 1:14 | Never bare thần linh |
| God | θεός | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical/High | All doctrines | throughout | Context must convey personal, covenant-making God |
| Jesus / Christ | Ἰησοῦς / Χριστός | Đức Chúa Giê-xu / Đấng Christ | Critical | Christology throughout | throughout | Established BTT forms |
| Lord | κύριος | Chúa | Critical/High | Assurance of Reward; judgment | 4:8, 4:14, 4:17-18, 4:22 | Exclusive, supreme Lordship |
| Glory | δόξα | sự vinh hiển | Medium/High | Assurance of Reward | 2:10, 4:18 | — |
| Gentiles | ἔθνη | dân ngoại | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word (universal scope) | 4:17 | — |
| Election / the elect | ἐκλεκτός | (người) được chọn (sự lựa chọn family) | Medium/High | Perseverance under Suffering | 2:10 | Never số mệnh/nghiệp |
| Sanctification | ἁγιασμός-family (ἁγιάζω) | sự nên thánh / được biệt riêng | Medium | Church-vessel imagery | 2:21 | — |
| Peace | εἰρήνη | sự bình an | Medium | Guarding Sound Doctrine (fruit of pursuit) | 1:2, 2:22 | — |
| Exhort | παρακαλέω | khuyên bảo / khích lệ (context-sensitive) | Low | The Charge to Preach the Word | 4:2 | Entreaty sense here per baseline note |
| Seed of David | σπέρμα Δαβίδ | dòng dõi Đa-vít | Medium | Guarding Sound Doctrine (doctrinal anchor to remember) | 2:8 | — |
| David | Δαβίδ | Đa-vít | Low | — | 2:8 | Proper name |
| Sin | ἁμαρτία | tội lỗi | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers | 3:6 | Never nghiệp xấu |
| Kingdom of God (family) | βασιλεία | Nước Đức Chúa Trời / Nước Ngài / Nước Thiên Đàng | Medium | Assurance of Reward | 4:1, 4:18 | Christ’s future consummated reign |
B. New Terms Proposed for the 2 Timothy Curriculum
| Term (EN gloss) | Greek Original | Transliteration | Vietnamese Rendering | Risk | Doctrine Link | Rejected/Cautioned Alternatives | Primary Passages | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| God-breathed / Inspired by God | θεόπνευστος | theopneustos | được Đức Chúa Trời soi dẫn | Critical | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | Any rendering evoking channeled trance-speech (hầu đồng spirit-mediumship) or a sage’s/enlightened teacher’s insight | 3:16 | Single most doctrinally load-bearing term in the curriculum |
| (Holy) Scriptures | γραφή / ἱερὰ γράμματα | graphē / hiera grammata | Kinh Thánh | High | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | Never equated with Buddhist sutras (kinh) or Confucian classics | 3:15, 3:16 | ”All Scripture” universality must not be softened |
| Sound doctrine | ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία | hygiainousa didaskalia | đạo lành | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine | Established BTT term (cf. Titus 1:9, 2:1); must convey life-giving health, not mere propositional correctness | 4:3; cf. 1:13 | Central technical term of the doctrine |
| The deposit / entrusted trust | παραθήκη | parathēkē | điều đã được giao thác | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | Never modeled on ơn nghĩa (reciprocal-debt favor, rejected in baseline for grace) or transferable merit | 1:12, 1:14 | Guard, not increase or renegotiate |
| Rightly handling [the word of truth] | ὀρθοτομέω | orthotomeō | giảng dạy lời của lẽ thật một cách ngay thẳng | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine | Not mere rhetorical skill — interpretive accuracy/integrity | 2:15 | Core hermeneutical term |
| Faithfully entrust / hand on | παρατίθημι | paratithēmi | giao lại | High | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | Not an informal, optional sharing of opinion | 2:2 | Four-generation transmission chain |
| Perseverance / endurance | ὑπομονή | hypomonē | sự bền đỗ | High | Perseverance under Suffering | Not passive resignation; active, faith-grounded steadfastness | 3:10; cf. 2:10 (ὑπομένω) | Central term for the doctrine |
| Endure hardship / suffer affliction | κακοπαθέω | kakopatheō | chịu khổ | High | Perseverance under Suffering | Must not be framed as outworking of karmic debt from a past life | 2:3, 4:5 | — |
| Persecution | διωγμός | diōgmos | sự bắt bớ | Medium | Perseverance under Suffering | — | 3:11-12 | — |
| Fight the good fight / contest | ἀγών / ἀγωνίζομαι | agōn / agōnizomai | cuộc chiến đấu tốt lành / đánh trận tốt lành | High | Perseverance under Suffering; Assurance of Reward | Not a merit-accumulating spiritual achievement | 4:7 | Established idiom (cf. 1 Tim 6:12) |
| Finish the course/race | δρόμος (τελέω) | dromos (teleō) | xong sự chạy | Medium | Assurance of Reward | — | 4:7 | Athletic metaphor |
| Crown of righteousness | στέφανος τῆς δικαιοσύνης | stephanos tēs dikaiosynēs | mão triều thiên của sự công bình | Critical | Assurance of Reward | Never modeled on công đức (Buddhist accumulated merit); reward flows from grace, secured by God’s faithfulness | 4:8 | Central term for the doctrine; established BTT “mão triều thiên” |
| The righteous Judge | δίκαιος κριτής | dikaios kritēs | Đấng Xét Đoán công bình | High | Assurance of Reward | Not impersonal karmic mechanism (nghiệp) | 4:8 | Personal divine Judge |
| Judge the living and the dead | κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς | krinein zōntas kai nekrous | xét đoán kẻ sống và kẻ chết | High | Assurance of Reward; The Charge to Preach the Word | One final universal judgment, not a repeating karmic cycle across rebirths | 4:1 | — |
| Appearing (of Christ) | ἐπιφάνεια | epiphaneia | sự hiện ra | High | Assurance of Reward; eschatology | Not modeled on repeating avatar-manifestations (hóa thân) | 1:10, 4:1, 4:8 | Parallels baseline caution on “incarnation” |
| Repay according to works | ἀποδίδωμι κατὰ τὰ ἔργα | apodidōmi kata ta erga | báo trả theo việc làm | High | Assurance of Reward | Personal divine repayment, not impersonal karma | 4:14 | — |
| Poured out (as a libation) | σπένδομαι | spendomai | đổ ra làm lễ quán | High | Perseverance under Suffering; Assurance of Reward | Must be distinguished from ancestor-veneration wine libation (rót rượu cúng); direction is Paul-to-God, not descendants-to-ancestor | 4:6 | Requires an explicit teaching note |
| In the last days | ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις | en eschatais hēmerais | trong những ngày sau cùng | High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | Linear historical eschatology, not cyclical Buddhist cosmological ages | 3:1 | Defining term of the doctrine |
| Form of godliness [denying its power] | μόρφωσις εὐσεβείας | morphōsis eusebeias | có hình thức tin kính, nhưng chối bỏ quyền năng | High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | εὐσέβεια (“tin kính”) not reduced to Confucian virtue-cultivation (đức hạnh) or outward ritual religiosity | 3:5 | Key diagnostic term for false religion |
| Impostor / deceiver | γόης | goēs | kẻ lừa gạt | High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | Broader than but inclusive of folk sorcerer/medium figures (thầy pháp, thầy bói); a religious impostor exploiting trust | 3:13 | — |
| Deceiving and being deceived | πλανάω | planaō | lừa dối | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | — | 3:13 | — |
| Disqualified concerning the faith | ἀδόκιμος περὶ τὴν πίστιν | adokimos peri tēn pistin | bị loại bỏ về phần đức tin | High | Guarding Sound Doctrine; Apostasy and False Teachers | — | 3:8 | — |
| Myths / fables | μῦθος | mythos | truyện huyễn hoặc | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | Distinguish from valued Vietnamese folk legend/epic (truyền thuyết, cổ tích) as a cultural heritage genre | 4:4 | Not a blanket dismissal of story as a genre |
| Itching ears (idiom) | κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν | knēthomenoi tēn akoēn | có tính ưa nghe những lời làm đẹp tai | Medium | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | Literal “ngứa lỗ tai” carries different everyday connotation; meaning-based rendering preferred | 4:3 | Flag for native-speaker naturalness review |
| Resurrection already happened (false teaching) | ἀνάστασιν γεγονέναι | anastasin gegonenai | [dạy sai lạc rằng] sự sống lại đã xảy ra rồi | Critical | Guarding Sound Doctrine; Apostasy and False Teachers | Must be explicitly marked as a rejected heresy, never presented neutrally | 2:18 | Directly denies the Critical-risk resurrection doctrine |
| If we are faithless, he remains faithful | ἀπιστοῦμεν… πιστὸς μένει | apistoumen… pistos menei | nếu chúng ta không thành tín, Ngài vẫn thành tín | Critical | Assurance of Reward; Perseverance under Suffering | Must hold together warning against apostasy and assurance in God’s unchangeable character without collapsing either side | 2:13 | Requires theologian review |
| Sacred/God-breathed sufficiency: “complete, equipped” | ἄρτιος / ἐξαρτίζω | artios / exartizō | trọn vẹn / được sắm sẵn đầy đủ | High | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | Sufficiency claim must not be diluted by placing Scripture alongside equally authoritative other sources | 3:17 | — |
| I solemnly charge | διαμαρτύρομαι | diamartyromai | long trọng răn bảo | High | The Charge to Preach the Word | Retain quasi-judicial solemnity; not a casual request | 4:1 | Opens the central charge |
| Preach [the word] | κηρύσσω | kēryssō | giảng | High | The Charge to Preach the Word | Authoritative, commissioned proclamation, not personal opinion-sharing | 4:2 | Central verb of the doctrine |
| The Word [of God] | λόγος | logos | Lời (capitalized when referring to God’s Word) | High | The Charge to Preach the Word; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | Distinguish from ordinary “lời nói” (mere speech) | 4:2; cf. “word of God” 2:9 | — |
| In season, out of season (idiom) | εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως | eukairōs akairōs | lúc thuận tiện, lúc không thuận tiện | Low | The Charge to Preach the Word | Idiom renders naturally | 4:2 | — |
| Reprove / rebuke / exhort (triad) | ἔλεγχος / ἐπιτιμάω / παρακαλέω | elegchos / epitimaō / parakaleō | bẻ trách / quở trách / khuyên bảo | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word; Guarding Sound Doctrine | — | 4:2; cf. 3:16 (ἔλεγχος) | — |
| Word of God is not bound | ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται | ho logos tou theou ou dedetai | Lời Đức Chúa Trời không bị xiềng lại | High | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture; Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | Contrast Paul’s literal chains with the Word’s freedom | 2:9 | — |
| Man of God | ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος | ho tou theou anthrōpos | người của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture | Established OT-echoing phrase | 3:17 | — |
| Godliness / godly | εὐσέβεια / εὐσεβῶς | eusebeia / eusebōs | sự tin kính / sống tin kính | High | Apostasy and False Teachers; Perseverance under Suffering | Genuine, Spirit-empowered relationship with God, not outward moral cultivation alone | 3:5, 3:12 | Pairs with μόρφωσις εὐσεβείας above |
| Faithful men | πιστοὶ ἄνθρωποι | pistoi anthrōpoi | những người trung tín | Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | — | 2:2 | — |
| Competent / able [to teach] | ἱκανός | hikanos | có khả năng | Medium | Faithful Transmission of the Gospel | — | 2:2 | — |
| Vessels for honor / dishonor | σκεῦος (τιμή / ἀτιμία) | skeuos (timē / atimia) | bình dùng cho việc sang / bình dùng cho việc hèn | Medium | Guarding Sound Doctrine (church purity) | Moral response and self-purification, not a fixed inherited caste/worth | 2:20-21 | — |
| Cleanse/purge oneself | ἐκκαθαίρω | ekkathairō | tự làm cho mình sạch | Medium | Guarding Sound Doctrine | Cooperative response within sanctification | 2:21 | — |
| Devil’s snare | διαβόλου παγίς | diabolou pagis | bẫy của ma quỉ | High | Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days | Personal spiritual adversary, not impersonal ignorance/illusion or ancestral misfortune | 2:26 | — |
| Evangelist | εὐαγγελιστής | euangelistēs | người truyền giảng Tin Lành | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | Built on TM-reused “Tin Lành” | 4:5 | — |
| Ministry / service | διακονία | diakonia | chức vụ | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word | — | 4:5; cf. 4:11 | — |
| Fulfill fully / carry out completely | πληροφορέω | plērophoreō | làm trọn | Medium | The Charge to Preach the Word; Assurance of Reward | — | 4:5; cf. 4:17 | — |
| Incorruption / immortality | ἀφθαρσία | aphtharsia | sự không hư nát | High | Assurance of Reward; resurrection background | Permanent bodily immortality in Christ, not a temporary interlude within a rebirth cycle | 1:10 | — |
| Abolished death | καταργέω τὸν θάνατον | katargeō ton thanaton | tiêu diệt sự chết | High | Assurance of Reward; resurrection background | Decisive, once-for-all defeat, not partial/ongoing struggle | 1:10 | — |
| Sober-minded / watchful | νήφω / ἀνανήφω | nēphō / ananēphō | tỉnh thức / tỉnh lại | Medium | Perseverance under Suffering; Apostasy and False Teachers | — | 4:5; 2:26 | — |
| Gangrene (metaphor for spreading false teaching) | γάγγραινα | gangraina | chứng hoại thư | Low | Guarding Sound Doctrine | Vivid, minimal syncretism risk; may need brief gloss for intelligibility | 2:17 | — |
| Solid foundation [of God] | θεμέλιος | themelios | nền vững chắc | Medium | Assurance of Reward; Guarding Sound Doctrine | — | 2:19 | — |
| Seal | σφραγίς | sphragis | ấn / dấu ấn | Medium | Assurance of Reward | — | 2:19 | — |
| Deny [Christ] / he remains faithful | ἀρνέομαι / πιστὸς μένει | arneomai / pistos menei | see entry above (2:13) | Critical | Assurance of Reward | — | 2:12-13 | — |
| Spirit of fear/cowardice vs. power, love, self-control | πνεῦμα δειλίας / δύναμις, ἀγάπη, σωφρονισμός | pneuma deilias / dynamis, agapē, sōphronismos | tinh thần nhút nhát / quyền năng, tình yêu thương, sự tự chủ | Medium | Perseverance under Suffering | — | 1:7 | — |
| Rekindle / stir up [the gift] | ἀναζωπυρέω | anazōpyreō | khơi lại | Medium | Perseverance under Suffering | Deliberate, active spiritual effort | 1:6 | — |
C. Idioms Requiring Meaning-Based (Non-Literal) Rendering
| English idiom | Greek | Literal rendering (rejected) | Meaning-based Vietnamese rendering | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itching ears | κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν | ”ngứa lỗ tai” (too colloquial/different connotation) | có tính ưa nghe những lời làm đẹp tai | Medium | Native-speaker review required for naturalness |
| In season, out of season | εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως | — | lúc thuận tiện, lúc không thuận tiện | Low | Idiom transfers naturally |
| Fought the good fight | τὸν καλὸν ἀγῶνα ἠγώνισμαι | — | đánh trận tốt lành | High | Established BTT idiom; retain |
| Poured out as a libation | σπένδομαι | literal “đổ ra như rượu tế” risks confusion | đổ ra làm lễ quán + mandatory teaching note | High | See doctrine note above |
D. Summary Risk Counts (2 Timothy New + Reused Load-Bearing Terms)
| Risk Tier | Count (approx.) | Review Routing |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 8 | Human theologian review |
| High | 27 | Human theologian review |
| Medium | 28 | Native speaker review |
| Low | 6 | Automated review |
Note: counts reflect distinct glossary entries in Sections A–C above; several Greek terms recur across multiple verses/chapters and are counted once at their highest-risk occurrence.
This glossary must be merged into an updated translation_memory.json (version increment) before Phase 2 segment translation of 2 Timothy begins. All Critical- and High-risk new terms require theologian sign-off prior to memory-lock, per the Glossary Enforcement Priority Order established in the baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md.
Critical Risk Terms
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σωτηρία / σῴζω
Category: Salvation
Never sự giải thoát (Buddhist liberation from rebirth). In 2 Timothy, Scripture makes one wise ‘unto salvation’ (3:15) and Paul endures for the elect’s salvation (2:10). Inherited from Romans package.
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις / ἐγείρω
Category: Eschatology
Never đầu thai/luân hồi (rebirth/reincarnation within samsara), and never conflated with ongoing ancestor-spirit presence. Elevated importance in 2 Timothy because 2:18 records Hymenaeus and Philetus teaching the resurrection ‘has already happened’ — this heresy must always be marked explicitly as rejected false teaching, never presented neutrally. Also affirmed positively at 2:8. Inherited from Romans package.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Standard Vietnamese Protestant Bible form (1926 Bản Dịch Truyền Thống); named throughout 2 Timothy as the object of faith and ministry. Inherited from Romans package.
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Holy Spirit Empowerment for Ministry
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Never bare thần linh (folk spirit/deity category, especially the possession/empowerment pattern of hầu đồng spirit-mediumship). Critical in 2 Timothy because both ministry empowerment (1:6-7: power, love, self-control vs. a spirit of fear) and the capacity to guard sound doctrine (1:14) are grounded in the Spirit’s personal, divine indwelling. Inherited from Romans package.
Christ
Approved rendering: Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Dang Christ
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
Established transliteration standard per baseline 12_ai_translation_requirements.md; used constantly in 2 Timothy in the combined title ‘Christ Jesus’ as the ground of grace, salvation, and ministry. Must be kept distinct from a title claimed by any deified folk hero.
Theopneustos
Approved rendering: được Đức Chúa Trời soi dẫn
Transliteration: duoc Duc Chua Troi soi dan
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: channeled trance-speech framing (hầu đồng spirit-mediumship), a sage’s accumulated insight framing (Confucian classics), an enlightened teacher’s realization framing (Buddhist sutras)
Original: θεόπνευστος
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:16. The single most doctrinally load-bearing term in the curriculum. ‘Soi dẫn’ is the established Vietnamese Protestant rendering; every occurrence must carry enough teaching context to make explicit the direct divine origin of the very words of Scripture, not mere guidance of a human sage’s own insight.
Crown Of Righteousness
Approved rendering: mão triều thiên của sự công bình
Transliteration: mao trieu thien cua su cong binh
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: công đức (Buddhist accumulated merit dispensed proportionally to religious effort)
Original: στέφανος τῆς δικαιοσύνης
Category: Reward
2 Timothy 4:8. Established Vietnamese Bible term for the victor’s crown (cf. James 1:12; Revelation 2:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25). Must always be taught as flowing from grace and secured by God’s own faithfulness (cf. 2:13), never as a merit prize.
Resurrection Denied Heresy
Approved rendering: sự sống lại đã xảy ra rồi (dạy sai lạc)
Transliteration: su song lai da xay ra roi (day sai lac)
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: ἀνάστασιν… γεγονέναι
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 2:18. The named heresy of Hymenaeus and Philetus. Must always carry an explicit false-teaching marker (e.g., ‘dạy sai lạc rằng’) attached to the clause; never rendered as a bare, neutral declarative statement.
Faithless Yet He Remains Faithful
Approved rendering: nếu chúng ta không thành tín, Ngài vẫn thành tín
Transliteration: neu chung ta khong thanh tin, Ngai van thanh tin
Doctrine: Divine Faithfulness amid Human Unfaithfulness
Original: ἀπιστοῦμεν… πιστὸς μένει
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:13, paired with 2:12’s ‘if we deny him, he will deny us.’ Both clauses must appear in fixed, unedited relation to each other; theologian review required for every occurrence to avoid erasing either the warning or the assurance.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: ân điển
Transliteration: an dien
Doctrine: Grace and God’s Eternal Purpose
Rejected alternatives: phước đức, công đức, ơn nghĩa
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Never phước đức/công đức (Buddhist merit) or ơn nghĩa (reciprocal-debt favor). In 2 Timothy 1:9 grace is grounded in God’s purpose ‘before the ages began,’ not foreseen human merit; frames Timothy’s empowerment for ministry at 2:1. Inherited from Romans package.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Never đức hạnh (Confucian cultivated virtue). Central to the ‘crown of righteousness’ (4:8) and Scripture’s formative purpose (3:16); must not collapse into achieved moral performance. Inherited from Romans package.
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Exclusive, supreme Lordship. In 2 Timothy: the one who stood by Paul (4:17), will judge (4:1), and will award the crown (4:8). Inherited from Romans package.
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός
Category: God
Every occurrence should carry enough context that a personal, covenant-making God is meant, not the impersonal Ông Trời of folk speech. Invoked as witness to the solemn charge (4:1) and as the source of inspired Scripture (3:16). Inherited from Romans package.
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Grace and God’s Eternal Purpose
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
God as personal, relational Father, named in the opening greeting (1:2); emphasize grace and intimacy over Confucian filial-duty (đạo hiếu) hierarchy. Inherited from Romans package.
Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτός
Category: Salvation
Never số mệnh (fixed fate) or nghiệp (karma). 2 Timothy 2:10: Paul endures suffering for the sake of ‘the elect’ (được chọn) obtaining salvation. Inherited from Romans package.
Scriptures
Approved rendering: Kinh Thánh
Transliteration: Kinh Thanh
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: equating with Buddhist sutras (kinh Phật, tụng kinh), equating with Confucian classics transmitted through sage tradition
Original: γραφή / ἱερὰ γράμματα
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:15-16. Because ‘kinh’ is the same morpheme used for Buddhist sutras, first occurrence in any lesson document should carry a gloss distinguishing Kinh Thánh’s divine-personal-authorship origin from sutra/classics transmission. ‘All Scripture’ (πᾶσα γραφή) universality must not be softened to a select portion.
Sound Doctrine
Approved rendering: đạo lành
Transliteration: dao lanh
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: bare ‘đạo’ left unmodified (readable as ‘a religion’ among several, as in đạo Phật/đạo Ông Bà)
Original: ὑγιαίνουσα διδασκαλία
Category: Doctrine
Established Vietnamese Protestant term (cf. Titus 1:9, 2:1); central to 2 Timothy 4:3 and 1:13. Always pair with a possessive/source phrase (đạo lành của Tin Lành / đạo lành các sứ đồ đã truyền lại) so ‘đạo’ reads as the one body of apostolic teaching, not a religion among several choices. Must convey life-giving spiritual health, not dry propositional correctness.
The Deposit
Approved rendering: điều đã được giao thác
Transliteration: dieu da duoc giao thac
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: ơn nghĩa (reciprocal-debt favor, rejected in baseline for grace), a transferable religious merit-fund
Original: παραθήκη / παρακαταθήκη
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 1:12, 1:14. A fixed, unchanging trust of apostolic teaching Timothy must guard intact, never increase, renegotiate, or repay.
Rightly Handling The Word
Approved rendering: giảng dạy lời của lẽ thật một cách ngay thẳng
Transliteration: giang day loi cua le that mot cach ngay thang
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: ὀρθοτομέω
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:15 (ὀρθοτομέω, ‘cut straight’). Must convey interpretive accuracy and integrity, not merely rhetorical explanatory skill.
Entrust Hand On
Approved rendering: giao lại
Transliteration: giao lai
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: gia truyền (family-line inheritance transmission), hương hỏa (ancestral rites transmission)
Original: παρατίθημι
Category: Transmission
2 Timothy 2:2, the verb form of παραθήκη. Must convey a deliberate, guarded four-generation transmission chain (Paul→Timothy→faithful men→others), never a family ritual-obligation inheritance.
Perseverance
Approved rendering: sự bền đỗ
Transliteration: su ben do
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: nhẫn nhục (Confucian stoic endurance for social harmony/face), passive resignation framing
Original: ὑπομονή
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 3:10 (ὑπομονή), part of the seven-item summary of Paul’s exemplary life. Active, faith-grounded steadfastness, always co-located with its cause (vì Đấng Christ / vì Tin Lành).
Endure Hardship
Approved rendering: chịu khổ
Transliteration: chiu kho
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: outworking of karmic debt (nghiệp) from a past life
Original: κακοπαθέω
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 2:3, 4:5. Must always be governed by an explicit cause/object in the same clause (vì Đấng Christ, vì cớ Tin Lành) to prevent a Buddhist dukkha (khổ) reading of self-liberating endurance.
Godliness
Approved rendering: sự tin kính
Transliteration: su tin kinh
Doctrine: Godliness versus Religious Formalism
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh (Confucian cultivated virtue), outward ritual respectability
Original: εὐσέβεια / εὐσεβῶς
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 3:5, 3:12 (εὐσέβεια/εὐσεβῶς). Must be taught as inward, Spirit-empowered relationship with God, not outward moral cultivation or ritual observance for social respectability. Positive use should be paired with power/transformation language (quyền năng của sự tin kính).
Form Of Godliness
Approved rendering: có hình thức tin kính, nhưng chối bỏ quyền năng của sự tin kính đó
Transliteration: co hinh thuc tin kinh, nhung choi bo quyen nang cua su tin kinh do
Doctrine: Godliness versus Religious Formalism
Original: μόρφωσις εὐσεβείας ἔχοντες, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν αὐτῆς ἠρνημένοι
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 3:5. Must always be rendered and quoted as the full antithetical unit; never split so that ‘hình thức tin kính’ alone appears (it would read as a compliment in ordinary Vietnamese).
Poured Out As Libation
Approved rendering: đổ ra làm lễ quán
Transliteration: do ra lam le quan
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Rejected alternatives: rót rượu cúng (ancestor-veneration wine libation poured by descendants to a deceased relative)
Original: σπένδομαι
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 4:6 (σπένδομαι). Mandatory teaching note required: the direction of the offering is Paul-to-God, never descendants-to-ancestor; must never be illustrated with ancestor-altar imagery.
Fight The Good Fight
Approved rendering: đánh trận tốt lành
Transliteration: danh tran tot lanh
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: merit-accumulating spiritual achievement framing
Original: ἀγών / ἀγωνίζομαι
Category: Reward
2 Timothy 4:7. Established Vietnamese Protestant idiom (cf. 1 Timothy 6:12); a grace-empowered contest completed, not a karmic-scale achievement earning reward.
Righteous Judge
Approved rendering: Đấng Xét Đoán công bình
Transliteration: Dang Xet Doan cong binh
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: impersonal karmic mechanism (nghiệp)
Original: δίκαιος κριτής
Category: Reward
2 Timothy 4:8. Christ as a personal divine Judge rendering a specific, righteous verdict at a specific future moment, not an impersonal, self-operating cosmic ledger.
Judge Living And Dead
Approved rendering: xét đoán kẻ sống và kẻ chết
Transliteration: xet doan ke song va ke chet
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment
Rejected alternatives: repeating cycle of karmic retribution across successive rebirths
Original: κρίνειν ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς
Category: Eschatology
2 Timothy 4:1. One final, universal judgment by a personal God, explicitly distinct from Buddhist cyclical karmic accounting.
Appearing
Approved rendering: sự hiện ra
Transliteration: su hien ra
Doctrine: Second Coming of Christ (The Appearing)
Rejected alternatives: hóa thân (recurring bodhisattva/deity manifestation), Phật Di Lặc-style future-teacher-appearance framing
Original: ἐπιφάνεια
Category: Eschatology
2 Timothy 1:10, 4:1, 4:8 (ἐπιφάνεια). One final, visible, bodily appearing of the one Christ, not one instance in an ongoing series of manifestations. Pair each occurrence with a temporal marker distinguishing the past incarnate appearing from the future return.
Repay According To Works
Approved rendering: báo trả theo việc làm
Transliteration: bao tra theo viec lam
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Rejected alternatives: impersonal karmic ledger (nghiệp)
Original: ἀποδίδωμι κατὰ τὰ ἔργα
Category: Reward
2 Timothy 4:14. Must retain an explicit personal-agent subject (Chúa sẽ báo trả) in every rendering; never a passive construction implying an impersonal mechanism.
Incorruption
Approved rendering: sự không hư nát
Transliteration: su khong hu nat
Doctrine: Incorruption and Immortality
Rejected alternatives: temporary interlude within the Buddhist rebirth cycle
Original: ἀφθαρσία
Category: Eschatology
2 Timothy 1:10 (ἀφθαρσία). A single, permanent, bodily immortality secured in Christ.
Abolished Death
Approved rendering: tiêu diệt sự chết
Transliteration: tieu diet su chet
Doctrine: Incorruption and Immortality
Rejected alternatives: partial or ongoing struggle against death
Original: καταργέω τὸν θάνατον
Category: Eschatology
2 Timothy 1:10 (καταργέω τὸν θάνατον). Christ’s decisive, once-for-all defeat of death, never softened to an ongoing contest.
Last Days
Approved rendering: trong những ngày sau cùng
Transliteration: trong nhung ngay sau cung
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: cyclical Buddhist cosmological ages (kalpa), Kali Yuga-style cyclical decline
Original: ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 3:1. Must be taught within linear, historical eschatology moving to one final consummation, anchored to Christ’s first and second comings, never a repeating cyclical age.
Impostor
Approved rendering: kẻ lừa gạt
Transliteration: ke lua gat
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: narrow occult-only framing limited to thầy pháp/thầy bói/đồng cốt
Original: γόης
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 3:13 (γόης). Names any false religious teacher exploiting trust for gain, including those within professing Christian communities, not narrowly an occult folk specialist.
Disqualified Concerning Faith
Approved rendering: bị loại bỏ về phần đức tin
Transliteration: bi loai bo ve phan duc tin
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: a pass/fail merit-scale implying faith itself is earned through performance
Original: ἀδόκιμος περὶ τὴν πίστιν
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 3:8 (ἀδόκιμος περὶ τὴν πίστιν). Keep ‘về phần đức tin’ (concerning the faith as a body of teaching) clearly distinct from ‘đức tin’ as personal trust where both senses might appear in the same passage.
Complete Equipped
Approved rendering: trọn vẹn / được sắm sẵn đầy đủ
Transliteration: tron ven / duoc sam san day du
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: placing Scripture alongside other equally authoritative sacred texts or ancestral wisdom
Original: ἄρτιος / ἐξαρτίζω
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:17 (ἄρτιος/ἐξαρτίζω). The sufficiency claim must not be diluted; Scripture alone equips the man of God for every good work.
Assured Convinced
Approved rendering: đã được xác quyết
Transliteration: da duoc xac quyet
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Rejected alternatives: generic personal conviction/subjective certainty alone
Original: πιστόω (ἐπιστώθης)
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:14 (πιστόω). Timothy’s confidence rests on the reliability of apostolic teaching under God, not subjective certainty in isolation.
Truth
Approved rendering: lẽ thật
Transliteration: le that
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: a relativized ‘a truth’ among many
Original: ἀλήθεια
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:15, 2:25, 4:4 (ἀλήθεια). Established Vietnamese Protestant term; must retain the definite, revealed character of ‘the truth.‘
Solemnly Charge
Approved rendering: long trọng răn bảo
Transliteration: long trong ran bao
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: a casual request
Original: διαμαρτύρομαι
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:1 (διαμαρτύρομαι). Must retain quasi-judicial solemnity, given before God and Christ Jesus as witnesses.
Preach
Approved rendering: giảng
Transliteration: giang
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Rejected alternatives: casual personal opinion-sharing
Original: κηρύσσω
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:2 (κηρύσσω). Authoritative, commissioned proclamation carrying the authority of the sender; central verb of the charge.
The Word
Approved rendering: Lời
Transliteration: Loi
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: λόγος
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:2; cf. 2:9 (λόγος). Capitalize when referring to God’s Word to distinguish it from ordinary ‘lời nói’ (mere speech).
Word Of God Not Bound
Approved rendering: Lời Đức Chúa Trời không bị xiềng lại
Transliteration: Loi Duc Chua Troi khong bi xieng lai
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ οὐ δέδεται
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 2:9. Must preserve the contrast between Paul’s literal chains and the Word’s freedom.
Devils Snare
Approved rendering: bẫy của ma quỉ
Transliteration: bay cua ma qui
Doctrine: Spiritual Warfare and the Devil
Rejected alternatives: the general folk category of malevolent spirits (ma, quỷ) generally, ancestral displeasure requiring ritual appeasement
Original: διαβόλου παγίς
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 2:26 (διαβόλου παγίς). The devil must be presented as one specific, personal, God-opposing spiritual adversary, resolved through repentance and God’s rescue, not ritual appeasement by a thầy pháp.
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’). In 2 Timothy underlies ‘evangelist’ (người truyền giảng Tin Lành, 4:5) and grounds Faithful Transmission of the Gospel and The Charge to Preach the Word (1:8, 1:10, 2:8, 4:5). Inherited from Romans package.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Object of faith always Christ. In 2 Timothy also extends contextually to ‘the faith’ as a body of apostolic teaching (3:8, 4:7); this extension must not blur the personal-trust sense. Inherited from Romans package.
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Paul’s commissioned authority (1:1, 1:11) grounding the charge given to Timothy. Inherited from Romans package.
Called
Approved rendering: được kêu gọi
Transliteration: duoc keu goi
Doctrine: Grace and God’s Eternal Purpose
In 2 Timothy 1:9, part of ‘holy calling’ (κλῆσις ἁγία) — God’s effectual call to salvation and service grounded in grace, not works. Inherited from Romans package.
Calling
Approved rendering: sự kêu gọi
Transliteration: su keu goi
Doctrine: Grace and God’s Eternal Purpose
Rejected alternatives: số phận
Never số phận (fixed fate/destiny). Combines with ‘thánh’ at 1:9 as ‘sự kêu gọi thánh’ (holy calling). Inherited from Romans package.
Sanctification
Approved rendering: sự nên thánh
Transliteration: su nen thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification and Self-Purification
Original: ἁγιασμός / ἁγιάζω
Category: Sanctification
Background to the vessel-of-honor imagery (2:20-21) and the pursuit list (2:22); the Spirit’s ongoing sanctifying work, cooperated with, not replaced, by self-purification. Inherited from Romans package.
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Part of the opening greeting (1:2) and the pursuit list alongside righteousness, faith, and love (2:22). Inherited from Romans package.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: dòng dõi Đa-vít
Transliteration: dong doi Da-vit
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
2 Timothy 2:8: part of the doctrinal anchor (‘Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, of the seed of David’) Timothy must remember amid hardship. Inherited from Romans package.
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Never nghiệp xấu (bad karma). 2 Timothy 3:6: those ‘laden with sins’ are especially vulnerable to false teachers. Inherited from Romans package.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Eschatological Judgment
Original: βασιλεία / βασιλεία ἐπουράνιος
Category: Kingdom
Christ’s coming and consummated reign, to which final judgment belongs (4:1). At 4:18 the heavenly-kingdom variant may render ‘Nước Thiên Đàng của Ngài,’ distinguished from an earthly political nước. Inherited from Romans package.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: δόξα
Category: God
The goal accompanying salvation (2:10) and the object of the closing doxology (4:18). Inherited from Romans package.
Gentiles
Approved rendering: dân ngoại
Transliteration: dan ngoai
Doctrine: Gospel to the Nations
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
2 Timothy 4:17: ‘that all the Gentiles might hear.’ Inherited from Romans package.
Faithful Men
Approved rendering: những người trung tín
Transliteration: nhung nguoi trung tin
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: πιστοὶ ἄνθρωποι
Category: Transmission
2 Timothy 2:2. Qualification is proven faithfulness, not mere willingness.
Competent
Approved rendering: có khả năng
Transliteration: co kha nang
Doctrine: Faithful Transmission of the Gospel
Original: ἱκανός
Category: Transmission
2 Timothy 2:2 (ἱκανός). Sound doctrine must be both guarded and transmissible.
Sincere Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin thành thật
Transliteration: duc tin thanh that
Doctrine: Godly Household Transmission of Faith
Original: ἀνυπόκριτος πίστις
Category: Transmission
2 Timothy 1:5. Timothy’s faith is genuine and personally his own though transmitted through Lois and Eunice; must not be read as inherited ritual obligation comparable to ancestor-veneration duty.
Persecution
Approved rendering: sự bắt bớ
Transliteration: su bat bo
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: διωγμός
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 3:11-12. Names the concrete historical form ὑπομονή takes.
Spirit Of Fear Vs Power Love Selfcontrol
Approved rendering: tinh thần nhút nhát / quyền năng, tình yêu thương, sự tự chủ
Transliteration: tinh than nhut nhat / quyen nang, tinh yeu thuong, su tu chu
Doctrine: Holy Spirit Empowerment for Ministry
Original: πνεῦμα δειλίας / δύναμις, ἀγάπη, σωφρονισμός
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 1:7. Retain the contrast structure between what God has not given and what he has given.
Rekindle The Gift
Approved rendering: khơi lại
Transliteration: khoi lai
Doctrine: Holy Spirit Empowerment for Ministry
Original: ἀναζωπυρέω
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 1:6 (ἀναζωπυρέω). Deliberate, active spiritual effort to reignite the gift, not passive waiting.
Finish The Course
Approved rendering: xong sự chạy
Transliteration: xong su chay
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: δρόμος / τελέω
Category: Reward
2 Timothy 4:7. A completed, not abandoned, race.
Deceiving And Deceived
Approved rendering: lừa dối
Transliteration: lua doi
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Original: πλανάω
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 3:13 (πλανάω). Describes progressive moral/doctrinal decline: deceiving others while themselves deceived.
Myths
Approved rendering: truyện huyễn hoặc
Transliteration: truyen huyen hoac
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: truyền thuyết/cổ tích used as a blanket equivalent (valued Vietnamese legend/epic heritage genres)
Original: μῦθος
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 4:4 (μῦθος). Restrict explicitly to fabricated religious teaching presented as truth; not a blanket dismissal of Vietnamese legend/epic as a cultural literary genre.
Itching Ears
Approved rendering: có tính ưa nghe những lời làm đẹp tai
Transliteration: co tinh ua nghe nhung loi lam dep tai
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: ngứa lỗ tai (literal idiom carrying an everyday gossip-craving/annoyance connotation)
Original: κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν
Category: Apostasy
2 Timothy 4:3 (κνηθόμενοι τὴν ἀκοήν). Meaning-based rendering preferred over the literal idiom; flag for native-speaker naturalness review at every occurrence.
Man Of God
Approved rendering: người của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: nguoi cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:17. Established OT-echoing phrase applied to Timothy/every minister.
Make Wise Unto Salvation
Approved rendering: khiến cho khôn sáng
Transliteration: khien cho khon sang
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: generic worldly wisdom (minh triết)
Original: σοφίζω
Category: Scripture
2 Timothy 3:15 (σοφίζω). Must retain the specific direction ‘unto salvation,’ not generic scholarly wisdom.
Remain Continue In Teaching
Approved rendering: hãy tiếp tục ở trong / hãy cứ giữ vững
Transliteration: hay tiep tuc o trong / hay cu giu vung
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Rejected alternatives: a merely passive ‘staying put’
Original: μένω
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 3:14 (μένω). Active, deliberate perseverance in doctrine already received.
Teaching Generic
Approved rendering: sự dạy dỗ
Transliteration: su day do
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: διδασκαλία
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 3:16 (διδασκαλία, one of Scripture’s four stated purposes). Distinct from the compound technical term ‘đạo lành’ (sound doctrine).
Reproof
Approved rendering: sự bẻ trách
Transliteration: su be trach
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ἔλεγχος / ἐλέγχω
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 3:16, 4:2 (ἔλεγχος/ἐλέγχω). Exposure and conviction of doctrinal and moral error.
Rebuke
Approved rendering: quở trách
Transliteration: quo trach
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
2 Timothy 4:2 (ἐπιτιμάω). A sharper corrective word than reproof, addressing conduct directly; one of the three ministry verbs alongside reproof and exhort.
Correction
Approved rendering: sự sửa trị
Transliteration: su sua tri
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Original: ἐπανόρθωσις
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 3:16 (ἐπανόρθωσις, NT hapax). Restorative, setting right again what error has bent out of shape.
Training In Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự sửa dạy
Transliteration: su sua day
Doctrine: Inspiration and Sufficiency of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: punitive-only, strict hierarchical discipline framing (Confucian expectation)
Original: παιδεία
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 3:16 (παιδεία). Restorative, character-forming training within grace, not punitive correction alone.
Evangelist
Approved rendering: người truyền giảng Tin Lành
Transliteration: nguoi truyen giang Tin Lanh
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: εὐαγγελιστής
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:5 (εὐαγγελιστής). Built on the reused term ‘Tin Lành’ (gospel).
Ministry Service
Approved rendering: chức vụ
Transliteration: chuc vu
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: διακονία
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:5, 4:11 (διακονία). Timothy’s entire pastoral office/task.
Fulfill Fully
Approved rendering: làm trọn
Transliteration: lam tron
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: πληροφορέω
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:5; cf. 4:17 (πληροφορέω). Ties Perseverance under Suffering to Assurance of Reward.
Proclamation Message
Approved rendering: sứ điệp
Transliteration: su diep
Doctrine: Gospel to the Nations
Original: κήρυγμα
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:17 (κήρυγμα). The gospel message reaching all nations through Paul’s ministry.
Vessels Honor Dishonor
Approved rendering: bình dùng cho việc sang / bình dùng cho việc hèn
Transliteration: binh dung cho viec sang / binh dung cho viec hen
Doctrine: Church Purity and Holy Vessels
Rejected alternatives: a fixed, inherited social/spiritual caste framing
Original: σκεῦος (εἰς τιμήν… εἰς ἀτιμίαν)
Category: Church
2 Timothy 2:20-21 (σκεῦος εἰς τιμήν/ἀτιμίαν). Must be taught as moral response and self-purification, not fixed inherited worth; keep paired with ‘tự làm cho mình sạch.‘
Cleanse Oneself
Approved rendering: tự làm cho mình sạch
Transliteration: tu lam cho minh sach
Doctrine: Sanctification and Self-Purification
Rejected alternatives: unaided Confucian-style self-cultivation (tu dưỡng đạo đức) achieving purity independent of grace
Original: ἐκκαθαίρω
Category: Sanctification
2 Timothy 2:21 (ἐκκαθαίρω). Cooperative response within, not a replacement for, the Spirit’s sanctifying work.
Sober Minded
Approved rendering: tỉnh thức / tỉnh lại
Transliteration: tinh thuc / tinh lai
Doctrine: Perseverance under Suffering
Original: νήφω / ἀνανήφω
Category: Suffering
2 Timothy 4:5, 2:26 (νήφω/ἀνανήφω). Spiritual alertness, the counter-posture to apostasy.
Solid Foundation
Approved rendering: nền vững chắc của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: nen vung chac cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: ὁ στερεὸς θεμέλιος τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:19. Grounds assurance in God’s own faithfulness, not the church’s flawless record.
Seal
Approved rendering: ấn
Transliteration: an
Doctrine: Assurance of Reward
Original: σφραγίς
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:19 (σφραγίς). Mark of God’s sure ownership and knowledge of his own.
Mercy
Approved rendering: sự thương xót
Transliteration: su thuong xot
Doctrine: Grace and God’s Eternal Purpose
Original: ἔλεος
Category: God
2 Timothy 1:2 (ἔλεος), part of the greeting triad grace, mercy, peace.
Demas
Approved rendering: Đê-ma
Transliteration: De-ma
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Proper name, 2 Timothy 4:10. A named, concrete example of apostasy (‘having loved this present world’), illustrating the chapter 3 warnings in real biography.
Low Risk Terms
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Context-sensitive: khuyên nài/khuyên bảo for entreaty, khích lệ for building-up encouragement. At 2 Timothy 4:2 (παρακάλεσον) the entreaty sense fits the pastoral-appeal context; render as ‘khuyên bảo’ there per the context-sensitivity rule, not the bare baseline default. Inherited from Romans package.
David
Approved rendering: Đa-vít
Transliteration: Da-vit
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Original: Δαβίδ
Category: Covenant
Proper name, 2 Timothy 2:8. Inherited from Romans package.
Thanksgiving
Approved rendering: sự cảm tạ
Transliteration: su cam ta
Doctrine: Godly Household Transmission of Faith
2 Timothy 1:3, ‘I thank God.’ Standard term; minimal doctrinal risk. Inherited from Romans package.
In Season Out Of Season
Approved rendering: lúc thuận tiện, lúc không thuận tiện
Transliteration: luc thuan tien, luc khong thuan tien
Doctrine: The Charge to Preach the Word
Original: εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως
Category: Ministry
2 Timothy 4:2 (εὐκαίρως ἀκαίρως). Idiom transfers naturally into Vietnamese without loss.
Gangrene
Approved rendering: chứng hoại thư
Transliteration: chung hoai thu
Doctrine: Guarding Sound Doctrine
Original: γάγγραινα
Category: Doctrine
2 Timothy 2:17 (γάγγραινα). Vivid medical metaphor for the spread of false teaching; a brief gloss (‘một loại bệnh hoại tử lây lan’) may be added in study notes, not in translated verse text.
Ephesus
Approved rendering: Ê-phê-sô
Transliteration: E-phe-so
Doctrine: Godly Household Transmission of Faith
Place name, 2 Timothy 1:18, 4:12. Established Bản Dịch Truyền Thống form; consistent with Romans-curriculum place-name conventions.
Jannes And Jambres
Approved rendering: Gian-nê và Giam-rê
Transliteration: Gian-ne va Giam-re
Doctrine: Apostasy and False Teachers in the Last Days
Rejected alternatives: Gian-nét và Giam-be (an alternate transliteration surfaced in draft semantic analysis; the two draft outputs disagree and this must be confirmed against the Bản Dịch Truyền Thống text of 2 Timothy 3:8 before Phase 2 lock)
2 Timothy 3:8. Named historical precedent (Egyptian magicians opposing Moses, cf. Exodus 7 tradition) for present-day opposition to sound doctrine. FLAG: transliteration requires confirmation against the authoritative BTT text before this entry is locked.
Referenced passages