Semantic Analysis
07 Semantic Analysis — Galatians (Koine Greek → Vietnamese)
Methodology
This analysis proceeds verse-by-verse through the core passage (Galatians 2:15–21) and then chapter-by-chapter through the entire book of Galatians (1–6), identifying every load-bearing theological term. For each term the following fields are given where applicable: original Greek word, transliteration, literal meaning, semantic range, English variants found across major English versions, contextual theological meaning within Galatians, and the destination-language (Vietnamese) rendering and risk.
Any term already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json MUST reuse the recorded Vietnamese rendering exactly. Such terms are marked [BASELINE REUSE] below and are not re-litigated, only confirmed and cross-referenced to their Galatians occurrences. New terms not present in the Romans baseline are marked [NEW] and receive full risk analysis, with proposed Vietnamese renderings consistent with Bản Dịch Truyền Thống (1926) register and the doctrine-risk conventions established in the baseline.
PART 1 — Core Passage Verse-by-Verse: Galatians 2:15–21
This passage is Paul’s theological center of gravity for the whole letter: the confrontation with Peter at Antioch pivots into the letter’s thesis statement on justification by faith apart from works of the law. Every clause is load-bearing.
Galatians 2:15
Greek: Ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἁμαρτωλοί Gloss: “We [who are] Jews by nature/birth and not sinners from among the Gentiles”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἰουδαῖος | Ioudaios | ”Jew, Judean” | Ethnic-religious identity; covenant-people identity | ”Jew(s)“ | Paul’s rhetorical starting point: even those born into the covenant people need justification apart from the law. [NEW] | “người Do Thái” (also traditionally “người Giu-đa”). Risk: Medium. Must be kept ethnically/theologically neutral, not colored by later interfaith polemics; ties to Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine (Romans baseline). |
| ἔθνη | ethnē | ”nations, peoples” | Non-Jewish peoples/nations | ”Gentiles,” “nations” | Contrast category defining the scope of the gospel’s reach. [BASELINE REUSE] | “dân ngoại” — reuse exactly per Romans TM. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| ἁμαρτωλός | hamartōlos | ”sinner, one who misses the mark” | Moral transgressor before God (adjectival/nominal) | “sinners” | Paul provocatively echoes the Jewish view of Gentiles as “sinners” before overturning ethnic categories in v.16. [BASELINE REUSE — noun form of “sin”] | “kẻ có tội” / “người tội lỗi” (from tội lỗi, reuse). Risk: Medium. Must not be softened into a general moral-failing term that loses “before a personal God” force. |
| φύσει | physei | ”by nature” | Birth-status, inherent condition | ”by nature,” “by birth” | Distinguishes inherited ethnic-religious status from the status now offered by faith — sets up the entire argument that birth-status cannot justify. [NEW] | “về bổn tính” / “vốn là”. Risk: Low. |
Galatians 2:16
Greek: εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ἔργων νόμου ἐὰν μὴ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐπιστεύσαμεν, ἵνα δικαιωθῶμεν ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου, ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων νόμου οὐ δικαιωθήσεται πᾶσα σάρξ. Gloss: “knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in/of Jesus Christ… because by works of the law no flesh will be justified.”
This is the doctrinal hinge of the entire letter — the Justification by Faith doctrine stated in full.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| δικαιοῦται / δικαιωθῶμεν | dikaioutai / dikaiōthōmen | ”is justified / that we might be justified” | Forensic declaration of right standing | ”justified,” “declared righteous,” “made right” | God’s forensic verdict, not a process of moral improvement. [BASELINE REUSE] | “được xưng công bình” — reuse exactly. Risk: Critical (per baseline registry). |
| ἔργα νόμου | erga nomou | ”works of the law” | Deeds performed in observance of the Mosaic law, esp. boundary markers (circumcision, food laws, Sabbath) | “works of the law,” “legal works,” “observance of the law” | The specific negative pole of the letter’s central antithesis: what does NOT justify. [NEW — but directly parallel to Romans’ “imputed_righteousness” antithesis] | “các việc làm của luật pháp.” Risk: Critical. Must be sharply distinguished from ân điển and must never drift toward công đức/phước đức (Buddhist accumulated merit) — this is precisely the collision the baseline’s “grace” entry already warns against, now stated in its Pauline antithetical form. |
| διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ / ἐκ πίστεως Χριστοῦ | dia pisteōs Iēsou Christou / ek pisteōs Christou | ”through faith of/in Jesus Christ” / “by faith of Christ” | Genitive ambiguous: objective genitive (“faith directed toward Christ”) or subjective genitive (“Christ’s own faithfulness”) | “faith in Christ,” “faith in Jesus Christ,” “the faithfulness of Christ” | Scholarly-debated construction (πίστις Χριστοῦ). Traditional and majority Vietnamese Protestant rendering takes the objective sense: believers’ faith directed at Christ. [BASELINE REUSE for “faith”; NEW ambiguity note] | “đức tin trong Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ” (đức tin reused exactly; object of faith = Christ, per baseline note on “faith”). Risk: High. Flag per Ambiguity Handling protocol: record subjective-genitive alternative (“bởi sự trung tín của Đấng Christ”) in segment cache; default to objective sense per Vietnamese Protestant tradition and consistency with Romans 3:22 handling. |
| πᶶσα σάρξ | pasa sarx | ”all flesh” | Idiom for “every human being,” emphasizing universal human inability | ”no one,” “no human being,” “all flesh,” “any person” | Universal Human Accountability doctrine (Romans baseline) restated: no ethnic or legal status justifies anyone. [BASELINE REUSE — universality convention] | “chẳng một người nào” / “chẳng ai.” Risk: High. Per baseline Validation Rules: universality claims must never be qualified or softened into a graded scale. |
Galatians 2:17
Greek: εἰ δὲ ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ εὑρέθημεν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἁμαρτωλοί, ἆρα Χριστὸς ἁμαρτίας διάκονος; μὴ γένοιτο. Gloss: “But if, seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not!”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ζητοῦντες δικαιωθῆναι ἐν Χριστῷ | zētountes dikaiōthēnai en Christō | ”seeking to be justified in Christ” | Locative “in Christ” = union with Christ as the ground/location of justification | ”seeking to be justified in Christ” | Christian Identity in Christ doctrine (Romans baseline): justification’s location is union with Christ, not law-observance. [BASELINE REUSE — “in Christ”] | “được xưng công bình trong Đấng Christ.” Risk: High (per baseline “christian_identity_in_christ” doctrine). |
| ἁμαρτίας διάκονος | hamartias diakonos | ”servant/minister of sin” | Rhetorical extreme Paul rejects | ”an agent of sin,” “a promoter of sin,” “minister of sin” | Rejected hypothetical: the gospel of grace does not make Christ complicit in sin. [NEW] | “kẻ giúp việc cho tội lỗi” / “đầy tớ của tội lỗi.” Risk: Medium. |
| μὴ γένοιτο | mē genoito | ”may it not become / let it not be” | Strong idiomatic negation/repudiation | ”Certainly not!” “God forbid!” “By no means!” “Never!” | Emphatic rhetorical rejection; a fixed idiom Paul uses repeatedly (cf. Romans 3:4,6,31; 6:1). [NEW — but idiom already handled consistently in the Romans corpus] | “Chẳng hề như vậy!” — the established Vietnamese Bible idiom used across the Pauline corpus; must remain consistent with its Romans occurrences. Risk: Low once fixed, but flag for cross-document consistency check. |
Galatians 2:18
Greek: εἰ γὰρ ἃ κατέλυσα ταῦτα πάλιν οἰκοδομῶ, παραβάτην ἐμαυτὸν συνιστάνω. Gloss: “For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself a transgressor.”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| κατέλυσα / οἰκοδομῶ | katelysa / oikodomō | ”I tore down / I build again” | Architectural metaphor for abandoning and reinstating the law’s authority | ”tore down / rebuild” | Returning to law-keeping as the ground of righteousness (as Peter’s withdrawal implied) reverses the gospel’s demolition of that system. [NEW, metaphor — no fixed glossary term needed beyond context] | Rendered contextually: “phá đổ” / “xây lại.” Risk: Low. |
| παραβάτης | parabatēs | ”transgressor, one who steps across (a boundary)“ | One who violates a law/standard | ”transgressor,” “lawbreaker” | Ironic point: reverting to the law as the ground of righteousness would itself constitute transgression of the gospel. [NEW] | “kẻ phạm luật” / “người có tội.” Risk: Medium. Related to but distinct from ἁμαρτωλός; should not be flattened into the same Vietnamese word as “sinner” without contextual distinction. |
Galatians 2:19
Greek: ἐγὼ γὰρ διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον ἵνα θεῷ ζήσω. Gloss: “For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| διὰ νόμου νόμῳ ἀπέθανον | dia nomou nomō apethanon | ”through the law, I died to the law” | Paradoxical double-use of νόμος: the law itself (in condemning sin, cf. 3:13) leads to death to the law’s regime | ”I died to the law through the law” | Sets up the Crucified with Christ doctrine of v.20: death to the law’s claim is the necessary hinge for new life to God. [NEW paradox — “law” itself is BASELINE REUSE] | “luật pháp” reused exactly for νόμος; the paradoxical construction rendered as “bởi luật pháp, tôi đã chết đối với luật pháp.” Risk: High. The paradox must not be smoothed away in translation; losing the double ὑπὸ/διὰ νόμου tension flattens the argument. |
| ζήσω θεῷ | zēsō theō | ”I might live to/for God” | Purpose/result of dying to the law | ”live to/for God,” “live for God” | Positive counterpart to dying to the law — anticipates “Christ lives in me” (v.20). [NEW] | “để tôi sống cho Đức Chúa Trời.” Risk: Medium. |
Galatians 2:20 (Critical verse — Crucified with Christ / Sonship of Christ)
Greek: Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι· ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός· ὃ δὲ νῦν ζῶ ἐν σαρκί, ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ. Gloss: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in/of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι | Christō synestaurōmai | ”I have been co-crucified with Christ” (perfect passive — completed act with ongoing result) | Union with Christ specifically in his death; not self-mortification or ascetic discipline | ”I have been crucified with Christ,” “I was crucified with Christ” | Core statement of the Crucified with Christ doctrine: the believer’s old self died in Christ’s crucifixion, a once-for-all judicial/spiritual union, not a repeatable or self-achieved discipline. [NEW — Critical] | “Tôi đã cùng bị đóng đinh vào thập tự giá với Đấng Christ.” Risk: Critical. Must be clearly taught as a completed, Christ-accomplished union event — never modeled on ascetic self-denial or the gradual detachment/extinguishing of desire pursued in Buddhist practice toward liberation. This is death accomplished IN Christ’s historical crucifixion, appropriated by faith, not a technique of self-discipline. |
| ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός | zō de ouketi egō, zē de en emoi Christos | ”I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” | Exchanged-life language; indwelling | ”it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” | Christian Identity in Christ doctrine (Romans baseline) intensified to its sharpest NT expression. [BASELINE REUSE concept, NEW specific formula] | “chẳng phải tôi sống nữa, nhưng Đấng Christ sống trong tôi.” Risk: High. Must avoid any phrasing suggesting the believer’s personal identity is dissolved or absorbed into an impersonal divine essence (a possible misreading risk given non-dual concepts in Vietnamese Buddhist thought); this is personal indwelling by a personal Christ, not loss of selfhood into an impersonal absolute. |
| ἐν πίστει ζῶ τῇ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ | en pistei zō tē tou huiou tou theou | ”I live by the faith of/in the Son of God” | Same πίστις Χριστοῦ genitive ambiguity as v.16, now applied to “Son of God" | "I live by faith in the Son of God” | Restates the object of faith as the Son of God explicitly. [BASELINE REUSE — “faith,” “son_of_god”] | “đức tin” and “Con Đức Chúa Trời” reused exactly. Risk: Critical (son_of_god retains baseline Critical tier). |
| τοῦ ἀγαπήσαντός με καὶ παραδόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ | tou agapēsantos me kai paradontos heauton hyper emou | ”who loved me and gave himself up for me” | παραδίδωμι = hand over, deliver up, give over (to death); ὑπέρ = “on behalf of, for the sake of” (substitutionary preposition) | “who loved me and gave himself for me,” “who loved me and delivered himself up for me” | Substitutionary self-giving love as the ground of the believer’s new life; echoes Romans’ atonement language. [NEW] | “Đấng đã yêu tôi và phó chính mình Ngài vì tôi.” Risk: High. “phó chính mình” (gave himself up/over) must retain the substitutionary “for me” (vì tôi/thay tôi) sense — a self-offering on another’s behalf, not merely an example of generic love or self-sacrifice detached from its atoning, on-my-behalf character. |
Galatians 2:21 (Law and Grace doctrine culmination)
Greek: οὐκ ἀθετῶ τὴν χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ· εἰ γὰρ διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη, ἄρα Χριστὸς δωρεὰν ἀπέθανεν. Gloss: “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning in Context | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀθετῶ | athetō | ”I set aside, nullify, reject, treat as invalid” | Legal/relational term for annulling an agreement or disregarding a gift | ”nullify,” “set aside,” “frustrate,” “reject” | To seek righteousness through law-keeping is to functionally nullify the grace already given. [NEW] | “làm cho ra vô ích” / “gạt bỏ.” Risk: High. Must not be softened into a mere “ignore” — this is treating God’s grace as void, a serious charge; the verb must carry the weight of nullification, not casual neglect. |
| χάριν τοῦ θεοῦ | charin tou theou | ”the grace of God” | Unmerited favor | ”the grace of God” | Direct application of the Grace doctrine (Romans baseline) to the Galatian crisis: the very issue at stake in Law and Grace. [BASELINE REUSE] | “ân điển của Đức Chúa Trời” — reuse exactly. Risk: High (per baseline). |
| εἰ…διὰ νόμου δικαιοσύνη | ei…dia nomou dikaiosynē | ”if righteousness [is] through the law” | Conditional testing the false premise | ”if righteousness could be gained through the law” | States the counterfactual whose absurd consequence (Christ’s death being pointless) exposes the Judaizing error. [BASELINE REUSE — “righteousness”] | “sự công bình” reused exactly. Risk: Critical (per baseline). |
| δωρεάν | dōrean | ”freely, for nothing, without cause/purpose” | Can mean “as a free gift” (positive) OR “in vain, for no reason” (negative) — here clearly the negative sense given ἄρα (“then, therefore”) | “in vain,” “for nothing,” “to no purpose,” “needlessly” | The devastating logical conclusion if law-righteousness were valid: Christ’s atoning death would be purposeless. [NEW] | “vô ích” (“Đấng Christ đã chết vô ích”). Risk: High. Distinguish this negative sense sharply from the positive “freely given” sense also carried by δωρεάν elsewhere (e.g., Romans 3:24’s related “freely” language) — context here is negative/purposeless, not “as a gift.” Translator note required to prevent confusing this occurrence with the gift-sense used of grace itself. |
PART 2 — Chapter-by-Chapter Study of the Whole Book
Chapter 1 (Galatians 1:1–24)
Establishes Paul’s Apostleship doctrine and the True Gospel versus False Gospels doctrine as the letter’s opening concerns.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀπόστολος | apostolos | ”one sent, envoy” | Delegated, authoritative sent-one | ”apostle” | Paul’s apostleship is “not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father” (1:1) — directly grounds Paul’s Apostleship doctrine. [BASELINE REUSE] | “sứ đồ” — reuse exactly. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| οὐκ ἀπ’ ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ διὰ ἀνθρώπου | ouk ap’ anthrōpōn oude dia anthrōpou | ”not from men nor through man” | Denial of human origin/mediation for Paul’s commission | ”not from men nor through man” | Distinguishes divine commissioning from human-institutional appointment — central to the apostleship doctrine’s authority claim. [NEW] | “không phải từ loài người, cũng không phải bởi loài người.” Risk: Medium. |
| ἐγείραντος αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν | egeirantos auton ek nekrōn | ”having raised him from the dead” | Bodily, historical resurrection | ”who raised him from the dead” | Anchors Paul’s commissioning authority in the Resurrection of Christ doctrine. [BASELINE REUSE] | “sự sống lại” (reuse); construction: “Đức Chúa Trời… đã khiến Ngài từ trong kẻ chết sống lại.” Risk: Critical (per baseline — never đầu thai/luân hồi). |
| εὐαγγέλιον | euangelion | ”good news” | The proclamation of salvation in Christ | ”gospel” | Introduces the letter’s central crisis: the Galatians are “turning to a different gospel.” [BASELINE REUSE] | “Tin Lành” — reuse exactly. Risk: Medium (per baseline), but note elevated functional risk in Galatians given the letter’s entire argument is a defense of the singular true gospel. |
| ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον | heteron euangelion | ”a different/another gospel” | A message presented as equivalent but substantively different, hence not a gospel at all | ”a different gospel,” “another gospel” | Names the crisis directly: the True Gospel versus False Gospels doctrine’s key phrase. [NEW — Critical] | “Tin Lành khác.” Risk: Critical. The Vietnamese must retain the force that this “other gospel” is not a valid variant but a contradiction and betrayal, since Vietnamese “Tin Lành” is also the common name for Protestantism generally — surrounding context must make clear Paul is not saying “a different denomination” but “a message that is no gospel at all.” |
| ἀνάθεμα | anathema | ”cursed, set apart for destruction, given over to divine judgment” | A person or thing devoted to God’s judgment/wrath, cut off | ”let him be accursed,” “let him be under God’s curse,” “anathema” | The most severe possible condemnation, twice-repeated (1:8–9), for anyone preaching a false gospel — the doctrinal seriousness of the True Gospel doctrine. [NEW — Critical] | “đáng bị a-na-them” (transliterated, following the established Vietnamese Bible pattern for this term, e.g. 1 Cor. 16:22) or, where transliteration is judged too obscure for a first-generation reader, “đáng bị Đức Chúa Trời rủa sả và dứt bỏ.” Risk: Critical. Must not be softened into ordinary disapproval; must carry the weight of a solemn divine curse. Human theologian review required for every occurrence. |
| ἀρέσκω ἀνθρώποις | areskō anthrōpois | ”to please men” | Seeking human approval as opposed to serving God | ”to please man/men” | Sets up Paul’s contrast: his gospel and apostleship do not seek human approval. [NEW] | “làm đẹp lòng người ta.” Risk: Low. |
| δοῦλος Χριστοῦ | doulos Christou | ”slave/bondservant of Christ” | Total ownership and belonging; not a hired role | ”servant of Christ,” “slave of Christ,” “bondservant of Christ” | Anticipates the slavery/freedom contrast developed fully in chs. 4–5; here it is a positive self-designation of total belonging to Christ. [NEW] | “tôi (đầy tớ) của Đấng Christ.” Risk: Medium. Must be distinguished from the negative δουλεία (“slavery to the law/flesh”) developed later — same root, opposite moral valence; requires contextual disambiguation. |
| ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | apokalypsis Iēsou Christou | ”a revelation of/from Jesus Christ” | Direct divine disclosure, not human tradition | ”a revelation of/from Jesus Christ,” “God revealed it to me” | Grounds Paul’s apostleship and gospel content in direct divine revelation, not human teaching — Inspiration-of-Scripture-adjacent claim (cf. Romans baseline doctrine). [NEW] | “sự tỏ ra của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ” / “được tỏ ra.” Risk: Medium. |
| Ἰουδαϊσμός | Ioudaismos | ”Judaism, the Jewish way of life” | Historical-religious system Paul formerly practiced with zeal | ”Judaism” | Contextual/biographical term describing Paul’s former life; not itself doctrinally contested. [NEW] | “Do Thái giáo.” Risk: Low. |
| ζηλωτής | zēlōtēs | ”zealot, one who is zealous” | Intense devotion, here to ancestral tradition | ”zealous,” “zealot” | Describes Paul’s pre-conversion zeal, later echoed negatively of the agitators’ “zeal” for the Galatians (4:17) — a term with both positive and negative uses in the letter. [NEW] | “sốt sắng” / “người sốt sắng.” Risk: Low. |
| ἀφορίζω…ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου / καλέσας | aphorizō…ek koilias mētros mou / kalesas | ”set apart from my mother’s womb” / “called” | Effectual, pre-natal divine election to ministry | ”set apart from birth,” “called” | Directly parallel to the Romans “Divine Calling” and “Separation unto God’s Service” doctrines, applied to Paul’s apostolic calling. [BASELINE REUSE] | “được kêu gọi” (calling) reused exactly; “biệt riêng ra” for ἀφορίζω. Risk: High (aligns with baseline’s “separation_unto_gods_service” High tier). |
| ἐκκλησία τοῦ θεοῦ | ekklēsia tou theou | ”church/assembly of God” | The gathered covenant community | ”church of God” | Paul’s former persecution target; establishes continuity of the Church as God’s People doctrine. [BASELINE REUSE] | “Hội Thánh của Đức Chúa Trời” — reuse exactly. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| δοξάζω | doxazō | ”to glorify” | Ascribing honor/praise | ”glorified” | The churches “glorified God” because of Paul’s transformation (1:24) — Deity/Glory doctrine touchpoint. [BASELINE REUSE — “glory”] | “làm sáng danh” / “tôn vinh” (cf. sự vinh hiển). Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
Chapter 2:1–14 (context for the core passage; Paul’s Apostleship and True Gospel doctrines continued)
Verses 15–21 receive full verse-by-verse treatment in Part 1 above. This section covers the load-bearing terms of 2:1–14.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ψευδάδελφος | pseudadelphos | ”false brother” | One posing as a believer while undermining the gospel | ”false brothers” | Names the internal threat to gospel truth — direct link to the False Gospels doctrine. [NEW] | “anh em giả dối.” Risk: Medium. |
| περιτομή | peritomē | ”circumcision” | The Abrahamic covenant sign; in Galatians, the flashpoint symbol of law-observance as a requirement for salvation/full membership | ”circumcision” | Central symbol of the entire controversy; whether Gentile believers must be circumcised to belong fully to God’s people. [NEW] | “phép cắt bì” / “sự cắt bì.” Risk: High. While Vietnamese culture has no direct ritual analogue creating syncretism risk, the term is doctrinally load-bearing throughout the letter and must be consistently rendered so readers track its recurring theological argument (chs. 2, 5, 6). |
| ἀκροβυστία | akrobystia | ”foreskin, uncircumcision” | The state/status of being uncircumcised; by metonymy, Gentile identity | ”uncircumcision” | Paired term marking ethnic-religious boundary Paul argues the gospel dissolves. [NEW] | “sự không chịu cắt bì” / “người không cắt bì.” Risk: Medium. |
| κοινωνία / δεξιάς…κοινωνίας | koinōnia / dexias koinōnias | ”fellowship” / “right hand[s] of fellowship” | Shared participation; here a formal gesture of shared apostolic recognition | ”fellowship,” “the right hand of fellowship” | Confirms Paul’s apostleship is recognized by, not derived from, the Jerusalem apostles. [BASELINE REUSE] | “sự thông công” reused exactly. Risk: Low (per baseline). |
| ἀλήθεια τοῦ εὐαγγελίου | alētheia tou euangeliou | ”the truth of the gospel” | The gospel’s unchanging, non-negotiable content | ”the truth of the gospel” | Named twice (2:5, 2:14) as the thing at stake in the entire Antioch confrontation — the doctrinal center of the True Gospel doctrine. [NEW — but “gospel” itself is BASELINE REUSE] | “lẽ thật của Tin Lành.” Risk: High. Must not be diluted into “gospel truths” (plural, generic) — this is the singular, specific content of the one true gospel under threat. |
| ὑποκρίνομαι / ὑπόκρισις | hypokrinomai / hypokrisis | ”to play a part, act hypocritically” / “hypocrisy” | Acting inconsistently with one’s stated convictions under social pressure | ”hypocrisy,” “acted hypocritically” | Describes Peter’s withdrawal from table fellowship with Gentiles under pressure from the circumcision party — a failure to live consistently with gospel truth. [NEW] | “sự giả hình.” Risk: Medium. |
| ὀρθοποδέω / κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου | orthopodeō | ”to walk a straight/correct path” | Conduct that is consistent with a stated standard | ”walking in line with,” “walking uprightly according to” | Paul’s charge against Peter and Barnabas: their conduct did not match the truth of the gospel. [NEW] | “ăn ở cách ngay thẳng theo lẽ thật của Tin Lành.” Risk: Medium. |
| ἰουδαΐζω | ioudaizō | ”to live/act like a Jew” | Adopting Jewish ceremonial practices, here under pressure applied to Gentiles | ”to live like Jews,” “to Judaize” | Names the practical outcome Peter’s hypocrisy was forcing on Gentile believers — the behavioral form of the False Gospel crisis. [NEW] | “buộc phải sống theo cách của người Do Thái” (descriptive rendering; no fixed single-word Vietnamese equivalent). Risk: Medium. |
Chapter 3 (Galatians 3:1–29)
Develops the Abrahamic Covenant and Promise doctrine and The Law’s Purpose doctrine at length.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως | ex akoēs pisteōs | ”from hearing of faith” / “by hearing with faith” | Receiving the Spirit through believing response to the gospel message, not law-performance | ”by hearing with faith,” “by believing what you heard” | Rhetorical question anchoring the whole chapter’s argument: the Spirit came by faith, not law-works. [BASELINE REUSE — “faith”] | “bởi nghe và tin” (đức tin reused). Risk: High. |
| ἐπίστευσεν… ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην | episteusen…elogisthē autō eis dikaiosynēn | ”he believed… it was credited to him as righteousness” | Quotation of Genesis 15:6; righteousness credited, not achieved | ”believed…it was counted to him as righteousness” | Identical formula to Romans 4:3 — the Abrahamic Covenant’s paradigm case for justification by faith. [BASELINE REUSE — “imputed_righteousness”] | “sự công bình được kể cho” — reuse exactly. Risk: Critical (per baseline). |
| υἱοὶ Ἀβραάμ | huioi Abraam | ”sons of Abraham” | Spiritual, not merely biological, descent | ”sons of Abraham,” “children of Abraham” | Redefines covenant membership around faith rather than bloodline — directly serves the Abrahamic Covenant doctrine. [NEW — “Abraham” itself is an established proper name] | “con cháu của Áp-ra-ham” (Áp-ra-ham per established transliteration standard). Risk: High. Must retain the paradoxical point: true descent is defined by faith, not ancestry — a point requiring care in a culture where lineage (dòng họ) carries strong identity weight. |
| κατάρα | katara | ”curse” | Covenant curse for disobedience; also Christ’s curse-bearing | ”curse" | "The curse of the law” (3:10, 13) — those relying on law-works are under it; central to The Law’s Purpose doctrine. [NEW] | “sự rủa sả.” Risk: High. Must be distinguished from folk notions of an impersonal curse or bad luck (vận rủi) — this is the covenant God’s own judicial curse pronounced on covenant violation. |
| ἐξαγοράζω | exagorazō | ”to buy out of the marketplace, to redeem” | Purchase out of a state of bondage/liability, at a price | ”redeemed,” “bought us out,” “ransomed" | "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us” (3:13) — key redemption statement, foundational to Law and Grace and the atonement. [NEW — Critical] | “chuộc” / “cứu chuộc” (Đấng Christ đã chuộc chúng ta). Risk: Critical. Must convey an actual price paid by another on the sufferer’s behalf, parallel to the baseline’s concern for “salvation” (never self-attained liberation) — must not collapse into generic rescue language that loses the substitutionary, price-paid sense. |
| γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα | genomenos hyper hēmōn katara | ”having become a curse on our behalf” | Substitutionary curse-bearing | ”having become a curse for us” | Christ’s substitutionary bearing of the law’s curse — directly informs Crucified with Christ and Law’s Purpose doctrines. [NEW] | “đã vì chúng ta chịu rủa sả” / “đã trở nên sự rủa sả thế cho chúng ta.” Risk: Critical. The substitutionary “instead of/on behalf of us” (thế cho/vì) sense must not be lost. |
| ἐπαγγελία | epangelia | ”promise” | God’s covenant pledge to Abraham, fulfilled in Christ | ”promise” | The organizing category of ch. 3–4: the promise (not the law) is what believers inherit — central to the Abrahamic Covenant doctrine. [NEW] | “lời hứa.” Risk: Medium. Must be distinguished from an ordinary human promise or verbal assurance — this is God’s own covenantal pledge, certain of fulfillment. |
| διαθήκη | diathēkē | ”covenant, will/testament” | A relational, binding, unilaterally-established bond | ”covenant" | "The covenant [made] with Abraham” (3:15,17) cannot be annulled by the later-given law. [BASELINE REUSE] | “giao ước” — reuse exactly. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| σπέρμα | sperma | ”seed, offspring” | Collective/singular noun; Paul argues it is singular, referring ultimately to Christ (3:16) | “seed,” “offspring,” “descendant” | Christological reading of the Abrahamic promise: “the seed” is, singularly, Christ, and by extension all who are “in Christ.” [NEW — related to baseline’s “seed_of_david” but distinct referent: Abraham’s/Christ’s seed, not David’s] | “dòng dõi.” Risk: High. Must preserve Paul’s argument that the term is grammatically singular and Christologically focused (3:16), not merely a generic collective term for “descendants,” or the argument of 3:16 becomes untranslatable. Recommend a translator note at this verse specifically. |
| διατάσσω δι’ ἀγγέλων | diatassō di’ angelōn | ”ordained/administered through angels” | The law’s mediated, secondary origin compared to the promise’s direct divine origin | ”put in place through angels,” “ordained through angels” | Subordinates the law’s origin and authority relative to the promise given directly to Abraham. [NEW] | “được ban qua các thiên sứ.” Risk: Medium. |
| μεσίτης | mesitēs | ”mediator, go-between” | One who stands between two parties (here, Moses, mediating the law) | “mediator” | Contrasts the law’s mediated giving with the promise’s direct, unmediated giving to Abraham. [NEW] | “người trung gian.” Risk: Medium. |
| παιδαγωγός | paidagōgos | ”child-guardian, tutor-supervisor” (a household slave charged with a child’s discipline and safekeeping until adulthood, NOT primarily an academic instructor) | Temporary, custodial, disciplinary supervisory role | ”guardian,” “tutor,” “schoolmaster,” “disciplinarian" | "The law was our guardian until Christ came” (3:24) — foundational statement of The Law’s Purpose doctrine: the law’s role was temporary and custodial, not salvific. [NEW] | Traditional Vietnamese Bible rendering uses “thầy giáo” (teacher/tutor), but this risks losing the custodial-guardian, disciplinary, and temporary-until-maturity nuance central to Paul’s argument. Risk: High. Recommend either retaining “thầy giáo” with a mandatory translator/footnote explanation of the guardian-slave background, or adopting a fuller descriptive phrase such as “người giữ và dạy dỗ trẻ” (one who watches over and disciplines a child) to preserve the custodial sense. Human theologian review required given centrality to The Law’s Purpose doctrine. |
| ὑπὸ νόμον | hypo nomon | ”under the law” | Subject to the law’s jurisdiction, authority, and condemnation | ”under the law,” “under the law’s authority” | Recurs across chs. 3–5 as the negative status from which believers are released; central to Law and Grace doctrine. [NEW] | “ở dưới luật pháp.” Risk: High. Must be kept consistent across every occurrence (3:23; 4:4-5,21; 5:18) since the phrase functions as a technical term in Paul’s argument, not a casual description. |
| συγκλείω / φρουρέω | synkleiō / phroureō | ”to shut in together, confine” / “to guard, keep watch over” | Custodial confinement, protective/restrictive | ”held captive,” “kept under guard,” “confined” | Describes the law’s restrictive, protective function prior to the arrival of faith. [NEW] | “bị canh giữ” / “bị nhốt lại.” Risk: Medium. |
| βαπτίζω εἰς Χριστόν / ἐνδύω Χριστόν | baptizō eis Christon / endyō Christon | ”baptized into Christ” / “put on/clothed with Christ” | Union with Christ effected/signified in baptism; clothing metaphor for new identity | ”baptized into Christ,” “put on Christ,” “clothed with Christ” | Grounds the Circumcision and New Creation doctrine’s core claim: the old identity markers (circumcision included) are superseded by a new identity “in Christ.” [NEW — “in Christ” is BASELINE REUSE concept] | “chịu báp-têm vào trong Đấng Christ” / “mặc lấy Đấng Christ.” Risk: High. |
| οὐκ ἔνι Ἰουδαῖος οὐδὲ Ἕλλην, δοῦλος οὐδὲ ἐλεύθερος, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ…εἷς ἐν Χριστῷ | ouk eni Ioudaios oude Hellēn… | “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male and female… one in Christ” | Sweeping statement of new-creation unity transcending ethnic, social, and gender categories of status before God | ”neither Jew nor Greek…all one in Christ Jesus” | The clearest NT statement of the Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine (Romans baseline), extended to social and gender categories. [BASELINE REUSE — extended scope] | Render with full universality preserved, matching baseline’s universality-preservation validation rule. Risk: High. Must not be softened or qualified in translation. |
| κληρονόμος | klēronomos | ”heir” | One who inherits by right, especially by virtue of sonship | ”heir" | "Heirs according to the promise” (3:29) — ties Abrahamic Covenant to the coming Adoption and Sonship doctrine of ch. 4. [NEW] | “người thừa kế” (also traditionally “kẻ kế tự”). Risk: Medium. |
Chapter 4 (Galatians 4:1–31)
Develops Adoption and Sonship doctrine most fully, and introduces the Hagar/Sarah allegory.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| νήπιος | nēpios | ”infant, minor child” | Legal minority status, not yet able to exercise inheritance rights | ”child,” “minor,” “infant” | Illustrates the immature, restricted status of those “under the law” prior to Christ. [NEW] | “con trẻ” / “trẻ con.” Risk: Low. |
| ἐπίτροπος / οἰκονόμος | epitropos / oikonomos | ”guardian” / “steward, manager” | Legal guardianship and household management roles for a minor heir | ”guardians,” “managers,” “trustees” | Reinforces the temporary, supervised status prior to reaching sonship’s full rights. [NEW] | “người giám hộ” / “người quản gia.” Risk: Low. |
| στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου | stoicheia tou kosmou | ”elemental things/principles of the world” | Debated: basic elements, elementary religious/moral principles, or (in some readings) spiritual/cosmic powers | ”elemental spiritual forces,” “basic principles of the world,” “elements of the world” | Describes the enslaving power of both pagan idolatry and law-observance-as-system prior to Christ (4:3, 4:9). [NEW] | “những lề thói/nguyên tắc sơ đẳng của thế gian.” Risk: High. Must NEVER be rendered as bare “thần linh” (which would collide with the Vietnamese folk-spirit category the baseline already flags for Holy Spirit) even though some interpreters read this term as referring to spirit-powers; keep the rendering in the register of “elementary systems/principles,” with a theologian’s note addressing the interpretive options rather than resolving the ambiguity by defaulting to a spirit-being term. |
| πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου | plērōma tou chronou | ”the fullness of time” | The divinely appointed, ripe moment | ”the fullness of time,” “when the set time had fully come” | Marks the incarnation’s timing as divinely ordained, not accidental — feeds into the Incarnation doctrine. [NEW] | “khi kỳ hạn đã được trọn.” Risk: Medium. |
| ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπὸ νόμον | exapesteilen ho theos ton huion autou, genomenon ek gynaikos, genomenon hypo nomon | ”God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” | Full statement of the incarnation’s reality: true human birth, full submission to the law’s demands | ”God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” | Directly parallel to the Romans Incarnation doctrine (Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt); here explicit that the Son’s mission required both true humanity and full subjection to the law he came to fulfill and redeem others from. [BASELINE REUSE — son_of_god, incarnation concept] | “Đức Chúa Trời đã sai Con Ngài đến, sanh bởi một người nữ, sanh ra dưới luật pháp.” Con Đức Chúa Trời reused exactly. Risk: Critical (per baseline “incarnation” and “son_of_god” entries — never hóa thân). |
| υἱοθεσία | huiothesia | ”adoption as son(s)“ | Full legal son-status with inheritance rights, granted rather than earned | ”adoption,” “adoption as sons” | The letter’s fullest statement of the Adoption and Sonship doctrine (4:5). [BASELINE REUSE] | “sự làm con nuôi” — reuse exactly. Risk: High (per baseline). Confucian hiếu (filial-duty) framing must again be guarded against here as in Romans 8. |
| Ἀββά ὁ πατήρ | Abba ho patēr | ”Abba, Father” | Aramaic term of filial intimacy plus its Greek gloss | ”Abba, Father” | The Spirit’s cry within adopted children, expressing intimate access — same formula as Romans 8:15. [BASELINE REUSE] | “Áp-ba, Cha” — reuse exactly. Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ θεοῦ | gnōsthentes hypo theou | ”having been known by God” | Being the object of God’s initiating, relational knowledge | ”known by God” | Reframes the Galatians’ relationship to God as God’s gracious initiative rather than their own achievement — reinforces Election/Effectual Calling doctrine emphasis on divine initiative. [NEW] | “được Đức Chúa Trời biết đến.” Risk: Medium. |
| ἀλληγορούμενα | allēgoroumena | ”spoken allegorically” | A typological/allegorical reading method Paul explicitly signals | ”this may be interpreted allegorically,” “these things are illustrations,” “this is an allegory” | Signals Paul’s own hermeneutical move in reading Hagar/Sarah typologically — a methodological term worth flagging for teaching purposes. [NEW] | “theo nghĩa bóng” / “được ví sánh.” Risk: Low. |
| παιδίσκη / ἐλευθέρα | paidiskē / eleuthera | ”slave woman/bondwoman” / “free woman” | Hagar (slave) vs. Sarah (free) — legal status contrast | ”slave woman,” “bondwoman” / “free woman” | Allegorizes the two covenants: slavery (law-based) vs. freedom (promise-based) — feeds directly into ch. 5’s Freedom in Christ doctrine. [NEW] | “người nữ tôi mọi” / “người nữ tự do.” Risk: Medium. |
| κατὰ σάρκα / κατ’ ἐπαγγελίαν | kata sarka / kat’ epangelian | ”according to the flesh” / “according to promise” | Natural human effort/descent vs. God’s sovereign promise-fulfillment | ”born according to the flesh” / “born through promise” | Ishmael (flesh) vs. Isaac (promise) as types of law-reliance vs. faith-reliance — central Abrahamic Covenant contrast. [NEW — “flesh” itself recurs as a major term through ch. 5–6, see below] | “theo xác thịt” / “theo lời hứa.” Risk: High. |
| Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἡ ἄνω | Hierousalēm hē anō | ”the Jerusalem above” | The heavenly, free, mother-city of believers, contrasted with earthly Jerusalem in bondage | ”the Jerusalem above,” “the heavenly Jerusalem” | Eschatological identity marker: believers’ true “mother” city is heavenly and free, not earthly and law-bound. [NEW] | “thành Giê-ru-sa-lem ở trên.” Risk: Medium. |
| διωγμός | diōgmos | ”persecution” | Suffering inflicted for one’s faith/identity | ”persecution” | Isaac (promise-child) was persecuted by Ishmael (flesh-child) — applied to the Galatians’ own experience of opposition from Judaizers. [NEW] | “sự bắt bớ.” Risk: Low. |
Chapter 5 (Galatians 5:1–26)
The letter’s most concentrated treatment of Freedom in Christ, Flesh versus Spirit, Fruit of the Spirit, and Faith Working through Love.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἐλευθερία | eleutheria | ”freedom, liberty” | Legal/social freedom from bondage, applied theologically to freedom from the law’s condemning power and from sin’s dominion | ”freedom,” “liberty" | "For freedom Christ has set us free” (5:1) — the letter’s positive counterpart to slavery/law-bondage; the Freedom in Christ doctrine’s key term. [NEW] | “sự tự do.” Risk: High. Must be taught as freedom FOR righteous, Spirit-led living and loving service (5:13), not freedom as license (a misreading Paul immediately guards against in 5:13); also distinguishable from a merely social/political freedom from Confucian familial or hierarchical duty — this is freedom from the law’s condemnation and from sin’s mastery, exercised in love. |
| ζυγὸς δουλείας | zygos douleias | ”yoke of slavery” | Metaphor for the burden of law-observance-as-salvation-requirement | ”yoke of slavery,” “yoke of bondage” | Names what the Galatians risk returning to if they accept circumcision as necessary. [NEW] | “ách tôi mọi” / “ách nô lệ.” Risk: Medium. |
| ἐκπίπτω τῆς χάριτος | ekpiptō tēs charitos | ”to fall away from grace” | Forfeiting the grace-based standing by reverting to law-righteousness | ”fallen from grace,” “fallen away from grace” | Warns that seeking justification through the law (specifically circumcision, 5:4) is functionally abandoning grace — direct application of the Law and Grace doctrine’s warning. [NEW — “grace” itself BASELINE REUSE] | “ân điển” reused exactly; construction: “lìa khỏi ân điển” / “rơi khỏi ân điển.” Risk: High. Must not be read as implying salvation can be lost through ordinary sin or moral failure in general — the specific warning is against seeking law-righteousness as an alternative to grace, not about assurance of salvation generally (cf. Romans baseline’s “assurance_of_salvation” doctrine, which must not be contradicted). |
| πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη | pistis di’ agapēs energoumenē | ”faith working through/by means of love” | Faith that expresses/produces itself in active love, as opposed to either bare intellectual assent or law-observance | ”faith working through love,” “faith expressing itself through love,” “faith energized by love” | The letter’s positive alternative to both legalism and license — the Faith Working through Love doctrine’s defining verse (5:6). [NEW — “faith” BASELINE REUSE] | “đức tin hay làm ra bởi sự yêu thương” (đức tin reused exactly). Risk: High. Must preserve that love is faith’s active expression/fruit, not a separate additional requirement alongside faith for justification — justification remains by faith alone, but genuine faith necessarily produces love. |
| περιπατέω πνεύματι | peripateō pneumati | ”to walk by/in the Spirit” | Ongoing, Spirit-directed conduct — a walking/lifestyle metaphor | ”walk by the Spirit,” “walk in the Spirit,” “live by the Spirit” | Central positive instruction of the Flesh versus Spirit doctrine (5:16, 25). [NEW — “Spirit” here = Holy Spirit, BASELINE REUSE] | “bước đi theo Thánh Linh” (Thánh Linh from Đức Thánh Linh, reused). Risk: Medium. |
| σάρξ (ethical sense) | sarx | ”flesh” | Not merely the physical body, but the sinful, self-oriented human nature/orientation in opposition to God’s Spirit | ”flesh,” “sinful nature,” “the flesh” | The negative pole of the letter’s central ethical antithesis (5:16-17, 19-21, 24; 6:8) — the Flesh versus Spirit doctrine’s key term. [NEW — related to but distinct from the neutral/descriptive uses of σάρξ in chs. 1–4] | “xác thịt.” Risk: High. Must be distinguished from the neutral sense (mere physical body/human descent, as in “seed of David… according to the flesh”) and taught as the morally culpable, sin-oriented disposition opposed to the Spirit — not the Buddhist framework of the body as a source of impermanent suffering to be transcended through detachment, but a morally responsible orientation requiring the Spirit’s victory, not mere detachment technique. |
| ἔργα τῆς σαρκός | erga tēs sarkos | ”works of the flesh” | The vice-list flowing from the flesh’s orientation: πορνεία (sexual immorality), ἀκαθαρσία (impurity), ἀσέλγεια (sensuality), εἰδωλολατρία (idolatry), φαρμακεία (sorcery), ἔχθραι (enmities), ἔρις (strife), ζῆλος (jealousy), θυμοί (fits of anger), ἐριθεῖαι (rivalries), διχοστασίαι (dissensions), αἱρέσεις (factions), φθόνοι (envy), μέθαι (drunkenness), κῶμοι (orgies) | “works of the flesh,” “acts of the sinful nature,” “sinful desires” | Concrete negative counterpart to the fruit of the Spirit; those who practice such things “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” [NEW list — “kingdom of God” is BASELINE REUSE] | “các việc làm của xác thịt.” Risk: High. Individual vice terms should use standard Vietnamese moral vocabulary (e.g., “gian dâm,” “ô uế,” “tà thần”/“thờ hình tượng,” “ghen ghét,” “cãi lẫy,” “bè đảng,” “say sưa”) — care needed that “εἰδωλολατρία” (idolatry) is rendered “thờ hình tượng/thờ tà thần” without collapsing into a term that could be misapplied broadly to ancestor veneration practices without further pastoral nuance; a separate pastoral note (not a translation change) is recommended for congregations from ancestor-venerating backgrounds. |
| καρπὸς τοῦ πνεύματος | karpos tou pneumatos | ”fruit of the Spirit” | Singular “fruit” (not “fruits”) — an organic, unified outgrowth of the Spirit’s presence: ἀγάπη (love), χαρά (joy), εἰρήνη (peace), μακροθυμία (patience/longsuffering), χρηστότης (kindness), ἀγαθωσύνη (goodness), πίστις (faithfulness), πραΰτης (gentleness), ἐγκράτεια (self-control) | “fruit of the Spirit” | The letter’s positive character-list, contrasted with the works of the flesh — the Fruit of the Spirit doctrine (5:22–23). [NEW] | “trái của Thánh Linh.” Risk: Medium. The singular “trái” (fruit, not “các trái”/fruits) should be preserved to convey organic unity, not a checklist of separate achievements. Note especially: πίστις here means “faithfulness/reliability” (a character trait), a different sense from πίστις as saving “faith” (đức tin, object = Christ) used elsewhere in the letter — recommend rendering this occurrence “trung tín” rather than “đức tin” to avoid conflating the two senses; flag for native speaker review. |
| κατὰ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἔστιν νόμος | kata tōn toioutōn ouk estin nomos | ”against such things there is no law” | Ironic closing note: the law has no case to bring against Spirit-produced character | ”against such things there is no law” | Confirms that Spirit-produced fruit fulfills what the law truly desired without needing the law’s external compulsion — resolves The Law’s Purpose doctrine’s tension. [NEW] | “không có luật pháp nào cấm những điều đó.” Risk: Medium. |
| τὴν σάρκα ἐσταύρωσαν σὺν τοῖς παθήμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις | tēn sarka estaurōsan syn tois pathēmasin kai tais epithymiais | ”have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” | Believers’ decisive, Christ-accomplished break with the flesh’s dominion, appropriated by union with Christ (echoing 2:20) | “have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” | Connects the Flesh versus Spirit doctrine back to the Crucified with Christ doctrine of 2:20 — the flesh’s power is broken through union with Christ’s crucifixion, not through ascetic self-effort. [NEW — reuses “crucified with Christ” concept] | “đã đóng đinh xác thịt với các đam mê và tình dục của nó.” Risk: High. Same caution as 2:20: this must be understood as a status already accomplished in union with Christ, appropriated by faith and outworked by the Spirit — not a technique of ascetic self-mortification performed by the believer’s own willpower, which would risk collapsing into a self-effort framework resembling ascetic religious discipline. |
Chapter 6 (Galatians 6:1–18)
Concludes with Bearing One Another’s Burdens, restates Circumcision and the New Creation, and closes with the letter’s summary themes.
| Term | Translit. | Literal Meaning | Semantic Range | English Variants | Theological Meaning | VN Rendering & Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε | allēlōn ta barē bastazete | ”bear one another’s burdens” | Communal responsibility to carry others’ heavy loads (here: moral failure/struggle, 6:1) | “bear one another’s burdens,” “carry each other’s burdens” | The letter’s key ethical-communal command, growing directly out of walking by the Spirit (5:25) — the Bearing One Another’s Burdens doctrine’s defining verse. [NEW] | “hãy mang gánh nặng cho nhau.” Risk: Low–Medium. Should be distinguished contextually from τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον (6:5, “his own load” — personal accountability) so the two are not confused as contradictory; a short teaching note distinguishing communal burden-bearing from individual accountability is useful, though the translation risk itself is modest. |
| παράπτωμα | paraptōma | ”trespass, fault, false step” | A moral failure or sin discovered in a fellow believer | ”trespass,” “sin,” “fault,” “transgression” | The specific occasion prompting burden-bearing (6:1) — restoring a fallen believer gently. [NEW] | “lỗi” / “sự phạm lỗi.” Risk: Low. |
| καταρτίζετε…ἐν πνεύματι πραΰτητος | katartizete…en pneumati prautētos | ”restore…in a spirit of gentleness” | Gentle, restorative correction, not harsh judgment | ”restore…gently,” “restore…in a spirit of gentleness” | Qualifies HOW burdens are borne — with gentleness, guarding against self-righteous judgment. [NEW] | “sửa lại…với tâm thần nhu mì.” Risk: Low. |
| τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάσει | to idion phortion bastasei | ”he will bear his own load” | Personal accountability before God, distinct from bearing others’ burdens | ”will have to carry his own load,” “bear his own burden” | Balances the communal burden-bearing command with continued personal responsibility. [NEW] | “sẽ tự gánh lấy phần riêng của mình.” Risk: Low. |
| σπείρῃ / θερίσει | speirē / therisei | ”sows / will reap” | Agricultural metaphor for moral cause-and-effect | ”sows…will reap,” “sows…will also reap" | "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (6:7-8) — applied specifically to sowing to the flesh (corruption) vs. sowing to the Spirit (eternal life). [NEW] | “gieo” / “gặt.” Risk: Low. Note: this agricultural cause-and-effect metaphor must be distinguished in teaching from the impersonal, self-generating causal mechanism of nghiệp/karma; here the harvest is determined by a personal God’s moral order, not an impersonal cosmic law — a brief teaching note is advisable though the base vocabulary (gieo/gặt) itself carries low direct syncretism risk. |
| φθορά / ζωὴν αἰώνιον | phthora / zōēn aiōnion | ”corruption/decay” / “eternal life” | Outcomes of sowing to flesh vs. Spirit | ”destruction,” “corruption” / “eternal life” | Final destinies contrasted — the stakes of the Flesh versus Spirit doctrine made explicit. [NEW — “eternal life” is a recognizable NT category not otherwise in the Romans baseline glossary] | “sự hư nát” / “sự sống đời đời.” Risk: Medium. |
| οἰκεῖοι τῆς πίστεως | oikeioi tēs pisteōs | ”household members of the faith” | The believing community regarded as a family unit | ”household of faith,” “family of believers” | Frames the church as a family bound by shared faith, extending the Bearing One Another’s Burdens doctrine to a communal ethic of mutual care (6:10). [NEW — “faith” BASELINE REUSE] | “những người trong nhà đức tin” (đức tin reused exactly). Risk: Low–Medium. |
| καινὴ κτίσις | kainē ktisis | ”new creation” | A genuinely new state of existence brought about by God in Christ, replacing the old creation’s categories (circumcision/uncircumcision) as the marker that matters | ”new creation,” “a new creature” | The letter’s climactic doctrinal statement (6:15): “neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but a new creation” — the Circumcision and New Creation doctrine’s key term. [NEW — Critical] | “sự dựng nên mới.” Risk: Critical. This must be taught as a real, once-for-all, God-accomplished new state of being brought into existence by God’s creative act in Christ — parallel in weight to the baseline’s Critical-tier caution around “resurrection” and “salvation” — and must NEVER be framed in a way that suggests a repeatable cycle of renewal/rebirth (which would risk collapsing into luân hồi-adjacent thinking). It is a decisive, singular transformation, not a stage in an ongoing cycle. Human theologian review required for every occurrence. |
| στίγματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ | stigmata tou Iēsou | ”the marks/brands of Jesus” | Physical scars from persecution suffered for Christ, likened to a slave’s ownership-brand | ”the marks of Jesus,” “the scars of Jesus,” “the brand-marks of Jesus” | Paul’s closing appeal to his own suffering as authenticating evidence of genuine apostleship and gospel-fidelity. [NEW] | “những dấu của Đức Chúa Giê-xu.” Risk: Low. |
| καυχάομαι | kauchaomai | ”to boast” | Taking pride/confidence in something as the ground of one’s standing or identity | ”boast,” “glory in,” “take pride in" | "May I never boast except in the cross of Christ” (6:14) — the letter’s summary posture: boasting/confidence located in Christ’s cross alone, not in circumcision or law-keeping. [NEW] | “khoe mình.” Risk: Medium. Directly reinforces the Justification by Faith doctrine’s exclusion of any human ground for boasting (cf. Romans-adjacent theology); must retain the exclusivity (“except in the cross”) without softening. |
| κόσμος ἐμοὶ ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμῳ | kosmos emoi estaurōtai kagō kosmō | ”the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” | Total reorientation of allegiance away from worldly value-systems, grounded in union with Christ’s cross | ”the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” | Restates the Crucified with Christ doctrine’s implication for one’s relationship to worldly status-systems (including the circumcision controversy itself). [NEW] | “thế gian đối với tôi đã bị đóng đinh, và tôi đối với thế gian cũng vậy.” Risk: High (same theological care as 2:20 and 5:24). |
| Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ θεοῦ | Israēl tou theou | ”the Israel of God” | The true covenant people, defined in Christ | ”the Israel of God” | Closing benediction extends peace and mercy to the true covenant community. [BASELINE REUSE] | “Y-sơ-ra-ên của Đức Chúa Trời” (Y-sơ-ra-ên reused exactly). Risk: Medium (per baseline). |
| χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ | charis tou Kyriou hēmōn Iēsou Christou | ”the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” | Standard Pauline benediction | ”the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” | Closing benediction, matching the letter’s opening grace-and-peace greeting (1:3) — bookends the whole letter with grace. [BASELINE REUSE] | “ân điển của Đức Chúa Giê-xu Christ, Chúa chúng ta” — all elements reused exactly. Risk: High (per baseline “grace” and “lord” entries). |
Summary Observations for Phase 1
- Galatians is unusually dense in Critical-risk terms concentrated in a short letter: ἀνάθεμα, ἔργα νόμου (paired with imputed righteousness concerns), συσταυρόω/Χριστῷ συνεσταύρωμαι, ἐξαγοράζω, καινὴ κτίσις, and the reused Critical terms (son_of_god, resurrection, salvation-adjacent redemption language) all appear.
- Several terms carry a documented Vietnamese translation-tradition loss risk requiring explicit theologian attention: παιδαγωγός (“thầy giáo” undersells the custodial-guardian sense) and στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου (risk of drifting toward the folk “thần linh” category).
- Galatians notably lacks the customary Pauline opening thanksgiving (contrast Romans 1:8) — this absence is itself theologically significant (Paul’s urgency/alarm) and should be preserved as an absence, not supplied.
- The letter’s ethical vocabulary (works of the flesh / fruit of the Spirit lists) introduces many discrete moral terms not present in Romans; Vietnamese renderings should draw on standard, already-natural Vietnamese moral vocabulary rather than coining new Hán-Việt compounds, per the baseline’s reading-level guidance.
- All chapters have been reviewed; no chapter of Galatians lacks load-bearing theological vocabulary — every chapter (1–6) contributes new terms or intensifies existing baseline doctrines.