Core Glossary
08 Core Glossary — Matthew 1–28
English → Vietnamese Language Package Extension
Curriculum: Matthew 1–28
Core passage: Matthew 5:1–12
Baseline authority: This glossary extends, and never contradicts, the Romans translation_memory.json and bible_term_registry.json. Section A lists terms newly introduced by Matthew’s theology. Section B confirms exact reuse of baseline terms as they recur across Matthew. All Section A entries are candidates for formal addition to translation memory in Phase 2, pending theologian sign-off on Critical/High items.
Section A — New Terms Introduced by Matthew
| # | Term (English) | Greek / Transliteration | Vietnamese Rendering | Transliteration | Risk | Doctrine Category | Key Chapters | Rejected Alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kingdom of Heaven | βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν / basileia tōn ouranōn | Nước Thiên Đàng | Nuoc Thien Dang | High | Kingdom of Heaven | 3,4,5,6,7,8,10,11,13,16,18,19,23,25 | — | Matthew’s distinctive phrase; synonymous with but must be kept visually distinct from baseline’s “Nước Đức Chúa Trời,” which renders the actual Greek phrase βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ used at 6:33, 12:28, 19:24, 21:43. Risk: “Thiên Đàng” may be read as merely the afterlife destination rather than God’s present-and-coming reign. |
| 2 | Christ (title) | Χριστός / Christos | Đấng Christ | Dang Christ | High | Jesus as Promised Messiah | 1,11,16,22,24,26,27 | Ki-tô (Catholic transliteration) | Functionally synonymous with baseline’s “Đấng Mê-si-a”; render per the established Vietnamese Protestant convention and keep consistent with which Greek term/formula is used in each verse. |
| 3 | Son of David | υἱὸς Δαυίδ / huios Dauid | Con Đa-vít | Con Da-vit | High | Jesus as Promised Messiah / Son of David | 1,9,12,15,20,21,22 | — | Reuses baseline “Đa-vít” exactly. Royal-messianic title rooted in the Davidic Covenant; must not be flattened to a mere ancestry note. |
| 4 | Son of Man | υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / huios tou anthrōpou | Con Người | Con Nguoi | Critical | Authority of Jesus’ Teaching / Deity of Christ | 8,9,10,12,13,16,17,19,20,24,25,26 | — | Danielic (Dan 7:13–14) authoritative, divine-yet-human self-designation; must not be reduced to a bare human self-reference. |
| 5 | Fulfillment formula | πληρωθῇ / plērōthē | được ứng nghiệm | duoc ung nghiem | Medium | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy | 1,2,4,8,12,13,21,26,27 | — | Linear, one-time OT-to-NT fulfillment; ties directly to baseline “lời tiên tri.” |
| 6 | Repentance | μετάνοια, μετανοέω / metanoia, metanoeō | ăn năn / sự ăn năn | an nan | High | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy / Discipleship | 3,4,11,12 | sám hối (Buddhist ritual repentance reducing negative karma) | A relational turning toward a personal God, not a merit-offsetting ritual act. |
| 7 | Baptism | βαπτίζω, βάπτισμα / baptizō, baptisma | báp-têm / phép báp-têm | bap-tem | Medium | The Great Commission | 3,28 | tẩy uế (ritual washing) | Public, once-for-all covenant sign; must carry through consistently to the Great Commission’s Trinitarian formula. |
| 8 | Authority (of Jesus’ teaching) | ἐξουσία / exousia | quyền / uy quyền | quyen / uy quyen | Critical | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 7,8,9,10,21,28 | — | Distinguish from baseline’s “quyền năng” (dynamis, power/might); this is inherent, self-attesting right to command, not authority earned by scholarship or attainment. |
| 9 | Righteousness exceeding the Pharisees | περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη / perisseusē hē dikaiosynē | sự công bình | su cong binh | High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5,6,23 | — | Same Vietnamese term as baseline’s forensic justification doctrine; Matthew’s usage denotes lived, practiced righteous character. Requires a teaching note distinguishing “declared-righteous status” (Romans) from “practiced kingdom righteousness” (Matthew). |
| 10 | Scribes and Pharisees | γραμματεῖς, Φαρισαῖοι / grammateis, Pharisaioi | thầy thông giáo và người Pha-ri-si | thay thong giao va nguoi Pha-ri-si | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 5,9,12,15,16,23 | — | Historic 1st-century Jewish leadership groups; caution against mapping this critique onto Buddhist monastics or any contemporary Vietnamese religious group. |
| 11 | Hypocrite | ὑποκριτής / hypokritēs | kẻ giả hình | ke gia hinh | Medium | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 6,7,15,23,24 | — | Outward religious performance masking inward reality. |
| 12 | Keys of the Kingdom / Bind and Loose | κλεῖδας, δέω, λύω / kleidas, deō, lyō | chìa khóa Nước Thiên Đàng; buộc lại… mở ra | chia khoa Nuoc Thien Dang; buoc lai… mo ra | Critical | The Church and Church Discipline | 16,18 | — | Never model on “bùa chú” (folk magical binding/loosing charms or curses). Delegated authority to apply gospel truth and exercise church discipline under Christ’s lordship. |
| 13 | Disciple | μαθητής / mathētēs | môn đồ | mon do | Medium | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | throughout, esp. 10,28 | — | Distinguish from a martial-arts/philosophical master-disciple hierarchy defined by technique transmission; biblical discipleship is covenantal allegiance to Christ’s person. |
| 14 | Cross / Take up the cross | σταυρός / stauros | cây thập tự / vác thập tự giá | cay thap tu / vac thap tu gia | High | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 10,16,27 | — | Concrete Roman execution instrument voluntarily taken up; not a vague metaphor for general hardship. |
| 15 | Deny self / Lose life (for Christ’s sake) | ἀπαρνέομαι, ψυχή / aparneomai, psychē | từ bỏ mình / mất mạng sống vì cớ ta | tu bo minh / mat mang song vi co ta | Critical | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 10,16 | — | Must not be assimilated to Buddhist “vô ngã” (no-self doctrine); loss of self-oriented life is relational and Christ-directed, not metaphysical self-negation. |
| 16 | Sword, not peace (family division for Christ’s sake) | μάχαιρα / machaira | gươm | guom | High | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 10 | — | Relational conflict caused by supreme allegiance to Christ, not literal violence; acutely sensitive given Vietnamese filial duty (đạo hiếu) and ancestor-veneration obligations. |
| 17 | Yoke | ζυγός / zygos | ách / gánh | ach / ganh | Medium | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 11 | — | Christ’s yoke is light, contrasted with the burden of legalistic religious systems. |
| 18 | Rest for the soul | ἀνάπαυσις / anapausis | sự yên nghỉ | su yen nghi | High | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 11 | niết bàn (nirvana — cessation of craving/self) | Relational rest in communion with a personal Christ, not metaphysical extinguishing of self/desire. |
| 19 | Sabbath | σάββατον / sabbaton | ngày Sa-bát | ngay Sa-bat | Medium | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 12 | — | Jesus claims lordship over the Sabbath’s true purpose. |
| 20 | Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit | βλασφημία εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον | sự nói phạm đến Đức Thánh Linh | su noi pham den Duc Thanh Linh | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 12 | — | Willful, hardened, final rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ; never generalized to any offense against the folk category of “thần linh.” Reuses baseline “Đức Thánh Linh” exactly. |
| 21 | Mysteries of the Kingdom | μυστήριον / mystērion | những điều kín nhiệm / mầu nhiệm | nhung dieu kin nhiem / mau nhiem | High | The Kingdom of Heaven | 13 | — | Revealed gospel truth understood by faith, not esoteric occult secret knowledge or ritual gnosis. |
| 22 | End of the Age | συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος / synteleia tou aiōnos | sự tận thế / sự cuối cùng của thời đại này | su tan the | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 13,24,28 | mạt pháp-style era-decline framing; cyclical kalpa framing | Linear, one-time, final consummation of history under Christ’s judgment; never a recurring cosmic cycle. |
| 23 | Tradition of the Elders | παράδοσις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων | truyền thống của các trưởng lão | truyen thong cua cac truong lao | High | Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees | 15 | — | Critique targets traditions that nullify God’s Word, not the honoring of elders/filial respect itself — a highly sensitive distinction in Vietnamese Confucian culture. |
| 24 | Gathered in My Name | συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ὄνομά μου | nhóm lại trong danh ta | nhom lai trong danh ta | Medium | The Church and Church Discipline | 18 | — | Christ’s promised personal presence with the gathered church, not invocation of ancestral/spirit presence at a shrine or altar. |
| 25 | What God Has Joined Together | ὃ ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν | Đức Chúa Trời đã phối hợp | Duc Chua Troi da phoi hop | Medium | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 19 | — | Marriage’s permanence grounded in God’s own joining act. |
| 26 | Eternal Life | ζωὴ αἰώνιος / zōē aiōnios | sự sống đời đời | su song doi doi | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 19,25 | — | Unending personal fellowship with God through Christ; must not be conflated with escaping saṃsāra or achieving nirvana. |
| 27 | Ransom | λύτρον / lytron | giá chuộc | gia chuoc | Critical | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching / Atonement | 20 | — | Substitutionary payment by Christ securing release from sin’s bondage as unmerited gift, not repayment of an impersonal karmic debt. |
| 28 | Hosanna | ὡσαννά / hōsanna | Hô-sa-na | Ho-sa-na | Medium | Jesus as Promised Messiah | 21 | — | Transliterated acclamation of the coming Savior-King. |
| 29 | Cornerstone / Rejected Stone | κεφαλὴ γωνίας / kephalē gōnias | đá đầu góc nhà (bị loại ra) | da dau goc nha | High | Jesus as Promised Messiah | 21 | — | The rejected, crucified Messiah vindicated as the foundation of God’s building, the church. |
| 30 | Kingdom of God (Matthew’s rare use of the Markan/Lukan phrase) | βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ / basileia tou Theou | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Nuoc Duc Chua Troi | High | The Kingdom of Heaven | 6,12,19,21 | — | Reuse baseline exactly; translators must render the actual Greek phrase per verse (βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ vs. βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν), while teaching the underlying synonymy. |
| 31 | Greatest Commandment (Love) | ἀγαπήσεις / agapēseis | yêu / kính mến | yeu / kinh men | High | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 22 | — | Wholehearted covenantal love, not primarily Confucian reciprocal filial duty (“hiếu”). |
| 32 | Servant (kingdom greatness inverted) | διάκονος / diakonos | đầy tớ | day to | Medium | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 23,25 | — | Kingdom greatness measured by service, not honor-seeking. |
| 33 | Abomination of Desolation | βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως | sự gớm ghiếc tàn nát | su gom ghiec tan nat | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24 | — | Concrete, historically anchored Danielic apocalyptic sign; not generalized moral-decline language. |
| 34 | Great Tribulation | θλῖψις μεγάλη / thlipsis megalē | hoạn nạn lớn | hoan nan lon | High | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24 | — | Unprecedented distress preceding the end. |
| 35 | The Coming (Parousia) of the Son of Man | παρουσία / parousia | sự đến (của Con Người) | su den (cua Con Nguoi) | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 24,25 | — | Visible, personal, bodily, glorious return; not vague spiritual presence or symbolic renewal. |
| 36 | Eternal Punishment | κόλασιν αἰώνιον / kolasin aiōnion | sự hình phạt đời đời | su hinh phat doi doi | Critical | Judgment and the End of the Age | 25 | địa ngục as a temporary purgative realm (naraka) | Unending, conscious judgment, directly parallel in duration to eternal life; must not suggest a temporary corrective state exited via exhausted karma. |
| 37 | The Least of These My Brothers | οἱ ἀδελφοί μου οἱ ἐλάχιστοι | những người bé mọn nhất trong anh em ta | nhung nguoi be mon nhat trong anh em ta | Medium | Judgment and the End of the Age | 25 | — | The vulnerable and needy identified with Christ himself. |
| 38 | This Is My Body | τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου | đây là thân thể ta | day la than the ta | Critical | The Church and Church Discipline (Lord’s Supper) | 26 | — | Institution of the Lord’s Supper; foundational to ongoing church practice. |
| 39 | Blood of the Covenant | τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης | huyết của sự giao ước | huyet cua su giao uoc | Critical | The Church and Church Discipline (Lord’s Supper) | 26 | huyết thệ (folk blood-oath brotherhood ritual) | Reuses baseline “giao ước” exactly. Once-for-all, sacrificial, covenant-inaugurating death, never a reciprocal oath-bond ritual between equals. |
| 40 | Cry of Dereliction | Θεέ μου, Θεέ μου, ἱνατί με ἐγκατέλιπες; | “Đức Chúa Trời tôi ơi… sao Ngài lìa bỏ tôi?” | — | High | Judgment and the End of the Age / Atonement | 27 | — | Real substitutionary God-forsakenness borne by Christ, not generic despair. |
| 41 | Temple Veil (torn) | καταπέτασμα / katapetasma | màn trong đền thờ | man trong den tho | High | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching / Atonement | 27 | — | Symbolizes newly opened access to God through Christ’s death. |
| 42 | Worship (of Christ) | προσκυνέω / proskyneō | thờ phượng | tho phuong | Critical | Deity of Christ | 2,4,14,28 | thờ cúng (ancestor veneration, shares root “thờ”) | Exclusive worship due to Christ’s divine identity, categorically distinct from ancestor veneration; every occurrence requires a teaching note given the shared root morpheme risk. |
| 43 | Great Commission — Make Disciples of All Nations | μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη | khiến muôn dân trở nên môn đồ ta | khien muon dan tro nen mon do ta | Critical | The Great Commission | 28 | — | “Muôn dân” (all peoples) is broader than baseline’s “dân ngoại” (Gentiles); use missional phrasing to avoid inappropriate Jew/Gentile binary framing. |
| 44 | Trinitarian Baptismal Formula | βαπτίζοντες… εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος | làm báp-têm cho họ trong danh Đức Cha, Đức Con và Đức Thánh Linh | — | Critical | The Great Commission | 28 | — | Singular “danh” (name), not “names” — one divine name shared by three co-equal Persons; never rendered as three separate deities invoked together. |
| 45 | Virgin | παρθένος / parthenos | gái đồng trinh | gai dong trinh | Critical | Fulfillment of OT Prophecy / Deity of Christ | 1 | ”young woman” (softened, non-virginal reading) | Unique, historical, Spirit-wrought miracle; distinguished from Vietnamese/East Asian mythic hero-birth legends. |
| 46 | Immanuel | Ἐμμανουήλ / Emmanouēl | Em-ma-nu-ên (“Đức Chúa Trời ở cùng chúng ta”) | Em-ma-nu-en | Critical | Deity of Christ | 1 | — | Direct affirmation of Deity of Christ; retain both transliteration and gloss. |
| 47 | King of the Jews | βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων | Vua dân Do Thái | Vua dan Do Thai | Medium | Jesus as Promised Messiah | 2,27 | — | Royal title recognized by outsiders at birth and mocked at the cross. |
| 48 | False Prophets | ψευδοπροφῆται / pseudoprophētai | tiên tri giả | tien tri gia | High | The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching | 7,24 | — | Distinguished from baseline’s “thầy bói” risk; concerns false claims to speak for God within the believing community. |
| 49 | Mammon | μαμωνᾶς / mamōnas | Tiền Tài (Ma-môn) | Tien Tai (Ma-mon) | Medium | Discipleship and Cost of Following Jesus | 6 | — | Wealth personified as a rival master/deity for ultimate loyalty. |
| 50 | Forgive the Debt | ἀφίημι τὰ ὀφειλήματα | tha nợ | tha no | High | The Kingdom of Heaven / Grace | 6,18 | ơn nghĩa (reciprocal-obligation favor) | Forgiveness is release of debt outright, not a gift creating a future repayment obligation. |
Section B — Baseline Terms Reused Exactly from the Romans Language Package
The following baseline terms recur across Matthew and MUST be rendered exactly as recorded in the Romans translation_memory.json. No new renderings are introduced; this section records where each occurs in Matthew for Phase 2 consistency checking.
| Term | Vietnamese (baseline, unchanged) | Risk (baseline) | Key Matthew Chapters |
|---|---|---|---|
| gospel | Tin Lành | Medium | 4, 24, 26, 28 |
| grace (illustrated, not lexically named) | ân điển | High | 20 (vineyard workers parable) |
| faith | đức tin | Medium | 8, 9, 15, 17, 21 |
| righteousness (forensic sense) | sự công bình | High | 3, 5, 6 |
| resurrection | sự sống lại | Critical | 12, 17, 22, 27, 28 |
| lord | Chúa | High | 7, 8, 10, 21, 22, 24, 25 |
| son of God | Con Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | 3, 4, 8, 14, 16, 26, 27 |
| peace | sự bình an | Medium | 10 |
| church | Hội Thánh | Medium | 16, 18 |
| kingdom of God | Nước Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 6, 12, 19, 21 |
| law | luật pháp | Medium | 5, 7, 22, 23 |
| sin | tội lỗi | Medium | 1, 3, 9, 26 |
| gentiles | dân ngoại | Medium | 4, 6, 10, 12, 20 |
| glory | sự vinh hiển | Medium | 4, 6, 16, 19, 24, 25 |
| messiah | Đấng Mê-si-a | High | 1, 2, 11, 16, 22, 24, 26 |
| prophet | tiên tri | Low | 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 21, 23, 24 |
| prophecy | lời tiên tri | Low | 1, 2, 13 |
| covenant | giao ước | Medium | 26 |
| election | sự lựa chọn | Medium | 22, 24 |
| intercession / prayer | sự cầu thay | Critical | 6, 26 |
| providence | sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời | Medium | 6, 10, 24, 28 |
| mission | công cuộc truyền giáo | Medium | 10, 24, 28 |
| david | Đa-vít | Medium | 1, 9, 12, 21, 22 |
| israel | Y-sơ-ra-ên | Medium | 2, 8, 9, 10, 15, 19, 27 |
| jesus | Đức Chúa Giê-xu | Critical | throughout |
| god | Đức Chúa Trời | Critical | throughout |
| holy_spirit | Đức Thánh Linh | Critical | 1, 3, 12, 28 |
| father | Cha | High | 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 23, 26, 28 |
| exhort | khích lệ | Low | 5 (contextually distinct from “comfort,” see 07 analysis note) |
| seed_of_david | dòng dõi Đa-vít | Medium | 1 |
| holy | thánh | Medium | 1, 4, 6, 7, 27 |
| calling / called | được kêu gọi / sự kêu gọi | Medium | 4 (calling of disciples), 9 (calling of Matthew), 22 (calling to the feast) |
Risk Summary for Matthew Language Package Extension
| Risk Tier | New Terms (Section A) | Reused Baseline Terms (Section B, flagged Critical/High) |
|---|---|---|
| Critical | 15 | 8 |
| High | 19 | 6 |
| Medium | 15 | remainder |
| Low | 1 | remainder |
| Total New Terms | 50 | — |
Escalation note: All Critical and High risk new terms in Section A require human theologian review before Phase 2 translation begins, per the same review-routing convention established in the Romans doctrine_risk_registry.json. Medium risk terms require native speaker review. This glossary, together with analysis/07_semantic_analysis.md, must be loaded before Phase 1 Step 2 (doctrine risk registry construction) and before any Phase 2 Matthew translation session.
This glossary extends but never overrides the Romans baseline. Where a term recurs verbatim from Romans (Section B), the baseline rendering is authoritative and final. Where Matthew introduces new theological vocabulary (Section A), these entries are proposed additions to translation memory, pending Phase 1 Step 2 doctrine risk registry sign-off.
Critical Risk Terms
Resurrection
Approved rendering: sự sống lại
Transliteration: su song lai
Doctrine: Resurrection of Christ
Rejected alternatives: sự đầu thai, luân hồi
Original: ἀνάστασις
Category: Eschatology
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER use sự đầu thai or luân hồi. Key Matthew occurrences: 12:38-40 (sign of Jonah), 17:9, 22:23-33 (resurrection debate with the Sadducees, ‘God of the living, not the dead’), 27:52-53, 28:1-10 (Christ’s own resurrection).
Son Of God
Approved rendering: Con Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Con Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Sonship of Christ
Original: υἱὸς θεοῦ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Key occurrences: 3:17; 4:3,6; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 26:63-64; 27:40,43,54. Must be kept visibly and doctrinally distinct in Vietnamese phrasing from believers’ adoptive sonship pronounced at Matthew 5:9 (‘sẽ được gọi là con Đức Chúa Trời’); Vietnamese orthography carries no case marking to enforce this distinction automatically, so phrasing choice at every occurrence is the only safeguard.
Incarnation
Approved rendering: Ngôi Lời trở nên xác thịt
Transliteration: Ngoi Loi tro nen xac thit
Doctrine: Incarnation
Rejected alternatives: hóa thân
Original: ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο (cf. Matt 1:18-23)
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1:18-23 (virgin conception by the Holy Spirit, child named Immanuel) is Scripture’s own narrative ground for this doctrine. NEVER use bare hóa thân (a bodhisattva’s or deity’s repeatable manifestation into a body).
Intercession
Approved rendering: sự cầu thay
Transliteration: su cau thay
Doctrine: Prayer and Intercession
Rejected alternatives: cầu xin tổ tiên
Original: ἔντευξις (cf. Matt 6:9-13, 26:39-44)
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: never modeled on cầu xin tổ tiên. Matthew 6:9-13 (Lord’s Prayer) and 26:39-44 (Gethsemane) are key occurrences; Jesus’ own prayer addresses a personal, living Father, not a departed relative.
Jesus
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Giê-xu
Transliteration: Duc Chua Gie-xu
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: Ἰησοῦς
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Used throughout Matthew; 1:21 explicitly glosses the name’s meaning (‘he will save his people from their sins’).
Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Rejected alternatives: thần linh
Original: πνεῦμα ἅγιον
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1:18,20 (virgin conception); 3:11,16 (baptism); 12:31-32 (the unforgivable sin); 28:19 (Trinitarian formula). NEVER use bare thần linh.
Salvation
Approved rendering: sự cứu rỗi
Transliteration: su cuu roi
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: sự giải thoát
Original: σῴζω / σωτηρία
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. CRITICAL: NEVER use sự giải thoát. Matthew 1:21 (Jesus’ name-meaning); 8:25; 9:21-22; 10:22; 14:30; 19:25; 24:13,22; 27:42,49 (mockery at the cross).
Son Of Man
Approved rendering: Con Người
Transliteration: Con Nguoi
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching / Deity of Christ
Original: υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου
Category: Christology
New term. Danielic (Daniel 7:13-14) title combining true humanity with divine, universal, judging authority; Jesus’ preferred self-designation, occurring across 8:20; 9:6; 10:23; 12:8,32,40; 13:37,41; 16:13,27-28; 17:9,12,22; 19:28; 20:18,28; 24:27,30,37,39,44; 25:31; 26:2,24,45,64. RISK: ‘Con Người’ reads in ordinary Vietnamese as a plain descriptor of humanity in general and is semantically thin on its own; must always be reinforced by immediate context (coming in glory, judging, receiving dominion), never left as a bare title, especially at 8:20, 26:64, and the 24:27-44 cluster.
Authority
Approved rendering: quyền / uy quyền
Transliteration: quyen / uy quyen
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Original: ἐξουσία
Category: Christology
New term (exousia). Key text 7:28-29 (‘he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes’); also 8:9; 9:6,8; 10:1; 21:23-27; 28:18. Must be distinguished from power_of_god (‘quyền năng,’ dynamis, raw power/might) and must NOT be taught as authority earned through scholarly study (as with the scribes) or spiritual attainment (as with religious teachers or monks); Jesus’ authority is inherent and self-attesting. Use ‘uy quyền’ preferentially at Christologically loaded occurrences (7:29; 28:18); reserve bare ‘quyền’ for delegated-authority contexts (10:1; 9:8).
Keys Bind Loose
Approved rendering: chìa khóa Nước Thiên Đàng; sự buộc lại và mở ra
Transliteration: chia khoa Nuoc Thien Dang; su buoc lai va mo ra
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Rejected alternatives: bùa chú (folk magical binding/loosing charms or curses)
Original: κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας / δέω, λύω
Category: Church
New term. Key texts 16:19; 18:18. NEVER modeled on bùa chú (Vietnamese/East Asian folk magical binding/loosing charms invoked over spirits); the ordinary verbs ‘buộc’ (bind) and ‘mở/tháo’ (loose) are the exact verbs used in folk-magic contexts, making this an unusually easy-to-miss collision. This is delegated, Spirit-empowered authority to apply gospel truth and exercise church discipline under Christ’s own lordship, never independent occult ritual power. Mandatory teaching note at both occurrences.
Deny Self Lose Life
Approved rendering: từ bỏ mình / mất mạng sống vì cớ ta
Transliteration: tu bo minh / mat mang song vi co ta
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ἀπαρνέομαι ἑαυτόν / ψυχή
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key texts 10:39; 16:24-25. Must NOT be assimilated to the Buddhist ‘vô ngã’ (no-self) doctrine, where dissolving the self is the metaphysical goal of liberation itself; loss of self-oriented life here is relational and Christ-directed — a reorientation of allegiance, not a negation of selfhood as an end in itself. Mandatory teaching note at every occurrence.
Blasphemy Holy Spirit
Approved rendering: sự nói phạm đến Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: su noi pham den Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Original: βλασφημία εἰς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον
Category: Sin
New term, reuses baseline ‘Đức Thánh Linh’ exactly. Key text 12:31-32. Must be taught with precision as the decisive, final, hardened rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ — the one sin Matthew describes as unforgivable — and NEVER generalized to any offense against the broad folk category ‘thần linh’ (spirits), nor treated as an easily and unknowingly committed sin risking unwarranted spiritual anxiety.
End Of The Age
Approved rendering: sự tận thế / sự cuối cùng của thời đại này
Transliteration: su tan the / su cuoi cung cua thoi dai nay
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Rejected alternatives: mạt pháp-style era-decline framing, cyclical kalpa framing
Original: συντέλεια τοῦ αἰῶνος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key texts 13:39-40,49; 24:3,14; 28:20. Must never suggest a cyclical kalpa-style world-ending-and-reforming pattern or an era-decline (‘mạt pháp’) framing; this is history’s single, final, linear consummation under Christ’s judgment.
Eternal Life
Approved rendering: sự sống đời đời
Transliteration: su song doi doi
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: ζωὴ αἰώνιος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key texts 19:16,29; 25:46. Must not be conflated with the Buddhist goal of escaping saṃsāra or achieving nirvana; this is unending personal, relational fellowship with the living God through Christ, paralleling but distinct from salvation.
Ransom
Approved rendering: giá chuộc
Transliteration: gia chuoc
Doctrine: Atonement and the Ransom for Sin
Original: λύτρον
Category: Salvation
New term. Key text 20:28. Vietnamese ‘chuộc’ (redeem) already carries some self-effort connotation in ordinary usage (‘chuộc lỗi’ = atone for a fault through one’s own corrective effort); must convey a substitutionary payment made BY Christ, never repayment of an impersonal karmic debt payable through the debtor’s own effort or accumulated merit.
Abomination Of Desolation
Approved rendering: sự gớm ghiếc tàn nát
Transliteration: su gom ghiec tan nat
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key text 24:15. Must retain the concrete, historically-anchored Danielic apocalyptic force; never softened into generalized moral-decline language.
Parousia
Approved rendering: sự đến (của Con Người)
Transliteration: su den (cua Con Nguoi)
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: παρουσία
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key texts 24:3,27,37,39. ‘Sự đến’ alone is thin and could read as merely ‘arrival’ in a weak sense; must be paired consistently with concrete markers of visibility/glory from the passage (e.g., ‘như chớp,’ ‘trong sự vinh hiển’) so it is never softened into a vague spiritual presence or symbolic renewal.
Eternal Punishment
Approved rendering: sự hình phạt đời đời
Transliteration: su hinh phat doi doi
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Rejected alternatives: địa ngục as a temporary purgative realm (naraka)
Original: κόλασιν αἰώνιον
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key text 25:46, in explicit grammatical parallel with eternal_life. Must not suggest a temporary purgative realm (Buddhist địa ngục/naraka, exited upon exhausted karma); require explicit ‘đời đời’ (forever) on both members of the eternal-life/eternal-punishment pair without exception.
This Is My Body
Approved rendering: đây là thân thể ta
Transliteration: day la than the ta
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Original: τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ σῶμά μου
Category: Church
New term. Key text 26:26. Foundational to the church’s ongoing sacrament/ordinance; must be taught with clarity that avoids both literalistic misunderstanding and loss of its sacrificial, covenantal significance.
Blood Of Covenant
Approved rendering: huyết của sự giao ước (huyết ta)
Transliteration: huyet cua su giao uoc (huyet ta)
Doctrine: The Lord’s Supper
Rejected alternatives: huyết thệ (folk blood-oath brotherhood ritual)
Original: τὸ αἷμά μου τῆς διαθήκης
Category: Covenant
New term, reuses baseline ‘giao ước’ exactly. Key text 26:28. NEVER modeled on huyết thệ (East Asian/Vietnamese folk sworn blood-oath brotherhood pacts between equals); this is a once-for-all, sacrificial, covenant-inaugurating death, not a reciprocal oath-bond ritual. Never abbreviate to bare ‘huyết ta’ without the ‘giao ước’ qualifier, the only element distinguishing the two readings.
Worship Proskyneo
Approved rendering: thờ phượng
Transliteration: tho phuong
Doctrine: Worship of Christ
Rejected alternatives: thờ cúng (ancestor veneration, shares root ‘thờ’)
Original: προσκυνέω
Category: Christology
New term. Occurs at 2:2,11 (Magi); 4:9-10 (temptation, worship due to God alone); 14:33; 15:25; 18:26; 20:20; 28:9,17. Shares the root morpheme ‘thờ’ with ‘thờ cúng’ (ancestor veneration at the family altar), a practice of deep and continuous importance in Vietnamese culture; every occurrence directed at Christ requires a teaching note establishing exclusive worship due to his divine identity, categorically distinct from honoring ancestors.
Great Commission
Approved rendering: khiến muôn dân trở nên môn đồ ta
Transliteration: khien muon dan tro nen mon do ta
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη
Category: Church
New term. Key text 28:19. ‘Muôn dân’ (all peoples/nations) is deliberately broader than the reused baseline term gentiles (‘dân ngoại,’ the narrower ethnic non-Jew category); use this missional phrasing to avoid inappropriately importing the Jew/Gentile binary into this universal mandate.
Trinitarian Baptismal Formula
Approved rendering: làm báp-têm cho họ trong danh Đức Cha, Đức Con và Đức Thánh Linh
Transliteration: lam bap-tem cho ho trong danh Duc Cha, Duc Con va Duc Thanh Linh
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Original: βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος
Category: God
New term. Key text 28:19. Must retain the singular ‘danh’ (name, not ‘names’) — one divine name shared by three co-equal, co-eternal Persons — and never be rendered in a way suggesting three separate deities invoked together, a plausible misreading given Vietnamese familiarity with multi-spirit invocation in folk ritual practice.
Abiding Presence To End Of Age
Approved rendering: “Ta thường ở cùng các con luôn cho đến tận thế”
Transliteration: N/A - direct quotation
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: ἐγὼ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key text 28:20. Reuses the end_of_the_age entry’s ‘tận thế’ phrasing; reinforces the providence doctrine with Christ’s own promised abiding presence, distinguished from an impersonal fate or a departed ancestor’s lingering presence.
Virgin
Approved rendering: gái đồng trinh
Transliteration: gai dong trinh
Doctrine: Incarnation and Virgin Birth
Rejected alternatives: “young woman” (softened, non-virginal reading)
Original: παρθένος
Category: Christology
New term. Key text 1:23, citing Isaiah 7:14. Must never be softened to a generic ‘young woman’ reading; must also be distinguished from Vietnamese/Chinese folk hero-birth legends (miraculous conception by a dragon or spirit), a mythic narrative genre, whereas this is a unique, historical, Spirit-wrought act of the one true God.
Immanuel
Approved rendering: Em-ma-nu-ên (“Đức Chúa Trời ở cùng chúng ta”)
Transliteration: Em-ma-nu-en
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: Ἐμμανουήλ
Category: Christology
New term. Key text 1:23. Foundational to the Deity of Christ doctrine; must retain both the transliteration and the explanatory gloss.
High Risk Terms
Grace
Approved rendering: ân điển
Transliteration: an dien
Doctrine: Grace
Rejected alternatives: phước đức, công đức, ơn nghĩa
Original: χάρις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 20:1-16 (the parable of the vineyard workers) dramatizes this doctrine narratively though the lexical term is not used; equal payment regardless of hours worked must be taught as the master’s generosity, never as phước đức/công đức rewarded proportionally to labor.
Righteousness
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Salvation
Rejected alternatives: đức hạnh
Original: δικαιοσύνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package (forensic sense). Matthew reuses this exact Vietnamese term in a distinct sense at 5:6,5:10,5:20,6:33 denoting lived, practiced kingdom righteousness rather than declared status; see the new entry righteousness_exceeding_pharisees for the mandatory teaching note distinguishing the two senses while affirming both are grace-enabled, not self-achieved.
Lord
Approved rendering: Chúa
Transliteration: Chua
Doctrine: Lordship of Christ
Original: κύριος
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Frequent as direct address to Jesus (8:2; 8:25; 15:22; 20:30-31) and in Jesus’ own teaching on Sabbath lordship (12:8) and the judgment scene (7:21-22; 25:37,44).
Messiah
Approved rendering: Đấng Mê-si-a
Transliteration: Dang Me-si-a
Doctrine: Messianic Promise
Original: Χριστός / מָשִׁיחַ
Category: Christology
Inherited from Romans package. Reserved for contexts emphasizing OT promise-fulfillment (1:16-17; 2:4; 11:2-6; 16:20; 26:63); functionally synonymous with the new term christ_title (‘Đấng Christ’), which Matthew uses more often as a quasi-name/title. Both must be taught as referring to the same figure.
God
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Rejected alternatives: Ông Trời
Original: θεός
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Every occurrence in Matthew should carry enough surrounding context to convey a personal, covenant-making God rather than the impersonal, fate-dispensing Ông Trời of folk speech, especially in the Father-language passages (5-7; 10; 23) and the Trinitarian formula (28:19).
Father
Approved rendering: Cha
Transliteration: Cha
Doctrine: Adoption into God’s Family
Original: πατήρ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Pervasive in the Sermon on the Mount (5-7), the mission discourse (10), the Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13), and Gethsemane (26:39,42). Teaching should emphasize grace and intimacy over Confucian hierarchical filial obligation (đạo hiếu).
Kingdom Of Heaven
Approved rendering: Nước Thiên Đàng
Transliteration: Nuoc Thien Dang
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν
Category: Kingdom
New term specific to Matthew (~32 occurrences: 3:2; 4:17; 5:3,10,19-20; 13; 18:1-4; 19:14,23; 25:1). Synonymous with, but kept visually distinct from, the reused baseline term kingdom_of_god (‘Nước Đức Chúa Trời’). PRIMARY RISK: ‘Thiên Đàng’ is the ordinary Vietnamese word for the afterlife destination one goes to after death in both folk-Buddhist and everyday Vietnamese Christian speech (cõi trời), so readers may default to a future-only, post-mortem reading rather than God’s present-and-coming sovereign reign. Mandatory teaching note required at first occurrence (3:2) and reinforced at every kingdom-parable occurrence (ch.13).
Christ Title
Approved rendering: Đấng Christ
Transliteration: Dang Christ
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Rejected alternatives: Ki-tô (Catholic transliteration)
Original: Χριστός
Category: Christology
New term. Functionally synonymous with messiah (‘Đấng Mê-si-a’) but rendered per established Vietnamese Protestant convention as a quasi-name/title. Occurs at 1:1,16-18; 11:2; 16:16,20; 22:42; 24:5,23; 26:63,68; 27:17,22. Must not be confused with the Catholic transliteration ‘Ki-tô.‘
Son Of David
Approved rendering: Con Đa-vít
Transliteration: Con Da-vit
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: υἱὸς Δαυίδ
Category: Christology
New term. Reuses baseline ‘Đa-vít’ exactly within the compound. Occurs at 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42. Must not be flattened to a bare genealogical note; frames Jesus as the promised royal heir of the 2 Samuel 7 covenant.
Repentance
Approved rendering: ăn năn / sự ăn năn
Transliteration: an nan / su an nan
Doctrine: Repentance
Rejected alternatives: sám hối
Original: μετάνοια / μετανοέω
Category: Faith
New term. Occurs at 3:2,8,11; 4:17; 11:20-21; 12:41. REJECTED: sám hối (Buddhist ritual confession/repentance performed to reduce accumulated negative karma). Ăn năn must be taught as a relational turning toward a personal God who forgives outright by grace, not a merit-offsetting ritual.
Righteousness Exceeding Pharisees
Approved rendering: sự công bình
Transliteration: su cong binh
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλεῖον
Category: Sanctification
New sense of the reused baseline term ‘sự công bình.’ Key text 5:20; developed through the antitheses (5:21-48) and the woes of ch.23. Requires a mandatory teaching note at first occurrence (5:6) distinguishing Matthew’s practiced-righteousness sense from Romans’ declared-righteousness sense, while affirming both flow from grace, not self-achieved moral performance (guard against a tích đức/merit-accumulation misreading).
Cross Take Up
Approved rendering: cây thập tự / vác thập tự giá mình
Transliteration: cay thap tu / vac thap tu gia minh
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: σταυρός / αἴρω τὸν σταυρόν
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 10:38; 16:24; 27:32,40. Must not be flattened into a vague metaphor for general hardship or burden; retains the concrete force of a public, potentially fatal Roman execution instrument voluntarily taken up.
Sword Not Peace
Approved rendering: gươm
Transliteration: guom
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μάχαιρα
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 10:34-37. Must be taught as relational conflict caused by supreme allegiance to Christ, never as endorsement of literal violence; acutely sensitive given Vietnamese filial duty (đạo hiếu) and ancestor-veneration obligations. Mandatory teaching note required.
Rest For Soul
Approved rendering: sự yên nghỉ
Transliteration: su yen nghi
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Rejected alternatives: niết bàn (nirvana - cessation of craving/self)
Original: ἀνάπαυσις
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 11:28-29. Must not be conflated with niết bàn, the central Buddhist soteriological goal; Christ’s rest is relational communion with a personal Savior offered as gift, not a metaphysical extinguishing of desire or selfhood.
Mysteries Of Kingdom
Approved rendering: những điều kín nhiệm / mầu nhiệm
Transliteration: nhung dieu kin nhiem / mau nhiem
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Original: μυστήριον
Category: Kingdom
New term. Key text 13:11. Must not be associated with esoteric occult secret knowledge, magical formulas, or hidden gnosis attained through ritual initiation; this is gospel truth revealed by grace to faith, not to spiritual rank or attainment.
Tradition Of The Elders
Approved rendering: truyền thống của các trưởng lão
Transliteration: truyen thong cua cac truong lao
Doctrine: Fulfillment of the Law and Tradition of the Elders
Original: παράδοσις τῶν πρεσβυτέρων
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 15:1-9. Extremely sensitive given the deep, positive value Vietnamese Confucian culture places on honoring elders (kính lão) and ancestral tradition; the critique targets traditions that nullify God’s Word, never the honoring of elders or filial respect as such. Mandatory teaching note required.
Cornerstone
Approved rendering: đá đầu góc nhà (bị loại ra)
Transliteration: da dau goc nha (bi loai ra)
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: κεφαλὴ γωνίας
Category: Christology
New term. Key text 21:42 (citing Psalm 118). The rejected, crucified Messiah is vindicated as the foundation of the church.
Greatest Commandment
Approved rendering: yêu / kính mến
Transliteration: yeu / kinh men
Doctrine: The Greatest Commandment
Original: ἀγαπήσεις
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 22:34-40. Must convey wholehearted, covenantal love flowing from relationship with a personal God who first loved, not primarily a Confucian reciprocal filial duty (‘hiếu’) owed by hierarchical role; connects to baseline’s obedience_of_faith doctrine.
Great Tribulation
Approved rendering: hoạn nạn lớn
Transliteration: hoan nan lon
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: θλῖψις μεγάλη
Category: Eschatology
New term. Key text 24:21. Intensifies urgency of watchfulness before Christ’s return.
Cry Of Dereliction
Approved rendering: “Đức Chúa Trời tôi ơi, Đức Chúa Trời tôi ơi, sao Ngài lìa bỏ tôi?”
Transliteration: N/A - direct quotation
Doctrine: Atonement and the Ransom for Sin
Original: Θεέ μου, Θεέ μου, ἱνατί με ἐγκατέλιπες;
Category: Salvation
New term. Key text 27:46 (citing Psalm 22:1). Must retain full doctrinal weight as a real experience of substitutionary abandonment within the Godhead’s plan of atonement, not softened into a generic lament devoid of atonement significance.
Temple Veil
Approved rendering: màn trong đền thờ
Transliteration: man trong den tho
Doctrine: Atonement and the Ransom for Sin
Original: καταπέτασμα
Category: Salvation
New term. Key text 27:51. Symbolizes newly opened, direct access to God through Christ’s death, superseding the old sacrificial system.
False Prophets
Approved rendering: tiên tri giả
Transliteration: tien tri gia
Doctrine: False Prophets and Discernment
Original: ψευδοπροφῆται
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key texts 7:15-23; 24:11,24. Distinguished from the baseline’s ‘thầy bói’ (fortune-teller) risk already flagged for prophet; concerns false claims to speak for God or to be Christ within the believing community, a live risk given Vietnam’s religiously plural context.
Forgive Debt
Approved rendering: tha nợ
Transliteration: tha no
Doctrine: The Kingdom of Heaven
Rejected alternatives: ơn nghĩa (reciprocal-obligation favor)
Original: ἀφίημι τὰ ὀφειλήματα
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key texts 6:12 (Lord’s Prayer); 18:21-35 (parable of the unforgiving servant). Must not be modeled on ơn nghĩa (already rejected for grace in the baseline); this is a debt cancelled outright by grace, not a gift creating a future repayment obligation.
Medium Risk Terms
Gospel
Approved rendering: Tin Lành
Transliteration: tin lanh
Doctrine: Gospel
Rejected alternatives: tin tức tốt lành
Original: εὐαγγέλιον
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. In Matthew appears at the programmatic ministry summaries (4:23; 24:14; 26:13); must convey an authoritative announcement of the kingdom’s arrival in Christ, not generic good tidings.
Faith
Approved rendering: đức tin
Transliteration: duc tin
Doctrine: Faith
Original: πίστις
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. Prominent in Matthew’s healing narratives (8:10; 9:22; 15:28) and the storm-stilling scene (8:26); object of faith must remain recoverable as Christ himself.
Peace
Approved rendering: sự bình an
Transliteration: su binh an
Doctrine: Peace with God
Original: εἰρήνη
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 10:34 deliberately contrasts this relational peace with the division (‘sword’) Christ’s exclusive claim produces; the peacemaking of 5:9 is its active, reconciling counterpart.
Church
Approved rendering: Hội Thánh
Transliteration: Hoi Thanh
Doctrine: Church as God’s People
Rejected alternatives: đền, chùa
Original: ἐκκλησία
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 16:18 (‘I will build my church’) and 18:17 (church discipline process) are the two foundational occurrences.
Kingdom Of God
Approved rendering: Nước Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: Nuoc Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Kingdom Mission
Original: βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ
Category: Kingdom
Inherited from Romans package. Renders the actual Greek phrase βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ used only at Matthew 6:33; 12:28; 19:24; 21:43. Must be kept visibly distinct from the new term kingdom_of_heaven (‘Nước Thiên Đàng’), which renders Matthew’s separate, more frequent phrase βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν; translators render the phrase actually present in each verse and teach their underlying synonymy.
Law
Approved rendering: luật pháp
Transliteration: luat phap
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: νόμος
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Central to Matthew 5:17-48 (Jesus fulfilling and reinterpreting the Law) and 22:36-40 (the Law summarized in the Greatest Commandment).
Sin
Approved rendering: tội lỗi
Transliteration: toi loi
Doctrine: Universal Human Accountability
Rejected alternatives: nghiệp xấu
Original: ἁμαρτία
Category: Sin
Inherited from Romans package. Key occurrences: 1:21 (‘he will save his people from their sins’); 9:2-6 (authority to forgive sins); 26:28 (blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins).
Gentiles
Approved rendering: dân ngoại
Transliteration: dan ngoai
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: ἔθνη
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 4:15; 6:32; 10:5,18; 12:18,21; 20:19,25 use this narrower ethnic-category sense. The new term great_commission’s ‘muôn dân’ (28:19) is a broader missional term for ‘all peoples’ and must not be collapsed into this narrower category.
Glory
Approved rendering: sự vinh hiển
Transliteration: su vinh hien
Doctrine: Deity of Christ
Original: δόξα
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31 (the Son of Man’s future glory at judgment).
Covenant
Approved rendering: giao ước
Transliteration: giao uoc
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: διαθήκη
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 26:28 (‘my blood of the covenant’) is the key occurrence; see the new term blood_of_covenant for the specific forbidden-substitution risk (huyết thệ).
Election
Approved rendering: sự lựa chọn
Transliteration: su lua chon
Doctrine: Effectual Calling
Rejected alternatives: số mệnh
Original: ἐκλογή / ἐκλεκτός
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 22:14 (‘many are called, but few are chosen’) and 24:22,24,31 (the elect gathered at the end).
Providence
Approved rendering: sự quan phòng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: su quan phong cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Providence
Rejected alternatives: số trời, nghiệp
Original: πρόνοια (cf. Matt 6:25-34, 10:29-31)
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 6:25-34 (‘do not be anxious… your heavenly Father knows’) and 10:29-31 (sparrows and hairs numbered).
Mission
Approved rendering: công cuộc truyền giáo
Transliteration: cong cuoc truyen giao
Doctrine: Mission to the Nations
Original: ἀποστολή / πέμπω / ἀποστέλλω
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 10:5-42 (sending of the Twelve) and 28:19-20 (Great Commission); see the new term great_commission for Matthew’s distinctive universal scope.
David
Approved rendering: Đa-vít
Transliteration: Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Foundational to Matthew’s genealogy (1:1,6,17) and repeated messianic acclamations (9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9,15; 22:42-45).
Israel
Approved rendering: Y-sơ-ra-ên
Transliteration: Y-so-ra-en
Doctrine: Unity of Jews and Gentiles
Original: Ἰσραήλ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs at 2:6,20-21; 8:10; 9:33; 10:6,23; 15:24,31; 19:28; 27:9,42.
Seed Of David
Approved rendering: dòng dõi Đa-vít
Transliteration: dong doi Da-vit
Doctrine: Davidic Covenant
Original: σπέρμα Δαυίδ
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Matthew’s genealogy (1:1-17); Matthew’s genealogical narrative is the concrete demonstration of this doctrine, though the exact phrase is more explicit in Romans 1:3.
Holy
Approved rendering: thánh
Transliteration: thanh
Doctrine: Sanctification
Original: ἅγιος
Category: Sanctification
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 1:20; 3:11; 4:5 (holy city); 6:9 (hallowed be your name); 7:6; 12:31 (Holy Spirit); 24:15 (holy place); 27:53 (holy city).
Called
Approved rendering: được kêu gọi
Transliteration: duoc keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Original: κλητός / καλέω
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 4:21 (calling of James and John); 9:9-13 (calling of Matthew); 22:3,8-9,14 (wedding-feast call, distinguished from being chosen/elect). Context-sensitive across the same senses documented for Romans.
Calling
Approved rendering: sự kêu gọi
Transliteration: su keu goi
Doctrine: Divine Calling
Rejected alternatives: số phận
Original: κλῆσις
Category: Salvation
Inherited from Romans package. Applies to Matthew’s calling narratives (4:18-22; 9:9); must convey a sovereign summons, not số phận (fixed fate).
Apostle
Approved rendering: sứ đồ
Transliteration: su do
Doctrine: Apostleship
Original: ἀπόστολος
Category: Church
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 10:2 is the sole explicit naming of ‘the twelve apostles.‘
Power Of God
Approved rendering: quyền năng của Đức Chúa Trời
Transliteration: quyen nang cua Duc Chua Troi
Doctrine: Power of God for Salvation
Original: δύναμις θεοῦ
Category: God
Inherited from Romans package. Matthew 22:29 (‘you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God’). Must be kept lexically distinct from the new term authority (‘quyền/uy quyền’; exousia = inherent right to command), whereas this term (dynamis) denotes raw miracle-working capability.
Fulfillment Formula
Approved rendering: được ứng nghiệm
Transliteration: duoc ung nghiem
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy
Original: ἵνα/ὅπως πληρωθῇ
Category: Covenant
New term. Occurs at least ten times: 1:22; 2:15,17,23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9. Must retain the linear, one-time, historical OT-to-NT fulfillment pattern; ‘ứng nghiệm’ is a religiously neutral verb used of oracles and folk fortune-telling alike, so linearity must be reinforced contextually at each occurrence rather than relying on the verb alone.
Baptism
Approved rendering: báp-têm / phép báp-têm
Transliteration: bap-tem / phep bap-tem
Doctrine: The Great Commission
Rejected alternatives: tẩy uế, phép rửa (alternate rendering associated with ritual washing / Catholic usage)
Original: βαπτίζω / βάπτισμα
Category: Church
New term. Occurs at 3:6-16 (John’s and Jesus’ baptism) and 28:19 (Great Commission baptismal command). Established transliterated Protestant convention; must carry through consistently from John’s baptism of repentance to the Trinitarian baptismal formula.
Scribes And Pharisees
Approved rendering: thầy thông giáo và người Pha-ri-si
Transliteration: thay thong giao va nguoi Pha-ri-si
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: γραμματεῖς, Φαρισαῖοι
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 5:20; 9:11,34; 12:2,14,24,38; 15:1,12; 16:1,6,11-12; 22:15,34-41; 23:1-36. Historic first-century Jewish leadership groups; must not be mapped onto Buddhist monastics, Confucian scholars, or any contemporary Vietnamese religious group as a class.
Hypocrite
Approved rendering: kẻ giả hình
Transliteration: ke gia hinh
Doctrine: Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees
Original: ὑποκριτής
Category: Sanctification
New term. Occurs at 6:2,5,16; 7:5; 15:7; 22:18; 23:13-29; 24:51. Outward religious performance masking inward reality; negative counterpart to the Righteousness Exceeding the Pharisees doctrine.
Disciple
Approved rendering: môn đồ
Transliteration: mon do
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μαθητής
Category: Church
New term. Pervasive throughout Matthew, culminating in 28:19. Distinguish from a martial-arts or philosophical master-disciple hierarchy defined by technique transmission (the shared root ‘môn’ also appears in ‘môn phái,’ a martial-arts/philosophical school, and ‘môn sinh,’ a lineage-bound student); biblical discipleship is covenantal allegiance to Christ’s own person, not mastery of a method.
Yoke
Approved rendering: ách / gánh
Transliteration: ach / ganh
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: ζυγός
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 11:28-30. Christ’s yoke is ‘easy’ and ‘light,’ contrasted with the burdensome legal-tradition ‘yoke’ of the Pharisees (23:4).
Sabbath
Approved rendering: ngày Sa-bát
Transliteration: ngay Sa-bat
Doctrine: The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching
Original: σάββατον
Category: Covenant
New term (transliterated). Key texts 12:1-14. Jesus, as Son of Man/Lord, claims authority over the Sabbath’s true purpose.
Gathered In My Name
Approved rendering: nhóm lại trong danh ta
Transliteration: nhom lai trong danh ta
Doctrine: The Church and Church Discipline
Original: συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ὄνομά μου
Category: Church
New term. Key text 18:20. Must not be modeled as invoking ancestral or spirit presence at a shrine or family altar; this is the risen Christ’s own promised personal presence with his gathered, disciplining/worshiping people.
What God Has Joined
Approved rendering: Đức Chúa Trời đã phối hợp
Transliteration: Duc Chua Troi da phoi hop
Doctrine: Marriage and God’s Design
Original: ὃ ὁ Θεὸς συνέζευξεν
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 19:4-6. Marriage’s permanence is grounded in God’s own joining act, not merely social or familial arrangement.
Hosanna
Approved rendering: Hô-sa-na
Transliteration: Ho-sa-na
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
New term (transliterated). Key texts 21:9,15. The crowd’s acclamation of Jesus as the coming Savior-King, Son of David.
Servant Greatness Inverted
Approved rendering: đầy tớ
Transliteration: day to
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: διάκονος
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key texts 20:26-28; 23:11. Kingdom greatness measured by service, not honor-seeking — directly countercultural in an honor-conscious Vietnamese social context.
Least Of These
Approved rendering: những người bé mọn nhất trong anh em ta
Transliteration: nhung nguoi be mon nhat trong anh em ta
Doctrine: Judgment and the End of the Age
Original: οἱ ἀδελφοί μου οἱ ἐλάχιστοι
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 25:31-46. Practical mercy toward the vulnerable is treated as service rendered to Christ himself.
King Of The Jews
Approved rendering: Vua dân Do Thái
Transliteration: Vua dan Do Thai
Doctrine: Jesus as the Promised Messiah and Son of David
Original: βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων
Category: Christology
New term. Key texts 2:2; 27:11,29,37. Frames Jesus’ kingship as recognized by Gentile outsiders at birth and mocked by Gentile authority at his death. Vietnamese ‘vua’ (king) is a well-understood monarchical term from Vietnam’s own dynastic history, lowering unfamiliarity risk.
Mammon
Approved rendering: Tiền Tài (Ma-môn)
Transliteration: Tien Tai (Ma-mon)
Doctrine: Discipleship and the Cost of Following Jesus
Original: μαμωνᾶς
Category: Sanctification
New term. Key text 6:24. Retain the transliteration ‘Ma-môn’ in parentheses alongside the paraphrase ‘Tiền Tài’; the paraphrase alone would read as a general warning against greed rather than a claim about a personified rival master competing for ultimate loyalty.
Low Risk Terms
Prophet
Approved rendering: tiên tri
Transliteration: tien tri
Doctrine: Inspiration of Scripture
Rejected alternatives: thầy bói
Original: προφήτης
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Occurs throughout Matthew’s fulfillment citations (1:22; 2:5,15,17,23) and Jesus’ teaching (5:12; 7:12; 10:41; 13:57; 23:29-37).
Prophecy
Approved rendering: lời tiên tri
Transliteration: loi tien tri
Doctrine: Fulfillment of Prophecy
Original: προφητεία
Category: Covenant
Inherited from Romans package. Underlies Matthew’s recurring fulfillment formula; see the new term fulfillment_formula.
Exhort
Approved rendering: khích lệ
Transliteration: khich le
Doctrine: Mutual Edification
Original: παρακαλέω
Category: Faith
Inherited from Romans package. In Matthew 5:4 the related comfort-sense term is rendered ‘yên ủi’ (see rest_for_soul family distinctions in analysis/06); keep the ‘exhort/encourage’ sense distinct from the ‘comfort-in-grief’ sense per the semantic analysis note.
Referenced passages