Filipino · Filipino
Father's Heart Bible™ key-term glossary — anchored to the historic Filipino Scriptures · Script: Latin
For the reviewer
These are the proposed renderings of FHB's key terms. The heart of the review: wherever English says our Father, the rendering must feel like a beloved child addressing their own father — warm, reverent, natural to your language's Bible — and never the distant generic word for "God." Mark anything that reads wrong, stiff, or irreverent. Tip: your browser's translate feature can back-translate this page as a second witness. Approvals or corrections go to Kevin White.
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Reverent contemporary Filipino, matching the Magandang Balita Biblia (Good News in Filipino) tradition — the most-loved and widely-read Filipino Bible, warm and accessible — anchored in the deeply beloved liturgical 'Ama namin' of the Lord's Prayer (Ang Panginoong Pananalangin) that every Filipino Christian knows by heart. Elevated but never archaic; the intimacy of a child speaking to a cherished father.
Quotation marks
Straight double quotation marks “ ” for speech, single ‘ ’ for quotes nested within quotes (MBB usage).
Poetry lines
Poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs, prophetic oracles) set as indented verse lines, one poetic colon per line, with continuation/run-over lines further indented; Hebrew parallelism preserved line-for-line.
| # | English term | Proposed rendering | Literal back-translation | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | our Heavenly Father | Ama naming nasa langit | our Father who is in Heaven | Anchored to Ang Biblia / MBB (Mt 6:9) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "aming Amang nasa Langit". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent) |
| 2 | our Father | ating Ama | our Father | Anchored to Ang Biblia / MBB (Mt 6:9 / Rom 1:7) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "Ama namin". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent) |
| 3 | the Father | ang Ama | the Father | Definite filial name; 'Ama' with the article 'ang.' Same warm root as 'Ama namin,' not the generic deity word. |
| 4 | Heavenly Father | Ama sa langit | Heavenly Father (Father who is in Heaven) | Anchored to Ang Biblia / MBB (Mt 6:14) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "Amang nasa Langit". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent) |
| 5 | Abba, Father | Abba, Ama | Abba, Father | Aramaic 'Abba' retained then glossed with the filial 'Ama' — exactly the MBB rendering of Rom 8:15 / Gal 4:6 ('Abba, Ama!'), so it is already familiar and reverent. |
| 6 | God | Diyos | God | NON-FILIAL contrast term. Generic deity word; use only where English keeps 'God' as God-as-God. Must never stand in for 'Ama namin.' |
| 7 | the LORD | Panginoon | the LORD (YHWH) | NON-FILIAL contrast term for the covenant name; traditionally set in small caps (PANGINOON) as in Ang Biblia. MBB alternative for YHWH is 'Yahweh.' Distinct from the generic title 'Lord' (also 'Panginoon') applied to Jesus — set covenant use in small caps to disambiguate. Never a substitute for 'Ama namin.' |
| 8 | the Holy Spirit | Espiritu Santo | the Holy Spirit | The near-universal Filipino term across Catholic and Protestant (MBB) usage. 'Banal na Espiritu' exists but 'Espiritu Santo' is the settled, beloved form. |
| 9 | the Spirit of our Father | Espiritu ng ating Ama | the Spirit of our Father | Anchored to Ang Biblia / MBB (Mt 10:20) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "ang Espiritu ng aming Ama". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent) |
| 10 | the Son of Man | ang Anak ng Tao | the Son of Man | Standard Filipino Bible title (MBB / Ang Biblia); Jesus' self-designation. |
| 11 | the Son | ang Anak | the Son | Jesus as the Son; 'Anak' with the article. Correlates naturally with the filial 'Ama' so the Father–Son relation reads as one family. |
| 12 | the Son of God | ang Anak ng Diyos | the Son of God | Christological title; standard Filipino form. Reviewer to confirm whether FHB prefers 'Anak ng Ama' (Son of the Father) in filial contexts vs. the traditional 'ng Diyos.' |
| 13 | one and only Son | kaisa-isang Anak | one and only Son | MBB's John 3:16 wording. The classic Ang Biblia form 'bugtong na Anak' (only-begotten Son) is also cherished; 'kaisa-isang' fits the contemporary register and the literal 'one and only.' |
| 14 | the kingdom of our Father | kaharian ng ating Ama | the kingdom of our Father | Anchored to Ang Biblia / MBB (Mt 26:29) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "ang kaharian ng aming Ama". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent) |
| 15 | Jesus | Jesus | Jesus | Standard Bible spelling in both MBB and Ang Biblia (spoken 'Hesus'; written 'Jesus'). |
| 16 | Christ | Cristo | Christ | Traditional Filipino form (MBB / Catholic usage). Protestant modern spelling 'Kristo' is an accepted variant; reviewer to set house style. |
| 17 | Messiah | Mesiyas | Messiah | Standard Filipino transliteration (e.g. Jn 1:41, 4:25 MBB). |
| 18 | covenant | tipan | covenant | Standard Filipino Bible term; 'Bagong Tipan' = New Covenant/Testament. Settled and universally recognized. |
| 19 | steadfast love | wagas na pag-ibig | pure / steadfast love | Renders Hebrew hesed. 'Wagas' (pure, unwavering) captures covenant constancy; reviewer to weigh vs. 'tapat na pag-ibig' (faithful love), which foregrounds loyalty. |
| 20 | compassion | habag | tender compassion / gut-pity | Renders racham / splanchnizomai. 'Habag' is the deep, visceral tenderness (a parent moved for a child), warmer than 'awa' (mercy) — fitting the Father's heart. |
| 21 | righteousness | katuwiran | righteousness / rightness | Standard Filipino Bible term for both God's righteousness and right standing. |
| 22 | eternal life | buhay na walang hanggan | life without end / everlasting life | The beloved John 3:16 wording in Filipino; universally recognized. |
| 23 | born again | ipanganak na muli | born again / born anew | MBB / Ang Biblia rendering of Jn 3:3,7. 'Isilang na muli' is an accepted synonym; 'ipanganak na muli' is the more common spoken and printed form. |
Machine conformance stems (every filial rendering must contain one): Ama
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