Marathi · मराठी

Father's Heart Bible™ key-term glossary — anchored to the historic Marathi Scriptures · Script: Devanagari (Balbodh)

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.

Reverent contemporary Marathi Scripture register, matching the Bible Society of India Marathi Reference Bible (मराठी बायबल) and its beloved पिता-address tradition (as in Pandita Ramabai's translation of the Lord's Prayer), with the plainer accessibility of the मराठी सुबोध भाषांतर / Common-Language edition. Warm and personal without slipping into the colloquial बाप; पिता is simultaneously the tender and the honorific word a Marathi believer uses for God.

Quotation marks

Double quotation marks “…” for direct speech; nested speech in single ‘…’. Sentences close with the full stop (।/danda reserved for poetry and set liturgical lines).

Poetry lines

Psalms and prophetic poetry set as broken parallel lines (couplets), each poetic line on its own line with the second colon indented — following BSI Marathi poetic layout.

#	English term	Proposed rendering	Literal back-translation	Why
1	our Heavenly Father	आमचा स्वर्गीय पिता	our heavenly Father	Divine name. स्वर्गीय पिता is the fixed Marathi Bible phrase for the Father in heaven; carries pit-stem for conformance.
2	our Father	आमचा पिता	our Father	Primary filial divine name; vocative आमच्या पित्या in address. NEVER देव or परमेश्वर — those are the reversion contrast terms.
3	the Father	पिता	the Father	Definite sense carried by bare पिता (Marathi has no article); the standing title of God-as-Father, distinct from generic देव.
4	Heavenly Father	स्वर्गीय पिता	heavenly Father	Filial title without the possessive; same wording family as आमचा स्वर्गीय पिता.
5	Abba, Father	अब्बा, बापा	Abba, O Father	Anchored to मराठी BSI (Rom 8:15 / Mk 14:36) — the established rendering this language's church already prays; FHB shifts only the person (our), never the construction. Was: "अब्बा, पित्या". Sweep 2026-07-22 (Kevin: mine the existing translations, don't invent)
6	God	देव	God	REVERSION TOKEN — generic deity (Elohim). Non-filial contrast term; never a substitute for पिता.
7	the LORD	परमेश्वर	the LORD (the covenant name)	REVERSION TOKEN — Marathi Bible's rendering of the covenant name YHWH. Distinct from प्रभु (the title 'Lord' for Jesus) and from filial पिता.
8	the Holy Spirit	पवित्र आत्मा	the Holy Spirit	Standard Marathi Bible term.
9	the Spirit of our Father	आमच्या पित्याचा आत्मा	our Father's Spirit / the Spirit of our Father	Relational genitive (पित्याचा), not identity; carries the pit-stem, contrasting with the by-title पवित्र आत्मा.
10	the Son of Man	मनुष्याचा पुत्र	the son of man	Standard Marathi Bible Christological title.
11	the Son	पुत्र	the Son	पुत्र (not colloquial मुलगा) is the reverent Bible word for the Son.
12	the Son of God	देवाचा पुत्र	the Son of God	Retains traditional देवाचा पुत्र. Reviewer to confirm against the filial alternative पित्याचा पुत्र (the Father's Son).
13	one and only Son	एकुलता एक पुत्र	one and only son	Standard Marathi rendering of monogenēs (John 3:16); warmer and more accurate than एकजात/एकुलता alone.
14	the kingdom of our Father	आमच्या पित्याचे राज्य	the kingdom of our Father	FHB renders 'kingdom of God' filially — पित्याचे राज्य, not देवाचे राज्य; carries the pit-stem.
15	Jesus	येशू	Jesus	Standard Marathi Bible spelling.
16	Christ	ख्रिस्त	Christ	Standard; येशू ख्रिस्त = Jesus Christ.
17	Messiah	मसीहा	Messiah (Anointed One)	Transliterated title used in Marathi Bible where 'Messiah' is retained distinct from the translated ख्रिस्त.
18	covenant	करार	covenant / binding agreement	Standard Marathi Bible term (नवा करार = New Covenant).
19	steadfast love	प्रेमदया	loving-kindness / covenant-love	Renders Hebrew hesed as the Marathi Bible's lovingkindness compound. Reviewer to confirm against the more literal स्थिर प्रेम (steadfast love).
20	compassion	कळवळा	gut-level tender pity / yearning	कळवळा is the visceral Marathi word ('moved in the bowels'), matching racham / splanchnizomai better than the cooler करुणा.
21	righteousness	नीतिमत्ता	righteousness / uprightness	Standard Marathi Bible term.
22	eternal life	सार्वकालिक जीवन	everlasting life	Fixed Marathi Bible phrase in John 3:16.
23	born again	नव्याने जन्म घेणे	to be born anew / again	Marathi Bible wording for John 3:3,7; नव्याने preserves the anōthen double sense (again / from above).

Terms we deliberately avoid

These common words carry another religion's meaning, so Scripture in Marathi has always chosen different vocabulary — and so do we. Please don't recommend them; the established Bible alternative is listed beside each.

पुनर्जन्म (reincarnation) → नवा जन्म
अवतार (Hindu avatar) → देहधारण
मोक्ष (Hindu liberation) → तारण (salvation)
निर्वाण (Buddhist nirvana) → सार्वकालिक जीवन

Machine conformance stems (every filial rendering must contain one): पित · पिता · पित्या · बापा

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Your review goes directly to Kevin White. Corrections can be written in Marathi or English.