Glossary
One English decision for words that will keep coming back. The first use in a book is footnoted.
Yahweh
Hebrew YHWH
The divine name is printed Yahweh.
The four consonants are YHWH. The vowels in “Yahweh” are a later convention, not a recording of how the name was spoken in the oldest copies. The first note in a book that uses the name says this again. Books whose witnesses say “God,” “the Lord,” or “the Most High,” and do not show the four consonants, do not have Yahweh written in.
loyalty
Hebrew hesed
hesed is printed “loyalty.”
The word covers kept commitment, kindness that stays, and the bond between people or between Yahweh and people. “Loyalty” is the project-wide English. A note on the first use in a book can name the source word.
redeemer
Hebrew goel
goel is printed “redeemer.”
In Ruth this is a relative who can take up a dead man’s household and the land that belongs to it. The English does not add a legal title beyond “redeemer.” The first use in Ruth says what the role is doing in that scene.
Messiah
Hebrew mashiach, Greek christos
Both words are printed “Messiah.”
This is the project-wide choice. Neither Ruth nor Tobit uses the word. Later books will footnote it on first use.
covenant
Hebrew berit, Greek diatheke
Both words are printed “covenant.”
The English keeps one word for the bond as the books name it. Neither Ruth nor Tobit needs the word in the lines drafted so far.
Shaddai
Hebrew Shaddai
The name is printed Shaddai.
Ruth uses it beside Yahweh. It is left as a name. A gloss such as “Almighty” is a later English habit and is not the printed line.
worth
Hebrew hayil
hayil is printed with “worth,” “standing,” or “means,” as the sentence requires.
The word can point to strength, wealth, or capability. Boaz is a man of standing and means. Ruth is a woman of real worth. The notes on those verses say they are the same Hebrew word.
gifts of mercy
Greek eleemosyne
eleemosyne is printed “gifts of mercy.”
In Tobit the word is concrete: food, clothes, burial, and other costly care for people who need it. “Gifts of mercy” is the project-wide English. It is not a technical label.