屠杀 túshā is massacre, so 大屠杀 is the great massacre, or the holocaust.
掳囚 Lǔ qiú
Captive, in captivity, held in prison.
依 Yī
According to. So 依 whatever = according to whatever.
抟面盆 Tuán miànpén
Kneading bowl. The bowl they use to knead dough for baking bread. They left in a hurry, so no time for the yeast to work through the dough (so unleavened bread).
面盆 miànpén usually means wash basin (the bowl you use when you wash your face in the old days before we have sinks).
催促 Cuīcù
To urge. The Egyptians were urging the Israelites to leave. In Hebrew, the verb is khazaq, the same verb used to describe Pharaoh’s heart being hard (unchanging). So the Egyptians wanted the Hebrews to get out, and they’re not going to change their minds about it.
提防 tífáng
To guard against, to watch out for.
规则 guīzé
Rule, regulation.
践行 jiàn xíng
To practice something, as in following something. 践行规则 guīzé Follow the rules.
失迷 Shī mí
Lost, can’t find your way.
遮盖 Zhēgài
To cover something, usually with the intention of hiding it from view.
遮掩 Zhēyǎn
To hide something or someone.
挤住 Jǐ zhù
To squeeze, to choke.
世界观 Shìjièguān
World view. The “lens” through which we see everything around us.
优先事项 Yōuxiān shìxiàng
Priorities. What we put first or consider as most important.
理念 Lǐniàn
Concept, idea.
劝勉 Quànmiǎn
Exhortation, to exhort (to exhort means to strongly encourage someone to do something).
息息相关 Xīxī xiāngguān
Closely related.
始终如一地 Shǐzhōng rúyī dì
Consistently, as in doing something consistently.
安全区 Ānquán qū
Safe zone, or safe place.
详细 xiángxì
Detail, as in “more detailed description.”
中秋节 zhōngqiū jié
Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival when we eat moon cakes (月饼).
端午节 duānwǔ jié
The festival when we eat 粽子 zòngzi, and have dragon boat races.
元宵节 yuánxiāo jié
Usually called the Lantern Festival in English. It’s the annual festival when we eat 汤圆 Tāngyuán. In northern China, 汤圆 is usually called 元宵 yuánxiāo, hence the name of the festival.
春节 Chūn jié
Chinese new year. The two Chinese words literally mean spring festival.
副词 Fùcí
Adverb. 副 by itself is something like secondary (as in “vice president”). So 副总统 (zǒngtǒng) means vice president.
蘸盆 Zhàn pén
Dipping basin, dipping bowl. Like a small pail or bucket that we might use today.
蘸 by itself means to dip.
祭 Jì
A sacrifice. As in sacrificing to God.
应许 Yīngxǔ
A promise, to promise.
不容 Bùróng
Not allow, won’t permit.
容 by itself can mean allow, permit, tolerate, etc.
牛膝草 Niú xī cǎo
Hyssop.
a small bushy aromatic plant of the mint family, the bitter minty leaves of which are used in cooking and herbal medicine.
(in biblical use) a wild shrub of uncertain identity whose twigs were used for sprinkling in ancient Jewish rites of purification.
To use interchangeably, can be substituted one for another.
互换 means exchange, swap.
使用 means to use, to make use of.
平凡 Píngfán
Mundane, the usual.
焦点 Jiāodiǎn
Focus, main point.
确保 Quèbǎo
To ensure, make sure.
妥协 Tuǒxié
Compromise, to compromise.
澄清 Chéngqīng
Clarification, to clarify.
容忍 Róngrěn
To tolerate.
性质 Xìngzhì
The nature of something, the characteristic, etc.
调解人 Tiáojiě rén
Mediator.
谈判者 Tánpàn zhě
Negotiator. See also 中保, 调解人.
凭 Píng
By, lean on, rely on, according to.
添 Tiān
To add.
过犯 Guò fàn
Transgressions, sins.
中保 Zhōng bǎo
Mediator.
Note that the biblical meaning of mediator is not quite the same as what’s normally understood in English usage.
军队 Jūnduì
Army.
寄居 Jìjū
To sojourn, to live temporarily at some place. Temporary resident.
剪除 Jiǎnchú
Cut off.
无酵饼 Wú jiào bǐng
Unleavened bread. Bread made without yeast. Pain sans levain. 酵 = leaven, yeast, levure.
愤怒 Fènnù
Wrath, great anger.
革舜 Gé shùn
Gershom, the firstborn of Moses. He first appeared in Exo 2:22, and also in the strange incident in Exo 4:24–26, when God wanted to kill Moses, but Moses’ wife Zipporah circumcised Gershom and “applied” it to Moses, saving Moses.
牲畜 Shēngchù
Livestock, like cattle, sheep, etc.
攻击 Gōngjí
To attack.
计算 Jìsuàn
To calculate, calculation.
晓谕 Xiǎoyù
Another (maybe more formal or fancy) way of saying “to speak to” someone, or to give someone a message.
砂浆 Shājiāng
Mortar, the cement-like paste that glues bricks together. Used in construction.
欧芹 Ōu qín
Parsley.
辣根 Là gēn
Horseradish. The 2 Chinese word are literally spicy root.
严惩 Yánchéng
To punish severely.
定例 Dìnglì
Regulation, rule or statue (as in law).
五旬节 Wǔ xún jié
Pentacost. The Chinese 五旬 means 50, so does Pentacost, which comes from the Greek word for 50. The is the last of the four spring festivals, the 4th of the seven Festivals of YHWH (see Lev 23). It’s 50 because the feast takes place 50 days after Passover.
In Jewish tradition, the is also the day when God gave them the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. For Christians, Pentacost is also the birthday of the church, when the Holy Spirit first came down and filled all the believers who heard Peter’s preaching (Acts 2:1–4) on that Pentacost day after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
住棚节 Zhù péng jié
Feast of Tabernacles, celebrated in the fall. It’s the final of the seven Festivals of YHWH (see Lev 23). The feast celebrates the Israelites’ days in the wilderness (after they left Egypt), when they lived in tents (tabernacles), when God was with them to bring them to Canaan.
无酵饼 Wú jiào bǐng
Unleavened bread. So bread made without the use of leaven (yeast). The Chinese term has 3 words: “无 Without,” “酵 leaven or yeast”, and “饼 bread.” So “bread without leaven,” or “bread without yeast.”
门框 Ménkuàng
Door frame (that’s pretty much the literal meaning of the two Chinese words).
残疾 Cánjí
残疾 Disability, deformity. The 无 Wú in front is a negation, so 无残疾 means “no disability” or “no deformity.”
With animals offered to YHWH, it must not have any defects, deformities, etc.
击杀 Jī shā
To kill. The CUV uses 击杀 to translate the Hebrew word נכה, where נכה means to strike or to attack, which might or might not involve killing. All modern Chinese translations instead use 惩罚 (Chéngfá, to punish) or 击打 (Jī dǎ, to strike or hit).
灾殃 Zāiyāng
Plague. Any epidemic with a high death rate.
惩罚 Chéngfá
To punish.
越过 Yuèguò
To pass over something. This is the Hebrew verb that gave us the name Passover.
败坏 Bàihuài
To corrupt, to ruin, to undermine. In the CUV, 败坏 translates two Hebrew words, אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה שְׁפָטִ֖ים, “do punishment.” So it’s better to translate these Hebrew words as “execute judgement” or “bring judgement.” More modern Chinese translations all use 惩罚 Chéngfá (or 严惩 yánchéng, where 严 means heavy or severe).
头生 Tóu shēng
Firstborn.
巡行 Xúnxíng
To patrol. In the CUV, 巡行 translates the Hebrew word עָבַרְתִּ֣י, whose original meaning we’re not entirely sure of. The most common translation is “to pass through,” which is used by most English translations.
逾越节 Yúyuè jié
Passover. The annual event that Jews celebrate every spring. It’s the first of the 7 feasts of YHWH described in Lev 23.
束带 Shù dài
Best understood as a belt. In Exo 12:11, 束带 is used in 腰间束带, which means “a belt around your waist.”
In the original Hebrew, 束 translates חגר, which means “to be girded (dressed),” 带 is added on by the CUV.
五脏 Wǔzàng
Five internal organs. In Chinese, these are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.
In the CUV, it translates the Hebrew word meaning “inner parts.” More modern Chinese translations use “内脏 Nèizàng,” (which means internal organs or viscera) instead of 五脏.
脏 itself means dirty, as in “肮东西 dirty thing.”
水煮 Shuǐ zhǔ
Boiled in water. The Chinese term is “水 water,” “煮 cook.” So literally water-cooked.
门楣 Ménméi
Lintel. The horizontal beam (can be wood, stone, etc.) that spans the top of a doorway.
涂 Tú
To paint, as in applying some liquid substance to a surface.
宰 Zǎi
Slaughter, to slaughter (usually applied to animals).
黄昏 Huánghūn
Dusk. The time of day when the sun has just set below the horizon.
隔壁 Gébì
Next door, neighbour. The Chinese term is made up of the words meaning “separate 隔” and “wall 壁.”
邻舍 línshè
Neighbour.
恳切 Kěnqiè
Fervently, earnestly, sincerely. This is the way James said Elijah prayed, and we can pray the same way.
哈马斯 Hā mǎ sī
Hamas, the Islamic terrorist group. The Chinese is a good transliteration of the Arabic acryonym HMS:
حركة المقاومة الإسلامية Ḥarakah al-Muqāwamah al-ʾIslāmiyyah
Islamic Resistance Movement
相似 Xiāngsì
Resemble, similar, like.
功效 gōngxiào
Effect, efficacy.
大有功效 Very effective.
妒忌 Jì xié
Jealous, jealousy, to be jealous.
性情 Xìngqíng
A person’s nature temperament, character, temper.
他与我们是一样性情的人 He is a human like us. (James 5:17)
巴力 Bā lì
Baal. One of the chief gods of the Canaanites. Israelites often turned from YHWH and worshiped Baal along with the Canaanite neighbours.
嫉妒 Jídù
Envy, envious, to be envious.
客西马尼 Kè xī mǎ ní
Gethsemane. The place where Jesus and his disciples spent their final moments before Jesus was arrested. Jesus prayed three times for God to spare him. See Mark 14:32–42.
以利亚 yǐ lì yǎ
Elijah, the famous OT prophet. You can read about him in 1 Kings 17–19.
In Chinese, his name seems very different from English, because English pronunciation of certain letters have changed over the centuries. The original Hebrew name is אֵלִיָּ֫הוּ, which sounds very much like the Chinese pinyin (there’s a “hu” at the end of the name that’s not transliterated in the Chinese version, so yǐ lì yǎ hu).
特征 Tèzhēng
A feature, a trait, a characteristic.
羡慕 xiànmù
Envy, envious. To envy or be envious.
迦密山 jiā mì shān
Mount Carmel, a mountain range going from the Mediterranean Sea towards the east, at about the same level as the Sea of Galilee. Wikipedia article here.
亚舍拉 yà shě lā
Asherah, another Canaanite deity. Jezebel supports Asherah. In the story about Elijah in 1 Kings 18:19, it tells us there were 400 prophets of Asherah (along with the 450 prophets of Baal) that got together to have a competition against YHWH’s single prophet, Elijah.
耶洗别 yé xǐ bié
Jezebel, the wife of king Ahab of Israel (an evil king and an evil queen).
