12:8a
Verse 12:8a-b lists all the geographical areas of Israel on the west side of the Jordan River.
the hill country: The phrase the hill country indicates the central mountain range on the west side of the Jordan River. This word was used in 9:1 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
the foothills: The phrase the foothills refers to the western side of the central mountain range, between the mountains and the coastal plain. This word was used in 9:1 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
the Arabah: The term Arabah refers to the valley of the Jordan River. This word was used in 8:14 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
12:8b
the slopes: The phrase the slopes refers to the steep slopes that go down from the hill country eastward to the Dead Sea. This word was used in 10:40 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
the wilderness: The term wilderness indicates the wilderness of Judah. This is a deserted area that lies between the Judean hill country and the Dead Sea.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
the Judean wilderness (New Living Translation (2004))
and the Negev: The word Negev indicates the southern wilderness area. This word was used in 10:40 and you should translate it the same way in both places.
General Comment on 12:7b-8c
Verse 12:7b described the land of Israel by naming its northern and southern points. In 12:8a-b the same land is described again by naming its geographical regions. 12:8c describes this land a third time by naming the Canaanite peoples who lived there.
12:8c
the lands of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites: These are names of peoples who lived in the land of Israel before the Israelites conquered the land. These names occurred in 3:10, but in a different order.
Here is another way to translate this list of peoples:
The people who lived in this region were the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. These are the kings Israel defeated: (New Living Translation (2004))
General Comment on 12:9-24
Verses 12:9-24 is a list of the kings that the Israelites defeated. The Berean Standard Bible translates the words literally according to the Hebrew text. In some languages this may not be natural.
You should translate this list in a way that your language naturally arranges a list. It may be clearer to begin the list with an introduction stating that these are the kings the Israelites defeated. This information was in verse 12:7a and the readers may not make the connection. You can include this introduction at the end of verse 8, as New Living Translation (2004) and New Century Version have done, or at the beginning of verse 9, as Good News Translation has done.
These notes on verses 9-24 include only issues which need explanation.
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