15:3a

proceeded south of the Ascent of Akrabbim: This indicates that the border passed to the south of the Ascent of Akrabbim as it continued going on toward the west.

proceeded: The Hebrew verbs in verses 3-12 are not in the same tense as the verbs in verses 1 and 2. The Revised Standard Version uses a present tense to reflect this change in the Hebrew tense, but some English versions like the Berean Standard Bible do not.

It is recommended that you translate these verses using the same tense or aspect throughout. Choose a tense or aspect that is natural for a description of land boundaries.

Ascent of Akrabbim: The phrase Ascent of Akrabbim refers to a mountain pass or a road through the mountains. The Hebrew word Akrabbim means scorpion. Some English versions translate this phrase as “Scorpion Pass.”

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

As it went west from there, it ran south of Scorpion Pass (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The boundary line continued south of Scorpion Pass
-or-
The border went south of Akrabbim Pass ⌊as it continued westward⌋

15:3b

continued on to Zin, went over to the south of Kadesh-barnea: The town of Kadesh-barnea was mentioned in Joshua 10:41. You should translate it the same way in both places.

Zin: This refers to the “Wilderness of Zin” that was mentioned in verse 15:1.

went over: The phrase went over indicates that the boundary went uphill as it went past the town of Kadesh-barnea.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

then continued to the Wilderness of Zin, and up south of the town of Kadesh-barnea
-or-
the boundary line went to the Wilderness of Zin and went uphill as it passed south of Kadesh-barnea

15:3c

ran past Hezron up to Addar, and curved toward Karka: The phrase up to Addar indicates that the boundary ascended in elevation as it went from Hezron to Addar.

Hezron…Addar…Karka: These are the names of small towns. It may be helpful in some languages to include the term “town” in the translation.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

It continued past Hezron up to Addar, turned toward Karka (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Then it ran past Hezron up to Addar and curved around to Karka (New International Version)
-or-
The boundary line went on to the town of Hezron, then went uphill to the town of Addar, and turned toward the town of Karka

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