15:8a
From there the border went up the Valley of Hinnom: The clause the border went up indicates that the boundary line climbed in elevation from the spring of En-rogel through the Valley of Hinnom.
the Valley of Hinnom: The phrase Valley of Hinnom refers to a valley that is southwest of Jerusalem.
Hinnom: Hinnom is the name of a person. The Hebrew word ben hinnom means “son of Hinnom.” Some English versions keep the Hebrew word and say “valley of Ben Hinnom.” It is recommended that you follow the tradition of the major language version in your area when you translate this name.
Here are some ways that English versions translate this name:
valley of the son of Hinnom (Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)
-or-
valley of Ben Hinnom (NET Bible, New International Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New American Standard Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Hinnom Valley (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)
15:8b
along the southern slope of the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem): The phrase southern slope refers to the slope of the hill that is south of Jerusalem.
of the Jebusites: The term Jebusites refers to the Jebus people. Jebus was also the name of their town at the time of Joshua. Later King David conquered this town and renamed it Jerusalem.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
along the south slope of Jerusalem, where the Jebus people live
-or-
beside the hill to the south of Jerusalem, which was then called Jebus
15:8c
and ascended to the top of the hill: The clause ascended to the top of the hill indicates that the border continued to climb up until it reached the top of a mountain.
Here is another way to translate this part of the verse:
the border climbed up to the top of the mountain
15:8d
that faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west: The clause faces the Valley of Hinnom on the west indicates that the mountain is on the west side of the Valley of Hinnom.
the Valley of Hinnom: The Valley of Hinnom is the same place as the “Valley of Hinnom” in verse 15:8a.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
which is on the west side of the valley of Hinnom
-or-
on the west side of the Hinnom Valley
15:8e
at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim: The Rephaim people were mentioned in Joshua 12:4 and you should translate the term the same way in both places.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
That mountain is on the northern side of the valley of Rephaim
-or-
It is on the northern edge of the Rephaim Valley
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