SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 21:21

21:21a

they were given Shechem: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they were given Shechem is more literally “they gave them Shechem.”

in the hill country of Ephraim: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

in the mountain country of the clan of Ephraim
-or-
in the mountains of Ephraim

21:21b

a city of refuge for the manslayer: This phrase is the same Hebrew phrase as was found in verse 21:13. You should translate this phrase in the same way as you did in that verse.

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

It was a town where people could run to escape if they had killed someone by accident.
-or-
which was a town of safety for anyone who had killed somebody by mistake

21:21c

Gezer: The town of Gezer was mentioned in Joshua 10:33. It was southeast of Joppa.

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

They also received⌋ Gezer and the grazing lands around it
-or-

They received⌋ the town of Gezer and the grasslands around it

General Comment on verse 21:21

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:

They received the town of Shechem and the pasturelands around it, in the hill country of Ephraim. It was a town of safety where anyone who killed somebody accidentally could escape. They also received the town of Gezer and the pasturelands around it.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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