22:34a
So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness: There is a textual issue in this part of the verse.
(1) The Hebrew Masoretic text reads: “The people of Reuben and the people of Gad named the altar.”
(NET Bible, New International Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, Revised Edition, New Century Version, Contemporary English Version)
(2) Some Hebrew manuscripts have an additional word: “The people of Reuben and the people of Gad named the altar ‘witness.’”
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation)
It is recommended that you follow option 1). This is the reading of the Masoretic text. It is recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, and is followed by many English versions and some commentaries.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
The people of Reuben and the people of Gad named the altar.
-or-
The Reuben clan and the Gad clan gave a name to the altar.
22:34b
for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”: The translation of this part of the verse depends on the Hebrew text that one follows in the first part of the verse. If one follows the Masoretic text, “The people of Reuben and the people of Gad named the altar,” then the sentence that follows is the name of the altar. The name was “A witness between us that Yahweh is God.”
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
⌊They named it⌋ “A sign between us that Yahweh is God.”
-or-
⌊This was its name:⌋ “It reminds us that Yahweh is God.”
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