SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 22:4

22:4a

And: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And indicates the next event in the story. Many English versions leave this conjunction untranslated.

now that: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as now indicates a contrast between the time when all the Israelites were fighting to conquer the land of Canaan, and the present time, when they were able to settle down in it.

the LORD your God: In some languages it may be more natural to translate this phrase as “Yahweh our God.” Yahweh was the God of Joshua as well as the God of the Israel people.

has given your brothers rest: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has given…rest comes from the same verbal root as was used in 1:13. It indicates that Yahweh gave the Israelites a place to settle and live in peace.

as He promised them: Here, the pronoun them refers to the other Israelite people.

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

Now Yahweh your God has given peace to the other Israel clans, as he promised.
-or-
Now Yahweh our God has given your fellow Israel people a place to settle and live in peace. He promised to do that.

22:4b

The Hebrew words that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated are the same words that were translated “and now” in verse 22:4. They are repeated here for emphasis. Choose a natural way in your language to connect this sentence with the previous sentence in the first part of the verse.

you may return to your homes: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your homes is more literally “your tents.” It indicates the place where their wives and children were living.

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

So return to your homes in the land that you own
-or-
Now return to your own place in the land that you possess

22:4c

that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan: It may be more natural in some languages to begin a new sentence here.

across the Jordan: The across the Jordan refers to the east side of the Jordan River.

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

Moses, who was Yahweh’s servant, gave you that land on the east side of the Jordan River.
-or-
east of the Jordan River. Moses gave that land to you.

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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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