4:11a
and: The word and indicates that the next action in the story is about to take place.
after: Another time connector might be clearer such as “as soon as.” Use a time connector that is natural in your language.
everyone had finished crossing: The word everyone refers to all the Israelite people except for the priests carrying the ark.
4:11b
the priests with the ark of the LORD: The Hebrew language places the ark of the LORD first to emphasize its importance. However, the priests were still carrying the ark. It may be more natural in some languages to translate this phrase as “the priests who were carrying the ark of Yahweh.”
ark: See 3:3 for ideas of how to translate the word ark.
crossed: The word crossed means that the priests crossed the Jordan River to the other side.
in the sight of the people: There are two ways to interpret the phrase in the sight of the people :
(1) The priests crossed the river while the people watched. For example:
…crossed as the people looked on (NET Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Revised Standard Version, King James Version)
(2) The priests crossed the river and went ahead of the people. For example:
…went on ahead of the people (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The clause “crossed in the sight of the people” points to 4:15–18. The people came out of the river. Then they watched as the priests finished crossing the river.
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