Paragraph 5:1
This paragraph tells the reaction of the Israelites’ enemies when they heard about the things that God had done for the Israelites.
5:1a
Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan: There is a contrast between the reaction of the Israelites and the reaction of their enemies, the Amorites and Canaanites. When the Israelites saw what God had done, they respected and honored him, but their enemies were terrified. There may be a word or particle in your language that will help to emphasize that contrast.
Amorite: The Amorite people were people who lived in the hills in the land of Canaan west of the Jordan River.
Here is another way to translate this name:
Amor people
kings: The word kings refers to the rulers of the small towns in the hills of Canaan. Each “king” ruled one town and the villages around it.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
rulers
-or-
leaders
west of the Jordan: The phrase west of the Jordan refers to the land on the west side of the Jordan River.
5:1b
and all the Canaanite kings: Here are some other ways to translate the word kings :
rulers
-or-
leaders
the Canaanite: The Canaanite people were people who lived in the land of Canaan west of the Jordan River.
Here is another way to translate this word:
Canaan people
along the coast: The phrase along the coast refers to the Mediterranean Sea.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
who lived along the coast of the sea
-or-
who lived near the Mediterranean Sea
5:1c
heard: The Amorite and Canaanite kings heard that the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River.
how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan: The main thing the kings heard was that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan. They understood the significance of this. Now that the Israelites had crossed the river they were a threat to their safety, especially because a powerful God was helping them.
before the Israelites: There are two ways to understand the phrase before the Israelites :
(1) God had acted on behalf of the people of Israel. For example:
the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel (English Standard Version)
(English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) God had acted in the sight of the people of Israel. For example:
the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites (New International Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, King James Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is followed by many English versions and by many commentaries.
5:1d
until they had crossed over: The phrase until they had crossed over indicates that God kept the Jordan River from flowing until the Israelites had walked across it.
they: There is a textual issue here.
(1) The Hebrew Masoretic text reads: “until they had crossed over.” For example:
until they had crossed (New Jerusalem Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation)
(2) An alternate reading in the Hebrew Masoretic text reads: “until we had crossed over.” For example:
until we had crossed over (New International Version)
(New International Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). The standard Hebrew text, nearly all the English versions, and most commentaries follow option (1).
5:1e
their hearts melted: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as their hearts melted is an idiom. It means that the kings were afraid. There may be an idiom in your language that expresses this meaning in a vivid way.
5:1f
and their spirits failed: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and their spirits failed is an idiom. It means that the kings were afraid and lacked courage to fight against the Israelites.
The two idioms “their hearts melted” and their spirits failed mean the same thing. The Hebrew text uses two phrases to describe their fear to add emphasis to how fearful they were. In some languages, it may be helpful to combine the two idioms into one emphatic statement. For example, you could say:
The kings were very frightened
Use a way that is natural in your language to emphasize their fear.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
The kings were very fearful and felt powerless to fight
5:1g
for fear of the Israelites: The phrase for fear of the Israelites indicates that they were fearful because of what God had done for the people of Israel. If this is not clear you might need to make this explicit. For example, you could say:
because of ⌊what God had done for⌋ the Israelites
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