Paragraph 9:24–25
9:24a
The Gibeonites answered: The phrase The Gibeonites refers to the Gibeonite leaders who met with Joshua. It may be necessary to make this clear in your translation.
9:24b
Your servants were told clearly: The phrase were told is passive. In some languages it may be clearer to make this an active phrase.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
we learned (Good News Translation)
-or-
We heard (New Century Version)
-or-
people told us
Your servants: The Gibeonites called themselves Your servants to show respect to Joshua. Many languages have pronouns or other vocabulary for showing respect. Use whatever means is natural to indicate this.
were told clearly: The phrase told clearly translates an emphatic form of the Hebrew verb “told.” The Gibeonites emphasized that they heard a sure and certain report that the God of the Israelites was powerful. Use whatever means is natural to show that there is no doubt that the Gibeonites heard these things.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
your servants were clearly told (New International Version)
-or-
we learned that it was really true (Good News Translation)
9:24c
that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land: It may be more natural to divided this long clause into two or more clauses. For example:
we heard that Yahweh your God had made a promise to his servant Moses. Yahweh promised Moses that he would help the Israelites conquer this land
-or-
we heard about the promise that Yahweh your God gave to Moses, who served him. Yahweh told Moses that the Israelites would take this land
9:24d
and wipe out all its inhabitants: It may be more natural in some languages to begin a new sentence. For example:
We heard that they will kill all the people who live in the land
before you: The phrase before you indicates that the Israelites will advance into the land, and kill the people living there wherever they find them.
9:24e
So we greatly feared for our lives because of you: The clause we greatly feared for our lives indicates that the Gibeonites were afraid the Israelites would kill them.
and that is why we have done this: The word this refers to the lie that the Gibeonites told the Israelites.
General Comment on 9:24
It may be more natural in some languages to rearrange the parts of this verse of the Gibeonites’ answer to Joshua. For example:
24a They answered, 24e “We did it, sir, 24b because we learned that it was really true 24c that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land 24d and to kill the people living in it as you advanced. 24e We did it because we were terrified of you; we were in fear of our lives. (Good News Translation)
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