The response of the tribes to Joshua ends with the refrain “Be strong and courageous!”

Questions your authority translates what is literally “rebels against your mouth” (the word “mouth” here standing for “order,” synonymous with the following “word”). The phrase may be translated “opposes you.” Or, it is possible to take the two verb phrases questions your authority and disobeys any of your orders as a Hebrew parallelism, and therefore synonymous in meaning. One may then translate “refuses to obey any of your commands (or, orders).”

For some readers it will also be advantageous to change the passive will be put to death to an active form, “we will put to death anyone who….” Or, “If anyone refuses to obey any of your commands, we will put him to death.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .