Joshua tells the people that there are still nations to be conquered, whose land the Lord will give to Israel, as well as nations Joshua has already defeated. The syntax of the Hebrew text is not normal, but most translations and commentators assume the meaning is that given by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. For the idea of “inheritance” (Revised Standard Version), see 1.6.

In the translation of this verse it may be helpful to rearrange the sentence parts so that from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west is identified at the beginning of the verse as the totality of the land that has been assigned. For example:

• I have assigned to your tribes all of the land from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. I have given you the land of all the nations that we have already conquered, and also the land of those nations that we have not yet conquered.

Since Joshua is the subject of the verb have already conquered, it may be translated either “which you conquered under my leadership” or “which I led you to conquer.”

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 .