The city is described as being completely closed to all outgoing or incoming traffic. Were kept shut and guarded translates two verbal participles, one active and the other passive; a literal rendering would be “had shut and was shut.” This suggests that a siege has been going on for some time as the narrative begins. It may be necessary to indicate who shut and guarded the gates of Jericho. For example, “The men of Jericho kept the city gates shut and guarded so that the Israelites could not get in.”

Similarly the second sentence may be rendered, “The men would not let anyone enter or leave the city.” A literal rendering of the text such as Revised Standard Version (“none went out, and none came in”), if interpreted according to strict rules of English grammar, would mean “none of the people of Israel went out or came in.” But the reference is to the people of the city, as New English Bible also makes explicit: “No one went out, no one came in.”

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 .