Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua may be simplified: “Joshua read every one of the commandments that Moses had written” or “Joshua read every word that Moses had written.” A negative form is permissible: “He did not leave out a word that Moses had said.”

The whole gathering translates the Hebrew “all the assembly of Israel” (Revised Standard Version). In the Septuagint the Hebrew noun “assembly” is translated by a noun which in the New Testament usually means “church.” The Hebrew word itself in the Old Testament is used of a formal coming together of the people of Israel for cultic purpose. Here the biblical writer emphasizes the participation of all the people by explicitly mentioning women and children, and the resident aliens as well. Was read by Joshua to the whole gathering may be stated quite differently: “The entire Israelite community heard it, including the women and children, and also the foreigners who lived with them.”

The clause which included women and children may seem redundant, but it reflects the organization of the ancient Israelite society in which women and children played a secondary role. Therefore in order to reflect the cultural situation, this clause should be maintained.

In translating the phrase among them, one should take care that the pronoun them is not taken to refer back to women and children; it refers, of course, to the whole gathering.

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 .