This book begins with the typical introductory expression in Hebrew, wayehi (literally “And it was”). Though many versions do not render it, some languages may have a natural equivalent to begin a new episode or story. We might say “It happened that….” New Jerusalem Bible begins with “Now.”

After the death of Joshua is a solemn way of beginning the story and sets this book in a given time period. A similar phrase referring to the death of Moses opens the book of Joshua. Joshua was the successor of Moses, the great leader who led Israel out of Egypt (Exo 12.41). He was responsible for getting the Israelites across the Jordan River into Canaan and supervising their occupation of that territory. Joshua’s death is recorded in verse 24.29, but is also mentioned as a point of reference twice in this book (here and in verse 2.8).

Possible models for this phrase are “After Joshua’s death” (Good News Translation), “After Joshua died,” “When Joshua died,” and even “Joshua’s having died.” These words assume the readers know who Joshua is. In some languages it may be more natural to begin this verse with “Now [it happened that] Joshua died. Following his death….”

Not all the material in this book is given in chronological order. Thus at verse 2.6 Joshua is referred to as though he is still alive, and then his death and burial are described in verse 2.8-9. This has led a few scholars to propose changing Joshua to “Moses” here. However, this suggestion has no textual support and should not be followed.

The people of Israel inquired of the LORD: The people of Israel is literally “the sons [or, children] of Israel,” an expression used throughout the Old Testament, and especially in the final sections of this book (verse 20.26; verse 21.5-6). Translators should try to be consistent in their rendering of this expression. From the beginning of this book, the narrator gives the impression that the people of Israel are unified and make up a single nation. However, as the stories in this book show, during this time period, this is not necessarily the case. The people of Israel are, in fact, a grouping of related tribes or clans. One of the major themes here is that there was no overall leader or king in Israel at this time in Israel’s history (see verse 18.1). Another Hebrew expression used in this book is literally “the people [ʿam] of Israel,” and it seems best to maintain a distinction between the two expressions. Thus translators could render the expression here literally “the sons/children of Israel” or refer to “the Israelites,” thus keeping distinct the expression with “people.”

The Hebrew word rendered inquired simply means “asked” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). The text does not say how the Israelites consulted God, though in other parts of Scripture (for example, Exo 28.30), priests determined God’s will by casting lots or by using objects called Urim and Thummim. In the last sections of this book (verse 20.18, 27), the narrator again refers to meetings or assemblies where the tribes of Israel gathered to inquire of the LORD. Some languages use a technical term, such as “consult” in such contexts. We might say “the Israelites consulted the LORD, asking.” In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit, especially early on in this book, that “the Israelites met [or, came together] to ask the LORD.”

The LORD translates the Hebrew word YHWH, which New Jerusalem Bible renders as “Yahweh.” This is the most common name used for God in the book of Judges. It occurs 172 times, while the generic Hebrew name for God, ʾelohim, occurs much less frequently.

Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites…?: This is the first in a series of exchanges between Yahweh and the Israelites, rendered as direct speech in Hebrew. Translators will have to decide whether to translate these quotes as direct or indirect speech in their language. Punctuation should follow standard practices in the target language.

Who is an interrogative pronoun used for human beings. Here it refers to a tribe or group of people, so we could also say “Which tribe,” “Which clan,” or “Which of our tribes” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

Go up renders a key Hebrew verb (ʿalah) occurring throughout this book. Though its primary meaning refers to movement in an upward direction, in this book it has a variety of meanings, the most common being “attack” (Contemporary English Version) or “fight against.” Some languages may have a similar idiom that can be used here. The verb is marked as singular masculine in Hebrew, but refers to a group of people or a tribe. Thus Good News Translation says “Which of our tribes should be the first to go…?”

Go up first for us means to lead the rest of the Israelite tribes into battle, so we could rather say “lead us into battle” or “lead the invasion” ( NET Bible). For us refers to the Israelites as a group.

The Canaanites is a broad term for the various groups of people who lived in Canaan, sometimes referred to as “the inhabitants of the land” (verse 1.32-33). Their territory, located west of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, seems to be named after Canaan, the fourth son of Ham (Gen 10.6). This territory, known today as “Palestine,” is at times linked to the Phoenicians (see verse 5.12 in the Septuagint). In Hebrew this word here is singular “the Canaanite,” but virtually all versions render it as a plural. For translation we can say “the people of Canaan” or “the inhabitants of Canaan.” Some languages will have special suffixes or idiomatic expressions that can be used, such as “the Canaan-people” or “the Canaan-children.”

To fight against them: This infinitive phrase describes the purpose of “going up.” Fight renders a common Hebrew verb (lacham) meaning “go to battle,” “make war,” or “attack.” Some versions prefer to use one verb to express go up … to fight, as in Contemporary English Version “attack.” But most versions prefer keeping two verbs: “to go … attack” (Good News Translation), “to march … to make war” (New Jerusalem Bible). Against them in Hebrew is literally “against him,” but most versions use a plural here.

Translation models for this verse are:

• Now, after Joshua died, the Israelites asked the LORD, “Who should lead us into battle against the Canaanites?”

• After Joshua’s death, the tribes of Israel came together and asked Yahweh, “Which tribe should lead the attack against the inhabitants of Canaan?”

Quoted with permission from Zogbo, Lynell and Ogden, Graham S. A Handbook on Judges. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .