inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Josh. 9:19)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, Bratcher / Newman recommend the inclusive form (including the leaders and the congregation). The Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the exclusive pronoun in the first part (“We have sworn” in English) and the inclusive form in the second part (“we must not touch them” in English).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Josh. 9:20)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the inclusive pronoun (including the leaders and the congregation).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Josh. 22:19)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, both the Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation use the inclusive pronoun (including the priest, the ten chiefs and the people they are representing).

inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Josh. 22:31)

Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)

The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).

For this verse, Bratcher / Newman recommend the us of the inclusive form (including the priest, the chiefs and the ones who are being addressed). The Jarai translation and the Adamawa Fulfulde translation, however, use the exclusive pronoun for the first occurrence (“today we know” in English) and the inclusive pronoun for the second occurrence (“is among us” in English).

Translation commentary on Joshua 6:6

In this verse Joshua delivers the Lord’s instructions to the priests, and in the following verse to the Israelite soldiers. Joshua is literally “Joshua son of Nun,” but in English, as in many other languages, it is unnatural to repeat the qualifying phrase every time it occurs in the Hebrew.

Called may better be rendered “called together” or “assembled.”

The command for the priests to take the Covenant Box is qualified by the second command for seven of them to go in front of it, carrying trumpets. One may therefore need to render “Some of you are to march along carrying the Covenant Box, and seven others are to go in front of it, carrying trumpets.” Or the order of the command may be inverted: “Seven of you are to carry trumpets and march in front of the Covenant Box. The rest of you are to carry the Covenant Box and march behind the priests who are carrying trumpets.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Joshua 7:14

All of the people are to be brought forward (Revised Standard Version “brought near”); here and throughout these two verses this probably means to be brought near the Covenant Box, which represented the throne of the Lord. He himself will make the decision—that I pick out; this would probably be done by the casting (or drawing) of lots to indicate which one of the units (tribe, clan, family, man) was indicated. See 1 Samuel 14.41-43 for a more detailed description of this method of learning to know God’s will.

A tribe is made up of several clans which trace their origins back to a common ancestor, and which have in common a language, culture, and name. A clan consists of a number of families which have a common ancestor and other close ties. Thus the Lord is narrowing the choice down from the larger units of tribe and clan to the smaller unit of family, and finally to the individual man.

The third personal pronouns them and they represent second personal pronouns (“you”) of the Hebrew text. So tell … that is merely a stylistic device of Good News Translation to make possible the shift from the second personal pronouns of the previous verse to the third personal pronouns of the present verse. It will probably simplify translation of this verse if the second person is maintained: “So in the morning you will come and stand before me, one tribe at a time….”

In order to indicate the manner in which the Lord makes his choice, The tribe that I pick out may be translated, “The tribe that I cause the lot to fall upon.” This same form may then be maintained throughout the verse, or after its first usage a shift may be made back to the form of Good News Translation.

Come forward continues the scene indicated by “be brought forward” in the first part of the verse. All the tribes are now standing and facing the Lord’s Covenant Box, waiting for him to point out the guilty person. The way that the Lord will do this is to have the guilty tribe to step out in front of all the other tribes. Then the guilty clan will be told to step out in front of the tribe. After that the guilty person’s family will be told to step out in front of the clan, and finally the guilty person himself will be commanded to step out in front of his family. In this way the guilty person will be left standing alone in front of all the people. He will also be standing closest to the Covenant Box, which symbolizes the Lord’s presence.

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 .

Translation commentary on Joshua 8:25 - 8:26

Good News Translation combines verses 25 and 26 in order to give the information about Joshua first. However, it is obligatory to give the information in this order, and the narrative may flow even more smoothly if verses 25 and 26 are retained in their proper order. For example, “On that day the men of Israel killed everyone in the city of Ai. They killed twelve thousand men and women, and Joshua kept his spear pointed toward the city until they had killed them all.” If the restructuring of Good News Translation is maintained, it should be noted that until every person there had been killed is literally “until he had caused to be killed all the people of Ai.” Either the use of the causative, or the shift to a plural subject (“Joshua’s men”) will be necessary in some languages. For example, “That is how Joshua caused his men to kill all the people of Ai on that day. There were twelve thousand men and women in the city, and Joshua’s men killed every one of them.”

In verse 26 (Revised Standard Version) “utterly destroyed” translates the same verb discussed at 2.10 (see comments on 2.10). From the biblical point of view this is not mindless slaughter but is a religious act of destroying completely what had been dedicated to the Lord; it is a “holy war.”

All the citizens of Ai are killed—a total of twelve thousand; no specific mention is made of the children, but it is assumed that they are included.

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 .

Translation commentary on Joshua 10:7 - 10:8

Joshua responds immediately (verse 7), having been assured by the Lord that victory would be his (verse 8).

His whole army (Revised Standard Version “All the people of war”) and the best troops (Revised Standard Version “all the mighty men of valor”) could possibly be taken as synonyms. However, the present context seems to distinguish between the mass of soldiers (his whole army) and the best fighters among them (the best troops). In translation it may be necessary to indicate that Joshua called together his troops before they started out: “So Joshua called together his whole army. Then he, his best troops, and all the other soldiers started out from Gilgal.”

It may be useful to indicate the relationship in time between verses 7 and 8. If this is the case, one may translate “At that time the LORD said to Joshua…” or “Before Joshua and his army started out, the LORD said to him….”

In the command Do not be afraid of them, the pronoun them may need to be qualified as “the Amorite kings and their armies.”

I have already given may be difficult in a number of languages, and the victory may be too abstract. Therefore one may translate “I will certainly cause you to defeat them (or, the Amorite kings and their armies).” Given you the victory is literally “given them into your hands” (Revised Standard Version). As previously indicated, where this phrase occurs one may translate “will certainly place them in your power.”

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 .