Translation commentary on Joshua 12:2 - 12:3

One was Sihon … at Heshbon may be somewhat clearer if translated, “One of the kings whom Moses defeated was King Sihon. He was an Amorite king who ruled at the city of Heshbon.”

The geographical data in verses 2-3 relating to the kingdom of Sihon are not very clear in Hebrew. For the defeat of Sihon, see Numbers 21.21-30; Deuteronomy 2.26-37.

Heshbon, the capital of Sihon, was about 25 kilometers northeast of the northern end of the Dead Sea. The southern limit of Sihon’s kingdom was Aroer (that is, the Arnon Valley); the northern limit was the Jabbok River, which flows into the Jordan. The river formed the boundary with Ammon, which lay to the east (a look at a map in k The New Oxford Annotated Bible,k* Revised Standard Version, will show how the river runs north and then turns west to the Jordan). Sihon’s kingdom occupied (the southern) half of Gilead.

Good News Translation and from the city in the middle of that valley attempts to make sense of the Hebrew, which has “from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon Valley, and the middle of the valley and half of Gilead and to the Jabbok River, the border of the Ammonites.” Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, in different ways, translate “and the valley (or, riverbed) itself”; Revised Standard Version “from the middle of the valley” involves a slight alteration of the Masoretic text. Good News Translation has taken its clue from 13.9, 16, “the city that is in the middle of the valley” (see also Deut 2.36), on the assumption that the city in has dropped out from the text here.

In verse 3, Revised Standard Version “the Arabah” and “the Sea of Chinneroth” are the Jordan Valley and Lake Galilee. Beth Jeshimoth lies slightly northeast of the Dead Sea, about 20 kilometers west of Heshbon, the capital of Sihon’s kingdom. Mount Pisgah is between Heshbon and Beth Jeshimoth. Revised Standard Version translates the Hebrew “the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea,” which is a way of speaking of the Dead Sea.The Hebrew miteman in verse 3 is translated by most “from the south” or “southward”; New English Bible, however, takes it to be a place name, “from Teman,” a city in Edom, about halfway between the Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea.

A clear and simple presentation of the geographical data contained in this and the following verse will be extremely difficult. At the least it will require constant reference to a map and careful consideration of the most natural order in which to present the material in the receptor language. Following the interpretation of Good News Translation, one method of presentation would be:

• 2 King Sihon ruled the southern half of the land of Gilead, which was the territory between the Jabbok River valley in the north and the Arnon River valley in the south. His kingdom extended southeast as far as the city of Aroer on the edge of the Arnon Valley. In the southwest it extended as far as the town in the Arnon Valley halfway between Aroer and the Dead Sea. 3 The western boundary of his kingdom was the Jordan River valley from Lake Galilee in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. Included in his territory was the area east of the Dead Sea as far as the town of Beth Jeshimoth and Mount Pisgah.

Since Mount Pisgah is less well known than Mount Nebo, the neighboring mountain, it would also be proper to use the better known term for the geographical description.

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 14:8

Made our people afraid is literally “made the heart of the people melt” (Revised Standard Version). The idiom is the same as that used of the Israelites at 2.11.

Faithfully obeyed is translated “wholly followed” by Revised Standard Version; in such a context it seems that “completely relied on” or “trusted fully” is more satisfactory than either Good News Translation or Revised Standard Version.

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 15:63

This final verse explains why some Jebusites, descendants of the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, were still living in the city at the time of the writing of the account. This verse makes it appear that Jerusalem was to have been assigned to Judah, whereas it was assigned to Benjamin (see 18.28; Judges 1.21).

Who lived in Jerusalem may be misunderstood by the reader, for whom it could imply that the people of Judah were able to drive out other Jebusites, who did not live in Jerusalem. One may translate “But the people of Judah were not able to drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. Therefore they still live there with them in the city today.”

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 18:20

The description of the limits of the territory ends with the eastern border, the Jordan River. In place of the families of the tribe of Benjamin, one may translate “the tribe of Benjamin.”

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 21:44

Gave them peace translates a Hebrew verb which in 1.13 Good News Translation has translated as your home and in 1.15 given safety. The word emphasizes the peace and security Israel enjoyed in the land as a result of the Lord’s promise and action. The statement about the total defeat of all their enemies is somewhat exaggerated, since in many places the Israelites were not able to drive out the Canaanites completely from their cities, as the text itself has made clear.

The contents of this verse may be arranged into what is almost a chronological order:

• The LORD caused the people of Israel to defeat all their enemies. Not one of their enemies could stand up against them. The LORD had promised the ancestors of the people of Israel that he would let them live in peace throughout the land. So the LORD kept this promise.

Or, making explicit the other aspect of the Lord’s promise:

• The LORD had promised the ancestors of the people of Israel, “You will defeat all your enemies and live in peace throughout the land.” So the LORD kept his promise. He caused the people of Israel to defeat all their enemies. Not one of their enemies could stand against them, and they lived in peace throughout the land.

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 23:5

Joshua refers in particular to the nations still to be defeated. The Lord will defeat them, as he has promised.

The referent of the pronoun them is not altogether clear in the phrase will make them retreat from you. Attention also needs to be given to at least two other matters: (1) A chronological arrangement of the verse can be achieved by placing as the LORD your God has promised you first, and (2) it may be necessary to substitute direct discourse for as the LORD … promised. In addition, there remains the problem of the LORD your God which appears twice in Good News Translation. Here again the meaning should be expressed as “The LORD our God.” For a model of what may be done:

• The LORD our God promised us, ‘I will cause your enemies to retreat from you. I will drive them away as you advance, and you shall take their land.’ The LORD our God will keep this promise. He will drive away those nations that are still in the land.

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 24:26

These commands refers back to laws and rules of verse 25, and in translation it may be best to use the same phraseology in both places. Both phrases are summary terms of the regulations contained in the covenant.

It is impossible to identify the book of the Law of God with any book or part of a book now in the Old Testament. Soggin says that the Hebrew noun usually translated “book” means here “written document of a treaty”; according to him the identification of the Law was added later, when the original sense of the Hebrew word was forgotten. So he translates “And Joshua wrote these words in the document of God.” Soggin may well be right, but the translator cannot omit the noun Law from the text. The book of the Law of God may be translated “the book which contained (or, listed) God’s Laws for his people.”

Then he took a large stone and set it up may be translated “Then he set up a large stone.” The text obviously means that Joshua was the one responsible for having this done, and so one may translate “Joshua commanded some of his men to set up a large stone….” Or, so as not to mention a third party, “Joshua caused a large stone to be set up.”

Under the oak tree in the LORD’s sanctuary leaves the impression that a large oak tree was growing in the Lord’s sanctuary. It would be better to translate “under the large oak tree beside the LORD’s sanctuary.” In verse 25 the geographical reference “at Shechem” may be difficult to include with ease within the text. If that is the case, then it may be deleted from verse 25 and included here: “in the LORD’s sanctuary at Shechem.”

The oak tree is probably a sacred tree at the shrine; reference is made to it in Genesis 12.6; 35.4; Judges 9.6 (in this last passage a different Hebrew phrase is used, the oak of the pillar).

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 1:7

Verse 7 begins with a repetition, “Only be strong and very courageous.” The Greek Old Testament omits “very,” probably because it does not appear in the parallel at verse 6.

The command is now followed by the equally strong command, make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you. The Greek Old Testament omits the whole Law and has only “obey what my servant Moses commanded you.” It is suspected that the whole Law is a later addition to the Hebrew text (see Bright, Soggin), particularly since in the following, “do not depart from it,” the pronoun “it” in Hebrew is masculine, not feminine as it should be if referring to the Hebrew feminine word for “law.” But the phrase is in the Hebrew text and should be represented in translation. Its omission by the Greek Old Testament was perhaps an attempt to ease the problem of the Hebrew text. This “whole Law” probably refers to part, if not all, of the book of (Deuteronomy see verse 8 “this book of the Law”).

In Hebrew make sure that you obey the whole Law is literally “to obey to do according to the whole Law.” The structure “to obey to do” reflects the fondness of Hebrew for the use of parallel expressions. Actually both verbs, “obey” and “do,” carry the same force in Hebrew, and the combination of the two verbs serves to make the command more emphatic. This is the basis for Good News Translation make sure that you obey; one may also translate “see to it that you obey,” or merely “obey,” if the use of a single verb in the receptor language is more emphatic than the use of two verbs. The Hebrew structure “according to the whole Law” has the function of identifying “the whole Law” as the object of the two verbs. One may translate “everything that is taught in my (that is, the LORD’s) Law” or “everything that my Law teaches you to do.”

The imperative obey the whole Law may be rendered either “faithfully obey the (or, my) Law” or “completely obey my Law” by shifting the modifier “whole” from the noun “Law” to the verb “obey.”

If Joshua faithfully follows everything the Law requires, he will succeed in all he undertakes. Do not neglect any part of it (literally “do not turn from it to the right or the left”) is a way of saying not to deviate, but to remain faithful in following what is required. Wherever you go refers not simply to movement or travel as such but to all of one’s activities; so Jerusalem Bible “in all you do.” Succeed translates a verb meaning “to prosper, be successful”; the clause may be rendered, “then you will succeed in everything that you undertake.”

In Hebrew the second person singular in verses 7-9 seems to have Joshua as the one to whom the Lord is talking; it very well may be, however, that the Lord is really speaking to Israel (so Bright). The demands and promises are addressed to Israel as a whole and not just to Joshua personally. But most translations apparently utilize the singular form, and this would seem to be the best course to follow.

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 .