A witness to all of us is literally “a witness between us” (Revised Standard Version). The meaning is “between the eastern tribes and the western tribes,” not between the tribes of Reuben and Gad; the translation of Good News Translation is intended to avoid ambiguity. The noun witness may be transformed into a verb: “(This altar is) to remind all of us….”

The Masoretic text has “and the people of Reuben and of Gad named the altar, for it is a witness between us that the LORD is God.” The name of the altar is missing, but a few Hebrew manuscripts and the Syriac add the noun “witness” as a name for the altar, and so Witness is the name given in Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible. Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible use ellipses, without a name. New American Bible has “gave the altar its name.” Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translates “the Reubenites and the Gadites named the altar: ‘It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.’ ” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers the Masoretic text on the grounds that the inclusion of the name represents a scribal attempt to ease the difficulty of the Hebrew text.

If the Masoretic text is followed, then the following restructuring is allowable: “The people of Reuben and Gad then gave the altar a name. They explained, ‘This altar stands here to show all of us that the LORD is our God.’ ” It is, of course, obvious that the possessive pronoun “our” would have to be inclusive, referring to all the tribes of Israel.

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 .

Joshua’s answer (verses 19-20) is that they must recognize the seriousness of their promise. They probably will not be able to keep it, which means that they will be punished for their idolatry. But you may not be able to serve the LORD may be translated either “But do not think that it is easy to serve the LORD” or “Do not be so quick to say, ‘We will serve the LORD.’ ” One may also translate “It is not easy to serve the LORD.”

Joshua reminds the people of Israel that the Lord is holy and that he will tolerate no rivals (Revised Standard Version “is a jealous God”). The first adjective holy stresses his essential being, the quality which characterizes God and separates him from sinful humanity. He is a holy God may be translated, “No other god is like the LORD,” “No other god can compare with the LORD,” or “The LORD is different from all other gods.”

The second adjective “jealous” is well represented by Good News Translation, He will tolerate no rivals (see Exo 20.5; Deut 4.24; 5.9) It represents the unwillingness of the Lord to share with any other god the exclusive claim that he has on his people, and so it may be translated “he demands (or, requires) absolute obedience.”

Will not forgive your sins represents “will not forgive your transgressions or your sins” (Revised Standard Version), in which Good News Translation combines the two nouns “transgressions” and “sins.” Furthermore, as a comparison of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation will reveal, Good News Translation places the clause at a place other than where it is found in the Hebrew text. This is done in Good News Translation so that He will tolerate no rivals may be joined with and if you leave him … of verse 20. However, it seems more probable that will not forgive your sins should be joined with either (a) He will tolerate no rivals or (b) with both He will tolerate no rivals and He is a holy God. In context, “will not forgive your sins” then means that God will not forgive the sin of unfaithfulness to him. Upon the assumption that this analysis of the text is correct, the following translation results: “The LORD is a holy God who demands absolute obedience. He will not forgive you if you are unfaithful to him.” Or “The LORD is different from all other gods. He demands that you worship only him. If you worship other gods, he will not forgive you.” Either of these proposed restructurings will also have the advantage of leading nicely into verse 20: “If you leave him to worship foreign gods….”

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 .

It should be noted that here in verse 2 the Lord specifically refers to Moses as My servant Moses. The omission of the explicit identification of Moses as the LORD’s servant in verse 1 may therefore be justified, if that information is included in verse 2. In fact, the repetition the LORD’s servant (verse 1) … My servant (verse 2) may be stylistically unsatisfactory in some languages. If My servant is retained in verse 2, it may be helpful to translate “Moses served me while he lived, but he is dead now.”

Get ready translates a verb usually rendered “Arise” (Revised Standard Version [Revised Standard Version]); it occurs very often as a sort of auxiliary, expressing a sense of urgency or immediacy: “Go on and cross.” In such cases it does not imply that the subject has been sitting or lying down.

In Hebrew the two imperatives Get ready … and cross are directed first of all to Joshua, and the structure you and all the people of Israel represents a typical Hebrew structure in which the primary subject is mentioned first, then followed by the secondary subject or subjects who also participate in the same action. Since Joshua is the first subject addressed, it is possible to assume that he is to lead the others across the Jordan River. Indeed, the entire context presupposes that Joshua is now assuming the role of leadership that Moses once held, and that the manner in which he will prove his leadership is in the leading of the people of Israel across the Jordan. Therefore it is legitimate to translate “You (singular) must now enter the land that I will give you. Lead all the people of Israel across the Jordan!” This restructuring is also more natural in English, and it avoids a Hebraism such as one finds in Today’s English Version (Good News Translation).

The Jordan River translates “this Jordan” (Revised Standard Version), which does not mean that there is another Jordan somewhere else; it simply indicates the river, on whose east bank the people are camped.

That I am giving to them is literally “that I am giving to them, the sons of Israel.” The phrase “the sons of Israel” is redundant and is omitted by the Greek Old Testament. Moreover, the use of them may imply that Joshua is excluded from the promise. For languages which have a plural form of the pronoun “you,” the shift may be made from them to “you” (plural). This will leave no doubt that Joshua is included in the promise. One may also translate “you my people” or “you, the people of Israel.” The Hebrew of verse 3 is in fact “you” (plural), and the introduction of the second person pronoun in the present verse can give a consistency in the use of personal pronouns, which is an important feature of many languages. In many languages it is not natural to make changes in the persons of verbs that one frequently finds in the Hebrew Old Testament, and translators must be constantly alert to the distinctions between Hebrew and their own language.

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 .

Rahab agreed to the three conditions, and after the Israelites left she tied the cord to the window. According to verse 18 the Israelite spies instructed Rahab to tie the red cord to her window when we invade your land. But the present verse states When they had gone, she tied the red cord to the window. The problem may be resolved by leaving implicit When we invade your land of verse 18. It is also legitimate to render verse 18 “When we invade your land, be sure this red cord is tied to the window.”

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 .

The people of Israel crossed represents one form of the Masoretic text (“they crossed over”). Another form of the text has “we crossed over” (New American Bible), but the choice represented in Good News Translation seems preferable. In the telling of this story, it was customary for later generations to identify themselves with the generation that crossed over, as it was in the telling of the exodus event. It is probably this tendency that accounts for the two variant readings.

In this verse the kings in Canaan are described as being overcome with fear: “their heart melted” (see 2.11) and “there was no spirit in them” (also in 2.11, see Revised Standard Version). These two idiomatic expressions for extreme fear are perhaps best understood as synonyms; in Hebrew the use of two or more synonymous expressions serves to intensify the degree of fear. In some languages, on the other hand, the use of two or more synonymous expressions tends rather to negate (as with a double negative in English). Good News Translation has changed the metaphors to nonfigurative language (afraid … lost their courage), but other languages will find it more expressive to seek out metaphors that come from their own culture.

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 .

The destruction of the city by fire follows the slaughter of all its inhabitants and animals; only the objects of gold, silver, bronze, and iron are spared, and they are placed in the LORD’s treasury, according to instructions (see verse 19). The Hebrew text says “the treasury of the house of the LORD” (see Revised Standard Version), a phrase which ordinarily means the Jerusalem Temple. Most take this to be an anachronism; the Septuagint omits “the house of” (possibly to ease the problem of the Hebrew text); Soggin suggests it could refer to the sanctuary in Gilgal, which does not seem very likely.

The pronoun they is ambiguous, since in verse 23 Good News Translation twice used “they” to refer to the two men who had served as spies. Here the reference is to the entire army of Israel which has invaded the city. The verse may be translated:

• Then the Israelite soldiers set fire to the city. They burned it to the ground, and they burned everything in it, except the things made of gold, silver, bronze, and iron. They took these things and put them in the LORD’s treasury.

Or, in keeping with the form of the Hebrew, the LORD’s treasury may be translated “the treasury which was in the shrine dedicated to the LORD” or “the treasury which was kept in the place where the people of Israel worshiped the LORD.”

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 .

Then you will come out of hiding translates “then you shall rise up from the ambush” (Revised Standard Version). The verb “rise up” is the same one discussed in verse 3; here the meaning is “come up from” or “come out from.”

It may be better to translate your God as “our God,” so as not to exclude Joshua.

Will give it to you is literally “will give it into your hand” (Revised Standard Version). This translates the same expression used in verse 1. It may be translated, “will place it 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 .