Translation commentary on Joshua 9:1 - 9:2

These two verses describe how the natives of Canaan, alarmed by the news of Israel’s victories, banded together to fight the Israelites.

The victories of Israel became known to all the kings west of the Jordan is more literally “And it happened when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan heard.” The Good News Translation restructuring takes two stages: (1) The victories of Israel is supplied as object of the verb “heard” (Revised Standard Version); and (2) the shift is made from an active to a passive construction by use of the verb became known. Together with English, most other languages will also require that the verb “heard” receive an object (Revised Standard Version supplies “of this”). But many languages will prefer to retain an active where Good News Translation has became known: “All the kings west of the Jordan heard about the victories of Israel” or “… heard that the people of Israel had defeated their enemies.” Verse 1 may even begin with a general statement (“The victories of Israel were spoken of everywhere in the land”), followed with a more specific one: “All the kings … heard of it.”

The geographical data in verse 1 are given following a westerly direction: the central mountain range (the hills), the lowlands (the foothills), and then the coastal plain along the Mediterranean Sea.

It is possible that some languages might prefer the geographical data to be given in an easterly direction. If this is so, then the necessary adjustments must be made. It is quite possible also that verse 1 should be broken into several sentences. For example:

• All the kings west of the Jordan River heard of the way that the people of Israel had defeated their enemies. The kings in the hills and in the foothills of central Palestine heard about it. And the kings along the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea also heard about it. Even the kings as far north as Lebanon heard about the victories of Israel. These kings who heard about the victories of Israel were the kings of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

For the list of the peoples, see 3.10; for kings see 2.2.

Alarmed at the news of Israel’s victories at Jericho and Ai, the rulers of these peoples form an alliance to fight the invading Israelites. “With one accord” (Revised Standard Version) indicates the unanimous purpose of them all; they were all together in this. It is possible to make this emphasis as follows: “All these kings brought their armies together with one purpose in mind. They wanted to defeat Joshua and the people 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 .

Translation commentary on Joshua 10:19

Attack them from the rear translates a verb found only here and in Deuteronomy 25.18. The sense in this context is better expressed by Soggin: “cut off their retreat” (so Jerusalem Bible “cut off their line of retreat”). The enemy would obviously be fleeing in retreat back to their fortified cities, where they would be safe, and Joshua orders his men to prevent them from reaching their cities, not simply to harass them from the rear.

The entire sentence (Keep on after the enemy and attack them from the rear; don’t let them get to their cities!) may be more briefly translated, “Keep on pursuing the rest of the enemy. Do not let them escape to their cities!”

Has given you victory over them once again translates the Hebrew idiom “has given them into your hand” (Revised Standard Version). The terminology of Good News Translation may be less abstractly translated as “has placed them in your power” or “will cause you to defeat them.”

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 12:1

The land conquered on the east side of the Jordan had for its southern limit the Arnon Valley; the Arnon River flows into the Dead Sea about halfway between the southern and northern ends of the sea; and the city of Aroer (verse 2) is on the Arnon River. The northern limit was Mount Hermon (see 11.3).

The verb tense had already conquered and occupied may leave the reader guessing as to the time reference intended, especially if the reading is begun with this chapter. In order to help the reader, and on the basis of verse 6, one may translate “Moses had (already) led the people of Israel to conquer and occupy….”

They defeated two kings may easily be fitted into the earlier part of the verse:

• Moses had led the people of Israel to defeat two kings east of the Jordan and to take over their territory, which went from the Arnon Valley up the Jordan River and as far north as Mount Hermon.

Or, if two sentences are more satisfactory:

• Moses had already led the people of Israel to conquer two kings east of the Jordan and to take over their territory. The territory of these two kings ran from the Arnon Valley up the Jordan River and as far north as Mount Hermon.

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 14:7

I was forty years old when may be translated as a complete statement: “At that time I was forty years old.” If this is done, then the remainder of the verse may be rendered as one sentence: “The Lord’s servant…, and I brought an honest report back to him.” Or, if a restructuring similar to Good News Translation is maintained, the last sentence of this verse may be connected with the first sentence of verse 8 in order to underscore the contrast: “I brought an honest report back to him, 8 but the men….”

To spy out translates a different verb from that used at 2.2, 3, but the meaning is essentially the same, and the translation problems are identical.

An honest report translates the Hebrew “word according to my heart” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “according to my conscience”; New American Bible “a conscientious report”). But it may be necessary to translate this noun structure as a verb phrase: “And I told the truth (about what we had seen)” or “And I told the people what we really had seen.” The account emphasizes Caleb’s faithfulness in obeying the Lord (verses 8, 14).

Verses 7, 10 give the most precise statement in the record of the time that elapsed between the events as Kadesh Barnea and the completion of the invasion of Canaan: a total of forty-five years, which would, presumably, mean forty years’ wandering in the wilderness (verse 10) plus five years for the conquest.

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 15:61 - 15:62

ELEVENTH (TWELFTH) DISTRICT: cities in the arid region of the eastern slopes, which reached down to the Jordan Valley. Engedi was about halfway down the length of the Dead Sea, on its west bank.

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 18:19

Beth Hoglah was first mentioned at 15.6. In the translation of this verse, it may be necessary to begin a new sentence after Beth Hoglah: “The southern border then ended at the northern inlet on the Dead Sea, where the Jordan River empties into it.” Or “The southern border then ended where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea.”

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 21:41 - 21:43

These verses conclude the section. The Hebrew text is quite repetitious (see Revised Standard Version); Good News Translation has reduced the number of words without omitting any information, but one may also translate “The Levites received from the other tribes of Israel a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasture lands around them.” Or “The other tribes of Israel gave to the tribe of Levi a total of forty-eight cities, with the pasture lands around them.”

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 23:4

Joshua tells the people that there are still nations to be conquered, whose land the Lord will give to Israel, as well as nations Joshua has already defeated. The syntax of the Hebrew text is not normal, but most translations and commentators assume the meaning is that given by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. For the idea of “inheritance” (Revised Standard Version), see 1.6.

In the translation of this verse it may be helpful to rearrange the sentence parts so that from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west is identified at the beginning of the verse as the totality of the land that has been assigned. For example:

• I have assigned to your tribes all of the land from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. I have given you the land of all the nations that we have already conquered, and also the land of those nations that we have not yet conquered.

Since Joshua is the subject of the verb have already conquered, it may be translated either “which you conquered under my leadership” or “which I led you to conquer.”

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 .