Translation commentary on Joshua 8:17

The Hebrew of this verse speaks of “Ai and Bethel” (see Revised Standard Version; Good News Translation footnote); the Septuagint omits “and Bethel,” which Good News Translation, New English Bible, Jerusalem Bible follow; there seems to be no reason for supposing that the men of Bethel were involved in this campaign. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project favors the Hebrew text, and a translator should feel free to follow it. Ai was left unprotected, an easy target for the Israelite troops lying in ambush west of the city.

Went after represents two verbs in Hebrew (Revised Standard Version “go out after … pursued”). Some languages will require the retention of two verbs, one indicating departure from the city and the other the actual pursuit of the Israelites.

The city was left wide open refers specifically to the city gates. One may then translate the verse “Every man in Ai left the city and ran after the Israelites. There was no one left to defend the city, and the gates of the city were left wide open.” Or “… and the men of the city had left the gates wide open.”

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 10:1

The news of Joshua’s victories reaches Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem (for king see 2.2), which at that time was a Jebusite city (Good News Translation footnote).The Hebrew adoni-tsedeq means “my lord (is) Zedek”; the Hebrew word tsedeq itself (as a common noun) means “righteousness.” See Melchizedek, king of Salem (Jerusalem), in Gen 14.18; his name is “my king (is) Zedek” (see Heb 7.1-2). The name “Zedek” appears to be, then, the name of one of the Amorite gods. Again (see 8.2), mention is expressly made of the death of the king of Jericho; this will occur later on in this chapter (see verses 28, 30).

Two translational adjustments may be necessary in order to give this verse maximum readability. (1) A link, showing time relationships, may be established between this chapter and the preceding chapter: “At that time Adonizedek was king of Jerusalem.” (2) The events in this verse may be narrated in a somewhat more chronological order:

• He heard that Joshua had captured and destroyed the cities of Jericho and Ai, and he heard that Joshua had killed the kings of these two cities. He also heard that the people of Gibeon …

Or:

• He heard that Joshua had captured and destroyed the city of Jericho and had killed its king. And he heard that Joshua had done the same thing to the city of Ai and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon …

Or:

• Joshua had captured and destroyed the city of Ai just as he had done with the city of Jericho. The city had been burned to the ground, and the king and all the people who lived there had been killed. After that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the Israelites and were living among them. When king Adonizedek of Jerusalem learned of this, 2 all the people of Jerusalem became greatly alarmed …

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 11:6 - 11:7

The Lord assures Joshua that he, the Lord will provide the victory; all the enemy will be killed by the next day. Joshua is told to cripple their horses and burn their chariots. To “hamstring” (Revised Standard Version) an animal is to cut the large sinew of the back legs, leaving the animal unable to walk. Although the events of verse 6 are narrated in chronological sequence, the use of the future perfect (will have killed) and of the imperative (You are to) may cause some confusion of time sequence. Moreover, in Hebrew the personal pronoun “I” (of the Lord) is emphatic. The Lord’s instructions to Joshua may then be translated. “Do not be afraid of them, because I, the LORD, will kill them all. By this time tomorrow they will all be dead. After the battle, cripple their horses and burn their war chariots.”

Joshua attacked the enemy by surprise (perhaps by night, verse 7), routed them and killed them all (verse 8). As a comparison of Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version will indicate, the Hebrew (represented by the formal structure of Revised Standard Version) is somewhat more lengthy than Good News Translation. If there is a problem with the pronoun them, it may be rendered either “the enemy camp” or “the enemy.” By surprise may be translated, “before the enemy knew they were there.”

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 13:17 - 13:20

Heshbon (verse 17) was the capital city of King Sihon (see 12.2).

Of all the cities on the plateau (verses 17-20), the following have already appeared: Dibon (13.9) and Beth Jeshimoth (12.3), Jahaz, Kedemoth, and Mephaath (verse 18) appear also in 21.36-37; and Bethpeor (verse 20) may be the same as Peor in 22.17.

Verses 17-20 (actually 17-23) form a unit and may be handled in several ways. For example, the arrangement of Good News Translation may be followed, or it may be appropriate to print the names of the city in list form, one below the other. Or, on the basis of on the plateau (verse 17) and of the plateau (verse 21), one may translate “Their territory reached as far as the city of Heshbon. In this region lay the cities of Dibon, Bamoth Baal … 18 … 19 … 20 … 21 and the other cities of the plateau.” This restructuring would take in the text down through It included all the cities of the plateau of verse 21. Following that, a new sentence would begin, as will be indicated in the comments at verse 21.

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 15:52 - 15:54

SEVENTH DISTRICT: cities also in the highlands.

The Hebrew in verse 54 gives the old name of Hebron, namely Kiriath Arba (see Revised Standard Version); in light of verse 13 this information has become redundant and so is omitted by Good News Translation.

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 18:15

Verses 15-19 trace the southern boundary from Kiriath Jearim eastward to the Dead Sea. The southern border was the northern border of Judah (see 15.5b-10 for much of the same data describing the land).

After Kiriath Jearim, the Masoretic text has “and the boundary westward and it went to the springs of the waters of Nephtoah.” The direction “westward” is wrong (see 15.9), and there are various ways in which the matter has been handled. Good News Translation, New English Bible, New American Bible omit; Soggin, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible transliterate the Septuagint “towards Gasin”; Revised Standard Version gets its solution from 15.9 “to Ephron.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends a solution here which is similar to what it arrives at in 15.9, where instead of “to the cities of Mount Ephron” it proposes “towards Iyyim (or, the ruins) of Mount Ephron”; here it recommends “towards Iyyim (or, the ruins).”

Whatever alternative is followed as a solution to the textual problem, a footnote will be required (as in Good News Translation). Moreover, one may wish to specify in the text the geographical movement: “and went eastward to….”

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 21:23 - 21:25

Four cities are in the tribe of Dan, that is, in the south, the area which the Danites eventually abandoned, according to 19.40-48.

Two cities are in West Manasseh. Gathrimmon in verse 25 seems to be a scribal error (see in verse 24, Gathrimmon in the territory of Dan). In 17.11 a city in West Manasseh named Ibleam is listed; and in 1 Chronicles 6.70 the two levitical cities are Aner and Bileam. In this passage Jerusalem Bible has “Jibleam” (Bible de Jérusalem “Yibleam”); New American Bible has “Ibleam.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends “Jibleam.” If the translator abandons Gathrimmon here, the town could be called either “Jiblema” (so Soggin) or “Ibleam” (so Bright), as in 17.11.

It is surely unnecessary to repeat twice the phrase with their pasture lands (verses 24, 25). The restructuring of verses 23-25 may follow the pattern suggested for verses 17-18.

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 22:34

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 .