Joshua summons all the Israelites, with all the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers (see 23.2), and they come to him at Shechem (see 8.30), gathering around the sanctuary or the Covenant Box (which is what is meant by the presence of God).

At initial glance the text seems simple enough, but it does cause some confusion because of the number of events listed: (1) Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel, (2) he called the elders and others, and (3) they came into the presence of God. Then event (4) is catalogued in verse 2: Joshua said to all the people. It is possible, of course, that the writer has used more than one source in the telling of the story. But the translator is concerned with how the text is to be understood as it stands now. Since the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers are representative of all the people of Israel, it is possible to join the text together as follows:

• Joshua told all the tribes of Israel to come together at the city of Shechem. When they got there, he called the elders, the leaders, the judges, and the officers to come and stand before the LORD’s Tent (or, the Covenant Box). 2 Then Joshua said to all the people….

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 Hebrew text defines Adam as a “city,” and Good News Translation translates this part of the verse at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. In restructuring, however, it may be simpler not to follow the appositional form of Good News Translation; for example, “at the city of Adam, which is beside Zarethan” (see Revised Standard Version). In translation it may also be necessary to mark Zarethan as a city. In languages which differentiate sharply between “city,” “town,” and “village,” it is certainly inaccurate to speak of either of these places as a “city.” Probably “town” is closer to the meaning, though a generic expression such as “place” may even be better.

In verse 14 the people left the camp (Hebrew “their tents”), following behind the priests. The miracle occurred just as the priests stepped into the river: the water stopped flowing at Adam, which was far upstream.In verse 16 one form of the Masoretic text and some Hebrew manuscripts have “at Adam”; another form of the Masoretic text and the versions have “from Adam.” In terms of translation the difference in meaning is not significant; what is meant is that no water flowed downstream from Adam, since the flow was stopped there. Adam is about 30 kilometers north of Jericho; Zarethan is usually located about 20 kilometers farther north, but as Soggin points out, this makes it difficult to explain the events. In any case, The Hebrew text says that Adam was “beside, close to, near” Zarethan. It has been suggested by W. F. Albright (see reference in Bright) that the text is meant to say that the flow was blocked at Adam and the water backed up as far upstream as Zarethan.

The waters “stopped (stood) … (and) rose up in one heap” (verse 16); the same expression is used in verse 13.Commentators point out that there are substantiated reports of one occasion (in December 1267) when a landslide of the walls of the Jordan (which are of soft limestone) blocked the flow of the river for 16 hours; on another occasion (July 11, 1927) an earthquake interrupted the flow of the water for 21 1/2 hours. Here also one may render “stood up (or, piled up) like waters behind a dam.”

The flow … was completely cut off may be stated as an active clause: “No more water flowed downstream to the Dead Sea” or “The river completely stopped flowing downstream to the Dead Sea.” Since the Lord caused this to happen, it may be translated, “The LORD cut off the flow….”

The Dead Sea is in Hebrew called “the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea” (Revised Standard Version). “Arabah” designates the extensive geological depression, a rift, in which the Jordan River and the Dead Sea are located, and which extends farther south. It is called “Salt Sea” because of the heavy concentration of minerals left by the evaporating water; no water flows out of 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 .

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 .

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 .