Translation commentary on Joshua 3:4

Verse 4 in Hebrew gives first the instruction for the people to stay a certain distance away from the Covenant Box, after which comes the explanation of why they were to follow the Box. For clarity and ease of understanding, Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version have reversed the order. The priests carrying the Covenant Box would lead the way, and the people were to follow at a distance of 2,000 cubits, about 3,000 feet (a little more than half a mile) or 914 meters (almost one kilometer). This care was needed because of the holiness of the Box; it was dangerous for ordinary people to be exposed to its holiness (see 2 Sam 6.6-7).

It may make a more natural arrangement if the two clauses in the first sentence of this verse are inverted. For example, “3 … and follow them. 4 They will show you the way to go, since you have never been here before.” Show you the way to go may be translated, “lead you where you are to go,” since show you might imply that the priests are standing along the road and pointing the way.

About half a mile may be rendered “about a kilometer” or even “about a thousand steps.” Many languages have idiomatic ways of expressing distance (for example, “the distance that one can walk in the time it takes a pot of bananas to boil”), and the translator should look for a term that is neither a modern term not appropriate for that time, nor a term outside the cultural expectations of the readers.

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 5:10

On the evening of 14 Nisan (or Abib; see 4.19) the Israelites celebrated the Passover for the first time in Canaan. This festival commemorated their deliverance from slavery in Egypt (see Exo 12.1-14).

The Jewish day began at sunset, and so the time notice, on the evening, is important. In some cultures there is a distinction between “on the evening of the fourteenth day” (meaning “the evening before the fourteenth day”) and “the fourteenth day evening” (meaning “the evening of the fourteenth day,” as we would understand it in English). If such a distinction does exist in the receptor language, it should be taken into consideration in the translation. The Festival of Unleavened Bread lasted a week (15-22 Nisan; see Exo 12.14-20); here the text does not explicitly say that the Israelites also celebrated this festival, but the mention of unleavened bread implies it (verse 11).

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 7:3

As in the case of Jericho (2.1), Joshua sends spies to find out what they can about the land. On their return, they report that Ai is not a large city and can easily be taken by some two or three thousand men.In light of the number of Israelites killed—36—some scholars believe that instead of 3,000 men, only some 300 men were sent; but the Hebrew text has “about three alaphim” (plural of eleph). Many believe that eleph does not mean 1,000 but indicates a much smaller number; as yet, however, there is no scholarly consensus on the matter.

In verse 3 Revised Standard Version “do not make the whole people toil up there” translates a verb which means “to have trouble, to be difficult.” The meaning could be expressed by “Don’t go to the trouble of having the whole army go up there.”

Both the Hebrew (note Revised Standard Version) and Good News Translation contain a considerable amount of repetition in verse 3. In order to avoid the redundancy, one may render the words of the spies: “Ai is not a large city. There is no need to send all our men to attack it. Send only about two or three thousand men.”

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 8:13

Verse 13 repeats the information in verses 11-12; the main body of troops is north of Ai, and the smaller body (literally “the heel”) is west of the city. New English Bible, following the Septuagint, omits verse 13. At the end of the verse the Masoretic text has “and Joshua went that night into the valley”; some Hebrew manuscripts, however, have the verb “to spend the night,” which is preferable by most translations. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, however, prefers to follow the Masoretic text, in which case one may translate “Joshua himself returned during the night to the Jordan Valley.”

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 9:22

Joshua now summons the Gibeonites and reprimands them for deceiving the Israelites. In Hebrew Joshua ordered the people of Gibeon to be brought to him is literally “Joshua called them.” The verb “called” in such a context may have the meaning of “sent for” or “caused someone to bring to.” The latter meaning is probably intended here. That is, Joshua sent some of the men of Israel to bring the Gibeonites to him. The pronoun “them” of the Hebrew text also causes complications. Good News Translation suggests that the whole group of Gibeonites are summoned before Joshua, but it is more likely that the reference is limited to the messengers who came from the Gibeonites to Joshua. Joshua calls them and announces to them what will happen to all the Gibeonites. A shift may also be made to direct discourse: “Joshua told some of his men, ‘Bring to me the messengers who came to us from the Gibeonites.’ ”

Joshua’s remarks to the men of Gibeon may be restructured, “You deceived us. You live right here near us, and you said, ‘We are from far away.’ ” Or, if indirect discourse is retained, “Why did you deceive us? You told us that you were from far away, when you live right here.”

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 11:1 - 11:2

When the news of Israel’s victories reached King Jabin may not be possible in languages where news does not “reach” someone, but rather a person hears the news. If such is the case, one may translate “King Jabin of Hazor heard that the Israelite army had conquered all this territory.” Or “King Jabin of Hazor heard about the victories of Israel’s army.”

King Jabin of Hazor heard of Israel’s victories in the south, and immediately he sent messengers to the rulers in the northern part of the country proposing all join forces against the invaders. Hazor is in Galilee, about 15 kilometers north of the northern end of Lake Galilee. It was a large and important city-state, and mention of it is made in nonbiblical texts.

Before listing the kings to whom Jabin addressed his message, it may be wise both to indicate that they were neighboring kings and to specify the reason for this message. In verses 4 and 5 the reason does become clear, but it could be very helpful to indicate from the outset the nature of the communication. For example:

• So King Jabin sent a message to the neighboring kings and asked them to bring their armies together to fight against Israel. He sent this message to King Jobab of Madon, to … near Dor.

Madon is 30 kilometers southeast of Hazor, and 4 kilometers west of Lake Galilee.The Masoretic text is madon; the Septuagint marron (and the Syriac, more or less) represents the Hebrew maron. The name of the place where the battle took place is Merom Brook (verse 5; Revised Standard Version “waters of Merom”); Merom itself is identified as a city some 12 kilometers southwest of Hazor, and its location is certain. On the basis of historical and archaeological evidence, some scholars prefer to read Merom (and not Madon) here and in 12.19-20 (see below). (It should be noticed that Merom in the Masoretic text, verses 5,7, is spelled merom not maron.) Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, citing Factors 12 (accidental change) and 9 (deliberate change), prefers to read here maron or merom (decision “D”), and recommends translating “Maron.” Bible de Jérusalem has “Merom” here; the other translations (An American Translation Revised Standard Version New American Bible New English Bible Jerusalem Bible Traduction œcuménique de la Bible Good News Translation Zur) have Madon.

There is considerable uncertainty over the identification and location of Shimron and Achshaph.Instead of the Masoretic text shimeron, the Septuagint has Sumoon, which represents the Hebrew shimeon, which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers (decision “D”), recommending translating “Shimeon” (here and also in 12.20 and 19.15). On the maps Shimron is located in Zebulun (see 19.15), about 51 kilometers southwest of Hazor; and Achshaph is located about 42 kilometers southwest of Hazor. But the location of these places is far from certain.

In verse 2 “the Arabah” (Revised Standard Version) is the Jordan Valley, and “Chinneroth” (Revised Standard Version) is Lake Galilee.Some think that “Chinneroth” here means not Lake Galilee but the town of Chinnereth, on the northwest coast of the lake (see Bright, Gray, Smith). The hill country in the north is the highlands of Galilee.

On the coast near Dor translates the Hebrew naphothdor (see Revised Standard Version). It is not quite certain what the Hebrew naphoth means; perhaps “the coast” (Bright), referring to the Mediterranean coast plains south of Mount Carmel, of which Dor was the chief city. Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, have “the hillsides of Dor”; An American Translation “the uplands of Dor”; also Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. Gray defines it as “the foothills of Carmel.”In the New Oxford Bible maps the city of Dor is located on the coast, south of Mt. Carmel; and Naphath-Dor (as in 12.23; 1 Kgs 4.11) is identified as a region inland from the city.

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 13:11 - 13:12

For all the geographical data in verses 11-12, and for a proposed restructuring in terms of the points on the compass, see the comments at 12.4-5.

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 15:8

Hinnom Valley (Revised Standard Version “valley of the son of Hinnom”) is the name of the valley south of Jerusalem.

The Jebusite city of Jerusalem is translated “the Jebusites (that is, Jerusalem)” by Revised Standard Version. It appears as though this parenthetical statement, together with the two in verses 9 and 10, were explanations added by a later scribe to make sure that the readers would understand what was meant. Good News Translation is able to avoid the interruption of a parenthetical statement in this verse, though parentheses are included by Good News Translation in verses 9 and 10.

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 .