Bratcher, Robert and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on the Book of Joshua. New York: UBS, 1983.
FIFTH DISTRICT: cities in the Philistine coastal area.
Ashdod was about 22 kilometers west of Ekron; Gaza was about 68 kilometers southwest of Ashdod. The other two Philistine cities, Ashkelon and Gath, are not included.
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 .
Verses 12-14 trace the northern boundary (where it touched the territory of Ephraim) from the Jordan River westward and then southward to Kiriath Jearim. For the places listed in verse 12, see 16.1-2; notice that in verse 13, unlike in 16.2, Luz and Bethel are different names for the same city; and in verse 12 Bethaven (“house of wickedness”) may be a way of referring to Bethel itself (see comments and footnote on 7.2).
On the north their border began at the Jordan does indicate that the northern border of Benjamin’s territory is being described. Then later in the verse the use of westward indicates that the description is from east to the west. It is possible to be even more specific: “Their northern border began in the east at the Jordan River … and westward….”
To the reader who hears the text read, the desert of Bethaven may sound like a proper name; to avoid this ambiguity it is better to translate “the desert near the city of Bethaven.”
In verse 13 Luz, Ataroth Addar, and Lower Beth Horon may need to be identified as cities.
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 .
Verses 17-18 name four cities from the territory of Benjamin. Verse 17 may be stated, “They were given four cities from the territory of Benjamin. These cities were…”
Verse 19 may adequately be shortened: “This made a total of thirteen cities, together with their pasture lands.” Or, if the full content of the verse is retained: “The priests, the descendants of Aaron, were given thirteen cities in all, with their pasture lands.”
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 .
Went back to, depending upon the perspective of the receptor language, may also be rendered “returned to.” Since the act of leaving is implied in went back to, the verse may be shortened: “Then Phinehas and the ten leaders of the western tribes returned to the land of Canaan and told the people of Israel everything,” or “… and told the people of Israel everything that had happened.” In all probability the place in Canaan to which they returned was the city of Shiloh, though this should not be indicated in translation, since there is no basis for it in the text.
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 .
Brought … out of slavery translates the Hebrew idiom “brought … out of the house of bondage” (Revised Standard Version). The noun phrase slavery in Egypt may be expanded into a clause using a verb phrase: “out of Egypt where we were slaves” or “… where the Egyptians forced us to be their slaves.”
Our fathers and us and and we saw represent a literal rendering of the Hebrew text. Using “us” and “we” is the usual way by which the biblical writers identify their own generation as participating in the exodus from Egypt. But for readers whose linguistic and cultural understanding is different, this may seem inaccurate, especially if the miracles referred to were those done in the course of bringing the people out of Egypt. One may prefer to translate “The LORD our God brought our fathers out of Egypt where they were slaves, and we know about the miracles that he performed there.”
Wherever we went among all the nations through which we passed is somewhat complicated. The reference is to the journeys that the Israelites made on their way to the land of Canaan, and the sentence may be translated, “On our way here we traveled through the territory of many nations, but the LORD always kept us safe.”
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 expression “his blood shall be upon his (our) head” (see Revised Standard Version) is a way of saying “he (we) will be responsible for that person’s death.” Every member of Rahab’s family will be safe during the attack on Jericho so long as he or she stays in Rahab’s house; and, in fact, they were all spared (see verses 6.23 and 6.25). His death will be his own fault may be restructured as either “he will be killed, and it will be his own fault” or “we will kill him, and….” The spies are affirming that everyone except the persons found in Rahab’s house will be put to death.
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 .
Crossed is literally “came up out of” (Revised Standard Version). Many languages will have specialized terms for “crossing a river” or for “coming up out of a valley onto level land.” One must avoid a term which would suggest the crossing of the river in a boat or by some other water vehicle. For that reason the word generally used for “crossing” may not be satisfactory, and one may do better to select a term which means “cross a valley by foot.”
The day the people crossed into Canaan is given as the tenth day of the first month, that is, of Abib (later called Nisan). This month began with the first new moon occurring after the modern March 11, so the crossing occurred between March 21 and April 18, in modern terms. (Passover falls on 14 Nisan; see Exo 12.18.) Problems related to the months of the year are sometimes highly complex, and it may be useful to provide a cultural note, indicating that the reference is to the first month of the Jewish calendar year and to define it in terms of the international (or local) calendar year.
Gilgal is usually located about 4 kilometers east (really northeast) of Jericho (Revised Standard Version “on the east border of Jericho”). It may be useful to mark Gilgal as a “town”; if so, one would then translate “camped near the town of Gilgal.”
The Hebrew phrase translated “the east border” by Revised Standard Version probably indicates the eastern edge of the territory controlled by Jericho. Jericho was a walled city, and the text does not mean that the Israelites were camped right outside the city walls.
There at Gilgal Joshua set up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan (see 4.8). As at 4.8, so here also it is necessary to clarify that Joshua himself was not the one who set up the twelve stones. Moreover, the indefinite passive taken from may be a problem. One may then need to translate “There Joshua caused (or, commanded) the men to set up the twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan.”
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 instructs the two spies to go to Rahab’s house and bring her and her family out to safety. It is to be assumed that this happened while the killing was going on in the city; it could not have been after all the city’s other inhabitants had been put to death (verse 21). It may be important translationally to shift from Joshua then told to “Joshua had told,” indicating a previous command given before the beginning of the battle. The Hebrew will support either rendering, and this would tend to provide a less complicated sequence of events.
Nothing is gained in translation by continually emphasizing Rahab’s profession. Go into the prostitute’s house may then be translated “Go into Rahab’s house.” Moreover, the events may be arranged in chronological sequence: “You promised Rahab that we would not harm her or the people in her house. So go to her house and bring them out here to safety.” Direct discourse may be preferable for the promise made by the spies: “You promised Rahab, ‘We will not harm you or anyone in your house.’ So go….”
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 .