SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2:16

2:16a-b

The Hebrew conjunction commonly translated as “and” (which the Berean Standard Bible does not translate here) usually indicates the next consecutive action in the story. However, the events portrayed in verses 16-21 are not presented in chronological order. It is likely that Rahab spoke to the men before they went through the window.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Rahab told them
-or-

⌊Before they went down⌋ she said to the men

Go to the hill country: There were not very many people living in these hills, so it would be a good place for the spies to hide.

hill country: In English we distinguish between low hills, and high hills which we call “mountains.” Hebrew has only one word that refers to both hills and mountains. The high places west of Jericho that the Berean Standard Bible refers to as hill country were up to about 600 meters high. Choose a word in your language that is appropriate for hills of this height.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Go to the mountains
-or-
Go ⌊up⌋ to the hilly places

2:16c

your pursuers will not find you: See the note on “set out in pursuit” in 2:7a.

Here is another way to translate the word pursuers :

the men who are looking for you

will not find you: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as find can also be translated “encounter,” or “happen upon.”

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

so that the people looking for you will not find you
-or-
so that the king’s men who chase after you will not catch you

2:16d

Hide yourselves there for three days: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

Hide there for three days
-or-
Hide in the hills for three days

2:16e

until they have returned: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

until the people who are looking for you turn back
-or-
until the ones chasing you have come back ⌊here⌋

2:16f

then go on your way: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

After that you can go ⌊back to your camp⌋
-or-
Then you may go ⌊where you want⌋

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 4:7

4:7a

you are to tell them: In some languages it may be more natural to express the clause you are to tell them with a direct command. For example:

tell them
-or-
reply to them

4:7b

The waters of the Jordan: The phrase The waters of the Jordan refers to the Jordan River.

were cut off: The phrase were cut off means that Yahweh made the Jordan River stop flowing upstream from where the Israelites were waiting to cross it. It may be more natural for you to express this idea with an active verb, for example:

The Jordan River stopped flowing

It may be necessary to include the agent, who is God. For example, you could say:

God caused the Jordan River to stop flowing

4:7c

before the ark of the covenant of the LORD: It may be more natural in some languages to combine the phrase before the ark of the covenant of the LORD with the phrase in verse 4:7d. For example:

when the priests carried the ark of the covenant of Yahweh over the Jordan River
-or-
while the ark of the covenant of Yahweh was crossing the Jordan River

ark of the covenant: See 3:3 for ideas about how to translate this phrase.

4:7d

When it crossed the Jordan: The clause When it crossed the Jordan means that the priests carried the ark across the Jordan River. You may have already combined this clause with the phrase in verse 4:7c.

4:7e

the waters were cut off: The clause the waters were cut off is a repetition of 4:7b. It may be more natural in some languages not to repeat this information. If this repetition is natural in your language, you should translate this clause in the same way that you translated verse 4:7b.

4:7f

Therefore these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever: The sentence these stones will be a memorial to the Israelites forever repeats the information given in verse 4:6a using different words. It is repeated to show how important these stones were. They reminded the Israelites of the great miracle that Yahweh had done. If this repetition is not natural in your language, it is possible to combine this information with the beginning of verse 6a. You would then need to combine verses 4:6–7 in your numbering of them. For example:

6b Someday your children will ask, 6c “Why are these rocks here?” 7a Then you can tell them 7e how the water stopped flowing 7d when the chest was being carried across the river. 6a These rocks will always remind our people of what happened here today. (Contemporary English Version)

memorial: A memorial is something that helps people to remember. This memorial refers to the stones that reminded the people of Israel of what Yahweh had done.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

memory-stone
-or-
something to help you remember
-or-
when you see the stones, you will remember

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 5:15

5:15a

The Commander of the LORD’s army replied: It may not be natural in some languages to repeat the whole phrase The Commander of the LORD’s army again. It may be more natural to refer to the Commander as “the man” or by the pronoun “he.” For example:

he said to Joshua
-or-
the man said to Joshua

5:15b-c

Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy: This command is the same as the one that God gave Moses in Exodus 3:5 when Moses stood before the burning bush.

5:15b

Take off your sandals: The command Take off your sandals means that Joshua must take off his shoes.

sandals: The people of that time wore sandals on their feet. If you have a word that means sandals in your language, it would be more accurate to use it. Otherwise the generic word “shoes” is appropriate.

5:15c

for the place where you are standing is holy: The place where Joshua is standing is holy because of the presence of the man, or the angel, who represents God. The word holy means that something or someone is set apart for God.

5:15d

And Joshua did so: Joshua obeyed the commander’s orders and took off his shoes.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

And Joshua obeyed him

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:5

7:5a

And: The Hebrew prefix that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces the next event in the storyline. Introduce the next event in a way that is most natural in your language.

the men of Ai: The phrase the men of Ai refers to the soldiers who were fighting to defend the town.

struck down about thirty-six of them: The soldiers of Ai killed thirty-six Israelite soldiers.

7:5b

The Hebrew prefix that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but some English versions translates as “and” introduces some additional detail about the death of the Israelite soldiers. This adds emphasis to the defeat of the Israelites. The details specify where and when the Israelite soldiers were killed.

chasing them: The word them refers to the Israelite soldiers.

from the gate: The word from means “in front of.” The men of Ai chased the Israelite soldiers away from the area in front of the town gate all the way to the stone quarries.

the gate: Ai town (like Jericho town) was surrounded by a town wall. In the wall was a gate, and people could enter the town only through this gate.

7:5c

as far as the quarries: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as quarries.

(1) It means rock quarries. For example:

They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, Good News Translation)

(2) It is a place named Shebarim. For example:

pursued them from the town gate as far as Shebarim (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Interpretation (2) is a transliteration of the Hebrew word and does not communicate the meaning as it was probably understood in Hebrew.

quarries: The word quarries refers to a place where people dig rock from the ground to use in construction.

7:5d

and: The Hebrew prefix that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces more details of where and when the Israelite soldiers were killed.

striking them down: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as striking them down means “killing.” The phrase striking them down refers to the thirty-six Israelite soldiers who were killed. It restates the information in 7:5a. It does not indicate that additional Israelites were killed.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the men of Ai killed them

on the slopes: The phrase on the slopes refers to the hillside going down to the stone quarries.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

on the slope of the hill
-or-
while they were fleeing down the hill

General Comment on 7:5b-d

This story is told in a way that is common in Hebrew narrative style. It tells a summary of an event first, and then it adds the details. Use the natural grammar of your language to make this clear. Your readers should understand that only thirty-six Israelite people were killed. These are some ways that English versions have handled this style:

The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. (God’s Word)
-or-
The men of Ai chased them from the city gate as far as some quarries and killed about thirty-six of them on the way down the hill. (Good News Translation)

7:5e

So the hearts of the people melted and became like water: This is a Hebrew idiom. It means that the people became very afraid. They no longer felt any courage. Many languages have their own idioms to express fear. Here are some English idioms that express this meaning:

And the heart of the troops sank in utter dismay. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
they lost their courage (New Century Version)
-or-
The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away. (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it may be more natural to express the meaning directly without using an idiom. For example, you could say:

The Israelite soldiers were very afraid

Express the meaning in the most natural way in your language.

the people: This phrase refers to the Israelite soldiers.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:11

8:11a

Then: The Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then indicates the next event of the storyline.

all the troops who were with him: The phrase all the troops refers to the Israelite soldiers who were with Joshua. The word him refers to Joshua, who was the commander of the army.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

all the soldiers who were with Joshua

marched up: The Hebrew text says marched up because Ai was higher than the Israelite camp. If your language does not keep track of elevation in the same way that Hebrew does, you can translate this as:

went

8:11b

and approached the city: The clause approached the city indicates that the soldiers walked until they were close to the town of Ai.

8:11c

and camped to the north of it: The clause camped to the north of it indicates that the soldiers set up their tents on the northern side of the town of Ai. It may be clearer in some languages if you begin a new sentence here. For example:

They set up camp north of Ai (New International Version)

with the valley between them and the city: The Israelite soldiers made their camp north of the town, with a valley separating them from the town of Ai.

General Comment on 8:11

Because the information contained in 11a-b is already stated in 8:10, it may be more natural in some languages to leave this information implicit, as the Contemporary English Version does:

They set up camp in full view of the town, across the valley to the north. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 9:8

9:8a

We are your servants: The sentence We are your servants indicates that the Gibeonites wanted to accept Joshua as their leader and to become part of the Israelite nation.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

we are willing to be your subjects (NET Bible)
-or-
we acknowledge you as our masters

they said to Joshua: The word they refers to the Gibeonites. It may be helpful to make this explicit.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the Gibeonites said to Joshua

9:8b

Then: The word Then indicates the next event in the storyline. Indicate this in a natural way in your language.

Who are you and where have you come from?: The question Who are you…? indicates that Joshua wanted to know their nationality. The question where have you come from? indicates that Joshua wanted to know where the Gibeonites lived. These two questions together emphasize that Joshua wanted to be sure about who these men were. It may be more natural in some languages to combine these two questions in a way that shows this emphasis. For example:

Tell me from exactly from where you have come.
-or-
I must know for sure from what town and nation you have come.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:13

10:13a

So the sun stood still: The clause So the sun stood still is a result clause. This was what happened as a result of Joshua’s prayer. Use whatever connecting word indicates a result in your language. The clause the sun stood still indicates that the sun remained in the same place in the sky. God answered Joshua’s prayer and caused the sun to stay still.

and the moon stopped: The clause and the moon stopped indicates that the moon remained in one place in the sky, because Joshua prayed for this to happen. God answered Joshua’s prayer and caused the moon to stay still.

10:13b

until the nation took vengeance upon its enemies: The sun and moon did not move through the sky for a long period of time. This allowed Israel to finish the battle against their enemies.

the nation: The phrase the nation refers to the Israelites.

took vengeance upon its enemies: The clause took vengeance upon its enemies indicates that the Israelites defeated the Amorites.

10:13c

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar?: This is a rhetorical question that functions as a statement. The expected response is “yes, it is.” It may be more natural in some languages to translate this as a statement. For example:

This is what is written down in the Book of Jashar

the Book of Jashar: The term Book of Jashar probably refers to a collection of stories about wars. It is also mentioned one other place in the Old Testament, 2 Samuel 1:18.

10:13d

So the sun stopped in the middle of the sky: Here is another way to translate this phrase:

The sun stayed in the midst of heaven (Revised Standard Version)

10:13e

and delayed going down about a full day: This clause adds information about the length of time the sun did not move in the sky. Yahweh made the sun stay in one place for about one day. The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as delayed going down is a Hebrew idiom.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

and did not go down for a whole day (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 11:2

11:2a

to the kings of the north in the mountains: The phrase the kings of the north in the mountains refers to other towns ruled by kings which were further north in the mountains of Galilee.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the northern kings who were in the mountains (New International Version)
-or-
the kings in the hill country in the north (Good News Translation)

11:2b

in the Arabah south of Chinnereth: The Arabah refers to the valley of the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea and south of Lake Galilee.

Chinnereth: Chinnereth refers to Lake Galilee.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the Jordan valley south of Lake Galilee (Good News Translation)

in the foothills: The phrase the foothills refers to the western foothills that were between the mountains and the coastal plain. This word was used in 9:1 and you should translate it the same way in both places.

and in Naphoth-dor to the west: The town of Dor was a seaport on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea south of Mount Carmel. It is not certain to what the term Naphoth refers.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

the heights of Dor (NET Bible, New American Standard Bible)
-or-
on the coast near Dor (Good News Translation)
-or-
the district of Dor (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
the borders of Dor (King James Version)
-or-
Naphoth Dor (New International Version, God’s Word)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 4:7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 5:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 9:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:13

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 11:2

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