Section 19:32-39

The clan of Naphtali received their land

Paragraph 19:32-39

19:32

The sixth lot came out for the clans of the tribe of Naphtali: This verse is similar to verse 19:17. It is recommended that you translate it in a similar way.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse:

The sixth lot belonged to the tribe of Naphtali (NET Bible)
-or-
Joshua threw the lot a sixth time and the clan of Naphtali received land

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

⌊The clan of Naphtali received land⌋ according to their family groups
-or-
Each of the clans of Naphtali received some land

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

21:36

From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer: The town of Bezer was mentioned in 20:8. It was east of the Jordan River.

Jahaz: The town of Jahaz was mentioned in 13:18. It was probably east of the Dead Sea, southeast of Medeba.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse:

From the clan of Reuben, they received the town of Bezer with its grazing lands and the town of Jahaz with its grazing lands,
-or-
The clan of Reuben gave ⌊from their lands⌋ the Merari families the town of Bezer and the grasslands around it and the town of Jahaz and the grasslands around it,

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

22:23a

If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him: It may be more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

If we built an altar to turn away from the Lord (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

to turn away from Him: This is the same phrase that was used in 22:16. See how you translated it there.

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

If we have built ourselves an altar so that we could turn against Yahweh
-or-
If we built the altar in order to disobey Yahweh

22:23b

and: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and can also be translated as “or.”

to offer burnt offerings: The phrase burnt offerings was used in 8:31. You should translate this term the same way as in that verse. It refers to animals that were totally burned as an atonement for sins. See Letiticus 1:1-17 for more information about burnt offerings.

and grain offerings: The term grain offerings refers to offerings of wheat. For more information on grain offerings, see Letiticus 2:1-16.

or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it: The phrase fellowship offerings refers to sacrifices in which part of the animal was burned, and the rest of the animal was eaten by the worshipers. Many English versions refer to these offerings as “peace offerings.” The people who ate the animal had fellowship with Yahweh. See Letiticus 3:1-17 for more information about peace/fellowship offerings.

The Hebrew word translated here as fellowship offerings was used in 8:31. See the note in 8:31a.

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

or to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and peace offerings on it,
-or-
And if we built an altar to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or fellowship offerings on it,

22:23c

may the LORD Himself hold us accountable: The Hebrew sentence that the Berean Standard Bible translates as may the LORD Himself hold us accountable is more literally “May Yahweh himself demand.” This is an oath formula. They are asking Yahweh to punish them if they have sinned against him.

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

may Yahweh himself demand an accounting from us
-or-
let Yahweh himself punish us

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

24:5a

Then: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next event in the storyline. Introduce this next event in a way that is natural in your language.

I sent Moses and Aaron: Many years passed between the time that Jacob and his family went to Egypt, and the time that Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron to meet the king of Egypt. It may be helpful to add this implicit information at the beginning of the verse. For example,

Later I sent Moses and Aaron (Good News Translation)
-or-

⌊Many years after that,⌋ I sent Moses and Aaron

The clause I sent Moses and Aaron does not state where Yahweh sent them or what Yahweh sent them to do. In some languages it may be helpful to include some of this implicit information. For example:

I sent Moses and Aaron ⌊to help the Israelites⌋
-or-
I sent Moses and ⌊his brother⌋ Aaron ⌊to Egypt⌋

24:5b

and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as afflicted is more literally “hit.” In this context it refers to the disasters that God caused the Egyptians to suffer. The disasters that God brought upon the Egyptians are recorded in Exodus 7-11.

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

I struck the people of Egypt with the disasters that I caused there
-or-
I made terrible things happen to the Egyptian people

24:5c

and afterward I brought you out: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

After that, I brought you (plur.) out ⌊of Egypt⌋
-or-
Then I led you ⌊all⌋ out ⌊from Egypt⌋

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

2:3a

So: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next event in the story line. Use a connection that is natural in your language.

the king of Jericho: In some languages it is not natural to repeat the phrase the king of Jericho as it has just been used in 2:2a. If this is true in your language, you could say “the king” or “he.”

sent to Rahab: In some languages it is clearer to make it explicit that the king sent some of his people. These are the same people who later searched for the spies along the road to the Jordan river. See 2:7a.

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

So the king of Jericho sent soldiers/messengers to Rahab.
-or-
Then the king sent some people to Rahab

and said: The words and said introduce the direct quotation that follows.

2:3b

Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house: The clause Bring out the men who came to you indicates that Rahab must make the men come out of her house.

Here are some other ways to translate this direct quotation:

Bring out the men who have come to you and gone into your house.
-or-
Make the men who went into your house come out.

In some languages it may be more natural to use an indirect quotation.

They told her to bring out the men who had entered her house.

2:3c

for: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why Rahab should bring out the two men. She should hand them over because they had come to spy out the country.

they have come to spy out the whole land: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spy out was also used in 2:2b. You should translate it in the same way in both places.

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

because they have come to spy on our land
-or-
because they have come to find out things about the land

General Comment on verse 3b-c

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder parts 3b and 3c so that the reason for the command comes before the command itself. For example:

The men in your house have come to spy out the whole country! Bring them out!” (Good News Translation)

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

3:11

Behold: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Behold calls attention to the next statement. In verse 10 Joshua told the Israelites that they will know that Yahweh is with them. In this verse Joshua tells them how they will know that.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Look
-or-
See
-or-
This is how you will know

the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go ahead of you into the Jordan: Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the priests will carry the covenant box, which shows that the Lord of all the earth is with you, ahead of you into the Jordan River

the ark of the covenant…will go ahead: In some languages it is not natural to speak of a box doing something. It may be more natural to make the priests be the subject of the sentence.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

⌊the priests⌋ will carry the covenant box

However, the Hebrew text puts emphasis on the ark, not on the priests. The ark was the symbol of God’s presence with the Israelites. If possible, use the grammar of your language to make the covenant box be the topic or the focus of the sentence. For example:

as for the covenant box, the priests will carry it into the Jordan River

the ark of the covenant: Translate this the same way you did at 3:3b.

the Lord of all the earth: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord can also be translated “master” or “ruler.” It is not the same as the name Yahweh.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

the ruler of the whole earth
-or-
the king of the whole world

will go ahead of you into the Jordan: The clause will go ahead of you into the Jordan indicates that the covenant box will go ahead of the Israelites into the Jordan River. In verses 12-17 the priests carry the covenant box into the Jordan River and stay there. Then the people walk past it to cross the river. Finally, the priests carry the covenant box, following the people out of the river.

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

See, the covenant box that belongs to the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan River ahead of you
-or-
This is how you will know ⌊that God is among you⌋ . The priests will carry the holy chest of the ruler of all the earth into the Jordan River before you

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

Section 5:2–12 Joshua circumcised the men, and the Israelites observed Passover

Joshua circumcised the Israelite men, because they had not done this ceremony while they walked through the wilderness for forty years. Then the Israelites observed the Passover ceremony. They ate food from the land of Canaan, and God stopped sending them manna.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Circumcision of the next generation
-or-
Circumcision and the first Passover in the promised land

Paragraph 5:2–7

5:2a

At that time: The phrase At that time refers to the time while the Israelites lived in their tents at Gilgal. This is the same time to which verse 5:1 refers.

the LORD said: Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Yahweh told them
-or-
Yahweh commanded them

5:2b

Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel: flint is a kind of stone that can be chipped until it forms a sharp edge. At this time humans were only just beginning to use iron, and flint knives were commonly used for cutting.

Here is another way to translate the term flint knives :

stone knives

circumcise: The verb circumcise means to cut off the foreskin of a man’s penis. This ceremony was first mentioned in Genesis 17:9–14 when Yahweh told Abraham to circumcise the men in his household. This was a sign, or a mark, of the covenant that God made with Abraham.

If you have translated the New Testament you should translate the word circumcise the same way you did there. For example, see Luke 1:59.

Consider whether you should use a euphemism or more general expression in your language to translate circumcise.

Here is another way to translate this word:

cutting ceremony

the sons of Israel: Only male people were circumcised. Normally, boys were circumcised when they were eight days old. It may be clearer to translate this as:

the men of Israel
-or-
the men and boys of Israel

once again: The phrase once again means that this is the second time that the nation of Israel had performed the ceremony of circumcision. The Israelite men who lived in Egypt were circumcised as children, but that generation died while they walked through the wilderness. Now the men and boys who were born after the Israelites left Egypt must be circumcised. Normally, boys were circumcised when they were eight days old.

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.