SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023 – Page 42

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:21

13:21a

all the cities of the plateau: The clause all the cities of the plateau summarizes the list of towns that appear in verses 17-21. This clause is almost identical to the clause in verse 13:17b and you should translate it the same way. In verse 17 this phrase was at the beginning of the list, and here it comes at the end of the list.

13:21b

and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites: The phrase the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites indicates that Moses gave the land that King Sihon ruled on the plateau to the tribe of Reuben.

13:21c

who reigned in Heshbon: The clause who reigned in Heshbon indicates that Heshbon was the capital city of King Sihon. Heshbon was mentioned in 13:10 and 13:17, and you should translate it the same way every time.

until Moses killed him and the chiefs of Midian: Moses defeated King Sihon along with all the other leaders of Midian. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. For example:

Moses had defeated him along with the Midianites including Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba (New Century Version)

chiefs of Midian: Midian was one of the sons of Abraham and Keturah (Genesis 25:1-2). Midian’s descendants became a group called Midian. They were a nomadic people who lived in northwest Arabia, east of the Gulf of Aqaba.

13:21d

(Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba), the princes of Sihon: These five names are the leaders of the Midian people. The story of how Moses and the Israelites fought and killed these leaders is found in Numbers 31:7-8.

princes of Sihon: The phrase princes of Sihon indicates that these leaders of Midian were under the authority of King Sihon.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

all of them had ruled the land for King Sihon (Good News Translation)

who lived in the land: The clause who lived in the land indicates that these five Midianite leaders and their people lived in the land that King Sihon ruled.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:5

Paragraph 15:5a

The east boundary of Judah is marked by the Dead Sea.

15:5a

The eastern border was the Salt Sea as far as the mouth of the Jordan: The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea. The phrase as the mouth of the Jordan indicates that the east border of Judah’s land extended the length of the Dead Sea, from its southern point to where the Dead Sea reached the Jordan River in the north.

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

Judah’s east boundary was along the Dead Sea, ⌊from its south end⌋ to where the Jordan River flows into it
-or-
The border on the east was the Dead Sea, going north to the mouth of the Jordan River

Paragraph 15:5b-11

The north boundary of Judah started from the north end of the Dead Sea and went west from there to the Mediterranean Sea. This boundary did not go in a straight line. It swung south to avoid Jerusalem, which was part of the territory of Benjamin.

15:5b

The northern border started: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The north border ran
-or-
The boundary on the north began at

15:5c

from the bay of the sea at the mouth of the Jordan: The phrase the bay of the sea indicates the north end of the Dead Sea.

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

from the end of the Dead Sea where it meets the Jordan River
-or-
the ⌊north end of the⌋ Dead Sea where the Jordan River flows into it

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:37

Paragraph: 15:37-41

This paragraph is a list of more towns that were given to the tribe of Judah.

15:37

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad: This is the beginning of a new list of towns. It may be helpful to make this clear.

Here is another way to translate this part of the verse:

⌊There were also the towns of⌋ Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad…

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 16:6

16:6a

and out toward the Sea: There is an interpretation issue in this verse.

(1) The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as toward the Sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea.

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, NET Bible, English Standard Version, New International Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Good News Translation, King James Version)

(2) The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as toward the Sea means to the west.

Then the border went westward (New American Standard Bible)

(New American Standard Bible, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) which is followed by most English versions.

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

The boundary then continued to the Mediterranean Sea
-or-
From there it went ⌊downhill⌋ to the Mediterranean Sea

16:6b

From Michmethath on the north: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as From Michmethath on the north is more literally “Michmethath from north.” Most commentaries agree that this part of the verse describes the northern border of Ephraim.

Michmethath: The town of Michmethath was on the north border of Ephraim, near the town of Shechem. The exact location of Michmethath is unknown.

The English versions spell Michmethath in several ways:

Mich-methath (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Michmethath (Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Michmethah (King James Version)
-or-
Micmethath (NET Bible, New International Version (1984), New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Mikmethath (New International Version (2011))

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

The town of Michmethath was on their northern border
-or-
The town of Michmethath was in the north ⌊of Ephraim’s territory⌋

16:6c

it turned eastward toward Taanath-shiloh: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as eastward toward Taanath-shiloh is more literally “the boundary turns east, Taanath-shiloh.”

Taanath-shiloh: Taanath-shiloh refers to a town to the east of Michmethath.

The English versions spell Taanath-shiloh in several ways:

Taanath-shiloh (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), New American Bible, Revised Edition, King James Version)
-or-
Taanath Shiloh (New International Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, Good News Translation)
-or-
Taanath-Shiloh (Contemporary English Version)

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

The border then turned east toward the town of Taanath-shiloh
-or-
The boundary then curved around to the east to the town of Taanath-shiloh

16:6d

and passed by it to Janoah on the east: The clause passed by it to Janoah on the east indicates that the border went past the town of Taanath-shiloh and continued east to the town of Janoah.

The English versions spell Janoah in several ways:

Jan-oah (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Janoah (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Janohah (King James Version)

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

The border then went past that town and continued east to the town of Janoah
-or-
The border continued east from the town of Taanath-shiloh to the town of Janoah

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 18:10

18:10a

And Joshua cast lots for them in the presence of the LORD at Shiloh: The words here are similar to Joshua 18:6c and 18:8e.

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

So there in the town of Shiloh Joshua threw lots for them in the presence of Yahweh
-or-
Joshua threw marked stones in Shiloh town to let Yahweh ⌊decide how to divide the land among the clans⌋

18:10b

where he distributed the land to the Israelites according to their divisions: The clause he distributed the land indicates that Joshua divided up the remaining land.

The word Israelites refers to the seven clans who had not yet received any land.

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

and Joshua divided out the land to the ⌊remaining⌋ clans of Israel. Each clan received its own piece of land.
-or-
There he gave out a share of land to each of the remaining tribes in Israel (NIRV)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 19:14

19:14a

Then the border circled around the north side of Neah to Hannathon: This verse describes the northern boundary. The border ran to the north of the town of Hannathon. Hannathon was on the northwestern boundary of Zebulun’s land.

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

On the north the border turned toward Hannathon (Good News Translation)
-or-
The border turned north of the town of Hannathon

19:14b

and ended at the Valley of Iphtah-el: The Valley of Iphtah-el was on the western boundary of Zebulun. This boundary touched Asher’s land. This valley is also mentioned in verse 19:27.

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

Zebulun’s boundary line ended at the valley of Iphtah-el
-or-
The border ended at Iphtah-el valley on the west

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 19:46

19:46

Me-jarkon: The Hebrew words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Me-jarkon can also be translated as “the waters of Yarkon.” The Yarkon River flows into the Mediterranean Sea north of Joppa town. Some scholars consider Me-jarkon to refer to the river, not to a town. However, it is recommended that you translate it as a town name as in the majority of English versions.

and Rakkon: The location of this place is uncertain.

including the territory across from Joppa: The phrase territory across from Joppa indicates that the clan of Dan received land that was near the town of Joppa as part of their tribal inheritance.

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

Me-jarkon and Rakkon, with the area facing Joppa (New International Version)
-or-
Me-jarkon and Rakkon. Their territory also included land that was near Joppa town

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 21:18

21:18

Anathoth: The town of Anathoth has not been mentioned previously. It was northeast of Jerusalem.

and Almon: The town of Almon has not been mentioned previously. It was northeast of Anathoth.

four cities: The phrase four cities indicates that there were four towns in all that were given to the descendants of Aaron from the clan of Benjamin.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse:

Anathoth and the grazing lands around it, and Almon and the grazing lands around it. These four towns were given from the clan of Benjamin.
-or-
Anathoth and its grasslands, and Almon and its grasslands. The clan of Benjamin gave four towns to the descendants of Aaron.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:21

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:37

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 16:6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 18:10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 19:14

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 19:46

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 21:18

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