Paragraph 6:6–7

6:6a

So: The word So connects the preceding verses with what Joshua did next. It shows that Joshua obeyed the commands of Yahweh.

Joshua son of Nun: See how you translated this phrase in Joshua 1:1.

summoned the priests and said: The clause summoned the priests means that Joshua told the priests to come together so that he could give them his instructions.

6:6b

Take up: The phrase Take up means that some of the priests must pick up and carry the ark of the covenant.

the ark of the covenant: The term the ark of the covenant refers to the wooden box that was the symbol of Yahweh’s presence. See how you translated this term in 3:3.

6:6c

and have seven priests carry: Joshua ordered seven priests to each take a trumpet.

seven rams’ horns: The words seven rams’ horns indicates that each of the seven priests had one ram’s horn.

in front of the ark of the LORD: The phrase in front of the ark of the LORD means that the priests must walk ahead of the ark and blow their trumpets.

the ark of the LORD: The term the ark of the LORD is another way that the Hebrew language refers to the “ark of the covenant” that is mentioned in verse 6:6b. It may be clearer in some languages to use the same term as you used in 6:6b.

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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.

7:11

In 7:11 there is are six verbs that describe Israel’s sin. In Hebrew, there is a particle that precedes each verb. This particle is sometimes translated “also.” There are two ways to interpret this Hebrew particle.

(1) Some English versions do not translate this particle. They translate the verbs in 7:11 as a simple list. For example:

Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. (New International Version)

(New International Version, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Century Version, NET Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation)

(2) Some English versions interpret this particle as marking emphasis. For example:

Israel has sinned; they have violated the covenant which I imposed on them. They have gone so far as to take what was under the curse of destruction, they have even stolen it; they have actually hidden it; they have put it in their baggage. (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

It is not clear which interpretation is best. Option (1) is a good option to follow along with the majority of English versions. However, if you wish to give an emphatic sense to the verbs as in option (2) this is also acceptable.

7:11a

Israel has sinned: A man named Achan took some of the things that were dedicated to Yahweh. Yahweh considered all the people of Israel to be guilty.

sinned: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sinned has the sense of “missing the right way” and “incurring guilt.” It is a general term for sin.

7:11b

they have transgressed My covenant: This means that the Israelites did not obey God’s commands.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

broken my covenant (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
they have broken the agreement with me that I ordered them to keep (Good News Translation)

My covenant: Joshua told the Israelite people that everything in the town of Jericho must be destroyed. No Israelite must take anything from the town. Joshua’s commands followed the laws that God gave in Deuteronomy 20:10-20 about warfare. These laws were part of God’s covenant, or agreement, with the Israelites.

that I commanded them: God spoke through Joshua in verses 6:17-18 to remind the people of the laws about warfare which he gave them while Moses was still alive. Verse 7:11d explains which commands the people did not keep.

7:11c

and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as devoted to destruction refers to the things which Yahweh commanded the Israelites to dedicate to him. You should translate it the same way you did in 7:1.

7:11d

Indeed, they have stolen and lied: Although only the man named Achan has stolen anything, God regards all the people of Israel as guilty.

stolen: When Achan took some of the things which God told the people of Israel to destroy, he stole them from God.

7:11e

and they have put these things with their own possessions: Achan hid the things he stole from God with his own personal belongings.

possessions: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as possessions is a general word, used for equipment, baggage, or belongings. You should choose a general, nonspecific word to translate possessions.

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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.

8:17a

Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel: The clause Not a man was left refers to the men who were able to fight. Every fighting man went out.

Not a man was left…who did not go out: This use of Not and not is an example of a double negative in English. These two negative words together have an emphatic positive sense. In other words, every man went after Israel.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

every man in Ai went (Good News Translation)
-or-
not a man stayed (New Century Version)

in Ai or Bethel: The word Bethel is in the Hebrew text and in most English versions. Some versions omit the word Bethel because this town was not mentioned in the preceding verses.

It is recommended that you include the word Bethel. The towns of Ai and Bethel were close together. The people of Bethel went to help the men of their neighboring town.

8:17b

leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel: The soldiers of Ai ran out of the town gates and left them open, so that anyone could enter.

© 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.

Paragraph 9:14–15

9:14a

Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions: The word men refers to the Israelite leaders. The term their provisions refers to the food that the Gibeonites brought with them.

sampled their provisions: There are three ways to interpret the meaning of the Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sampled their provisions.

(1) The Hebrew clause means that the Israelite leaders examined the food and accepted it as evidence that the Gibeonites had traveled from a distant place. For example:

the Israelites examined their food (New Living Translation (2004))

(New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

(2) The Hebrew clause means that the Israelite leaders ate some of the food. For example:

the men of Israel sampled their provisions (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, King James Version)

(3) The Hebrew clause means that the Israelite leaders ate some of the food as part of a covenant ceremony. Some commentaries follow this interpretation, including the UBS Handbook Handbook, but no English version follows this interpretation.

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This seems most likely in the context. The Gibeonites provided evidence, and the Israelites examined the evidence and believed it.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the men believed the evidence they were shown (God’s Word)

sampled: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sampled is more literally “took.”

9:14b

but did not seek the counsel of the LORD: The clause did not seek the counsel of the LORD means that the Israelite leaders did not ask Yahweh to show them what to do. They decided what to do without listening to Yahweh.

This is an important point in the story. In the Hebrew text it is emphasized by a change of word order. Look for a natural way to emphasize it in your language. It might be clearer in some languages to translate this as an independent sentence with the subject made explicit: For example:

But the Israelite leaders did not ask Yahweh what they should do.

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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.

10:19a

But you, do not stop there: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you, do not stop there is more literally “you, do not stand.” The pronoun “you” is in an emphatic position. Use whatever way is natural in your language to give this emphasis.

The clause do not stop there indicates that Joshua made a distinction between the people who gave the order to guard the cave and the people who guarded it.

10:19b

Pursue your enemies: The clause Pursue your enemies indicates that Joshua commanded these soldiers to continue fighting and to chase the enemy soldiers.

and attack them from behind: The Amorite soldiers were running away from the battlefield. Joshua told the Israelite soldiers to attack those who were running from behind.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

attack them from behind

10:19c

Do not let them reach their cities: The clause Do not let them reach their cities indicates that Joshua commanded the Israelite army to kill the enemy soldiers before they could return to their walled towns. If they reached their towns they would be protected by the town walls and could continue to fight.

10:19d

for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand: The clause the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand indicates that Yahweh has decided that the Israelites will defeat the Amorites. The Israelite army should not hesitate to chase and attack the enemy soldiers because they can have confidence that Yahweh will enable them to defeat them.

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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.

13:5a

the land of the Gebalites: It may be more natural to begin a new sentence at the beginning of verse 5, for example:

It also includes the land of the Gebal people

the Gebalites: The term Gebalites indicates the people who lived in Gebal, a town on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, eighteen miles northeast of modern Beirut. The ancient Greek name of this town was Byblos, and some English versions (New International Version (2011), NET Bible) refer to it by this name. The modern Arabic name for this town is Jubayl.

13:5b

and all Lebanon to the east: The phrase all Lebanon to the east indicates that the rest of Lebanon east of Gebal must still be conquered.

The places named in 13:5c describe the southern and northern limits of all Lebanon.

13:5c

from Baal-gad below Mount Hermon: The town of Baal-gad was mentioned in Joshua 11:17. It was in the Lebanon Valley at the western foot of Hermon Mountain. Baal-gad was at the southern point Lebanon Valley.

Here is another way to spell the word Baal-gad:

Baal Gad (New International Version, NET Bible)

below Mount Hermon: The phrase below Mount Hermon indicates that the town of Baal-gad was at the base of Hermon Mountain.

to Lebo-hamath: There are two ways to interpret the phrase Lebo-hamath.

(1) The Hebrew text reads lebo hamath. The Hebrew word lebo means “entrance.” Some English versions translate this as the entrance of Hamath or the Hamath Mountain Pass. For example:

the border of Hamath (God’s Word)

(God’s Word, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) Some English versions translate this as a proper name, Lebo Hamath. For example:

Lebo Hamath (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, English Standard Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible)

It is difficult to know which is the proper interpretation. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) unless the national version used in your area uses interpretation (2).

Lebo-hamath: The town of Lebo-hamath and its mountain pass occurs several times in the Bible in boundary lists. See, for example, Numbers 13:21 and Judges 3:3. Hamath town was the northern point of the Lebanon Valley.

© 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.

14:4a

The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but many English versions translates as “For” is the same as the word in verse 3. It means “because.” It introduces the reason why the tribe of Levi did not receive land of their own.

The descendants of Joseph became two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: This verse explains why there were twelve tribes who inherited land, even though the Levite tribe did not receive any land. The descendants of Joseph had split into two tribes.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The descendants of Joseph had divided into two tribes—Manasseh and Ephraim. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
Manasseh and Ephraim were the sons of Joseph. They had become two tribes. (NIRV)

14:4b

And no portion of the land was given to the Levites: The clause no portion of the land was given to the Levites indicates that the Levites did not receive any land area of their own.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The Levites received no share of the land (New International Version)
-or-
The Levite tribe did not receive any land.

General Comment on 14:3-4b

The information about the Levites is repeated in 4b for emphasis. If it is not natural to repeat this information, verses three and four may be combined, as in the Good News Translation:

Moses had already assigned the land east of the Jordan to the other two and one-half tribes. (The descendants of Joseph were divided into two tribes: Manasseh and Ephraim.) However, Moses gave the Levites no portion of the territory. (Good News Translation)

14:4c

except for cities in which to live: The phrase except for cities in which to live, indicates that the Levite tribe did not receive a region of land as the other tribes did. Instead, they received towns to live in.

14:4d

along with pasturelands for their flocks and herds: The word pasturelands indicates fields in which cattle or other domestic animals could eat the grass.

their flocks and herds: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates their flocks and herds is more literally “their acquired possessions.” It can also refer to animals. In this context it refers to other domesticated animals that the Levites owned, such as sheep and goats.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

nearby pastures for their sheep, goats, and cattle (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
fields for all their animals to live on

© 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.