Paragraph 4:8–9

4:8a

Thus: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Thus indicates that the next action in the story is about to take place. Use a word or particle in your language to show that the story line is progressing.

the Israelites: The phrase the Israelites refers to the twelve men that Joshua chose to carry the stones.

did as Joshua had commanded them: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

The men followed Joshua’s orders (Good News Translation)
-or-
So the Israelites obeyed Joshua (New Century Version)

4:8b

took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan: The phrase took up twelve stones means that they picked up twelve stones, The stones were lying in the riverbed. Because the water had stopped flowing, the men could pick up the stones easily.

the middle of the Jordan: The phrase the middle of the Jordan refers to the middle of the Jordan riverbed that was dry.

4:8c

one for each tribe of Israel: The phrase one for each tribe of Israel is a repetition of 4:5d. There were twelve tribes, and there were also twelve stones.

4:8d

just as the LORD had told Joshua: The phrase as the LORD had told Joshua emphasizes that the command to pick up the stones came from Yahweh, not from Joshua. It may be more natural in some languages to combine this phrase with 4:8a. For example:

The men followed the instructions that the Lord had given Joshua (Contemporary English Version)

4:8e

and: The word and indicates that the next action in the story is about to take place. It may be more natural in some languages to begin a new sentence here. Use a word or particle in your language to show that the story line is progressing.

they carried them: The phrase they carried them means that the twelve men carried the twelve stones across the river.

to the camp: The phrase to the camp refers to the place where the Israelites set up their camp or temporary dwelling place. If there is no word “camp” in your language, you may translate this phrase as “the place where they stayed for a short time.”

4:8f

where they set them down: The phrase where they set them down means that the twelve men put down the stones on the ground at the place where they camped.

© 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 6:1–5

6:1a

Now: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now introduces a parenthetical comment about Jericho.

Jericho was tightly shut up: The phrase Jericho was tightly shut up means that the gates in the wall around the town were closed so that they could not be opened from the outside.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

they closed the gates in the town wall

Jericho: Jericho was a town with a wall built around it for protection against its enemies.

tightly shut up: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tightly shut up is more literally “was shutting and shut up.” This is an idiom. It means that the gates were locked securely.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the gates were shut and locked securely
-or-
the gates were locked/barred tightly

6:1b

because of the Israelites: The phrase because of the Israelites indicates that they closed the town gates because they were afraid of the Israelites. They were afraid that the Israelite army would conquer their town.

6:1c

No one went out and no one came in: The clause No one went out and no one came in indicates that the Jericho people didn’t allow anybody to enter or leave their town. It shows how fearful the people of Jericho were of the Israelites.

© 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 7:6–9

Joshua asked Yahweh why he allowed the people of Ai to defeat the Israelites.

7:6a

Then: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next event in the storyline. There is some implied information here. The Israelite soldiers returned to their camp and told Joshua what happened in the battle. In some languages it may be clearer to make this information explicit. For example:

⌊When the soldiers returned to camp and reported to⌋ Joshua, he tore his clothes

Joshua: In the Hebrew text Joshua is mentioned alone as the subject of the sentence. Later in the verse, the elders of Israel also acted along with Joshua. This is a way to emphasize Joshua because he was the leader, and his reaction was the most important.

In some languages it may be more natural to include the elders of Israel as part of the subject. For example:

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothes

tore his clothes: The phrase tore his clothes means that Joshua intentionally tore his clothes open. This dramatic action was a way to express grief or sorrow. Joshua ripped open his upper and under garment in front of his chest, as a symbol of the pain in his heart.

It may be helpful to make the reason for this action explicit. For example:

tore their clothes in grief (Good News Translation)

7:6b

and fell facedown: Joshua lay down on the ground with his face downward. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fell means that Joshua deliberately lay down on the ground. This was one of the ways that he showed his humility and sorrow.

7:6c

before: The word before indicates “in front of” the ark.

the ark of the LORD: the ark of the LORD was a wooden box that represented the presence of Yahweh among the people. You should use the same word for ark as you did in 3:3.

until evening: Joshua lay this way until the sun set.

7:6d

as did the elders of Israel: The Hebrew is an ellipsis. In many languages it may be necessary to express it in a different way. For example:

he and the elders of Israel ⌊all did this⌋
-or-
The leaders of Israel did the same thing. (New Century Version)
-or-
The elders of Israel also did these things along with Joshua.

The Hebrew text puts this reference to the elders at an unusual place in the verse. In some languages it may not be natural to keep the order of the Hebrew text. Some English versions include the elders, along with Joshua, as the subject of the sentence in 7:6a. For example:

6a Joshua and the leaders of Israel tore their clothes in grief (Good News Translation)

Express this in a way that is natural in your language.

the elders of Israel: The elders of Israel were older men who were the leaders of Israel.

7:6e

and they all sprinkled dust on their heads: It was the custom for people to put dust on their heads to show sorrow. In some languages the reason for this action must be made explicit. For example:

with dust on their heads to show their sorrow (Good News Translation)

sprinkled: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sprinkled is more literally “to cause to go up.” The precise action that the people used is not clear. Some English versions translate this word as “threw” (Revised English Bible, New Century Version, NET Bible). Choose a word that seems natural in your language.

dust: The word dust can also be translated as “dirt.”

General Comment on 7:6

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some of the information in this verse. There is more than one way to do this. Here are two examples:

6a Joshua 6d and the leaders of Israel 6a tore their clothing in dismay, 6e threw dust on their heads, 6b and bowed down 6c facing the Ark of the Lord until evening. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

6a Then Joshua 6d and the leaders of Israel 6c went to Yahweh’s Covenant Box. 6a They tore their clothes 6e and put dirt on their heads to show their grief. 6b Then they threw themselves down 6c in front of the Covenant Box and lay there with their faces to the ground until sunset.

© 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.

8:12a

Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men: This clause indicates that Joshua gave orders to about five thousand soldiers.

In verse 8:3 it says that thirty thousand men were part of the ambush. In this verse it says there were five thousand men. The commentaries do not suggest any good way to reconcile these different numbers. It is recommended that you translate them literally.

had taken: There are two ways to interpret the meaning of the verb had taken.

(1) The form of the verb indicates the next event in the story. For example:

He took five thousand men (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), King James Version)

(2) The form of the verb indicates an event that has already happened. For example:

Joshua had taken about five thousand men (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is the interpretation followed by many English versions and by many commentaries.

8:12b

and set up an ambush: The clause set up an ambush indicates that Joshua told them to hide and wait to attack Ai.

between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city: Bethel was three kilometers west of Ai. The soldiers hid themselves Bethel and Ai.

© 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.

9:9a

Your servants have come from a very distant land: The Gibeonites lied to Joshua so that they could make a treaty with the Israelites. The phrase from a very distant land is placed at the beginning of the sentence in the Hebrew text to emphasize it. If a location phrase at the beginning of the sentence is not natural, you should use some other means in your language to show this emphasis.

they replied: In some languages it may be more natural to translate the word replied as “answered.”

9:9b

because of the fame of the LORD your God: The phrase the fame of the LORD your God refers to the reputation, or name, that Yahweh had because of the miracles he did for the Israelites. He made it possible for them to leave Egypt and then to defeat the kings of the Amorites.

9:9c

For we have heard the reports about Him: The clause we have heard the reports about Him indicates that the news about Yahweh had spread among the people in the surrounding area.

all that He did in Egypt: The clause all that He did in Egypt indicates that the Gibeonites heard about the miracles Yahweh did when he helped the Israelites escape from Egypt. These events are described in Exodus chapters 5–14.

© 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.

10:14a

There has been no day like it before or since: The clause There has been no day like it before or since indicates that the day when the Israelites fought the Amorites was an extraordinary day. In the history of the world, there was never a day when God answered such a bold request from a human being.

10:14b

when the LORD listened to the voice of a man: There are two ways to interpret the clause when the LORD listened to the voice of a man.

(1) It means that Yahweh listened to Joshua and granted his request. For example:

there has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer (New Living Translation (2004))

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

(2) It means that Yahweh obeyed Joshua. For example:

never before, and never since, has there been a day like it, when the Lord obeyed a human being (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, God’s Word, New American Bible, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This is followed by a majority of English versions. Sometimes the Hebrew word “to listen” can be translated as “obey.” But it is only used for humans or angels obeying God, not the other way around. A suggestion that God obeyed a human being seems unlikely.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

there has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a man (New International Version)
-or-
never before and never since has the Lord done anything like that for someone who prayed (Contemporary English Version)

10:14c

because: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because can also mean “surely” or “certainly.” It is used to emphasize a statement. Some examples of its use in English translations are:

surely the Lord was fighting for Israel! (New International Version)
-or-
the Lord really was fighting for Israel (Contemporary English Version)

the LORD fought for Israel: The clause the LORD fought for Israel indicates that the Israelites were able to win the battle because of the miracles that Yahweh did for them.

© 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.

12:24

So there were thirty-one kings in all: The kings listed in verses 9-24a come to a total of thirty-one kings.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

In total they defeated thirty-one kings
-or-
They defeated the kings of thirty-one (31) towns

© 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.