SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 1:15

1:15a

until the LORD gives them rest: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gives them rest is the same verb as the Berean Standard Bible translated “give you rest” in 1:13b. You may be able to translate it the same way in both places.

as He has done for you: The phrase as He has done for you indicates that Yahweh will give a place of safety to the other Israelite tribes as he did for the two and a half tribes.

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

until Yahweh gives all the tribes of Israel a secure place to rest just as he did for you
-or-
until Yahweh gives your relatives a place to live as he gave one to you

1:15b

and your brothers also possess the land: The clause and your brothers also possess the land indicates that the Israelite tribes will own the land. The phrase your brothers also is in an emphatic position in the Hebrew sentence. It emphasizes that the other Israelite tribes will receive land just as surely as Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received it.

that the LORD your God is giving them: The phrase the LORD your God occurred in verse 1:9c. You should translate it the same way in both places.

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

When they also have settled in the land that Yahweh your God is giving them
-or-
After they have conquered the land that Yahweh your God is giving them, just as you did

1:15c

Then you may return to the land of your inheritance: The phrase the land of your inheritance means their own land. It was the land that Moses gave them on the east side of the Jordan River.

and take possession of: The noun possession and the verb “possess” come from the same root in Hebrew. The Hebrew text uses both the noun and the verb to show emphasis. Some languages may not be able to show emphasis in this way.

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

then you shall return to the land which you have settled and occupy it
-or-
then you can come back to your own land and live in it

1:15d

that which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: In Hebrew, the phrase used here for the servant of the LORD is the same as the phrase used in 1:1a. You should translate it the same way in both places.

on the east side of the Jordan: The phrase on the east side of the Jordan indicates that the land which Moses gave them was on the east side of the Jordan River.

Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

It is the land here on the east side of the Jordan River, which Moses, Yahweh’s servant, gave to you
-or-
Moses gave you this land on the east bank of the Jordan River

General Comment on 1:12-15

Verses 12-15 are similar to Deuteronomy 3:18-20. If you have already translated Deuteronomy, you should compare the similarities and differences so that similar words and phrases are translated in the same way.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 3:5

Paragraph 3:5

Joshua ordered the people to purify themselves.

3:5a

Then: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then indicates the next event in the story. This is the beginning of a new paragraph. Make sure your translation indicates that this is a new paragraph in the most natural way.

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

Joshua told the people
-or-
Then Joshua said to the Israelites

3:5b

Consecrate yourselves: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Consecrate means that people should do a ritual that makes them pure and sets them apart to be holy for Yahweh. An example of what the people did is found in Exodus 19:10 where Yahweh told Moses that the people must wash their clothes. In Exodus 19:15 Moses told the people not to have sex.

We do not know what ritual the people did in this verse. It is best to translate this word in a general way.

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

purify yourselves
-or-
make yourselves holy
-or-
prepare yourselves so that you will be pure

3:5c

for: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why the Israelites must purify themselves. It can also be translated as “because.” They should purify themselves because Yahweh will do something amazing among them tomorrow.

tomorrow the LORD will do wonders: The wonders are extraordinary things that amaze people. The wonders that Yahweh will do stop the water of the Jordan River from flowing.

among you: The phrase among you refers to Joshua as well as the Israelites. In some languages it may be more natural to say:

among us (incl.)
-or-
for us to see

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

because tomorrow Yahweh will do an amazing thing among us
-or-
because tomorrow Yahweh will do something for you to see that makes you astonished

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 4:20

4:20a

Joshua set up: It is likely that Joshua commanded the men to set up the stones. He probably did not do this himself. However, this is not certain. You may wish to rearrange the parts of this verse, for example:

The men who had carried the twelve rocks from the Jordan brought them to Joshua, and they made them into a monument (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Joshua had the men set up a memorial with the twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan River and carried to Gilgal

4:20b

the twelve stones: The phrase the twelve stones refers to the twelve stones that Joshua told the men to take out of the Jordan River.

4:20c

they had taken from the Jordan: The word they refers to the twelve men whom Joshua chose to take the stones from the middle of the river.

General Comment on 4:20

In this verse the object (the stones) comes first and the subject (Joshua) comes after the verb. This is a device used in the Hebrew language to emphasize the stones. If possible, use the natural grammar of your language to give emphasis to the stones.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 6:13

6:13a

the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns: The phrase the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns contains the same information as the similar phrase in 6:8b. You should translate this phrase in a similar way.

6:13b

kept marching: The phrase kept marching means that they walked forward.

ahead of the ark of the LORD: The priests carried the trumpets and walked in front of the ark of Yahweh.

6:13c

and blowing the horns: The priests blew the trumpets the entire time that they walked around the town.

6:13d

The armed troops went in front of them: This repeats the information that is in 6:9a. You should translate this clause in a similar way.

6:13e

and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD: This repeats the information that was given in 6:9c. You should translate this in a similar way.

6:13f

while the horns kept sounding: The clause while the horns kept sounding indicates that the priests did not stop blowing their trumpets while they walked around the town.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:18

7:18a

And: The Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces the next event in the storyline. It may be clearer in some languages to begin a new sentence here.

he had the family of Zabdi come forward: The clause he had the family of Zabdi come forward means that Joshua told the family of Zabdi to stand near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

man by man: Each man of Zabdi’s family stood one at a time before the Tent in order for the lot to show whether he was guilty or not.

7:18b

and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah: The author repeats the lineage of Achan as he did in 7:1. These are the names of his father, grandfather and great grandfather. You should translate this list in a way that is natural in your language. Some English versions leave this list of names implicit.

of the tribe of Judah: Achan’s family traced their ancestry back to Judah, one of the sons of Jacob.

was selected: Yahweh selected Achan by means of the lot. In some languages, the passive verb was selected may need to be translated as an active verb. For example:

The Lord chose Achan son of Carmi (New Century Version)

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:24

Paragraph 8:24–29

8:24a

When Israel: The word Israel refers to the Israelite army.

had finished killing: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as killing means that the Israelite army killed all the soldiers of Ai.

all the men of Ai: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to the men of Ai who had come out to fight the Israelites.

8:24b

who had pursued them into the field and wilderness: In 8:15 Joshua and his army pretended to be afraid and ran away into the wilderness between Ai and the Jordan River Valley. In 8:20 the soldiers of Ai chased them there. In this verse the roles are reversed. Israel chased the soldiers of Ai and killed them. This change of roles adds dramatic impact to this turning point in the story.

who had pursued them: Scholars and English versions differ on who who and them refer to.

(1) The word them refers to the Israelite soldiers and who refers to the soldiers of Ai. For example:

When the Israelite army finished chasing and killing all the men of Ai in the open fields (New Living Translation (2004))

(Berean Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) The word them refers to the soldiers of Ai and who refers to the Israelite soldiers. For example:

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had chased them toward the desert (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, God’s Word, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

The Hebrew text is not clear on this issue. It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of English versions. As noted above, option (1) adds impact to this climactic turn of events where Israel is now the victor.

into the field and wilderness: The phrase the field and wilderness refers to the barren, uninhabited country that was mentioned in 8:15.

8:24c

and when every last one of them: The phrase every last one of them refers to the fighting men of Ai. This phrase indicates that not one of the soldiers of Ai was left. They were all dead.

had fallen by the sword: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had fallen by the sword is more literally “had fallen by the mouth of the sword.” This is a Hebrew idiom. It means that the Israelite soldiers killed them.

This is a passive clause. The Israelites are the implied subject. The Israelite soldiers killed the men of Ai.

Here are some other ways to translate this Hebrew idiom:

they had been put to the sword (New International Version)
-or-
they put them all to death (God’s Word)
-or-
The Israelites killed every one of the enemy (Good News Translation)

8:24d

all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well: This clause indicates that the Israelite army killed the people who were still left in the town of Ai, the women and children.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 9:21

9:21a

They continued: Verse 21 continues the answer that the Israelite leaders gave to those who wanted to attack the Gibeonites. The clause They continued may not be necessary in some languages. It may not be natural to repeat a quote margin in the middle of continuous speech. For example, the New Living Translation (2004) deletes the quote margin:

Let them live. (New Living Translation (2004))

The English Standard Version follows the Hebrew with a long form of the quote margin:

And the leaders said to them, “Let them live” (English Standard Version)

Let them live: The clause Let them live indicates that the Israelites will not kill the Gibeonites.

The words Let them live are a repetition of what the leaders said in 20a. In some languages it may be clearer to use the word “repeated” in the quote margin. For example:

They repeated, “Let them live”

9:21b

but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the whole congregation: There are two ways to interpret the use of this phrase:

(1) These words are not part of the quotation that started in 21a. Instead, this phrase shows the result of the Israelites’ decision. For example:

21a “Let them live.” 21b So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community. (NET Bible)

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

(2) These words are part of the quotation that started in 21a. For example:

21a “Let them live, 21b but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community.” (New International Version)

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

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This is followed by several English versions and several commentaries.

woodcutters: The word woodcutters indicates that the Gibeonites cut firewood for the Israelites.

water carriers: The phrase water carriers indicates that the Gibeonites drew water from the wells and carried it for the Israelites.

the whole congregation: The phrase the whole congregation indicates that the Gibeonites performed these tasks for the whole Israelite community, including the leaders and their families.

9:21c

So the leaders kept their promise: The clause So the leaders kept their promise emphasizes the decision of the leaders about the Gibeonites. It was the leaders who made the decisions.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

So they became hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
So they made them woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community, as the Israelite leaders directed (New Living Translation (2004))

Use a way that is natural in your language to emphasize this decision of the leaders.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:26

10:26a

After this: The phrase After this indicates that the next event took place after the officers put their feet on the necks of the kings.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

After the officers had done this

Joshua struck down and killed the kings: The two clauses struck down and killed the kings are parallel and have the same meaning. They indicate that Joshua killed the five kings. In some languages it may be more natural to use one verb rather than two to indicate this. For example:

Then Joshua killed each of the five kings (New Living Translation (2004))

10:26b

and he hung their bodies on five trees: The clause he hung their bodies on five trees indicates that after Joshua killed the five kings, he hung them each on a tree as a public sign that God had cursed them. This was the same as Joshua did to the king of Ai in 8:29, and you should translate it in a similar way. See also Deuteronomy 21:22–23 where Moses gave rules for how such executions should be done.

10:26c

and left them there until evening: The clause and left them there until evening indicates that Joshua left the five kings on the trees all day. In the evening, when the sun was setting, he took them down. This was commanded by Moses in Deuteronomy 21:23.

© 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.