SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023 – Page 69

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 22:33

22:33a

The Israelites were satisfied with the report: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Israelites were satisfied with the report is more literally “the matter was good in the eyes of the people of Israel.” This same expression was used in verse 22:30d.

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

The people of Israel were pleased with the report,
-or-
The Israelites were glad to hear the report

22:33b

and they blessed God: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blessed God can also be translated “praised God.”

and spoke no more about going to war against them: There was no more discussion about fighting against the clans of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

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

and they praised God. They didn’t talk any more about starting a war against the other clans,
-or-
and they thanked God for it. They said nothing more about going to war with them,

22:33c

to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:

in order to ruin the land where the clans of Reuben and Gad lived
-or-
so that they could destroy the land where the people of Reuben and Gad lived

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 24:15

24:15a

But: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But indicates a contrast with the previous sentence. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. Choose a connecting word that indicates a contrast in your language.

if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD is more literally “but if it is bad in your eyes to serve Yahweh.”

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

But if you (plur.) do not want to serve Yahweh
-or-
But if it doesn’t seem good to you to obey Yahweh

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this clause as an independent sentence. For example:

But you may not want to worship Yahweh.

24:15b

then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve: Joshua indicated that the Israelites had a choice to make about whom they would worship and obey.

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

⌊Then⌋ choose for yourselves ⌊the gods⌋ that you ⌊want to⌋ worship and obey

24:15c

whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates: This refers to the gods that the ancestors of the Israelites worshiped when they lived in Mesopotamia, on the east side of the Euphrates River. Some English versions make this reference clear. For example:

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

⌊Serve⌋ the gods whom your ancestors served ⌊when they lived in the land⌋ beyond the Euphrates River
-or-
You can decide to worship the gods whom your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River.
-or-
the gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia (Good News Translation)

24:15d

or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living: The term Amorites refers here to all the people who lived in the land of Canaan.

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

or serve the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living
-or-
You can decide to worship the gods of the Amor people. You are living in their land.

24:15e

As for me and my house: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As for me is more literally “but I.” The pronoun “I” is emphatic in Hebrew. Joshua contrasted himself with the other Israelites. The Berean Standard Bible shows this emphasis in English with the words As for me. Choose a natural way to show this emphasis in your language.

my house: The term my house refers to Joshua’s family and the other people who live with him.

we will serve the LORD: The clause we will serve the LORD indicates that Joshua and everyone in his household would honor and obey Yahweh.

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

But I myself and my family will obey Yahweh
-or-
But for myself and my household, we (excl.) will worship Yahweh.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2:13

2:13a

that you will spare the lives: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spare the lives can also be translated “let live.” Rahab asked the two Israelites to promise that no one would kill her family when the Israelites conquered Jericho.

of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them: The phrase all who belong to them indicates the families of Rahab’s brothers and sisters as well as her own immediate family.

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

Let my father and mother, my brothers and sisters and all their families live
-or-
Save the lives of my whole family

2:13b

and that you will deliver us from death: Rahab asked the Israelites not to kill her or her family. Rahab makes the same request two times, using different words, to emphasize the importance of her request.

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

save us from death
-or-
do not let your people kill us

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 4:4

Paragraph 4:4–7

4:4

There is implied information at the beginning of 4:4. It does not say explicitly that Joshua chose the men. You may wish to include this implied information.

Here is a way to translate the implied information:

⌊Joshua chose one man from each tribe,⌋ and then he called the twelve men

4:4a

So Joshua summoned the twelve men: The phrase Joshua summoned the twelve men indicates that Joshua gathered the twelve men he had chosen in order to give them God’s command.

from the Israelites: The phrase from the Israelites emphasizes that these men were all Israelite men. It may be redundant to translate this phrase in some languages, because it is clear from previous verses that these were Israelite men. It may be more natural to leave this phrase implicit.

4:4b

he had appointed: The phrase he had appointed refers to the men that Joshua chose to carry the stones.

one from each tribe: A similar phrase is found in 4:2b. The purpose of one from each tribe was so that each tribe had a representative.

General Comment on 4:4

It might be helpful to reorder the phrases and to include the implied information. Some other ways to translate this verse are:

⌊Joshua chose one man from each of the twelve Israelite tribes.⌋ Then he called them together
-or-
Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed to represent the twelve Israelite tribes

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 5:12

5:12a

And: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And signals the next event in the storyline.

the day after: The phrase the day after refers to the morning after the Israelites celebrated the Passover feast. This was the day that the Israelites began to eat food from the land of Canaan.

they had: The word had marks a transitional event. Yahweh stopped sending manna when they ate the produce from the land.

eaten from the produce of the land: The phrase produce of the land refers to the barley grain that the Israelites gathered to roast and to make into bread.

5:12b

the manna: The manna is the food that Yahweh gave to the Israelites every morning while they walked through the wilderness. It is described in Exodus 16:13–16.

ceased: The word ceased means “stopped.” The manna appeared on the ground every morning for forty years. Now it no longer appeared. There is implied information: Yahweh is the one who sent the manna, and who stopped sending it.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

Yahweh stopped sending the manna

5:12c

There was no more manna for the Israelites: The clause There was no more manna for the Israelites indicates that God no longer sent them manna from the sky.

5:12d

that year they began to eat the crops of the land of Canaan: The clause the crops of the land of Canaan has the same meaning as the clause “the produce of the land” in 12a.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

that year they ate things that grew in the land of Canaan

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:2

Paragraph 7:2–5

Joshua sent the Israelite army to fight against the men of Ai, but the Israelites were defeated.

7:2a

Meanwhile: The Hebrew text has a word that introduces the next event in the storyline. The Berean Standard Bible translates it as Meanwhile, but some English versions do not translate this word. Some English versions begin this verse with the connector “now.” Introduce this next event in a way that is natural in your language.

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai: The men that Joshua sent were Israelites. They were not people of Jericho. The Israelites were camped near Jericho following the battle. The New Living Translation (2004) makes this clear:

Joshua sent some of his men (New Living Translation (2004))

Ai: Ai is the name of a town. It was smaller than Jericho.

7:2b

which is near Beth-aven to the east of Bethel: These are the names of small towns. Ai was near the town of Beth-aven and was east of the town of Bethel.

7:2c

and told them: Joshua gave the men instructions before he sent them to Ai. The Hebrew text uses a direct quote for Joshua’s instructions. Some English versions put these brief instructions into an indirect quote.

The NET Bible has a direct quote:

and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land” (NET Bible)

The Good News Translation has an indirect quote:

Joshua sent some men…with orders to go and explore the land (Good News Translation)

Use the kind of quotation that is most natural in your language.

Go up: Ai was at a higher elevation than the Israelite camp. Hebrew verbs keep track of elevation, and thus it says Go up. If your language does not keep track of elevation, it may be more natural to say “go.”

and spy out the land: The phrase spy out the land means “look at the land and learn about it.” Joshua wanted to know information that would help him to plan an attack on Ai.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

find out whatever you can (Contemporary English Version)

land: The word land refers to both the town of Ai and to the land that surrounded it.

7:2d

So: The Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So indicates that 7:2d is the result of 7:2c. Use a natural way to indicate result in your language.

the men went up and spied out Ai: This clause indicates that the men obeyed Joshua’s instructions. In some languages it may not be natural to repeat the information again. If that is true in your language, you may express the idea in a different way. For example:

so they did it
-or-
so the men obeyed Joshua

went up: See the note on “go up” in 7:2c.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:8

8:8a

And: The Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And is the normal way to indicate the next event of the story. Use a connecting word that is natural in your language.

when you have taken the city: The clause when you have taken the city refers to the time after the Israelite soldiers have captured the town. For example:

After you have taken the city (Good News Translation)

8:8b

set it on fire: Joshua commanded the Israelites to burn the buildings and other flammable objects in the town.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

light the town on fire
-or-
burn the town

Do as the LORD has commanded: Joshua told the Israelite soldiers that this was the command of Yahweh.

8:8c

See: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as See emphasizes the importance of the command. You may have some other word or grammatical marker to emphasize that this command is important.

I have given you orders: The clause I have given you orders refers to the instructions that Joshua gave the soldiers. As Yahweh’s spokesperson, Joshua gave the soldiers Yahweh’s commands.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 9:5

9:5a

They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies: It may be more natural in some languages to translate this as an independent sentence. For example:

They put on ragged clothes and worn-out sandals that had been mended (Good News Translation)
-or-
The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes (New International Version)

9:5b

and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy: The phrase their whole supply of bread refers to the bread they took with them to eat.

moldy: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as moldy is rarely used. Bible scholars and the English versions disagree about its meaning.

(1) It means crumbly or hard rather than moldy. This seems likely because mold requires moisture for growth, and the climate in Palestine is very dry. For example:

And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. (English Standard Version)

(English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version)

(2) It means moldy. For example:

All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation)

It is difficult to know the meaning of this word because it is rare. It occurs only three times in the Old Testament (Joshua 9:5, 12, and I Kings 13:4). Both options are used by English versions. Even though Palestine generally had a dry climate, there was also a wet season and old bread could get moldy. Either option is acceptable.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 22:33

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 24:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2:13

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 4:4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 5:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 7:2

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 9:5

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