SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023 – Page 72

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 6:24

6:24a

Then the Israelites: The phrase the Israelites refers to the Israelite army, not to the two men who led Rahab’s family to safety.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

Then the army burned the town

burned up the city: For example:

But they burned the town and all that was in it (NET Bible)

and everything in it: The Israelite soldiers killed every person and animal in the town. They then burned all the bodies and everything else that was still there.

6:24b

However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron: The only other exception to the ban besides Rahab’s family are these items.

articles of bronze and iron: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as articles refers to all handmade items, including containers, tools, and decorative things.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

things made of bronze and iron

6:24c

into the treasury of the LORD’s house: The term treasury refers to the storehouse where the things used for worship ceremonies were kept. They were probably kept in or near the Tent of Meeting.

the LORD’s house: The term the LORD’s house is another name for the Tent of Meeting, the place where the Israelites worshiped Yahweh.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:3

Paragraph 8:3–8

8:3a

So Joshua and the whole army set out: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set out shows that a new action is beginning. This verb does not mean that Joshua was lying down.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Joshua and all the fighting men set out to go up against Ai (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Joshua and all the fighting men started to go up to Ai

and the whole army: The phrase the whole army refers to all the soldiers of Israel.

to attack Ai: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to attack literally means “ascend.” Ai was at a higher elevation than the Israelite camp, and the Hebrew language keeps track of elevation. If your language does not keep track of elevation in this way you can translate it as:

to go to Ai
-or-
to go ⌊and attack⌋ Ai

8:3b

It is recommended that you begin a new sentence here.

Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor: In 4:13 it says that there were forty thousand Israelite soldiers in total. Thirty thousand of them went to hide behind the town, and ten thousand of them stayed with Joshua.

mighty men of valor: The phrase mighty men of valor indicates that the soldiers Joshua chose were strong and brave.

8:3c

and sent them out at night: The clause sent them out at night indicates that the soldiers whom Joshua chose went during the night. They went at night so that the people of Ai would not see them.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:35

8:35a

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded: The phrase not a word of all that Moses had commanded emphasizes again that Joshua read all Moses’ teaching for the Israelites. This information is given again in this verse to emphasize how important the reading of the law was.

8:35b

that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel: In the previous verse, the information that Joshua read the entire law is stated in a positive manner. Now it is restated using a double negative for extra emphasis. In some languages a double negative may convey a wrong meaning. Use a natural means to emphasize that Joshua read the entire law to the Israelites. For example, the Good News Translation states 8:35a-b in a positive way:

Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua to the whole gathering (Good News Translation)

before the whole assembly of Israel: The phrase before the whole assembly of Israel indicates that Joshua read Moses’ teachings while all the Israelites stood and listened.

8:35c

including the women, the little ones: The phrase including the women, the little ones indicates that women and children were present and listened while Joshua read the law. Women and children were not present at every gathering. The author includes this information to show that the entire population of Israel listened while Joshua read aloud the law.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

including the women and the children

and the foreigners who lived among them: The foreigners were foreigners who lived with the Israelites. They were not Israelites by birth.

General Comment on verse 8:35

It may be more natural in some languages to reorder the parts of this verse so that 8:35c is first, as in the New Century Version:

35b All the Israelites were gathered together–35c men, women and children, along with the non-Israelites who lived among them. 35a Joshua read every command that Moses had given. (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:5

10:5a

So the five kings of the Amorites: The phrase the five kings of the Amorites refers to the kings who were mentioned in verse 3. These kings were all “Amorite” kings. The term “Amorite” referred to people who lived in the hill country. These five kings lived in the southwestern hill country. The towns of the Gibeonites were north of Jerusalem. These kings wanted to attack Gibeon because they had trade connections with it. The peace treaty that the Gibeonites made with the Israelites made it difficult to trade with them.

10:5b

the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon: This list of kings is repeated from verse 3. In some languages it may be more natural to avoid some of the repetition.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Then the five kings of the Amorites—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish and Eglon (New International Version)
-or-
When these five Amorite kings (Contemporary English Version)

10:5c

joined forces: The clause joined forces indicates that the five kings assembled their armies together.

and advanced with all their armies: The clause advanced with all their armies indicates that the five kings led their armies and went to the towns of Gibeon.

advanced: The Hebrew text says they advanced. Although the towns of Gibeon were at about the same elevation as Jerusalem, they were higher than the other four towns. In languages that do not keep track of elevation, it may be more natural to say:

they went with all their armies

10:5d

They camped before Gibeon: The clause camped before Gibeon indicates that the armies surrounded the town so that the Gibeonites could not leave it. They could not find food and would soon become weak. Then the five Amorite armies could conquer it.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

(they) surrounded Gibeon (Good News Translation)
-or-
(they) moved all their troops into place (New Living Translation (2004))

In 9:17 it says that the Gibeonites lived in four towns: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim. Probably this attack was only against the town of Gibeon.

and made war against it: The clause made war against it indicates that the five armies attacked the towns of Gibeon.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:37

10:37a

They captured it: The clause captured it indicates that the Israelites captured the town.

put to the sword: The clause put to the sword indicates that the Israelite army killed the people in Hebron. This is a Hebrew idiom that was used in 10:28, and it is recommended that you translate it the same way in both places.

10:37b

its king, all its villages, and all the people: The phrase its king, all its villages refers to the king of Hebron and the surrounding villages that were under the control of Hebron. All the people in Hebron and its villages were killed.

10:37c

Joshua left no survivors: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Joshua left no survivors is more literally “not a survivor remained.” This indicates that the Israelite army killed every person in Hebron and its surrounding towns.

just as he had done at Eglon: The clause just as he had done at Eglon is similar to the clause in verse 10:35c. It is recommended that you translate it in a similar way.

he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it: The clause he devoted to destruction Hebron and everyone in it is similar to verse 10:35b. The verb devoted to destruction refers to the action of destroying people and things that Yahweh had claimed and could not be bought back by any means.

General Comment on verse 10:37

It may be more natural in some languages to reorder the parts of 10:37.

Here is another way to translate this verse:

and captured it. They killed the king and everyone else in the city as well as in the nearby towns. Joshua condemned the city to total destruction, just as he had done to Eglon. No one in it was left alive. (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 12:3

12:3a

Verse 12:3 continues the description of King Sihon’s territory. It describes the territory that he ruled in the valley of the Jordan River, starting from its north end. It may be clearer to start a new sentence here.

as well as the Arabah: The Arabah is the valley of the Jordan River.

east of the Sea of Chinnereth: The Sea of Chinnereth is another name for the Sea of Galilee. In the Jordan River valley, the territory of King Sihon extended north beyond the Jabbok River to the Sea of Galilee.

east of: The phrase east of indicates that King Sihon’s territory was east of the Jordan River. It extended eastward from the Jordan River to the desert.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

King Sihon’s territory included the east side of the Jordan River valley to the Sea of Galilee ⌊in the north⌋

12:3b

to the Sea of the Arabah: The Sea of the Arabah is another name for the Dead Sea.

the Salt Sea: The Salt Sea is another name for the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is referred to by two different names in this verse. See how you translated this phrase in Joshua 3:16.

12:3c

through Beth-jeshimoth: Beth-jeshimoth is a town referred to in Numbers 33:49. It was the last place that the Israelites camped before crossing the Jordan River into Canaan. It is beside the Jordan River, at the northeast tip of the Dead Sea.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

and his territory went ⌊south⌋ to the town of Beth-jeshimoth

Some English versions spell this name as two separate words:

Beth Jeshimoth (New International Version, NET Bible, Good News Translation)

12:3d

southward below the slopes of Pisgah: Mount Pisgah was the southern boundary of King Sihon’s territory. The exact location of Mount Pisgah is uncertain, but it is probably at the north end of the Dead Sea.

General Comment on 12:3

Here is another way to translate 12:3. This example includes some connecting words to make the meaning clear.

Sihon also controlled the Jordan Valley and regions to the east—from as far north as the Sea of Galilee to as far south as the Dead Sea, including the road to Beth-jeshimoth and southward to the slopes of Pisgah. (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:23

13:23a

And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan: This clause indicates that the Jordan River was the western boundary of the land that belonged to the tribe of Reuben.

13:23b

This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites: The clause This was the inheritance indicates that God gave this land to belong to the tribe of Reuben. This summarizes the explanation of the area that the tribe of Reuben inherited, which began in 13:15.

of the clans of the Reubenites: The phrase of the clans of the Reubenites indicates that each clan of families within the tribe of Reuben received their own portion of the land. See how you translated the words “clan” and “family” in Joshua 7:14.

13:23c

including the cities and villages: Each family in the tribe of Reuben received certain cities and villages as their own. The term cities indicates settled areas with a wall around them to protect them. The term villages indicates small settled areas without walls.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:7

15:7a

Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor: The location of the town of Debir is uncertain.

the Valley of Achor: the Valley of Achor was mentioned in Joshua 7:24. You should translate it the same way in both places. If you translated it as “Valley of Trouble” in chapter 7 you should also do so here.

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

The boundary ascended from the Valley of Achor to the town of Debir
-or-
The border went up to the town of Debir from Trouble Valley

15:7b

turning north: The phrase turning north indicates that the border turned north after reaching the town of Debir.

to Gilgal: The phrase to Gilgal indicates that when the border turned north it went toward the town of Gilgal.

Gilgal: This town of Gilgal is not the same as the Gilgal mentioned in Joshua 5:9.

which faces the Ascent of Adummim: The phrase the Ascent of Adummim refers to a pass that goes from east to west through the mountains. The road along this pass was the major road from the Dead Sea up to Jerusalem. The road was on the south side of this pass. The town of “Gilgal” was on the north side of the pass.

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

it turned north to Gilgal, which faced the Pass of Adummim
-or-
it turned north toward Gilgal, which was on the north side of Adummim Pass, opposite the road that goes through the pass

15:7c

south of the ravine: The clause south of the ravine indicates that the road through mountains was on the south side of the pass.

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

south of the valley
-or-
which was across the valley on its southern side

15:7d

Verses 7d through verse 8 describe the boundary as it swings south around Jerusalem, going from east to west.

It continued along the waters of En-shemesh: The phrase waters of En-shemesh refers to a spring called En-shemesh. En-shemesh Spring was near Jerusalem. This spring still exists today and is called Ain el-Hod.

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

The boundary continued ⌊west⌋ to the spring of En-shemesh
-or-
Then the border went to En-shemesh Spring

15:7e

and came out at En-rogel: The clause and came out at En-rogel means that this was the southernmost point of the border as it went south around Jerusalem. It does not mean that the border ended here.

En-rogel: The name En-rogel refers to a spring in the Kidron Valley south of Jerusalem.

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

and went on to En-rogel Spring
-or-
and it went ⌊southwest⌋ to the spring of En-rogel, which ends ⌊its southward direction⌋

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 6:24

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 8:35

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 10:37

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 12:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 13:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Joshua 15:7

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