Joshua

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joshua” is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts a trumpet of rams’ horn, referring to Joshua 6:4 and following.


“Joshua” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joshua .

complete verse (Joshua 10:26)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 10:26:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that, Joshua killed those kings and hanged/nailed them on five trees until evening.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then Joshua killed the kings and ordered his men to impale them on five poles. And they were hanging on the pole until sundown.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Josue killed the five kings and had- (them) -hung on five trees until (it) became-afternoon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Joshua killed each of the five kings with his sword, and told his soldiers to hang the bodies of the five kings on trees. So they did that, and they left the bodies hanging on the trees until sunset.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 10:26 - 10:27

After executing the five kings, Joshua had their bodies strung up on five trees (or impaled on five posts; see comments on 8.29), where they stayed until sundown—as was done to the king of Ai (8.29). Their bodies were then thrown back into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and the pile of huge stones placed at the entrance of the cave was still there at the time of the writing of the account (verse 27).

Whereas 8.29 leaves open the possibility that the king of Ai was killed by being impaled on a tree or a post, it is now specifically stated that the five kings were killed before their bodies were hanged on five trees. So the problem of the sequence of events is here resolved for the translator. It may be that Joshua killed the kings, but it is quite unlikely that he alone hanged them on the five trees. One may then translate either “Then Joshua killed the kings and ordered his men to hang them on five trees” or “Then Joshua ordered his men to kill the kings and hang them on five trees.” For economy’s sake verses 26-27 may be placed together:

• Then Joshua killed the kings and ordered his men to hang their bodies on five trees. In the evening he gave orders for their bodies to be taken down and to be thrown into the same cave where they had hidden earlier.

If direct discourse is preferable, two options are available:

• (1) Joshua killed the kings. Then he told his men, “Hang their bodies on five trees.” At sunset Joshua gave his men further orders. He said. “Take their bodies down and throw them into the cave where they hid themselves earlier.”

• (2) Joshua told his men, “Kill the kings and hang their bodies on five trees.” …

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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.

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