The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated into English as “chariot” is translated into Anuak as “canoe pulled by horse.” “Canoe” is the general term for “vehicle” (source: Loren Bliese). Similarly it is translated in Lokạạ as ukwaa wạ nyanyang ntuuli or “canoe that is driven by horses.” (Source: J.A. Naudé, C.L. Miller Naudé, J.O. Obono in Acta Theologica 43/2, 2023, p. 129ff. )
Other translations include:
Chichicapan Zapotec: “ox cart” (in Acts 8) (ox carts are common vehicles for travel) (source: Loren Bliese)
Chichimeca-Jonaz, it is translated as “little house with two feet pulled by two horses” (source: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
HausaCommon Language Bible as keken-doki or “cart of donkey” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “army” in English is translated in Chichewa as “group of warriors.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 11:4:
Kupsabiny: “Those kings came with their very many soldiers. They came with horses and countless carts that were pulled.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “They came bringing their troops. Their number was very great, and their many horses and chariots were like the sand of the seashore.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “All these kings arrived, with their soldiers their number (was) the same as the sand of the seashore. They also had-many horses and chariots.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “So the armies of all those kings gathered together, bringing their horses and chariots. There seemed to be as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
In Malagasy culture, the sea is perceived as sacred because it was a path taken by the ancestors. That is why the Malagasy word for the “sea” is ranomasina, which literally means “the sacred water.” The word masina actually has two different meanings: “salted” and “sacred/holy.” Salt is used for the conservation of some foods, such as meat or fish, that are to be set aside for later use. In this sense, the Malagasy phrase for “Holy Spirit” has the literal meaning of “Salted Spirit.” (Source: Brigitte Rabarijaona in The Bible Translator 2022, p. 103ff.)
The huge size of the enemy army is described in the common expression, “as many as the grains of sand on the seashore.” Readers who know anything about an ocean would have no difficulty understanding this figure of speech. However, even though it may be understood, many cultures will have expressions of their own which are more meaningful. For example, “as many men as there are trees in the jungle.”
The Hittite chariot was pulled by two horses and carried the driver and two warriors. It is possible to mention in one sentence the soldiers, horses, and chariots, and then to make the comparison in a separate sentence: “They brought together many soldiers and also a large number of war chariots that were drawn by horses. They had as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on the seashore.”
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 .
So: The Hebrew connector that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces the next event in the story. Here it also indicates result. The kings and their armies marched out in response to the message they had received from King Jabin of Hazor.
these kings: The pronoun these kings indicates the kings of the towns referred to in verse 3.
came out with all their armies: The verb came out indicates that the kings gathered their troops together and came out of their towns to fight against the Israelites.
Here is another way to translate this clause:
⌊the kings of these towns⌋ came out with all their soldiers
a multitude: The phrase a multitude indicates that there were many soldiers.
11:4b
as numerous as the sand on the seashore: The phrase as numerous as the sand on the seashore indicates a comparison. The number of Canaanite soldiers gathered to fight against the Israelites is compared to the grains of sand on the beach by the sea. There were so many that it was impossible to count them. In some languages it may be helpful to make this comparison clearer. For example:
there were so many soldiers ⌊that they could not be counted⌋ . It was like counting the sand that is on the seashore
11:4c
along with a great number of horses and chariots: The horses were used to pull the chariots. At that time, the Israelite army did not have any horses or chariots. The Canaanite army had more soldiers and had better weapons than the Israelites. This made the Israelite victory even more remarkable and showed that it was only possible because God fought for them.
chariots: The chariots were light carts that were each pulled by one or two horses. There was room in the chariot for two soldiers. One drove the horses and the other was free to fight with a sword or with bow and arrows.
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