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 11:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 11:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, Joshua made a surprise attack on those people and all their soldiers there at the water of Merom and fought them.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So Joshua with his soldiers went and reached suddenly the Lake named Merom and attacked them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So Josue and his soldiers suddenly attacked (them) there by the Stream of Merom.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So Joshua and his army traveled to Merom Pond and attacked their enemies by surprise/before they were ready to fight.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 11:6 - 11:7

The Lord assures Joshua that he, the Lord will provide the victory; all the enemy will be killed by the next day. Joshua is told to cripple their horses and burn their chariots. To “hamstring” (Revised Standard Version) an animal is to cut the large sinew of the back legs, leaving the animal unable to walk. Although the events of verse 6 are narrated in chronological sequence, the use of the future perfect (will have killed) and of the imperative (You are to) may cause some confusion of time sequence. Moreover, in Hebrew the personal pronoun “I” (of the Lord) is emphatic. The Lord’s instructions to Joshua may then be translated. “Do not be afraid of them, because I, the LORD, will kill them all. By this time tomorrow they will all be dead. After the battle, cripple their horses and burn their war chariots.”

Joshua attacked the enemy by surprise (perhaps by night, verse 7), routed them and killed them all (verse 8). As a comparison of Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version will indicate, the Hebrew (represented by the formal structure of Revised Standard Version) is somewhat more lengthy than Good News Translation. If there is a problem with the pronoun them, it may be rendered either “the enemy camp” or “the enemy.” By surprise may be translated, “before the enemy knew they were there.”

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 11:7

Paragraph 11:7–9

11:7a

So by the waters of Merom: The waters of Merom were mentioned in 11:5b. The battle between the Israelites and the enemy armies took place near this riverbed.

11:7b

Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly: The clause Joshua and his whole army came upon them suddenly indicates that Joshua and his army attacked the Canaanite armies by surprise. These words are similar to the words in 10:9, and you may be able to translate them in a similar way.

and his whole army: The phrase and his whole army indicates that Joshua’s entire army was with him. In Hebrew, this is more literally “all the people of war with him”.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise (NET Bible)
-or-
So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly (New International Version)

and attacked them: The clause and attacked them indicates that Joshua and his army attacked the enemy armies. It may be more natural in some languages to combine this clause with the clause in 11:7a, for example:

So Joshua and all his men attacked them by surprise at Merom Brook (Good News Translation)
-or-
Joshua and his army made a surprise attack against the enemy camp at Merom Pond (Contemporary English Version)

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