cattle, livestock

The Hebrew that is translated in English as “livestock” (or “cattle”) is translated in Newari as “living beings brought up in a house” or “living beings cared for in a house” (source: Newari Back Translation). Specifically “cattle” is “cows and oxen.”

In Kwere it is “animals that are being kept.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

complete verse (Joshua 11:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 11:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “The people of Israel brought/took all the things they had plundered from those cities including animals, but they killed all the people.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The Israelites took for themselves all the cattle of these cities and as much property as there was. The people, however, they killed with the sword. They destroyed them without keeping even one of them alive.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The Israelinhon took all the possessions/properties and the animals/livestock in these towns/cities. But they killed all its residents, and no-one at-all was-left alive.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The Israelis took for themselves the animals that they found in those cities and everything else that was valuable. But they killed all the people.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 11:14

The Israelites kept all the valuables and livestock, but they killed all the people. They put every person to death; no one was left alive is similar in Hebrew to what occurs in 10.40 and 11.11.

The word translated valuables (Revised Standard Version “spoil”) refers to any kind of loot taken from a captured city; it is the same word translated goods at 8.27. Livestock is also the same word translated livestock in 8.27.

But they put every person to death; no one was left alive translates “but every man they smote with the edge of the sword, until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any that breathed” (Revised Standard Version). One may further shorten the statement: “But they put every person in the city to death.”

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 11:14

11:14a

The Israelites: The phrase The Israelites indicates the Israelite army.

took for themselves: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as took for themselves is more literally “took” or “seized.”

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

The Israelites kept the animals and everything of value from these towns (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The Israelites took for themselves all the animals and the other things from those towns

all the plunder and livestock of these cities: The phrase all the plunder and livestock of these cities refers to the things such as clothing or jewelry that a soldier might want to take. Yahweh allowed the Israelites to take these things for their own use. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as plunder is the same word as was used in 8:27.

and livestock of these cities: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as livestock can refer to other kinds of animals as well as cattle. It is recommended that you use a more general term, such as “domestic animals.” The same Hebrew word was also used in 8:27.

11:14b

they put all the people to the sword: The phrase put all the people to the sword indicates that the Israelite army killed the people. This is a Hebrew idiom that was used in 10:32, and it is recommended that you translate it the same way in both places.

Here is another way to translate this Hebrew idiom:

they put every person to death (Good News Translation)

all the people: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as all the people refers to both men and women.

11:14c

until they had completely destroyed them: The clause until they had completely destroyed them indicates that the Israelite army completed the task that Yahweh had given them through Moses.

not sparing anyone who breathed: The clause not sparing anyone who breathed indicates that the army killed every single person. The Hebrew text states this information three times using different words to emphasize that the Israelites obeyed Yahweh’s command to completely destroy their enemies.

General Comment on verses 11:12–14

In each of these verses, the object comes before the subject and the verb. The Hebrew text uses this word order to emphasize the object. In some languages this order may be difficult to understand. Use the natural grammatical or lexical means in your language to indicate this emphasis.

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