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 .

king

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Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Joshua 11:17 - 11:18

Good News Translation places verses 17-18 together because 18 merely repeats the last part of verse 17, except for the additional information “made war a long time” (see Revised Standard Version). It is possible, however, to translate these verses in a way that sounds natural without joining them together: “17 … Joshua and his army finally captured and put to death all the kings of this territory, 18 even though the war against the kings took a long time.” Verse 18 may also be translated either “even though the war lasted a long time” or “even though it took them a long time (to defeat the kings).”

The limits of the territory are given in verse 17: the southern limit was Mount Halak, near Edom, south of the Dead Sea; the northern limit was the town of Baalgad, not far from Mount Hermon.

The territory extended from of Good News Translation translates the preposition “from” of the Hebrew text. In Hebrew verse 17a continues the listing of territories begun in verse 16, and the restructuring of Good News Translation is necessary only because Good News Translation breaks the sentence at the end of verse 16. A sentence break may still be maintained, and the relationship between the two verses made even clearer, if verse 17 begins: “They captured all the territory from Mount Halak in the south near Edom and as far north as the city of Baalgad, in the valley of Lebanon south of Mount Hermon.” Or, 16-17a may be translated as a unit:

• Joshua and his army captured all the land as far south as Mount Halak near Edom and as far north as the city of Baalgad in the valley between Mount Hermon and the Lebanon Mountains. They captured the central hill country, the western slopes, the dry country in the south, and the Jordan Valley.

Although all the area of Goshen is not mentioned explicitly in this restructuring, it is included in the phrase “all the dry country to the south.”

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 .