complete verse (Joshua 12:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 12:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “of Tappuah, of Hepher,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The king of Tappuah,
    The king of Hepher,” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “the king of Tapua
    the king of Hefer” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Tappuah, Hepher,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

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 12:9 - 12:24

In this list of thirty-one kings, the kings of the following cities have already been named: Jericho (6.1-27; see note on 8.2 and 10.1); Ai (8.10-29); Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon (10.22-27); Gezer (10.33); and Debir (10.38).

Revised Standard Version reproduces the formal features of the Hebrew; from verses 9-23 the Hebrew lists two kings in each of the fifteen verses, giving the name of the king and then adding the numeral “one” after each name; in verse 24a the last king is named, followed also by the numeral “one.” This gives a total of thirty-one kings.

Good News Translation has simplified the form in an attempt to make the list easier to read.

If the form of Good News Translation is preferred over the tabular form of An American Translation, then verse numbers “9-24” may be indicated at verse 9, so as to avoid the awkwardness of having verse numbers precede so many of the names in the text.

In such a list as this the precise location of each city is not important, since there is no movement from one place to the next. The cities in verses 9-16a (Jericho to Makkedah) are in the south: the cities in verses 16b-24 are in the central and northern part of the country. Commentators point out that no campaigns in the central part of the country (in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh) have been described.

There are several textual problems in this list.In verse 18 the Masoretic text lists two kings: of Aphek and of Lasharon. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project emends the text by deleting the first numeral “one” and taking lasharon to mean “of Sharon,” and translates “the king of Aphek-in-Sharon, one” (so Gray). Thus verses 18, following Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, lists only one king. Bible de Jérusalem translates “the king in Sharon” (not of Sharon). In verse 19 Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends deleting “king of Madon: one.” In verse 20, instead of two kings in the Masoretic text, of Shimron Meron and of Achshaph, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project conjectures three kings: of Shimeon, of Meron, and of Achshaph. There is some support from the Septuagint in some of these textual items; but it should be noted that the Septuagint lists only twenty-nine kings in all. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project comes up with thirty (and not thirty-one) kings in all. It does not seem necessary to follow Hebrew Old Testament Text Project here. In verse 23a the Hebrew for “Naphath-dor” (see Revised Standard Version) is taken by Good News Translation to mean (see 11.2) “the Dor on the coast” (New English Bible has “Dor in the district of Dor”; Jerusalem Bible “Dor on the hillsides of Dor”; Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “Dor on the crest of Dor”).

In verse 23b the Masoretic text has “Gilgal.” The Septuagint has “Galilee” (so An American Translation, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible), supported by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, which judges that the reading “Gilgal” represents either a misunderstanding of the historical situation by a later scribe, or a scribal error. New American Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible prefer the Masoretic text. Goiim represents the transliteration of a Hebrew word which as a common noun means “nations, peoples, Gentiles”: so An American Translation, Bible de Jérusalem. New American Bible translates the Masoretic text by “the foreign king at Gilgal.” Gray suggests a scribal mistake for “Harosheth-of-the-Gentiles” (see Judges 4.2), which was in Galilee.

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 1:1

Section 1:1–9 Yahweh spoke to Joshua

In this section Yahweh commanded Joshua to lead the Israelites into the land that he had promised them. He told Joshua that no enemy would be able to oppose him, and that he must obey the law which Yahweh gave to Moses. Joshua told the Israelites to prepare to cross the Jordan River.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Yahweh told Joshua to be strong and courageous
-or-
Yahweh told Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River

Paragraph 1:1–5

Moses led the Israelite people through the wilderness for forty years. At the end of the book of Deuteronomy the people were almost ready to enter the land of Canaan, and Moses died. Here at the beginning of the book of Joshua, Yahweh put Joshua in command of the Israelites, and told him to lead them into Canaan. Yahweh promised to be with Joshua and to help him.

1:1a

after the death of His servant Moses: The death of…Moses is described in Deuteronomy 34. The book of Joshua follows that story. This sentence is the opening words of a new book. Think about the natural way to begin a new book in your language. In some languages it may be better to begin with a main clause, for example:

Moses had ⌊recently⌋ died

His servant Moses: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant can also be translated as “slave.” It refers to someone who must obey the commands of a master. It is recommended that you use a term that indicates the lowly position of a slave or a servant.

In some languages it may be more natural to place Moses’ title His servant after his name, for example:

Moses, Yahweh’s servant

In some languages it may be more natural to use the verb “serve” instead of the noun servant, for example:

Moses, a man who served Yahweh

General Comment on 1:1a

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

After Moses, Yahweh’s servant, died
-or-
Moses had recently died. He was a man who served Yahweh.

1:1b

the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun: This is the first event of the book. If you used a main clause to translate 1:1a you may want to use a temporal phrase here, such as “at that time.”

Here is another way to translate this clause:

⌊At that time⌋ Yahweh said to Joshua the son of Nun

the LORD: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates LORD is “Yahweh,” the personal name of God. See the notes in the Introduction on how to translate this term.

Joshua son of Nun: In some languages it may be more natural to say:

Joshua whose father was called Nun

Moses’ assistant: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as assistant comes from a verb that means “to be an attendant on” or “to wait on.” It is different from the Hebrew word translated as “servant” in 1:1a. This word was used when Joshua accompanied Moses up Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:13) where the Berean Standard Bible translated it as “attendant.” Joshua’s task was not that of a servant but of an assistant.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the person who helped Moses
-or-
Moses’ aide (New International Version)
-or-
Moses’ helper (Good News Translation)

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

Yahweh said to Joshua, Nun’s son, who had been Moses’ assistant
-or-
Yahweh spoke to Joshua. Joshua was the son of Nun, and he was the person who had helped Moses

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