village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Elhomwe it is typically translated as “place.” “Here in Malawi, villages very small, so changed to ‘places,’ since not sure whether biblical reference just to small villages or also to bigger towns. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

family / clan / house

The Hebrew terms that are translated as “family” or “clan” or “house” or similar in English are all translated in Kwere as ng’holo or “clan.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the English translation by Goldingay (2018) it is translated as “kin-group.”

See also tribe.

complete verse (Joshua 13:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 13:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “It was the river Jordan which was the western border of the clan of Reuben. These were the cities and villages which were given to the clan of Reuben.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Reuben’s western boundary was the bank of the Jordan. These cities and villages were as inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The River of Jordan was the border of the tribe of Reuben. Those (were) the towns/cities and villages which were-given to the tribe of Reuben, which were-divided/partitioned for each family.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The western boundary of the land that was allotted to the clans of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan River.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Jordan

The Hebrew, Greek and Ge’ez that is translated as “Jordan” means “descending (rapidly),” “flowing down.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the river bordering Jordan and Israel, along with the general sign for river. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Jordan river” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jordan River .

Translation commentary on Joshua 13:23

The western border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan River and, of course, the Dead Sea. For families see comments on verse 15.

Although the first sentence of this verse is simple in Good News Translation, it may also be translated, “The tribe of Reuben had the Jordan River as its western border.” The Hebrew text does not include the adjective “western,” though it is redundant in other ways (see Revised Standard Version “And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary”).

The Hebrew noun translated towns (Revised Standard Version “villages”) refers to a permanent settlement that is without walls. Cities and towns would probably have reference to the walled cities and the outlying towns or farms, and so the sentence may be rendered, “All these cities with their villages were given to the families of the tribe of Reuben. These cities and villages were to belong to them forever.”

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 13:23

13:23a

And the border of the Reubenites was the bank of the Jordan: This clause indicates that the Jordan River was the western boundary of the land that belonged to the tribe of Reuben.

13:23b

This was the inheritance of the clans of the Reubenites: The clause This was the inheritance indicates that God gave this land to belong to the tribe of Reuben. This summarizes the explanation of the area that the tribe of Reuben inherited, which began in 13:15.

of the clans of the Reubenites: The phrase of the clans of the Reubenites indicates that each clan of families within the tribe of Reuben received their own portion of the land. See how you translated the words “clan” and “family” in Joshua 7:14.

13:23c

including the cities and villages: Each family in the tribe of Reuben received certain cities and villages as their own. The term cities indicates settled areas with a wall around them to protect them. The term villages indicates small settled areas without walls.

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