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)

complete verse (Joshua 15:36)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 15:36:

  • Kupsabiny: “Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah and Gederothaim. Those became fourteen cities together with their villages.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah and Gederothaim.
    All together these were fourteen cities and their surrounding villages.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Shaaraim, Aditaim, and Gedera (or Gederotaim) — 14 towns/cities, including the villages around them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (which is also named Gederothaim). Altogether there were 14 towns and their surrounding villages.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 15:33 - 15:36

THE SECOND DISTRICT: cities in the foothills.

Here fifteen cities are named; the total (verse 36b) is given as fourteen cities.The Septuagint, instead of and Gederothaim in verse 36, has “and its sheepfolds,” thus making the total fourteen cities; but no current translation has this, and Hebrew Old Testament Text Project does not favor it.

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 15:36

15:36a

Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim): There are two ways to interpret the names Gederah and Gederothaim.

(1) These names refer to two different places. For example:

Gederah and Gederothaim (God’s Word)

(God’s Word, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, Revised Edition, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, King James Version)

(2) These names refer to one place that has two different names. For example, the New International Version says:

Gederah (or Gederothaim)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible, New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This agrees with the Hebrew text and is followed by most English versions.

15:36b

fourteen cities, along with their villages: The list of town names in verses 15:33-36 adds up to fifteen towns. It is not clear why the author says fourteen. It is possible that one of the towns was a small settlement that did not have villages attached to it. It is recommended that you translate this as fourteen.

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

In all there were fourteen towns together with the villages that surrounded them
-or-
The number of towns was fourteen, and there were villages that were near them

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