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 .

complete verse (Joshua 2:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 2:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then right away, those spies went down from the hills and crossed the river Jordan.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then they came down from the hills, crossed over the river and came to Joshua, son of Nun. Then they told him all the things that had happened.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The two spies went-down-(the-mountain) and crossed the river and returned to Josue. They told Josue all that had-happened.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the two men started back toward their camp. They went down from the hills, went down to the river, crossed it at the place where people can walk across it, and returned to their camp. They told Joshua everything that had happened to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 2:23

Came down from the hills may be taken to mean “went down into the Jordan Valley.”

The Hebrew of this verse contains four verbs of motion (“returned”; “came down”; “crossed”; “came to”). Good News Translation combines the force of the first (“returned”) and last (“came to”) verbs in the series by rendering went back.

Everything that had happened is more literally “everything that had happened to them”; the clause may also be translated “everything that they had done” or “everything that they had experienced.”

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 .