Judah, Judea

The name that is transliterated as “Judah” or “Judea” in English (referring to the son of Jacob, the tribe, and the territory) is translated in Spanish Sign Language as “lion” (referring to Genesis 49:9 and Revelation 5:5). This sign for lion is reserved for regions and kingdoms. (Source: John Elwode in The Bible Translator 2008, p. 78ff. and Steve Parkhurst)


“Judah” and “Judea” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Judah, Judah (son of Jacob) , and Tribe of Judah .

Ephraim

The Hebrew and Greek that is transliterated as “Ephraim” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “palm tree” referring to the palm of Deborah in the land of Ephraim (see Judges 4:5. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Ephraim” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

For Deborah, see here.

More information about Ephraim and the Tribe of Ephraim .

complete verse (Joshua 20:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 20:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then they chose the city of Kedesh in Galilee in the highland of Naphtali, Shechem in the highland of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is Hebron) in the highland of Judah.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “To the west of the Jordan they set Kedesh apart for this, situated in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Hebron city, called Kiriath-arba in the hill country of Judah.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So they chose Kedesh in Galilea in the mountains of Naftali, Shekem in the mountains of Efraim, and Kiriat Arba (which is Hebron), in the mountains of Juda.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So the Israelis chose these cities to be cities to which people could run to be safe/protected: Kedesh in the Galilee district in the hilly area where the tribe of Naphtali lived; Shechem in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lived; Kiriath-Arba (which is now named Hebron) in the hilly area where the tribe of Judah lived;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 20:7 - 20:8

Six cities are chosen, three on each side of the Jordan. On the west side (verse 7): Kedesh in the north, Shechem in the center, and Hebron in the south; on the east side (verse 8): Bezer in the south, Ramoth in the center, and Golan in the north. All six cities are listed as levitical cities in chapter 21.

Verses 7-8 may be translated separately or they may be translated as a unit. But whatever is done, the pronoun they in both verses needs to be specified as “the people of Israel,” since they were last referred to in verse 2. (1) If the verses are translated separately: “So the people of Israel set apart (or, chose) three cities on the west side of the Jordan River. These cities were….” (2) If placed together, verses 7-8 may be translated:

• So the people of Israel set aside (or, chose) six cities, three on the west side of the Jordan River and three on the east side. The cities west of the Jordan River were: … The cities east of the Jordan River were:….

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 20:7

Paragraph 20:7–9

20:7a

So: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So indicates the next event in the storyline. Choose a connecting word that is natural in your language.

they set apart: The pronoun they refers to the people of Israel. The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set apart means to choose something for a special use.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

the people chose
-or-
they designated

Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali: The town of Kedesh was northwest of the Sea of Galilee. It is mentioned in 19:37.

Galilee: Galilee is the name of a region in northern Israel. It was a part of the land assigned to the clan of Naphtali.

the hill country of Naphtali: The term hill country of Naphtali refers to the mountainous region that belonged to the clan of Naphtali.

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

The people of Israel chose the town of Kedesh. It was in the region of Galilee in the hill country that belonged to Naphtali.
-or-
Then they designated the town of Kedesh in Galilee in the mountainous region that belonged to the clan of Naphtali.

20:7b

Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim: The town of Shechem was on the boundary of the clan of Ephraim and Manasseh. This town was in the middle region of the country of Israel. It is mentioned in 17:7.

hill country of Ephraim: The term hill country of Ephraim refers to the mountainous region that belonged to the clan of Ephraim.

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

They also chose the town of Shechem. It was in the mountain country of the clan of Ephraim.
-or-
They also designated the town of Shechem. It was in the hill country of the clan of Ephraim.

20:7c

and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron): The town of Kiriath-arba was mentioned in 15:13 and 14:15. Its name was later changed to Hebron. It was in the southern area of Israel, fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem.

in the hill country of Judah: The term hill country of Judah refers to the mountainous region which belonged to the clan of Judah.

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

They also chose the town of Kiriath-arba in the mountain country of the clan of Judah. The name of that town is now Hebron.
-or-
They also appointed the town of Kiriath-arba which was in the hill country of the clan of Judah. That town is now called Hebron.

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