Reports had reached the people of Jericho about the Israelites’ departure from Egypt; according to the biblical chronology this had taken place some forty years earlier. The Red Sea is an unsatisfactory translation of the Hebrew phrase, which means “Sea of Reeds.” The Greek Old Testament translated “Red Sea,” and the Greek New Testament follows this translation. Most scholars believe the actual body of water crossed by the Israelites was a marsh or lake somewhere between the northern end of the Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean Sea (see footnote at Good News Translation Exo 13.18). What is today called the Red Sea lies south of the Gulf of Suez, which is close to 300 kilometers long; and from Rameses, the point of departure of the Israelites (Num 33.3-5), to the northern end of the Gulf of Suez is about 115 kilometers. Neither the Gulf of Suez nor the Red Sea is likely to have been the body of water crossed by the Israelites. Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jewish Version (New Jerusalem Bible), Luther, Zürcher Bibel all translate “Sea of Reeds.”

In front of you when you were leaving Egypt may need to be translated “so you could cross it when you were leaving Egypt.”

For the defeat of Sihon and Og, in the territory east of the Jordan, see Numbers 21.21-35. Killed in this verse translates a Hebrew verb which means “dedicate or devote to God”, anything thus “dedicated to God” had to be completely destroyed (see further in 6.17). The focus here and in many contexts is upon the end result, that is, either the killing of people or the total destruction of property. In other contexts it may be helpful to give a footnote indicating the root meaning of the word, but here the focus is upon the act of killing.

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 .