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)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 21:11:
Kupsabiny: “The first city given to the house of Aaron was Kiriath-arba in the highland of Judah. (Anak was the grandchild/descendant of Arba and Kiriath-arba is today called Hebron which is one of (those cities) where people may flee to.)” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “They gave them Kiriath-Arba city, which is called Hebron, in the hill country of Judah with grazing land all around it. (Arba was and ancestor of Anak.)” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Kiriat Arba (which is Hebron) was-given to them in the mountains of Juda, including along-with the pasturelands around it. (Arba particularly-was the father of Anak.)” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
English: “They allotted to them Kiriath-Arba (which is now named Hebron), in the hilly area of Judah. Arba received its name because Arba was the ancestor of the giants of the Anak people-group.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
For “Kiriath-arba” (Revised Standard Version), the old name of Hebron in verse 11, see verses 14.15 and 15.13. In verses 11-12 the point is made that the city of Hebron itself was assigned to the Levites, while the fields of the city, as well as its towns, belonged to Caleb (see 14.13-14). It is difficult to distinguish precisely between the pasture land around Hebron, which belonged to the Levites (verse 11), and the fields of the city, which belonged to Caleb (verse 12); the fields of the city should perhaps be understood to mean “the open country near the city” (New English Bible; see New American Bible).
Verses 11-16 name nine cities from the territories of the tribes of Judah and Simeon.In verse 16, instead of the Masoretic text Ain, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project (and others), following some manuscripts of the Septuagint and 1 Chr 6.59, prefers “Ashan”; so New English BibleBible de JérusalemJerusalem BibleNew American Bible. Verse 13 calls attention to the fact that Hebron was a city of refuge (see 20.7).
If verses 9-10 are translated as a unit, then verses 11-16 may be dealt with similarly:
• They received the city of Hebron, which was also a city of refuge, and the cities of Libnah … and Beth Shemesh. The city of Hebron lay in the hill country of Judah, and at that time it was called the city of Arba, after Arba, the father of Anak. The city and its pasture lands were given to the descendants of Aaron, but its fields and towns had already been given to Caleb.
Or, so as not to separate the initial mention of Hebron from the description of the city:
• They received the city of Hebron, which was also a city of refuge. It lay in the hill country of Judah, and at that time it was called Arba City, after Arba, the father of Anak. The fields and towns around it had already been given to Caleb, but the city and its pasture lands were now given to the descendants of Aaron. They also received the cities of Libnah … and Beth Shemesh.
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 .
They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron): The town of Kiriath-arba is mentioned in 14:15. The word “Kiriath” means “town” in Hebrew. Arba was the name of one of the Anak people.
21:11b
with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
It was in the mountain region that belonged to the clan of Judah. They also gave them the grasslands around it. -or-
They gave them lands around the town for their animals. Hebron was in the mountains of the clan of Judah.
Arba was the father of Anak: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Arba was the father of Anak is background information. In some languages it may be more natural to place this background information at some other point in the verse.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse
The Israelites gave them the town of Kiriath-arba, which is now called Hebron. Arba was the father of Anak. -or-
The people of Israel gave them Kiriath-arba town. Arba was the father of Anak. That town had another name, Hebron.
General Comment on verse 21:11
In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:
The Israelites gave them Kiriath-arba, together with the grasslands around it, in the hill country of Judah. That town was named after Arba, who was the father of Anak. It is also called Hebron.
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