Rahab (image)

Hand colored stencil print on momigami by Sadao Watanabe (1972).

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe.

For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

See also Rahab.

Jericho

The name that is transliterated in English as “Jericho” means “city of the moon,” “a fragrant place.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that alludes to the walls of Jericho coming tumbling down (see Joshua 6:20). (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Jericho” in Hungarian Sign Language — note that only the first part refers to “Jericho,” the second parts refer to “town” (source )

See also The Fall of Jericho.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jericho .

complete verse (Joshua 2:2)

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

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, someone came secretly and told the king of Jericho, ‘Some people of Israel have come today at night and they have come to spy out our country.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Some man told the king of Jericho, "Please look! Some Israelites have come here this night to spy out this land."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, the king of Jerico heard-the-news that there-were Israelinhon who had-arrived that night to-spy them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But someone saw them and told the king of Jericho, ‘Some Israeli men have come here tonight to spy out the land!’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

king

Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:

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  • Piro: “a great one”
  • Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
  • Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
  • Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
  • Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
  • Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))

Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:

“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”

(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )

See also king (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Joshua 2:2 - 2:3

The news of the arrival of the Israelite spies reached the king of Jericho. It is possible to render The king of Jericho heard … that night as “That same evening the king of Jericho heard….” The Hebrew word translated king is used in the general sense of ruler; Jericho was a city-state, an autonomous city. So the king sent word to Rahab to turn the spies over to him. In verse 3 the Hebrew text does not refer explicitly to the king’s messengers (or officers, or soldiers) who took the message to Rahab; it is in verse 5 that the text makes clear the presence of the royal messengers, who heed Rahab’s advice and set out to capture the Israelite spies (verse 7). On the basis of verses 5 and 7, sent word to Rahab may be translated “sent some men (or messengers, or soldiers) to say to Rahab.”

Since it is quite possible that more than two men were in Rahab’s house, The men in your house have come to spy out may be rendered either “There are two men in your house who have come to spy out” or “Two of the men in your house have come to spy out.”

Bring them out may imply accompaniment, and so the command may be translated “Send them out (to us)!”

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 2:2

2:2a

And: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces the next event in the story.

Here is another way to translate this conjunction:

then

Translate this conjunction in a way that is natural to introduce the next event in the narrative.

it was reported to the king of Jericho: We do not know who told the king of Jericho.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

somebody told the king of Jericho
-or-
people told the king of Jericho

the king of Jericho: There were many towns in the land of Canaan at that time, and each town had its own king.

2:2b

Behold: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Behold introduces something that is surprising or unexpected. Some English versions do not translate this word. Some languages may have a grammatical marker which shows this information.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

look
-or-
listen
-or-
take note

some men of Israel have come here tonight: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as some men of Israel is more literally “men of the sons of Israel.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

some Israelite men have come to our town tonight
-or-
men from Israel are in our town tonight

to spy out the land: The clause to spy out the land means that the men planned to explore the land to find out information about it.

the land: As in 2:1b, the men were spying on the land of Canaan. It may be helpful to say “our land” or “this land” to make it clear that Jericho was part of the land they referred to.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

to spy on our land
-or-
They want to find out things about this land.

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