complete verse (Joshua 22:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 22:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “When the people of Israel heard those words the whole community went to Shilo wanting to fight the other communities of the east.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “the whole community of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go fight with them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Now, the other Israelinhon heard-the-news that the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manase had-set-up/built/[lit. -caused-to-stand] an altar on the boundary of Canaan at Gelilot, near the River of Jordan. So they gathered at Shilo to fight against them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They became very angry with the men of those tribes, so they decided to fight them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 22:12

On hearing the news, the western tribes assembled at Shiloh (compare 18.1) and prepared to go to war against the eastern tribes. In some languages it may be unnecessary to repeat When the people of Israel heard this. Also, the whole community would in fact be limited to the fighting men of the western tribes. One may then translate “So all the men of the western tribes came together at Shiloh to go to war against the eastern tribes.”

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 22:12

22:12a

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

when: The Hebrew text does not have a word that is equivalent to when. The Berean Standard Bible has added the word when to make the meaning clear in English.

they heard this: The Hebrew text does not have the word this. The Berean Standard Bible has added this to make the meaning clear in English.

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

The rest of the people of Israel heard about this
-or-
When the other Israelite clans heard of that

22:12b

the whole congregation of Israel: This phrase refers to the clans of Israel who had received their land on the west side of the Jordan River. It may be clearer in some languages to translate this phrase as “the people of the western clans.”

assembled at Shiloh: Verse 9 stated that the two and a half clans had left the other Israelites at Shiloh to return to their land east of the Jordan River. Now the other clans came together at Shiloh to discuss the report that they heard.

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

all the men of the western clans came together at Shiloh town
-or-
All the Israel people ⌊on the west side of the river⌋ gathered together at the town of Shiloh

22:12c

to go to war against them: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to go to war against them is more literally “to go up against them for war.”

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

to make war against them
-or-

⌊to get ready⌋ to attack them

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