The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bronze” in English is translated in Newari as “bell-metal,” since bells are made of bronze in Nepal (source: Newari Back Translation).
See also bronze vessel.
enemy / foe
The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “enemy” or “foe” in English is translated in the Hausa Common Language Bible as “friends of front,” i.e., the person standing opposite you in a battle. (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
In North Alaskan Inupiatun it is translated with a term that implies that it’s not just someone who hates you, but one who wants to do you harm (Source: Robert Bascom), in Tarok as ukpa ìkum or “companion in war/fighting,” and in Ikwere as nye irno m or “person who hates me” (source for this and one above: Chuck and Karen Tessaro in this newsletter ).
complete verse (Joshua 22:8)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 22:8:
- Kupsabiny: “You are returning to your country going with your things that you have taken as spoils from the enemies including: your many animals, silver, gold, bronze, weapons and many items of clothing. But/And when you reach home, share/distribute (it) to your people.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Newari: “and spoke like this, "Go back to your homes, taking much wealth, riches, and many herds of cattle, silver, gold, bronze, iron and much clothing. Share all the goods of the enemy that you have plundered with your fellow Israelites."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
- Hiligaynon: “saying, ‘[You (plur.)] go-home bringing with you (plur.) much wealth — livestock/animals, silver, gold, bronze, iron and clothes. [You (plur.)] share with your (plur.) relatives in your (plur.) place whatever you (plur.) took-by-force/plundered from your (plur.) enemies.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- English: “He said, ‘Go back to your homes and to all the things that you have taken from your enemies—the many animals and silver and gold and things made of bronze and iron, and many beautiful clothes. But you should share some of those things with other people of your tribe.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)
formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).
(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )
Translation commentary on Joshua 22:6 - 22:8
Good News Translation has rearranged verses 6-8 in a more orderly manner; for the way in which the material appears in Hebrew, see Revised Standard Version. Notice that verse 6a is repeated in the last part of verse 7, and verse 6b is taken up again in verse 9a.
The information about how Moses had assigned territory east of the Jordan to one half of Manasseh and land west of the Jordan was assigned by Joshua to the other half is quite redundant in the context of the whole book. As it stands in the text, the command in verse 8 (see Revised Standard Version) appears to be directed to the men of East Manasseh alone (so Bright), but it is reasonable to assume that it applies to the two other eastern tribes as well (so Good News Translation; see also New English Bible, New American Bible).
If the command is understood to be directed to the men of East Manasseh alone, then it would seem advisable to retain the order of the text essentially as it appears in the Hebrew. The last part of verse 7 would then be “Now as Joshua sent the men of East Manasseh home with his blessing, 8 he said to them….” If the order of Good News Translation is retained, it may be helpful to translate with his blessing as part of the direct quotation: “6-8 Before the men started home Joshua said to them, ‘May the LORD continue to bless your lives. You are going back….’ ” Or, “6-8 … ‘May the LORD (continue to) be with you….’ ”
The command to share with their fellow Israelites the loot taken from enemies is in keeping with ancient Israelite practice (see Num 31.27; 1 Sam 30.21-25).
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 22:8
22:8a
saying: Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
saying to them,
-or-
and said to them,
22:8b
Return to your homes with your great wealth: The phrase great wealth refers to the things that the men of the two and a half clans took from their enemies in the battles they fought. This is made clear in 22:8d. It may be clearer to include this information in this part of the verse.
Verse 22:8b-c explains what the wealth consists of. Some English versions use dashes to indicate that the following items are a list of the things that the Israelites were taking home with them. Use punctuation or grammar that is natural in your language to indicate a list of items.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
Return home with many valuable things
-or-
Go back home and take all your many possessions with you
with immense herds of livestock: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as herds of livestock and can refer to sheep and goats as well as cattle.
22:8c
with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes: Here are some other ways to translate 8b-c:
Take your many cows and sheep and goats, your silver, gold, bronze, and iron and all your many clothes
-or-
Take all your animals, your silver and your gold and your bronze and iron items and your many clothing items
iron: This was at the very beginning of the iron age. Since iron was a new material that was stronger than bronze, items made of iron would have been very valuable.
22:8d
Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies: The phrase the spoil of your enemies refers to the things that the Israelites took from their enemies in battle.
with your brothers: The word brothers in this context refers to the people of the two and a half clans who have stayed home.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
Share the things you have gotten from your enemies with your relatives.
-or-
Divide the things you have captured from your enemies with the other people of your clans.
General Comment on 22:8
It may be clearer in some languages to reorder the parts of this verse. For example:
Go back home and take all the things you have captured from your enemies: your many herds and flocks, your items of silver, gold, bronze, iron, and many pieces of clothing. Share these things with your fellow Israelites.
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