elder (of the community)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated as “elders” in English is translated in the Danish Bibelen 2020 as folkets ledere or “leaders of the people.”

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators, explains: “The term ‘elder’ turned out to pose a particularly thorny problem. In traditional bibles, you can find elders all of over the place and they never pose a problem for a translator, they are just always elders. But how to find a contemporary term for this semi-official, complex position? This may have been our longest-standing problem. A couple of times we thought we had the solution, and then implemented it throughout the texts, only to find out that it didn’t work. Like when we used city council or village council, depending on the context. In the end we felt that the texts didn’t work with such official terms, and throughout the years in the desert, these terms didn’t make much sense. Other suggestions were ‘the eldest and wisest’, ‘the respected citizens’, ‘the Israelites with a certain position in society’, ‘the elder council’ –- and let me point out that these terms sound better in Danish than in English (‘de fremtrædende borgere,’ ‘de mest fremtrædende israelitter,’ ‘alle israelitter med en vis position,’ ‘de ældste og de klogeste,’ ‘ældsterådet’). In the end we just said ‘leaders of the people.’ After a lot of hand-wringing, it turned out that we actually found a term that worked well. So, we had to give up conveying the fact that they were old, but the most important point is that they were community leaders.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

The German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates likewise as “leader of the people” (Anführer des Volkes).

See also elders of Israel (Judah).

Joshua

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joshua” is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts a trumpet of rams’ horn, referring to Joshua 6:4 and following.


“Joshua” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joshua .

complete verse (Joshua 23:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 23:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then one day, Joshua called the elders, leaders, judges/advisers, and other important people and said to (them), ‘My friends, I have become old.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Calling all the Israelites, their elders, leaders, judges and officials, [he] said, "Now I have become a very old man.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “so he had- all the Israelinhon -called-together, including the ones-who-rule, leaders/[lit. heads], ones-who-judge, and officials. He said to them, ‘I (am) now very old.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Joshua was now very old. One day he summoned the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the leaders of the clans, the judges, and other officials. He said to them, ‘I am now very old.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 23:2

Joshua calls together the Israelites, including all their leaders—elders, leaders, judges, and officers (see verses 1.10; 8.33)—and addresses them. He reminds them of how the Lord has defeated all the nations in Canaan as he fought for his people (see verses 10.14, 42; also 23.10). If elders, leaders, judges, and officers are taken in apposition to all Israel, then the meaning is that Joshua called together these people as representatives of all Israel. Accordingly the text may be translated, “So Joshua called together the representatives from all the tribes of Israel. He called together their elders, leaders, judges, and officers. Then he said….”

I am very old now translates the Hebrew idiom “I am old, having gone forward in days.” Revised Standard Version translates “I am now old and well advanced in years.” It is legitimate also to translate “I am now very old and do not have much longer to live.”

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 23:2

23:2a

he summoned all Israel: This can also be translated:

Joshua called all the Israelites together

including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers: The terms in this list are similar to the list in 8:33. Look to see how you translated these terms there.

elders: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as elders refers to the heads of families who represented their clan on special occasions. This Hebrew term occurred in 8:33.

leaders: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as leaders was used in chapter 22, verses 14 and 30. It refers to the heads of families.

judges: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as judges refers to people who judged disputes between Israelites. See Exodus 18:17-26 where Moses first appointed judges. This term was used in 8:33.

officers: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as officers refers to people who had both military and administrative responsibilities. This term occurred in 1:10 and in 8:33.

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

Then Joshua called all the Israelites together. He called the elders, the heads of families, the judges and the officers.
-or-
So Joshua gathered all the Israelite people together: their tribal leaders, their family leaders, their judges and their officials.

23:2b

“I am old and well along in years,” he said: The sentence that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “I am now old and well advanced in years,” uses almost the same Hebrew words as in verse 23:1c.

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

and said to them, “I am an old man now
-or-
Then Joshua told them, “I am very old

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