The Covenant at Shechem

Artwork by Sister Marie Claire , SMMI (1937–2018) from Bengaluru, India.

For more information about images by Sister Marie Claire and ways to purchase them as lithographs, see here .

For other images of Sister Marie Claire paintings in TIPs, see here.

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 24:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 24:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then Joshua released those people and said good-bye to them. Each person went to his area.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “In this way Joshua sent them to their own inheritance.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Afterwards, Josue sent- the people -home to their respective place/[lit. to their each place].” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then Joshua sent the people away, and all of them returned to their own areas/homes.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 24:28

The ceremony concluded, Joshua dismissed the people and they all went back home. For a literal rendering of this verse, see Revised Standard Version. In order to make the second clause easier to understand, Good News Translation supplies the verb returned. In some languages the use of a plural following people may be more appropriate than everyone … his of Good News Translation: “… the people away, and all of them returned to their own part of the land.”

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 24:28

24:28

Then: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next event in the storyline. Introduce the next event in a natural way in your language.

Joshua sent the people away, each to his own inheritance: The phrase each to his own inheritance indicates that each person returned to the land that Joshua gave him when land was divided among the clans of Israel.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse:

Then Joshua told all the people to leave and return to their own property.
-or-
Then Joshua told all the people to go to their homes.

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