complete verse (Joshua 3:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 3:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “And on the third day, the leaders of soldiers went around saying to all the people,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Three days later the leaders of the whole tribe were going through their midst” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “After three days, the leaders/[lit. heads] went-throughout/[lit. went-around] the camp” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then the leaders went throughout the camp,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 3:2 - 3:3

For Three days later see 1.11; for the leaders see 1.10.

When you see the priests carrying the Covenant Box of the LORD your God translates the Hebrew “When you see the Covenant Box of the LORD your God and the Levitical priests carrying it.” This is structure that occurs quite frequently in Hebrew, and it is technically known as a hendiadys, or the conveying of one idea through two coordinate structures. In the hendiadys the “and” functions to unite the two thoughts into one, as can be seen in most translations. For further discussion of this type of construction, see comments on prosperous and successful at 1.8.

The priests represents the Hebrew “the Levitical priests” (see Revised Standard Version), a typical formula for referring to the Israelite priests. In the thinking of the editor of this material (see Deut 18.1) there is only one priesthood, that is, there are no regular priests other than those of the tribe of Levi. So Good News Translation has the priests, since “the Levitical priests” implies that there were priests who were not Levites (but see Good News Translation in 8.33). It is important in translation not to convey the false notion that some priests were not Levites, as “the Levitical priests” might suggest. The Hebrew is in fact literally “the priests, the Levites,” in which “the Levites” is an appositional. The term was important to the final editor of the Joshua text, but it is quite capable of being misunderstood by readers other than those for whom the text was originally intended.

The Covenant Box of the LORD (traditionally called “the ark of the covenant”; so King James Version [King James Version], Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible, Jerusalem Bible) was the portable chest in which were kept the two stone tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments. On top of the chest were the winged creatures representing the earthly throne of God (see the description of the Covenant Box in Exo 25.10-22; 37.1-9). It was called the Covenant Box because the Ten Commandments represented the agreement, pact, covenant that the Lord made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (see Deut 29.1-15). The Covenant Box of the LORD should be rendered in such a way as to indicate that its primary function is to serve as a witness to the covenant between God and his people. One may translate “the Box of (or, containing) God’s Laws and Promises.”

It may be useful or even necessary to indicate the place to which the priests were carrying the Covenant Box, for example, “out of the camp.” One may also translate “in the direction of the Jordan River,” or even combine the two, “out of the camp in the direction of the Jordan River.”

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 .