covet

The Hebrew and Greek that is typically translated as “covet” in English is translated as “bulge your eyes over what is someone else’s” in Isthmus Zapotec (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), in Bura-Pabir with ngguka or “have strong desire for” which differentiates from silka or “jealous,” which refers not to one’s jealous attitude to one’s neighbor (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin), and in Newari´as “cause your eye to go to” (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also greed / covetousness.

complete verse (Joshua 7:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 7:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “Among the things that were plundered, I admired/coveted a beautiful outer dress which came from Babylon. Other things were: more than two kilos of silver and half a kilo of gold. I took those things and went to bury them in the ground in my tent with the silver lowest/underneath.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “When I saw one beautiful shawl of Babylon, two hundred shekel of silver, and a gold rod of fifty shekel among the goods that we succeeded in plundering, I was enticed, and I took them. I have hidden them in the ground inside my tent. Under it all is the silver."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “From the things which we took-by-force/plundered, I saw a beautiful outer-garment from Babilonia, silver which (weighed) about two and one half kilos, and one gold bar which (weighed) about half a kilo. I greatly desired these things, so I took (them). I buried them in the ground inside my tent. The silver (is) in the very bottom.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Among the things in Jericho that I saw was a beautiful coat from Babylonia. I also saw 200 pieces of silver and some gold that weighed as much as 50 pieces of silver. I wanted those things very much for myself, so I took them. I buried them all in the ground under my tent. You will find them there. The silver is buried under the other things.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 7:21

In this verse Achan tells what he took: a beautiful … cloak from Babylonia (“Shinar” [Revised Standard Version] is Babylonia; see Gen 10.10); “two hundred shekels of silver”; and a bar of gold weighing “fifty shekels.” A shekel at that time was a weight, not a coin; the best estimate is that it was equal in weight to 11.424 grams (0.4 ounces avoirdupois), and so two hundred shekels would be over two kilograms in the metric system (see British Good News Translation) and five pounds in the English system. These were silver pieces, not bullion or coins. The bar of gold weighed one-fourth the amount of the silver (over 0.5 kilogram, metric; over one pound, English).

Achan ends his confession by telling where he has hidden his loot.

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 7:21

7:21a

When I saw among the spoils: The phrase the spoils refers to the things that were taken by the Israelite soldiers when they conquered Jericho.

Here are some other ways to translate the word spoils :

Among the plunder I saw (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
among the booty I saw (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Among the things we seized I saw (Good News Translation)

a beautiful cloak: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a cloak refers to the outer garment that an important person wears.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a beautiful robe
-or-
a beautiful cloak

from Shinar: Shinar is another name for the country of Babylon. You may want to use the more common name, Babylon, in your translation. For example:

a beautiful robe from Babylon (New Living Translation (2004))

In English the adjective form of Babylon is “Babylonian.” Thus, the Good News Translation says:

a beautiful Babylonian cloak (Good News Translation)

7:21b

two hundred shekels of silver: A “shekel” is a measure of weight. It is not a coin. In the time of Joshua there was not yet any coined money. two hundred shekels of silver was about five pounds of silver, or more than two kilograms. The exact weight of a shekel was varied, so these weights are approximations. You can translate this using the standard measure of weight used in your country.

and a bar of gold: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bar is literally “tongue.” The gold was probably in a lump similar in shape to the tongue. Use an expression for a large piece of gold that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a gold bar (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
a wedge of gold (New International Version)

weighing fifty shekels: The weight, fifty shekels, was a little over one pound or about one-half kilogram. Translate this weight using the standard measure for precious metals in your country.

7:21c

I coveted them: The phrase I coveted them means that Achan wanted to have these things very much. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as coveted is the same word used in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:17.

Here are some other ways to translate the word coveted :

I wanted these things very much for myself (New Century Version)
-or-
I wanted them so much (Good News Translation)
-or-
I wanted them (NET Bible)

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

took them: The things that Achan took belonged to Yahweh. It may be more appropriate in some languages to translate the word took as “stole.” This is how Yahweh describes Achan’s action in 7:11d.

7:21d

The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible leaves untranslated but some English versions translate as “behold” emphasizes the following word or clause. In this case, it adds emphasis to “They are hidden.” You may have a word or grammatical particle in your language that performs the same function. Many English versions leave this word untranslated.

They are hidden in the ground inside my tent: Achan took the things and buried them in a hole in the ground under his tent. In some languages an active verb may be necessary. For example:

I dug a hole under my tent and hid the silver, the gold, and the robe. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

I hid them in the earth inside my tent

7:21e

with the silver underneath: Achan buried the silver at the bottom of the hole, with the gold and the robe on top of it.

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