Translation commentary on Joshua 8:30 - 8:31

As indicated in the general introduction to this section, the event described here presupposes a separation of time and place from that of the previous narrative. Therefore in place of the transitional Then, which may suggest immediate succession of events, it may be better to translate “Some time later.”

Although the Hebrew does say Joshua built, the meaning is certainly “Joshua caused to be built” or “Joshua commanded his men to build, and they built.”

A stone altar is built, and the instructions written in Exodus 20.25 are followed: If you make an altar of stone for me, do not build it out of cut stones, because when you use a chisel on the stones, you make them unfit for my use (Good News Translation); see also Deuteronomy 27.5-6. In translation one must take care to select a verb for “build” which will not contradict these instructions.

It is possible to combine verses 30-31 and to shift Joshua’s commands to direct discourse:

• Some time later Joshua and the people of Israel came to Mount Ebal. When they got there, Joshua told some of the men, “Build an altar to the LORD our God. Build it according to the teaching in the Law of Moses. Moses, the LORD’s servant, said to build an altar made of stones which have not been cut with iron tools.” So the men built the altar. Then all the people offered burnt sacrifices to the LORD, and they also presented their fellowship offerings to him.

No indications is given of the size of this stone altar, but it was large enough to accommodate the sacrifice of a large number of animals. Burnt sacrifices were those in which the whole animal was consumed by the fire; fellowship offerings were sacrifices in which only a part of the animal was burned, and the rest was eaten by the worshipers. Burnt sacrifices may then be translated “those sacrifices which must be completely burned on the altar,” and fellowship offerings may be rendered “those sacrifices that you are allowed to eat a part of.”

For the Law of Moses see 1.7, 8.

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 8:31

8:31a

just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites: Moses gave the Israelites this command in Deuteronomy 27:1-13. It may be clearer to translate this dependent clause as an independent sentence. For example, you could say:

This is what Moses, the servant of Yahweh, commanded the Israelites to do

Moses the servant of the LORD: Translate the title servant of the LORD as you did in 1:1.

8:31b

He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: The phrase the Book of the Law of Moses refers to Deuteronomy, where these instructions were written down.

the Book of the Law of Moses: The phrase Law of Moses refers to the teachings, or instructions, of Moses.

8:31c

an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used: There is implied information. Joshua made an altar of unhewn stones. It may be more natural to state this information as an independent sentence. For example:

⌊Joshua built⌋ an altar out of stones that had not been cut with an iron tool

uncut stones: The phrase uncut stones can also be translated as “unhewn stones.” It indicates that no one used any tool to chisel the stones or cut them up. An “altar of uncut stones” is mentioned in Exodus 20:25 and in Deuteronomy 27:5.

no iron tool has been used: The clause no iron tool has been used indicates that no person used a tool to cut or shape the stones.

8:31d

And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD: Probably the priests offered the sacrifices on behalf of the Israelites. It may be more natural in some languages to make this explicit. For example:

and ⌊the priests⌋ offered burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar

burnt offerings: The phrase burnt offerings refers to animals that were totally burned up as an atonement for sins. See Leviticus 1:1-17 for more information about burnt offerings.

8:31e

and they sacrificed peace offerings: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sacrificed describes the same action as “offered burnt offerings” in 8:31d. It may be clearer in some languages to use the same verb to refer to both sacrifices.

peace offerings: The phrase peace offerings refers to sacrifices in which only part of the animal was burned. The rest of the animal was eaten by the worshipers. Many English versions refer to these offerings as “fellowship offerings.” The person who ate the animal had fellowship with Yahweh. See Leviticus 3:1-17 for more information about peace offerings.

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