Translation commentary on Joshua 9:24 - 9:25

In a redundant manner the writer brings the account to a close with a final dialogue between Joshua and the Gibeonites. Once more they explain the reason for their deceptive conduct (verse 24): it was only in order to avoid being killed that they had lied to the Israelites.

The use of sir in Good News Translation is to indicate the tone of the men’s response to Joshua. In languages where honorifics are obligatory, or where there is a definite distinction made between a lower and a higher person in conversation, special attention should be given to the proper categories of language to be used in the dialogue. It is obvious, of course, that the men of Gibeon would be addressing a superior, while Joshua would be speaking to person of lower status than himself.

We learned translates an emphatic Hebrew idiomatic phrase: “we were told repeatedly” (see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) “were fully informed” (New American Bible).

In translation it may be more effective to invert the order of the men’s explanation to Joshua. For example:

• “We did it, sir, because we feared for our lives. Moses served the LORD your God, and we know what the LORD promised to him and to all the people of Israel. He promised to give you the whole land, and he commanded you to kill the people in it.”

Or:

• “… feared for our lives. We know that the LORD your God will make true his promise to Moses his servant. He told Moses, ‘I command you to take the whole land and to kill all the people living there.’ ”

They throw themselves on Joshua’s mercy (verse 25), and he protects them from the Israelites, who want to kill them (verse 26). Right (verse 25) translates two Hebrew nouns (Revised Standard Version “good and right”). In such a context the two nouns are basically synonymous, and the use of a single noun is perhaps more effective in contemporary English. For other languages it may be more natural to maintain the two synonyms or else shift to an idiom.

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 9:25

9:25a

Now: The word Now calls attention to what the Gibeonites said next. It is a way to emphasize it. Use whatever means is natural to show this emphasis.

we are in your hands: The clause we are in your hands is an idiom. It indicates that the Gibeonites know the Israelites are stronger than them and can do whatever they want to them.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

we are in your power (NET Bible)
-or-
you are strong enough to do anything to us that you want (Contemporary English Version)

9:25b

Do to us whatever seems good and right to you: The phrase Do to us whatever seems good and right to you indicates that the Gibeonites asked the Israelites to treat them in whatever way seemed just to the Israelites.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

do to us what you think is good and appropriate (NET Bible)
-or-
do to us whatever you think is right (New Living Translation (2004))

© 2001, 2011, 2020, 2022, 2023 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.