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The Lord Commissions Joshua

After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready![a] Cross the Jordan River.[b] Lead these people into the land that I am ready to hand over to them.[c] I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses.[d] Your territory will extend from the desert[e] in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all Syria)[f] and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea[g] in the west.[h] No one will be able to resist you[i] all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them.[j] Make sure you are[k] very strong and brave! Carefully obey[l] all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep.[m] Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful[n] in all you do.[o] This law scroll must not leave your lips.[p] You must memorize it[q] day and night so you can carefully obey[r] all that is written in it. Then you will prosper[s] and be successful.[t] I repeat,[u] be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic,[v] for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.”[w]

Joshua Prepares for the Invasion

10 Joshua instructed[x] the leaders of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your supplies, for within three days you will cross the Jordan River and begin the conquest of the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to you.’”[y]

12 Joshua told the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh: 13 “Remember what Moses the Lord’s servant commanded you.[z] The Lord your God is giving you a place to settle and is handing this land over to you.[aa] 14 Your wives, children, and cattle may stay in the land that Moses assigned to you east of the Jordan River. But all of you warriors must cross over armed for battle ahead of your brothers.[ab] You must help them 15 until the Lord gives your brothers a place like yours to settle and they conquer the land the Lord your God is ready to hand over to them. Then you may go back to your allotted land and occupy the land Moses the Lord’s servant assigned you east of the Jordan.”[ac]

16 They told Joshua, “We will do everything you say. We will go wherever you send us. 17 Just as we obeyed[ad] Moses, so we will obey you. But[ae] may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Any man who rebels against what you say and does not obey all your commands will be executed.[af] But[ag] be strong and brave!”

Joshua Sends Spies into the Land

Joshua son of Nun sent two spies out from Shittim secretly and instructed them:[ah] “Find out what you can about the land, especially Jericho.”[ai] They stopped at the house of a prostitute named Rahab and spent the night there.[aj] The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well![ak] Israelite men have come here tonight[al] to spy on the land.” So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab:[am] “Turn over[an] the men who came to you[ao]—the ones who came to your house[ap]—for they have come to spy on the whole land!” But the woman hid the two men[aq] and replied, “Yes, these men were clients of mine,[ar] but I didn’t know where they came from. When it was time to shut the city gate for the night, the men left.[as] I don’t know where they were heading. Chase after them quickly, for you have time to catch them!” (Now she had taken them up to the roof and had hidden them in the stalks of flax she had spread out[at] on the roof.) Meanwhile,[au] the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River[av] near the fords.[aw] The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them.[ax]

Now before the spies[ay] went to sleep, Rahab[az] went up[ba] to the roof. She said to the men, “I know the Lord is handing this land over to you.[bb] We are absolutely terrified of you,[bc] and all who live in the land are cringing before[bd] you.[be] 10 For we heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt and how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon and Og, on the other side of the Jordan.[bf] 11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you.[bg] For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below! 12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the Lord’s name.[bh] Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family.[bi] Give me a solemn pledge[bj] 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and will rescue us[bk] from death.” 14 The men said to her, “If you[bl] die, may we die too![bm] If you do not report what we’ve been up to,[bn] then we will show unswerving allegiance[bo] to you[bp] when the Lord hands the land over to us.”

15 Then Rahab[bq] let them down by a rope[br] through the window. (Her[bs] house was built as part of the city wall; she lived in the wall.)[bt] 16 She told them, “Head[bu] to the hill country, so the ones chasing you don’t find you.[bv] Hide from them there for three days, long enough for those chasing you[bw] to return. Then you can be on your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We are not bound by this oath you made us swear unless the following conditions are met:[bx] 18 When we invade the land,[by] tie this red rope[bz] in the window through which you let us down, and gather together in your house your father, mother, brothers, and all who live in your father’s house.[ca] 19 Anyone who leaves your house will be responsible for his own death—we are innocent in that case![cb] But if anyone with you in the house is harmed, we will be responsible.[cc] 20 If you should report what we’ve been up to,[cd] we are not bound by this oath you made us swear.” 21 She said, “I agree to these conditions.”[ce] She sent them on their way[cf] and then tied the red rope in the window. 22 They went[cg] to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them[ch] to return. Their pursuers[ci] looked all along the way but did not find them.[cj] 23 Then the two men returned—they came down from the hills, crossed the river,[ck] came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered. 24 They told Joshua, “Surely the Lord is handing over all the land to us![cl] All who live in the land are cringing before us!”[cm]

Israel Crosses the Jordan

Bright and early the next morning Joshua and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.[cn] They camped there before crossing the river.[co] After three days the leaders went through the camp and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God[cp] being carried by the Levitical priests, you must leave here[cq] and walk[cr] behind it. But stay about 3,000 feet behind it.[cs] Keep your distance[ct] so you can see[cu] which way you should go, for you have not traveled this way before.”

Joshua told the people, “Ritually consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will perform miraculous deeds among you.” Joshua told the priests, “Pick up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they picked up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.

The Lord told Joshua, “This very day I will begin to honor you before all Israel,[cv] so they will know that I am with you just as I was with Moses. Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenant, ‘When you reach the bank of the Jordan River,[cw] wade into the water.’”[cx]

Joshua told the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God!” 10 Joshua continued,[cy] “This is how you will know the living God is among you and that he will truly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11 Look! The ark of the covenant of the Lord[cz] of the whole earth is ready to enter the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now select for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one per tribe. 13 When the feet[da] of the priests carrying the ark of the Lord, the Lord[db] of the whole earth, touch[dc] the water of the Jordan, the water coming downstream toward you will stop flowing and pile up.”[dd]

14 So when the people left their tents to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went[de] ahead of them. 15 When the ones carrying the ark reached the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the surface[df] of the water—(the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest time)[dg] 16 the water coming downstream toward them stopped flowing.[dh] It piled up far upstream[di] at Adam (the city near Zarethan); there was no water at all flowing to the sea of the rift valley (the Salt Sea).[dj] The people crossed the river opposite Jericho. 17 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. All Israel crossed over on dry ground until the entire nation was on the other side.[dk]

Israel Commemorates the Crossing

When the entire nation was on the other side,[dl] the Lord told Joshua, “Select for yourselves twelve men from the people, one per tribe. Instruct them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests[dm] stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.’”

Joshua summoned the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one per tribe. Joshua told them, “Go in front of the ark of the Lord your God to the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to put a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the Israelite tribes. The stones[dn] will be a reminder to you.[do] When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’ tell them how the water of the Jordan stopped flowing[dp] before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the water of the Jordan stopped flowing.[dq] These stones will be a lasting memorial for the Israelites.”

The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there. Joshua also set up twelve stones[dr] in the middle of the Jordan in the very place where the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood. They remain there to this very day.

10 Now the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua to tell the people was accomplished, in accordance with all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people went across quickly, 11 and when all the people had finished crossing, the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed as the people looked on.[ds] 12 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed for battle ahead of the Israelites, just as Moses had instructed them. 13 About 40,000 battle-ready troops[dt] marched past the Lord to fight[du] on the rift valley plains[dv] of Jericho. 14 That day the Lord brought honor to Joshua before all Israel. They respected[dw] him all his life,[dx] just as they had respected[dy] Moses.

15 The Lord told Joshua, 16 “Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws[dz] to come up from the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua instructed the priests, “Come up from the Jordan!” 18 The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the middle of the Jordan, and as soon as they set foot on dry land,[ea] the water of the Jordan flowed again and returned to flood stage.[eb]

19 The people went up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month[ec] and camped in Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the[ed] twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan. 21 He told the Israelites, “When your children someday ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones represent?’[ee] 22 explain to[ef] your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan River[eg] on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you while you crossed over. It was just like when the Lord your God dried up the Red Sea before us while we crossed it.[eh] 24 He has done this so[ei] all the nations[ej] of the earth might recognize the Lord’s power[ek] and so you might always obey[el] the Lord your God.”

Footnotes

  1. Joshua 1:2 tn Heb “Get up!”
  2. Joshua 1:2 tn Heb “this Jordan”; the word “River” has been supplied in the translation for clarity (likewise in v. 11).
  3. Joshua 1:2 tc Heb “Cross over this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land that I am giving to them, to the children of Israel.” The final phrase, “to the children of Israel,” is probably a later scribal addition specifying the identity of “these people/them.”
  4. Joshua 1:3 tn Heb “Every place on which the sole of your foot walks, to you I have given it, as I said to Moses.” The second person pronouns in vv. 3-4 are plural, indicating that all the people are addressed here. The verbal form נְתַתִּיו (netattiv, “I have given it”) is probably a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action. Another option is to translate, “I have already assigned it.” In this case the verb would probably refer to the Lord’s decree to Abraham that he would give this land to his descendants.
  5. Joshua 1:4 tn A מִדְבָּר (midbar, “wilderness, desert”) refers to a dry region which is characterized by receiving less than twelve inches of rain per year. It therefore cannot support trees, yet may have sparse vegetation if it receives more than six inches of rain. If it receives less than six inches, then “desert” is an appropriate term (usually not a sandy desert). Most cases of the term are rendered as “wilderness” in NET. Here it refers to the southern border of the nation which stretches down into Sinai.
  6. Joshua 1:4 tn Heb “all the land of the Hittites.” The expression “the land of the Hittites” does not refer to Anatolia (modern Turkey), where the ancient Hittite kingdom of the second millennium b.c. was located, but rather to Syria, the “Hatti land” mentioned in inscriptions of the first millennium b.c. (see HALOT 363-64 s.v. חִתִּי). The phrase is omitted in the LXX and may be a scribal addition.
  7. Joshua 1:4 tn Heb “the Great Sea,” the typical designation for the Mediterranean Sea.
  8. Joshua 1:4 tn Heb “From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, even to the great sea [at] the place where the sun sets, your territory will be.”
  9. Joshua 1:5 tn Heb “A man will not stand before you.” The second person pronouns in this verse are singular, indicating Joshua is the addressee.
  10. Joshua 1:6 tn Heb “For you will cause these people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give to them.” The pronoun “them” at the end of the verse refers to either the people or to the fathers.
  11. Joshua 1:7 tn Or “Only be.”
  12. Joshua 1:7 tn Heb “so you can be careful to do.” The use of the infinitive לִשְׁמֹר (lishmor, “to keep”) after the imperatives suggests that strength and bravery will be necessary for obedience. Another option is to take the form לִשְׁמֹר as a vocative lamed (ל) with imperative (see Isa 38:20 for an example of this construction), which could be translated, “Indeed, be careful!”
  13. Joshua 1:7 tn Heb “commanded you.”
  14. Joshua 1:7 tn Heb “be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.
  15. Joshua 1:7 tn Heb “in all which you go.”
  16. Joshua 1:8 tn Heb “mouth.”sn This law scroll must not leave your lips. The ancient practice of reading aloud to oneself as an aid to memorization is in view here.
  17. Joshua 1:8 tn Heb “read it in undertones,” or “recite it quietly” (see HALOT 237 s.v. I הגה).
  18. Joshua 1:8 tn Heb “be careful to do.”
  19. Joshua 1:8 tn Heb “you will make your way prosperous.”
  20. Joshua 1:8 tn Heb “and be wise,” but the word can mean “be successful” by metonymy.
  21. Joshua 1:9 tn Heb “Have I not commanded you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes the importance of the following command by reminding the listener that it is being repeated.
  22. Joshua 1:9 tn Or perhaps, “don’t get discouraged!”
  23. Joshua 1:9 tn Heb “in all which you go.”
  24. Joshua 1:10 tn Or “commanded.”
  25. Joshua 1:11 tn Heb “to enter to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving to you to possess it.”
  26. Joshua 1:13 tn Heb “remember the word which Moses, the Lord’s servant, commanded you.”sn This command can be found in Deut 3:18-20. In vv. 13-15 Joshua paraphrases the command, as the third person reference to Moses in v. 14 indicates.
  27. Joshua 1:13 tn Heb “is providing rest for you and is giving to you this land.”sn “This land” refers to the trans-Jordanian lands allotted to these tribes.
  28. Joshua 1:14 tn Heb “But you must cross over armed for battle before your brothers, all [you] mighty men of strength.”
  29. Joshua 1:15 tn Heb “Then you may return to the land of your possession and possess it, that which Moses, the Lord’s servant, gave to you beyond the Jordan toward the rising of the sun.”
  30. Joshua 1:17 tn Heb “listened to.”
  31. Joshua 1:17 tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 18 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).
  32. Joshua 1:18 tn Heb “any man who rebels against your mouth and does not listen to your words, to all which you command us, will be put to death.”
  33. Joshua 1:18 tn Or “Only.” Here and in v. 17 this word qualifies what precedes (see also v. 7).
  34. Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “Joshua, son of Nun, sent from Shittim two men, spies, secretly, saying.”
  35. Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “go, see the land, and Jericho.”
  36. Joshua 2:1 tn Heb “they went and entered the house of a woman, a prostitute, and her name was Rahab, and they slept there.”
  37. Joshua 2:2 tn Or “look.”
  38. Joshua 2:2 tn Heb “men have come here tonight from the sons of Israel.”
  39. Joshua 2:3 tn Heb “and the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying.”
  40. Joshua 2:3 tn Heb “bring out.”
  41. Joshua 2:3 tn The idiom “come to” (בוֹא אֶל, boʾ ʾel) probably has sexual connotations here, as it often does elsewhere when a man “comes to” a woman. If so, the phrase could be translated “your clients.” The instructions reflect Rahab’s perspective as to the identity of the men.
  42. Joshua 2:3 tn The words “the ones who came to your house” (Heb “who came to your house”) may be a euphemistic scribal addition designed to blur the sexual connotation of the preceding words.
  43. Joshua 2:4 tn Heb “The woman took the two men and hid him.” The third masculine singular pronominal suffix on “hid” has to be a scribal error (see GKC §135.p).
  44. Joshua 2:4 tn Heb “the men came to me.” See the note on this phrase in v. 3.
  45. Joshua 2:5 tn Heb “And the gate was to be shut in the darkness and the men went out.”
  46. Joshua 2:6 tn Heb “arranged in rows by her.”
  47. Joshua 2:7 tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.
  48. Joshua 2:7 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.
  49. Joshua 2:7 tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.
  50. Joshua 2:7 tn Heb “And they shut the gate after—as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.
  51. Joshua 2:8 tn Heb “they.”
  52. Joshua 2:8 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  53. Joshua 2:8 tn The Hebrew text adds, “to them.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has not been translated.
  54. Joshua 2:9 tn Heb “has given the land to you.” Rahab’s statement uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.
  55. Joshua 2:9 tn Heb “terror of you has fallen upon us.”
  56. Joshua 2:9 tn Or “melting away because of.”
  57. Joshua 2:9 tn Both of these statements are actually subordinated to “I know” in the Hebrew text, which reads, “I know that the Lord…and that terror of you…and that all the inhabitants….”
  58. Joshua 2:10 tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”
  59. Joshua 2:11 tn Heb “And we heard and our heart[s] melted and there remained no longer breath in a man because of you.”
  60. Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “Now, swear to me by the Lord.”sn To swear an oath in the Lord’s name would make the Lord the witness and guarantor of the promise attached to the oath. If the person making the oath should go back on the promise, the Lord would judge him for breaking the contract.
  61. Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “with the house of my father.”
  62. Joshua 2:12 tn Heb “true sign,” that is, “an inviolable token or pledge.”
  63. Joshua 2:13 tn Or “our lives.”
  64. Joshua 2:14 tn The second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that Rahab’s entire family is in view.
  65. Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “Our lives in return for you to die.” If the lives of Rahab’s family are not spared, then the spies will pay for the broken vow with their own lives.
  66. Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “If you do not report this matter of ours.”
  67. Joshua 2:14 tn Heb “allegiance and faithfulness.” These virtual synonyms are joined in the translation as “unswerving allegiance” to emphasize the degree of promised loyalty.
  68. Joshua 2:14 tn The second person pronoun is feminine singular, referring specifically to Rahab.
  69. Joshua 2:15 tn Heb “she”; the referent (Rahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  70. Joshua 2:15 tc The phrase “by a rope” is omitted in the LXX. It may be a later clarifying addition. If original, the omission in the LXX is likely due to an error of homoioarcton. A scribe’s or translator’s eye could have jumped from the initial ב (bet) in the phrase בַּחֶבֶל (bakhevel, “with a rope”) to the initial ב on the immediately following בְּעַד (beʿad, “through”) and accidentally omitted the intervening letters.
  71. Joshua 2:15 tn Heb “For her house.”
  72. Joshua 2:15 tc These explanatory statements are omitted in the LXX and probably represent a later scribal addition.
  73. Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “Go.”
  74. Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “so that the pursuers might not meet you.”
  75. Joshua 2:16 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“you”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
  76. Joshua 2:17 tn Heb “We are free from this oath of yours which you made us swear.” The words “unless the following conditions are met” are not in the Hebrew text, but are added for clarification.
  77. Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “Look! We are about to enter the land.”
  78. Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “the cord of this red thread.”
  79. Joshua 2:18 tn Heb “and your father and your mother and your brothers and all the house of your father gather to yourself to the house.”
  80. Joshua 2:19 tn Heb “Anyone who goes out from the doors of your house to the outside, his blood is on his head. We are innocent.”
  81. Joshua 2:19 tn Heb “But anyone who is with you in the house, his blood is on our head if a hand should be on him.”
  82. Joshua 2:20 tn Heb “and if you report this matter of ours.”
  83. Joshua 2:21 tn Heb “According to your words, so it [will be].”
  84. Joshua 2:21 tn Heb “she sent them away and they went.”
  85. Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “they went and came.”
  86. Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “the pursuers.” The object (“them”) is added for clarification.
  87. Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “the ones chasing them.” This has been rendered as “their pursuers” in the translation to avoid redundancy with the preceding clause.
  88. Joshua 2:22 tn Heb “The pursuers looked in all the way and did not find [them].”
  89. Joshua 2:23 tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, are added for clarification.
  90. Joshua 2:24 tn Heb “Surely the Lord has given into our hand all the land.” The report by the spies uses the Hebrew perfect, suggesting certitude.
  91. Joshua 2:24 tn Heb “are melting away because of us.”
  92. Joshua 3:1 tn Heb “And Joshua arose early in the morning and he and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.”
  93. Joshua 3:1 tn The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  94. Joshua 3:3 sn The ark of the covenant refers to the wooden chest that symbolized God’s presence among his covenant people.
  95. Joshua 3:3 tn Heb “set out from your place.”
  96. Joshua 3:3 tn Or “march.”
  97. Joshua 3:4 tn Heb “But there should be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in measurement.”sn The precise distance is uncertain, but the measurement designated אַמָּה (ʾammah, “cubit”) was probably equivalent to approximately 18 inches, or 45 cm) in length.
  98. Joshua 3:4 tn Heb “do not approach it.”
  99. Joshua 3:4 tn Heb “know.”
  100. Joshua 3:7 tn Or more literally, “to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel.”
  101. Joshua 3:8 tn Heb “the edge of the waters of the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.
  102. Joshua 3:8 tn Heb “stand in the Jordan.” Here the repetition of the word “Jordan” would be redundant according to contemporary English style, so it was not included in the translation.
  103. Joshua 3:10 tn Heb “said.”
  104. Joshua 3:11 tn Or “Ruler”; or “Master.”
  105. Joshua 3:13 tn Heb “the soles of the feet.”
  106. Joshua 3:13 tn Or “Ruler”; or “Master.”
  107. Joshua 3:13 tn Or “rest in.”
  108. Joshua 3:13 tn Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”
  109. Joshua 3:14 tn The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.
  110. Joshua 3:15 tn Heb “dipped into the edge.”
  111. Joshua 3:15 tn Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.”sn The lengthy description of the priests’ arrival at the Jordan and the parenthetical reminder that the Jordan was at flood stage delay the climax of the story and add to its dramatic buildup.
  112. Joshua 3:16 tn Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”
  113. Joshua 3:16 tn Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”
  114. Joshua 3:16 tn Heb “the [waters] descending… were completely cut off.”sn The Salt Sea is an ancient name for the Dead Sea.
  115. Joshua 3:17 tn Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
  116. Joshua 4:1 tn Heb “And when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”
  117. Joshua 4:3 tn Heb “the feet of the priests.”
  118. Joshua 4:6 tn Heb “that this may be”; the referent of “this” (the twelve stones) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  119. Joshua 4:6 tn Heb “in order that this might be a sign among you.”
  120. Joshua 4:7 tn Heb “were cut off from before.”
  121. Joshua 4:7 tn Heb “how the waters descending from above stood still.”
  122. Joshua 4:9 tn Here “also” has been supplied in the translation to make it clear (as indicated by v. 20) that these are not the same stones the men took from the river bed.
  123. Joshua 4:11 tn Heb “in the presence of the people.”
  124. Joshua 4:13 tn Heb “men equipped for battle.”
  125. Joshua 4:13 tn Heb “for war.”
  126. Joshua 4:13 sn The עֲרָבָה (ʿaravah, “rift valley”) extends from Galilee to the Gulf of Aqaba. The עַרְבוֹת (ʿarevot) of Jericho” refer to the parts of the Jordan Valley in the vicinity of Jericho (see HALOT 880 s.v. עֲרָבָה). The region is characterized by gently sloping plains which descend about 450 feet over the five miles from Jericho to the Jordan. Many translation say simply the “plains of Jericho” for the portion west of the Jordan and “plains of Moab” for the eastern portion. The translation here clarifies that the plains are part of the rift valley basin.
  127. Joshua 4:14 tn Heb “feared.”
  128. Joshua 4:14 tn Heb “all the days of his life.”
  129. Joshua 4:14 tn Heb “had feared.”
  130. Joshua 4:16 tn Traditionally, “the ark of the testimony,” another name for the ark of the covenant. The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (ʿedut, “testimony” or “witness”) here refers to the Mosaic covenant and the body of stipulations contained within it (see HALOT 791 s.v. 2).
  131. Joshua 4:18 tn Heb “and the soles of the feet of the priests were brought up to the dry land.”
  132. Joshua 4:18 tn Heb “and the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and went as formerly over their banks.”sn Verses 15-18 give a more detailed account of the priests’ crossing that had been briefly described in v. 11.
  133. Joshua 4:19 sn The first month was the month Abib (= late March-early April in the modern calendar). The preparations for Passover also began on the tenth day of the first month (Exod 12:2-3).
  134. Joshua 4:20 tn Heb “these,” referring specifically to the twelve stones mentioned in vv. 3-7.
  135. Joshua 4:21 tn Heb “What are these stones?”
  136. Joshua 4:22 tn Heb “make known to.”
  137. Joshua 4:22 tn Heb “crossed this Jordan”; the word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the meaning.
  138. Joshua 4:23 tn Heb “just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea when he dried [it] up before us while we crossed over.”
  139. Joshua 4:24 tn Heb “in order that.”
  140. Joshua 4:24 tn Or “peoples.”
  141. Joshua 4:24 tn Heb “know the hand of the Lord that it is strong.”
  142. Joshua 4:24 tn Heb “fear.”