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Deuteronomy 33-34
New English Translation

Introduction to the Blessing of Moses

33 This is the blessing Moses the man of God pronounced upon the Israelites before his death. 2 He said:

A Historical Review

“The Lord came from Sinai
and revealed himself[a] to Israel[b] from Seir.
He appeared in splendor[c] from Mount Paran,
and came forth with ten thousand holy ones.[d]
With his right hand he gave a fiery law[e] to them.
3 Surely he loves the people;[f]
all your holy ones[g] are in your power.[h]
And they sit[i] at your feet,
each receiving[j] your words.
4 Moses delivered to us a law,[k]
an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.
5 The Lord[l] was king over Jeshurun,[m]
when the leaders of the people assembled,
the tribes of Israel together.[n]

Blessing on Reuben

6 “May Reuben live and not die,
and may his people multiply.”[o]

Blessing on Judah

7 And this is the blessing[p] to Judah. He said,
“Listen, O Lord, to Judah’s voice,
and bring him to his people.
May his power be great,
and may you help him against his foes.”

Blessing on Levi

8 Of Levi he said:
“Your Thummim and Urim[q] belong to your godly one,[r]
whose authority you challenged at Massah,[s]
and with whom you argued at the waters of Meribah.[t]
9 He said to his father and mother, ‘I have not seen him,’[u]
and he did not acknowledge his own brothers
or know his own children,
for they kept your word,
and guarded your covenant.
10 They will teach Jacob your ordinances
and Israel your law;
they will offer incense as a pleasant odor,
and a whole offering on your altar.
11 Bless, O Lord, his goods,
and be pleased with his efforts;
undercut the legs[v] of any who attack him,
and of those who hate him, so that they cannot stand.”

Blessing on Benjamin

12 Of Benjamin he said:
“The beloved of the Lord will live safely by him;
he protects him all the time,
and the Lord[w] places him on his chest.”[x]

Blessing on Joseph

13 Of Joseph he said:
“May the Lord bless his land
with the harvest produced by the sky,[y] by the dew,
and by the depths crouching beneath;
14 with the harvest produced by the daylight[z]
and by[aa] the moonlight;[ab]
15 with the best[ac] of the ancient mountains
and the harvest produced by the age-old hills;
16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness
and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush.[ad]
May blessing rest on Joseph’s head,
and on the top of the head of the one set apart[ae] from his brothers.
17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor,
and may his horns be those of a wild ox;
with them may he gore all peoples,
all the far reaches of the earth.
They are the ten thousands of Ephraim,[af]
and they are the thousands of Manasseh.”

Blessing on Zebulun and Issachar

18 Of Zebulun he said:
“Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside,
and Issachar, when you are in your tents.
19 They will summon peoples to the mountain,
there they will sacrifice proper[ag] sacrifices;
for they will enjoy[ah] the abundance of the seas,
and the hidden treasures of the shores.”[ai]

Blessing on Gad

20 Of Gad he said:
“Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad.
Like a lioness he will dwell;
he will tear at an arm—indeed, a scalp.[aj]
21 He has selected the best part for himself,
for the portion of the ruler[ak] is set aside[al] there;
he came with the leaders[am] of the people,
he obeyed the righteous laws of the Lord
and his ordinances with Israel.”

Blessing on Dan

22 Of Dan he said:
“Dan is a lion’s cub;
he will leap forth from Bashan.”[an]

Blessing on Naphtali

23 Of Naphtali he said:
“O Naphtali, overflowing with favor,
and full of the Lord’s blessing,
possess the west and south.”

Blessing on Asher

24 Of Asher he said:
“Asher is blessed with children;
may he be favored by his brothers,
and may he dip his foot in olive oil.[ao]
25 The bars of your gates[ap] will be made of iron and bronze,
and may you have lifelong strength.”

General Praise and Blessing

26 “There is no one like God, O Jeshurun,[aq]
who rides through the sky[ar] to help you,
on the clouds in majesty.
27 The everlasting God is a refuge,
and underneath you are his eternal arms;[as]
he has driven out enemies before you,
and has said, “Destroy!”
28 Israel lives in safety,
the fountain of Jacob is quite secure,[at]
in a land of grain and new wine;
indeed, its heavens[au] rain down dew.[av]
29 You have joy, Israel! Who is like you?
You are a people delivered by the Lord,
your protective shield
and your exalted sword.
May your enemies cringe before you;
may you trample on their backs.”

The Death of Moses

34 Then Moses ascended from the rift valley plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the summit of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho.[aw] The Lord showed him the whole land—Gilead to Dan, 2 and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the distant[ax] sea, 3 the Negev, and the plain of the Valley of Jericho, the city of date palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’[ay] I have let you see it,[az] but you will not cross over there.”

5 So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab as the Lord had said. 6 He[ba] buried him in the valley in the land of Moab near Beth Peor, but no one knows his exact burial place to this very day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eye was not dull[bb] nor had his vitality[bc] departed. 8 The Israelites mourned for Moses in the rift valley plains[bd] of Moab for thirty days; then the days of mourning for Moses ended.

An Epitaph for Moses

9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him;[be] and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses. 10 No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face.[bf] 11 He did[bg] all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, 12 and he displayed great power[bh] and awesome might in view of all Israel.[bi]

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 33:2 tn Or “rose like the sun” (NCV, TEV).
  2. Deuteronomy 33:2 tc Heb “to him.” The LXX reads “to us” (לָנוּ [lanu] for לָמוֹ [lamo]), the reading of the MT is acceptable since it no doubt has in mind Israel as a collective singular.tn Heb “him”; the referent (Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Deuteronomy 33:2 tn Or “he shone forth” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  4. Deuteronomy 33:2 tc With slight alteration (מִמְרִבַת קָדֵשׁ [mimrivat qadesh] for the MT’s מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ [merivevot qodesh]) the translation would be “from Meribah Kadesh” (cf. NAB, NLT; see Deut 32:51). However, the language of holy war in the immediate context favors the reading of the MT, which views the Lord as accompanied by angelic hosts.
  5. Deuteronomy 33:2 tc The mispointed Hebrew term אֵשְׁדָּת (ʾeshdat) should perhaps be construed as אֵשְׁהַת (ʾeshhat) with Smr.
  6. Deuteronomy 33:3 tc Heb “peoples.” The apparent plural form is probably a misunderstood singular (perhaps with a pronominal suffix) with enclitic mem (ם). See HALOT 838 s.v. עַם B.2.
  7. Deuteronomy 33:3 tc Heb “his holy ones.” The third person masculine singular suffix of the Hebrew MT is problematic in light of the second person masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדֶךָ (beyadekha, “your hands”). The LXX versions by Lucian and Origen read, therefore, “the holy ones.” The LXX version by Theodotion and the Vulgate, however, presuppose third masculine singular suffix on בְּיָדָיו (beyadayv, “his hands”), and thus retain “his holy ones.” The efforts to bring pronominal harmony into the line is commendable but unnecessary given the Hebrew tendency to be untroubled by such grammatical inconsistencies. However, the translation harmonizes the first pronoun with the second so that the referent (the Lord) is clear.
  8. Deuteronomy 33:3 tn Heb “hands.” For the problem of the pronoun see note on the term “holy ones” earlier in this verse.
  9. Deuteronomy 33:3 tn The Hebrew term תֻּכּוּ (tukku, probably Pual perfect of תָּכָה, takhah) is otherwise unknown. The present translation is based on the reference to feet and, apparently, receiving instruction in God’s words (cf. KJV, ASV). Other options are as follows: NIV “At your feet they all bow down” (cf. NCV, CEV); NLT “They follow in your steps” (cf. NAB, NASB); NRSV “they marched at your heels.”
  10. Deuteronomy 33:3 tn The singular verbal form in the Hebrew text (lit. “he lifts up”) is understood in a distributive manner, focusing on the action of each individual within the group.
  11. Deuteronomy 33:4 tn The Hebrew term תּוֹרָה (torah) here should be understood more broadly as instruction.
  12. Deuteronomy 33:5 tn Heb “he was king.” The present translation avoids the sudden shift in person and the mistaken impression that Moses is the referent by specifying the referent as “the Lord.”
  13. Deuteronomy 33:5 sn Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). See note on the term in Deut 32:15.
  14. Deuteronomy 33:5 sn The following blessing is given to the tribes in order, although the tribe of Simeon is curiously missing from the list.
  15. Deuteronomy 33:6 tn Heb “and [not] may his men be few” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
  16. Deuteronomy 33:7 tn The words “the blessing” are supplied in the translation for clarity and stylistic reasons.
  17. Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Thummim and Urim. These terms, whose meaning is uncertain, refer to sacred stones carried in a pouch on the breastplate of the high priest and examined on occasion as a means of ascertaining God’s will or direction. See Exod 28:30; Lev 8:8; Num 27:21; 1 Sam 28:6. See also C. Van Dam, NIDOTTE 1:329-31.
  18. Deuteronomy 33:8 tn Heb “godly man.” The reference is probably to Moses as representative of the whole tribe of Levi.
  19. Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Massah means “testing” in Hebrew; the name is a wordplay on what took place there. Cf. Exod 17:7; Deut 6:16; 9:22; Ps 95:8-9.
  20. Deuteronomy 33:8 sn Meribah means “contention, argument” in Hebrew; this is another wordplay on the incident that took place there. Cf. Num 20:13, 24; Ps 106:32.
  21. Deuteronomy 33:9 sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).
  22. Deuteronomy 33:11 tn Heb “smash the sinews [or “loins,” so many English versions].” This part of the body was considered to be center of one’s strength (cf. Job 40:16; Ps 69:24; Prov 31:17; Nah 2:2, 11). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 325.
  23. Deuteronomy 33:12 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. Deuteronomy 33:12 tn Heb “between his shoulders.” This suggests the scene in John 13:23 with Jesus and the Beloved Disciple.
  25. Deuteronomy 33:13 tn Heb “from the harvest of the heavens.” The referent appears to be good crops produced by the rain that falls from the sky.
  26. Deuteronomy 33:14 tn Heb “goings forth of the sun.”
  27. Deuteronomy 33:14 tn Heb “and from the harvest of the yield of.” This has been simplified in the translation to avoid redundancy.
  28. Deuteronomy 33:14 tn Heb “the moon.” Many English versions regard this as a reference to “months” (“moons”) rather than the moon itself (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
  29. Deuteronomy 33:15 tn Heb “head” or “top.”
  30. Deuteronomy 33:16 tn The expression “him who resided in the bush” is frequently understood as a reference to the appearance of the Lord to Moses at Sinai from a burning bush (so NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT; cf. Exod 2:2-6; 3:2, 4). To make this reference clear the word “burning” is supplied in the translation.
  31. Deuteronomy 33:16 sn This apparently refers to Joseph’s special status among his brothers as a result of his being chosen by God to save the family from the famine and to lead Egypt.
  32. Deuteronomy 33:17 sn Ephraim and Manasseh were the sons of Joseph who became founders of the two tribes into which Joseph’s descendants were split (Gen 48:19-20). Jacob’s blessing granted favored status to Ephraim; this is probably why Ephraim is viewed here as more numerous than Manasseh.
  33. Deuteronomy 33:19 tn Or “acceptable”; Heb “righteous” (so NASB).
  34. Deuteronomy 33:19 tn Heb “suck.”
  35. Deuteronomy 33:19 tn Heb “of the sand” (so NRSV, NLT); CEV “the sandy beach.”
  36. Deuteronomy 33:20 tn Heb “forehead,” picturing Gad attacking prey.
  37. Deuteronomy 33:21 tn The Hebrew term מְחֹקֵק (mekhoqeq; Poel participle of חָקַק, khaqaq, “to inscribe”) reflects the idea that the recorder of allotments (the “ruler”) is able to set aside for himself the largest and best. See E. H. Merrill, Deuteronomy (NAC), 444-45.
  38. Deuteronomy 33:21 tn Heb “covered in” (if from the root סָפַן, safan; cf. HALOT 764-65 s.v. ספן qal).
  39. Deuteronomy 33:21 tn Heb “heads” (in the sense of chieftains).
  40. Deuteronomy 33:22 sn He will leap forth from Bashan. This may refer to Dan’s conquest of Laish, a region just to the west of Bashan (Judg 18:27-28).
  41. Deuteronomy 33:24 sn Dip his foot in olive oil. This is a metaphor for prosperity, one especially apt in light of the abundance of olive groves in the area settled by Asher. The Hebrew term refers to olive oil, which symbolizes blessing in the OT. See R. Way, NIDOTTE 4:171-73.
  42. Deuteronomy 33:25 tn The words “of your gates” have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent of “bars.”
  43. Deuteronomy 33:26 sn Jeshurun is a term of affection referring to Israel, derived from the Hebrew verb יָשַׁר (yashar, “be upright”). See note on the term in Deut 32:15.
  44. Deuteronomy 33:26 tn Or “(who) rides (on) the heavens” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT). This title depicts Israel’s God as sovereign over the elements of the storm (cf. Ps 68:33). The use of the phrase here may be polemical; Moses may be asserting that Israel’s God, not Baal (called the “rider of the clouds” in the Ugaritic myths), is the true divine king (cf. v. 5) who controls the elements of the storm, grants agricultural prosperity, and delivers his people from their enemies. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 151 (1994): 275.
  45. Deuteronomy 33:27 tn Heb “and from under, arms of perpetuity.” The words “you” and “his” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: “He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy” (NAB); “He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old” (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the mss and versions.
  46. Deuteronomy 33:28 tn Heb “all alone.” The idea is that such vital resources as water will some day no longer need protection because God will provide security.
  47. Deuteronomy 33:28 tn Or “skies.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
  48. Deuteronomy 33:28 tn Or perhaps “drizzle, showers.” See note at Deut 32:2.
  49. Deuteronomy 34:1 sn For the geography involved, see note on the term “Pisgah” in Deut 3:17 and the note on “rift valley plains” in Num 21:1.
  50. Deuteronomy 34:2 tn Or “western” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); Heb “latter,” a reference to the Mediterranean Sea (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT).
  51. Deuteronomy 34:4 tn Heb “seed” (so KJV, ASV).
  52. Deuteronomy 34:4 tn The Hebrew text includes “with your eyes,” but this is redundant in English and is left untranslated.
  53. Deuteronomy 34:6 tc Smr and some LXX mss read “they buried him,” that is, the Israelites. The MT reads “he buried him,” meaning in the context that “the Lord buried him.” This understanding, combined with the statement at the end of the verse that Moses’ burial place is unknown, gave rise to traditions during the intertestamental period that are reflected in the NT in Jude 9 and in OT pseudepigraphic works like the Assumption of Moses.
  54. Deuteronomy 34:7 tn Or “dimmed.” The term could refer to dull appearance or to dimness caused by some loss of visual acuity.
  55. Deuteronomy 34:7 tn Heb “sap.” That is, he was still in possession of his faculties or liveliness.
  56. Deuteronomy 34:8 sn This is the area of the rift valley basin to the north of the Dead Sea and east of the Jordan. See the note at Num 21:1.
  57. Deuteronomy 34:9 sn See Num 27:18.
  58. Deuteronomy 34:10 sn See Num 12:8; Deut 18:15-18.
  59. Deuteronomy 34:11 tn Heb “to,” “with respect to.” In the Hebrew text vv. 10-12 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two, using the verb “he did” at the beginning of v. 11 and “he displayed” at the beginning of v. 12.
  60. Deuteronomy 34:12 tn Heb “strong hand.”
  61. Deuteronomy 34:12 tn The Hebrew text of v. 12 reads literally, “with respect to all the strong hand and with respect to all the awesome greatness which Moses did before the eyes of all Israel.”
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Joshua 1
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Joshua 1-2
New English Translation

The Lord Commissions Joshua

1 After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 2 “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] 3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses.[d] 4 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] 5 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. 6 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] 7 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] 8 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] 9 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

2 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] 2 The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well![ak] Israelite men have come here tonight[al] to spy on the land.” 3 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!” 4 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. 5 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!” 6 (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.) 7 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]

8 Now before the spies[ay] went to sleep, Rahab[az] went up[ba] to the roof. 9 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]

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.”
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