In some languages it may be preferable not to repeat the full title the commander of the LORD’s army. One may translate either “he” or “the man.” If either of these is used of the commander of the Lord’s army, then one may want to mention Joshua by name: “He said to Joshua.”

Take your sandals off; you are standing on holy ground are exactly the same instructions as those given by the Lord to Moses at the burning bush (Exo 3.5). The ground on which Joshua is standing is holy because of the presence of the commander of the Lord’s army. The order of the words may need to be inverted in translation: “You are standing on holy ground. So take off your sandals.” The phrase holy ground may not be understood; or worse, it may be misunderstood as “ground that is taboo,” or in a negative sense as “ground that defiles people who touch it.” One may even be compelled to dispense with the “ground” imagery and translate “You are standing in the presence of the LORD.” If the imagery is maintained one may translate “You are standing on ground where the LORD has chosen to be worshiped.”

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 .