For the people listed see 3.10. So as to distinguish this group from the neighboring kings, verse 3 may open with “He also sent the same message to….” Moreover it may be advisable to break verse 3 somewhere, for example, “in the hill country. He sent the message to the Hivites … of Mizpah.” Finally, it may be better to substitute the pattern “to the kings of the Canaanites…” for to the Canaanites; otherwise, a problem will arise in verse 5 (see comments there).

Mount Hermon lies northeast of Lake Huleh, toward Damascus. A land of Mizpah east of the Jordan is not known; perhaps it is the same place as “the valley of Mizpeh” (Revised Standard Version) in verse 8. The Hebrew word, as a common noun, means “watchtower.”

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 .