complete verse (Joshua 10:35)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 10:35:

  • Kupsabiny: “On that day they took the city and killed all the people who lived there like they had killed those of Lachish.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “That very day they succeeded in conquering it, and like they did at Lachish, they destroyed all the people who were there with the sword.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “On that very/same day, they subjected/brought-under-(their)-jurisdiction Eglon and killed all its residents, just-like what they had-done to Lakish.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “On that day, they captured the city and killed everyone in it , just like they had done at Lachish.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 10:34 - 10:35

From Lachish the Israelite army proceeded to Eglon, about 16 kilometers west of Lachish. There the capture of the city and the slaughter of its people took only one day. “That day” (Revised Standard Version) is said twice and should be emphatically stated in translation. Again the verb meaning “condemn to destruction” is used. The destruction and slaughter in Eglon are compared to that inflicted on Lachish.

The restructuring of verse 34 will be similar to that of 31, as will the restructuring of verse 35 be somewhat similar to the last part of verse 32. The Hebrew readers would have found these accounts of the destruction of the various cities exciting, because it was their ancestors who had won these important victories. But this is not the case with the contemporary reader, for whom the repetition may tend to be boring. Therefore, without adding to or deleting from the accounts of defeat of the cities, one should aim to translate as interestingly as possible.

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 .