Remember serves as an “attention getter” for the words which follow; it is not to imply that the people had forgotten. In some languages this emphasis may be more effectively conveyed by rendering it as a separate sentence: “Remember! The LORD’s servant Moses told you….” Or the force of the word may be translated, “You know that….” In other languages a better impact may be conveyed without specific mention of the verb “remember,” as for example, “Moses, the servant of the LORD, promised you:….” It may be more natural to use direct discourse: “Remember that the LORD’s servant Moses told you, ‘The LORD your God will give you this land on the east side of the Jordan as your home.’ ”

In verse 13 Good News Translation, for clarity, includes on the east side of the Jordan, which in Hebrew comes in verse 14 (Revised Standard Version “the land … beyond the Jordan”). In biblical language “beyond the Jordan” is the east side, the point of reference being the land of Israel on the west side of the river. A literal rendering of “the land … beyond the Jordan” (Revised Standard Version) is misleading, for when these words are spoken the people of Israel are still on the east side of the Jordan; a literal translation would imply that “the other side” is the western side. Many languages have idiomatic expressions for the points on the compass, and consideration should be given to the appropriateness of using these in translation. It is possible even to translate without reference to the points on the compass, for example, “the land on this side of the Jordan.” It will have to be clear in the reader’s mind, however, that the people of Israel were east of the Jordan at the time Joshua addressed them.

As your home (Revised Standard Version “is providing you a place of rest”) translates the causative form of the Hebrew verb meaning “to settle down, to rest.” The idea is that of a place where they will live in security and peace; New English Bible “will grant you security here”; New American Bible “will permit you to settle.” Some languages have very specific terminology to denote “home” or “homeland” as it relates to a tribe or nation; for example, “land and water” or “village and yard.”

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 .