village

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “village” or “town” in English is translated in Noongar as karlamaya or “fire (used for “home“) + houses” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

In Elhomwe it is typically translated as “place.” “Here in Malawi, villages very small, so changed to ‘places,’ since not sure whether biblical reference just to small villages or also to bigger towns. (Source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

family / clan / house

The Hebrew terms that are translated as “family” or “clan” or “house” or similar in English are all translated in Kwere as ng’holo or “clan.” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

In the English translation by Goldingay (2018) it is translated as “kin-group.”

See also tribe.

complete verse (Joshua 13:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 13:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “It was the river Jordan which was the western border of the clan of Reuben. These were the cities and villages which were given to the clan of Reuben.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Reuben’s western boundary was the bank of the Jordan. These cities and villages were as inheritance of the Reubenites, clan by clan.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The River of Jordan was the border of the tribe of Reuben. Those (were) the towns/cities and villages which were-given to the tribe of Reuben, which were-divided/partitioned for each family.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The western boundary of the land that was allotted to the clans of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan River.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 13:23

The western border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan River and, of course, the Dead Sea. For families see comments on verse 15.

Although the first sentence of this verse is simple in Good News Translation, it may also be translated, “The tribe of Reuben had the Jordan River as its western border.” The Hebrew text does not include the adjective “western,” though it is redundant in other ways (see Revised Standard Version “And the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary”).

The Hebrew noun translated towns (Revised Standard Version “villages”) refers to a permanent settlement that is without walls. Cities and towns would probably have reference to the walled cities and the outlying towns or farms, and so the sentence may be rendered, “All these cities with their villages were given to the families of the tribe of Reuben. These cities and villages were to belong to them forever.”

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 .