Joshua

The Hebrew, Latin, and Greek that is transliterated as “Joshua” is translated in Swiss-German Sign Language with a sign that depicts a trumpet of rams’ horn, referring to Joshua 6:4 and following.


“Joshua” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Joshua .

complete verse (Joshua 18:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 18:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then, those people went round checking the land writing down how the cities were and distributed (them) into seven. When they had finished, they returned to Shilo where Joshua was staying.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So the men went and walked around in all the places of the land and wrote a description of how that land could be made into seven divisions, they also made a list of the cities in each division. Then they came back to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So the men went-(out) to-survey/explore the land. Then they made a map of this, in-which the land was-divided/partitioned into seven portions, and they listed the cities and towns which (were) under-the-jurisdiction of each part. Afterwards they returned to Josue at Shilo.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So the men left and walked through the area. Then they described in a scroll each town that was in the seven parts into which they had divided the land. Then they returned to Joshua, who was still at Shiloh.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 18:8 - 18:9

The twenty-one representatives of the seven tribes carry out Joshua’s instructions, which are repeated (verse 8b).

In verses 8-9 there is a great deal of repetition (see Revised Standard Version), some of which is carried over into Good News Translation. For example, The men went on their way to map out the land (8a) is essentially repeated in the first sentence of verse 9 (So the men went all over the land … a list of the towns). If these two verses are rendered as unit, considerable space may be saved. For example:

• Joshua told the men who had been selected, “Go through all the land and write down its description. Then bring the description back here to me, so that I can ask the LORD how to divide the land among your tribes.” The men went through all the land and described it in seven sections. They also made a list of the towns in each section. Then they returned to Joshua in Shiloh.

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 .