complete verse (Joshua 9:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Joshua 9:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “You leave them in peace, but those people will be splitting firewood for us and bring us water.’ That is what the leaders said.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Again the leaders said, "They must be allowed to live." So, in accordance with this promise of the leaders, they became wood cutters and water carriers for the whole assembly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “[You (plur.)] let them live. But let- us (incl.) -make them ones-who-gather-wood and ones-who-draw-water for the whole community.’ And this is what happened to the ones (who) come-from-Gibeon according-to what the leaders/[lit. heads] said concerning them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “So we must allow them to live. But they will cut wood for us, and they will carry water for us.’ So the Israeli leaders did what they had promised.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Joshua 9:21

They will have to cut wood and carry water for us puts into direct discourse what in Hebrew is part of the narrative (see Revised Standard Version, and see comments by Soggin). New English Bible is like Good News Translation. Similarly, the text may be translated, “They must take over the work of cutting wood and carrying water for all Israel.” In this proposed restructuring Let them live is deleted from verse 21, since it is unnecessary on the basis of its inclusion in verse 20.

“Hewers of wood and drawers of water” (the quaint King James Version language is still preserved in Revised Standard Version) may have been a picturesque way of describing the low social class of those who performed menial tasks (see Deut 29.11). But verses 23, 27 seem to take the expression quite literally, implying that these two tasks were performed particularly in connection with the Temple services.This terminology appears in the Canaanite Keret text of the 14th century B.C. as designation of the village pursuits of women. Smith believes it implies “that the Gibeonites are to disband their army and depend on Israel for their defense.” In any case, they are reduced to a servile status.

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 .