translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JOS

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “You have kept all which Moses, the Lord ’s servant, commanded you, and you have listened to my voice, to all which I commanded you.”


text: Heb “your brothers” (also in vv. 4, 7 ), but this does not refer to siblings or necessarily even to relatives. It refers to the Israelites of the remaining tribes.


text: Heb “these many days.”


text: Heb “you have kept the charge of the command of the Lord your God.”


text: Heb “has given rest to your brothers.”


text: Heb “tents.”


text: Heb “the land of your possession.”


text: Heb “But be very careful to do the commandment and the law which Moses, the Lord ’s servant, commanded you, to love.”


text: Heb “walk in all his paths.”


text: Or “keep.”


text: Heb “hug him.”


text: Or “soul.”


text: Heb “blessed.” However, see v. 8 , where rewards are given.


text: Heb “and they went to their tents.”


text: Heb “to their tents.”


text: Heb “blessed.”


text: Heb “return to your tents with.”


text: Heb “very many cattle.”


text: Heb “very much clothing.”


text: Heb “returned and went from the sons of Israel, from Shiloh which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, to the land of their possession.”


text: Heb “and they went to Geliloth of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Reuben, the sons of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar near the Jordan, an altar great with respect to appearance.”


text: Heb “the sons of Israel heard, saying.”


text: Heb “toward the front of.”


text: Heb “to go up against them for battle.”


text: Heb “ten leaders with him, one leader, one leader for a paternal house, for all the tribes of Israel, and each a head of the house of their father, they belong to the clans of Israel.”


text: Heb “What is this unfaithfulness with which you have been unfaithful against the God of Israel, turning today from after the Lord , when you built for yourselves an altar, rebelling today against the Lord ?”


text: Heb “Was the sin of Peor too insignificant for us, from which we have not made purification to this day? And there was a plague in the assembly of the Lord .”


text: Heb “you are turning back.”


text: Or “he will be angry with.”


text: Heb “the land of your possession.”


text: Heb “the land of the possession of the Lord .”


text: Heb “where the dwelling place of the Lord resides.” sn The phrase where the Lord himself lives refers to the tabernacle.


text: Heb “and take for yourselves in our midst.”


label: NET textual note

text: Heb “and us to you rebel.” The reading of the MT, the accusative sign with suffix ( וְאֹתָנוּ , vÿ ’ otanu ), is problematic with the verb “rebel” ( מָרַד , marad ). Many Hebrew mss correctly read the negative particle אַל (’ al ) for the preposition אֶל (’ el , “to”).


text: Heb “Is it not [true that] Achan son of Zerah was unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the Lord ] and against all the assembly of Israel there was anger?”


text: The second half of the verse reads literally, “and he [was] one man, he did not die for his sin.” There are at least two possible ways to explain this statement: (1) One might interpret the statement to mean that Achan was not the only person who died for his sin. In this case it could be translated, “and he was not the only one to die because of his sin.” (2) Another option, the one reflected in the translation, is to take the words וְהוּא אִישׁ אֶחָד ( vÿhu ’ ’ ish ’ ekhad , “and he [was] one man”) as a concessive clause and join it with what precedes. The remaining words ( לֹא גָוַע בַּעֲוֹנוֹ , lo ’ gava ’ ba ’ avono ) must then be taken as a rhetorical question (“Did he not die for his sin?”). Taking the last sentence as interrogative is consistent with the first part of the verse, a rhetorical question introduced with the interrogative particle. The present translation has converted these rhetorical questions into affirmative statements to bring out more clearly the points they are emphasizing. For further discussion, see T. C. Butler, Joshua (WBC), 240.


text: Heb “answered and spoke to the heads of.”


text: Heb “he knows.”


text: Heb “if in rebellion or if in unfaithfulness against the Lord .”


text: Heb “do not save us.” The verb form is singular, being addressed to either collective Israel or the Lord himself. The LXX translates in the third person.


text: Heb “by building.” The prepositional phrase may be subordinated to what precedes, “if in unfaithfulness…by building.”


text: Heb “or if to offer up.”


text: Heb “or if to make.”


text: Or “peace offerings.”


text: Heb “the Lord , he will seek.” Perhaps this is a self-imprecation in an oath, “may the Lord himself punish us.”


text: Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”


text: Heb “What is there to you and to the Lord God of Israel?” The rhetorical question is sarcastic in tone and anticipates a response, “Absolutely none!”


text: Heb “You have no portion in the Lord .”


text: Heb “fearing.”


text: Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”


text: Heb “to do the service of the Lord before him.”


text: The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “fathers.”


text: Heb “the sons of Reuben, and the sons of Gad, and the sons of Manasseh.”


text: Heb “it was good in their eyes.”


text: Heb “because you were not unfaithful with this unfaithfulness against the Lord .”


text: On the use of אָז in a logical sense, see Waltke-O’Connor, Hebrew Syntax , 667.


text: Heb “the hand (i.e., power) of the Lord .”


text: Heb “and Phinehas…returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel. And they brought back to them a word.”


text: Heb “and the word was good in the eyes of the sons of Israel and the sons of Israel blessed God.”


text: Heb “and they did not speak about going up against them for battle to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living.”


text: Heb “a witness between us.”