translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JOS

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “And Joshua arose early in the morning and he and the Israelites left Shittim and came to the Jordan.”


text: The words “the river,” though not in the Hebrew text, have been supplied in the translation for clarity.


text: Heb “set out from your place.”


text: Or “march.”


text: Heb “But there should be a distance between you and it, about two thousand cubits in measurement.” sn The precise distance is uncertain, but the measurement designated אַמָּה (’ ammah , “cubit”) was probably equivalent to approximately eighteen inches (one and one-half feet, or 45 cm) in length.


text: Heb “do not approach it.”


text: Heb “know.”


text: Or more literally, “to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel.”


text: Heb “the edge of the waters of the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied for clarity.


text: Heb “stand in the Jordan.” Here the repetition of the word “Jordan” would be redundant according to contemporary English style, so it was not included in the translation.


text: Heb “said.”


text: Or “Lord”; or “Master.”


text: Heb “the soles of the feet.”


text: Or “rest in.”


text: Heb “the waters of the Jordan, the waters descending from above, will be cut off so that they will stand in one pile.”


text: The verb, though not in the Hebrew, is added for clarification.


text: Heb “dipped into the edge.”


text: Heb “and the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest.” sn The lengthy description of the priests’ arrival at the Jordan and the parenthetical reminder that the Jordan was at flood stage delay the climax of the story and add to its dramatic buildup.


text: Heb “the waters descending from above stood still.”


text: Heb “they stood in one pile very far away.”


text: Heb “the [waters] descending toward the sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) were completely cut off.” sn The Salt Sea is an ancient name for the Dead Sea.


text: For the location of Jericho see Map5-B2 ; Map6-E1 ; Map7-E1 ; Map8-E3 ; Map10-A2 ; Map11-A1 .


text: Heb “and all Israel was crossing over on dry ground until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”