4:8 The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the Lord had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there.
5:1 When all the Amorite kings on the west side of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the seacoast heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites while they 2 crossed, they lost their courage and could not even breathe for fear of the Israelites. 3
8:1 The Lord told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! 9 Take the whole army with you and march against Ai! 10 See, I am handing over to you 11 the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.
1 tn Heb “and what you did to the two Amorite kings who were beyond the Jordan, Sihon and Og, how you annihilated them.”
2 tc Another textual tradition has, “while we crossed.”
3 tn Heb “their heart[s] melted and there was no longer in them breathe because of the sons of Israel.”
4 tn Normally the Hiphil of שָׁבַע (shava’) has a causative sense (“make [someone] take an oath”; see Josh 2:17, 20), but here (see also Josh 23:7) no object is stated or implied. If Joshua is calling divine judgment down upon the one who attempts to rebuild Jericho, then “make a solemn appeal [to God as judge]” or “pronounce a curse” would be an appropriate translation. However, the tone seems stronger. Joshua appears to be announcing the certain punishment of the violator. 1 Kgs 16:34, which records the fulfillment of Joshua’s prediction, supports this. Casting Joshua in a prophetic role, it refers to Joshua’s statement as the “word of the
5 tn Heb “rises up and builds.”
6 tc The LXX omits “Jericho.” It is probably a scribal addition.
7 tn The Hebrew phrase אָרוּר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה (’arur lifney yÿhvah, “cursed [i.e., condemned] before the
8 tn Heb “With his firstborn he will lay its foundations and with his youngest he will erect its gates.” The Hebrew verb יַצִּיב (yatsiv, “he will erect”) is imperfect, not jussive, suggesting Joshua’s statement is a prediction, not an imprecation.
9 tn Or perhaps “and don’t get discouraged!”
10 tn Heb “Take with you all the people of war and arise, go up against Ai!”
11 tn Heb “I have given into our hand.” The verbal form, a perfect, is probably best understood as a perfect of certitude, indicating the certainty of the action.
12 tn Heb “on the descent of.”
13 tn Or “heaven” (also in v. 13). The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven(s)” or “sky” depending on the context.
14 tn 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.”
15 tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
16 tn Heb “fathers.”
17 tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”