Joshua 2:7

2:7 Meanwhile 1  the king’s men tried to find them on the road to the Jordan River 2  near the fords. 3  The city gate was shut as soon as they set out in pursuit of them. 4 

Joshua 10:10

10:10 The Lord routed 5  them before Israel. Israel 6  thoroughly defeated them 7  at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass 8  of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah.

1 tn Another way to translate vv. 6-7 would be, “While she took them up to the roof and hid them…, the king’s men tried to find them….” Both of the main clauses have the subject prior to the predicate, perhaps indicating simultaneous action. (On the grammatical point, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 42, §235.) In this case Rahab moves the Israelite spies from the hiding place referred to in v. 4 to a safer and less accessible hiding place.

2 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarity.

3 tn Heb “And the men chased after them [on] the road [leading to] the Jordan to the fords.” The text is written from the perspective of the king’s men. As far as they were concerned, they were chasing the spies.

4 tn Heb “And they shut the gate after – as soon as the ones chasing after them went out.” The expressions “after” and “as soon as” may represent a conflation of alternate readings.

5 tn Or “caused to panic.”

6 tn Heb “he.” The referent is probably Israel (mentioned at the end of the previous sentence in the verse; cf. NIV, NRSV), but it is also possible that the Lord should be understood as the referent (cf. NASB “and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon”), or even Joshua (cf. NEB “and Joshua defeated them utterly in Gibeon”).

7 tn Heb “struck them down with a great striking down.”

8 tn Or “ascent.”