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OET (OET-LV) If/because forty year[s] the_people_of they_had_walked of_Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) in_wilderness until all_of was_finished the_nation the_men_of (the)_war who_came_out from_Miʦrayim who not they_had_listened to_the_voice_of YHWH whom YHWH he_had_sworn to/for_them to_not to_let_them_to_see DOM the_earth/land which YHWH he_had_sworn to_fathers_of_their to_give to/for_us a_land milk flowing_of and_honey.
OET (OET-RV) The Israelis had spent forty years moving around the wilderness until the last of those men who’d left Egypt but hadn’t listened to Yahweh had died. Yahweh had promised not to let them see the land that he’d promised to their ancestors to give them—a land flowing with milk and honey.
Joshua circumcised the Israelite men, because they had not done this ceremony while they walked through the wilderness for forty years. Then the Israelites observed the Passover ceremony. They ate food from the land of Canaan, and God stopped sending them manna.
Here are some other possible section headings:
Circumcision of the next generation
Circumcision and the first Passover in the promised land
For the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years,
The Israelites walked through the wilderness for forty years
The Israelites traveled in the wilderness for forty years.
For: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as For can also be translated as “because.” It connects verse 5 to verse 6, and it gives an explanation for what is stated in verse 5. Many English versions do not translate this word, and the function is implied. You should use a connecting word that is natural in your language to connect these two verses.
the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness forty years: The Israelites walked from place to place in the wilderness. It took the Israelites forty years to reach Kadesh Barnea. Deuteronomy 1:2 states that they could have walked this distance in eleven days. The Israelites walked for forty years because they disobeyed Yahweh.
in the wilderness: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as wilderness refers to a place where no people live.
until all the nation’s men of war who had come out of Egypt had died,
until all the soldiers who left Egypt died
During that time all the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died.
until all the nation’s men of war: This phrase refers to men more than twenty years old and old enough to be soldiers.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
until all the nation, that is, the men of war (NASB)
In many languages it may be more natural to combine the two phrases or to delete all the nation’s. For example:
all their soldiers (GW)
all the men who were old enough to fight in battle (NLT)
the men in the army (CEV)
who had come out of Egypt: It was stated in the previous verse that they came out of Egypt, so it may be more natural in some languages to leave this information implicit.
since they did not obey the LORD.
because they did not obey Yahweh.
They died because they disobeyed Yahweh.
since: The word since introduces the reason why all these men died in the wilderness.
they did not obey the LORD: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as obey is literally “listen.” This is an idiom. It means “obey.”
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
they did not obey what Yahweh had commanded
It may be more natural in some languages to state the reason at the beginning of the sentence instead of at the end. You can reorder the verse so that 5:6c starts the verse. For example:
6cThe Israelites did not obey Yahweh. Because they disobeyed him, 6athey had to walk in the wilderness for forty years 6buntil all of Israel’s soldiers died.
So the LORD vowed
Because they disobeyed him, Yahweh made a solemn promise to them.
So, Yahweh vowed to them
So the LORD vowed: The clause So the LORD vowed means that Yahweh made a promise to them. It may be more natural in some languages to put the indirect object in its normal order. For example:
the Lord had sworn to them (NIV)
Use whatever order is most natural in your language.
never to let them see the land
He said he will not let them enter the land
that they will not live long enough to see the land
never to let them see the land: The clause never to let them see the land indicates that Yahweh did not let them live long enough to enter the land of Canaan.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
he would not let them enter the land of Canaan
he would not let them live to see the land of Canaan
He had sworn to their fathers to give us,
which he promised their ancestors to give us,
he swore to give to them and to us.
He had sworn: The phrase He had sworn means that Yahweh made a vow or a promise.
to their fathers: The phrase to their fathers refers to their actual fathers and also their ancestors.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
to their ancestors
to their fathers and grandfathers
to give us: There is implied information. The phrase to give us can also be translated as:
to give to us(incl) Israelites
The writer of the book of Joshua wrote this many years later. When he said to give us he wrote about himself and the Israelites in his own time. He said that they also received what God had promised to their ancestors.5:6 Bratcher and Newman, p. 62.
Here is another way to translate this part of the verse:
Yahweh did not let them see the land which he promised to their ancestors, and which he said that he would give to them and to us(incl)
a land flowing with milk and honey.
a rich and fertile land.
That land is a fertile land, and produces lots of crops.
a land flowing with milk and honey: The phrase a land flowing with milk and honey is a Hebrew idiom. In this idiom the rivers flow with milk and honey instead of water. It means that the land was fertile and produced abundant crops. If possible, use vivid language or an idiom which conveys the same meaning in your own language.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
a very fertile land
a land which produces lots of crops
The structure of 5:4–6 is complex. Some English versions reorder these verses. If you find these verses difficult to translate, you might want to consider reordering them. For example:
4bWhen the people of Israel left Egypt, 5aall the males were already circumcised. 6aHowever, during the forty years the people spent crossing the desert, 5cnone of the baby boys had been circumcised. 6bAlso, by the end of that time all the men who were of fighting age when they left Egypt had died 6cbecause they had disobeyed the Lord. 6dJust as he had sworn, 6ethey were not allowed to see 6gthe rich and fertile land 6fthat he had promised their ancestors. (GNT)
If you follow the GNT, you will need to look at how it translates 5:7. Verse 5:7 includes information that is implied at the beginning of the unit 5:4–6, specifically the statement about why these men had never been circumcised. Verse 5:7 in the GNT reads:
The sons of these men had never been circumcised, and it was this new generation that Joshua circumcised. (GNT)
You might also want to consider the CEV, which reorders 5:4–7.
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
כִּ֣י ׀ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה הָלְכ֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ בַּמִּדְבָּר֒ עַד־תֹּ֨ם כָּל־הַגּ֜וֹי אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה
(Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when forty year travelled sons_of Yisrael in,wilderness until perished all/each/any/every the,nation men_of of_(the),war [who]_came,out from=Miʦrayim/(Egypt) which/who not listen to,the_voice_of YHWH which/who swore YHWH to/for=them to=not to,let_them_to_see DOM the=earth/land which/who sworn YHWH to,fathers_of,their to,give to/for=us earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey )
If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: [Because they had not listened to the voice of Yahweh, the sons of Israel had walked in the wilderness 40 years, until the finishing of all of the nation of the men of war having come out from Egypt]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
הַגּ֜וֹי אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙
the,nation (Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when forty year travelled sons_of Yisrael in,wilderness until perished all/each/any/every the,nation men_of of_(the),war [who]_came,out from=Miʦrayim/(Egypt) which/who not listen to,the_voice_of YHWH which/who swore YHWH to/for=them to=not to,let_them_to_see DOM the=earth/land which/who sworn YHWH to,fathers_of,their to,give to/for=us earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey )
The author seems to be speaking as if these men of war were a nation of their own. In this language and culture, people sometimes used the term “nation” to mean “army,” as in [Joel 1:6](../../jol/01/06.md), for example. Alternate translation: [the men of war in the army]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה
not (Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when forty year travelled sons_of Yisrael in,wilderness until perished all/each/any/every the,nation men_of of_(the),war [who]_came,out from=Miʦrayim/(Egypt) which/who not listen to,the_voice_of YHWH which/who swore YHWH to/for=them to=not to,let_them_to_see DOM the=earth/land which/who sworn YHWH to,fathers_of,their to,give to/for=us earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey )
Here, the word listened means “obeyed.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: [they had not obeyed the voice of Yahweh]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּק֣וֹל יְהוָ֑ה
not (Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when forty year travelled sons_of Yisrael in,wilderness until perished all/each/any/every the,nation men_of of_(the),war [who]_came,out from=Miʦrayim/(Egypt) which/who not listen to,the_voice_of YHWH which/who swore YHWH to/for=them to=not to,let_them_to_see DOM the=earth/land which/who sworn YHWH to,fathers_of,their to,give to/for=us earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey )
The author is using the voice of Yahweh by association to mean the things that Yahweh commanded by using his voice. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [they had not obeyed what Yahweh commanded them] or [they had not done what Yahweh told them to do]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
לַֽאֲבוֹתָם֙
(Some words not found in UHB: that/for/because/then/when forty year travelled sons_of Yisrael in,wilderness until perished all/each/any/every the,nation men_of of_(the),war [who]_came,out from=Miʦrayim/(Egypt) which/who not listen to,the_voice_of YHWH which/who swore YHWH to/for=them to=not to,let_them_to_see DOM the=earth/land which/who sworn YHWH to,fathers_of,their to,give to/for=us earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey )
The author is using the term fathers to mean “ancestors.” If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to their ancestors]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ
earth/land flowing_of milk and,honey
Yahweh spoke of the land being good for animals and plants as if the milk and honey from those animals and plants were actually flowing through the land. If this metaphor makes sense in your language, you may use it. If your language has metaphors that mean a land is good for producing healthy livestock and good crops, you may consider using those. If neither is the case, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [a fertile land that produces many good things]
OET (OET-LV) If/because forty year[s] the_people_of they_had_walked of_Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) in_wilderness until all_of was_finished the_nation the_men_of (the)_war who_came_out from_Miʦrayim who not they_had_listened to_the_voice_of YHWH whom YHWH he_had_sworn to/for_them to_not to_let_them_to_see DOM the_earth/land which YHWH he_had_sworn to_fathers_of_their to_give to/for_us a_land milk flowing_of and_honey.
OET (OET-RV) The Israelis had spent forty years moving around the wilderness until the last of those men who’d left Egypt but hadn’t listened to Yahweh had died. Yahweh had promised not to let them see the land that he’d promised to their ancestors to give them—a land flowing with milk and honey.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.
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