7:1 But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. 5 Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, 6 son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. 7 The Lord was furious with the Israelites. 8
14:1 The following is a record of the territory assigned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan by Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the Israelite tribal leaders. 16
16:33 The dice are thrown into the lap, 17
but their every decision 18 is from the Lord. 19
1 tn See the note on “Zabdi” in 1 Chr 7:1.
2 tn Heb “and he selected Zabdi.” The
3 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Zabdi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “by men.”
5 tn Heb “But the sons of Israel were unfaithful with unfaithfulness concerning what was set apart [to the
6 tn 1 Chr 2:6 lists a “Zimri” (but no Zabdi) as one of the five sons of Zerah (cf. also 1 Chr 7:17, 18).
7 tn Heb “took from what was set apart [to the
8 tn Heb “the anger of the
9 tn Heb “But [as for] you, don’t stand still, chase after your enemies and attack them from the rear.”
10 tn Or “enter into.”
11 tn Heb “has given them into your hand.” The verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of the action.
12 tn Heb “When Joshua and the sons of Israel finished defeating them with a very great defeat until they were destroyed (now the survivors escaped to the fortified cities).” In the Hebrew text the initial temporal clause (“when Joshua…finished”) is subordinated to v. 21 (“the whole army returned”).
13 tn Heb “all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua [at] Makkedah [in] peace.”
14 tc Heb “No man.” The lamed (ל) prefixed to אִישׁ (’ish, “man”) is probably dittographic (note the immediately preceding יִשְׂרָאֵל [isra’el] which ends in lamed, ל); cf. the LXX.
15 tn Heb “no man sharpened [or perhaps, “pointed”] his tongue against the sons of Israel.” Cf. NEB “not a man of the Israelites suffered so much as a scratch on his tongue,” which understands “sharpened” as “scratched” (referring to a minor wound). Most modern translations understand the Hebrew expression “sharpened his tongue” figuratively for opposition or threats against the Israelites.
16 tn Heb “These are [the lands] which the sons of Israel received as an inheritance in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes assigned as an inheritance to the sons of Israel.”
17 tn Heb “the lot is cast.” Because the ancient practice of “casting lots” is unfamiliar to many modern readers, the imagery has been updated to “throwing dice.”
18 tn Heb “all its decision.”
19 sn The point concerns seeking God’s will through the practice. The
20 tn Heb “And they said, a man to his companion.” The plural verb is individualized by “a man.”
21 sn The English word lots is a generic term. In some cultures the procedure for “casting lots” is to “draw straws” so that the person who receives the short straw is chosen. In other situations a colored stone or a designated playing card might be picked at random. In Jonah’s case, small stones were probably used.
22 sn In the ancient Near East, casting lots was a custom used to try to receive a revelation from the gods about a particular situation. The Phoenician sailors here cried out to their gods and cast lots in the hope that one of their gods might reveal the identity of the person with whom he was angry. CEV has well captured the sentiment of v.7b: “‘Let’s ask our gods to show us who caused all this trouble.’ It turned out to be Jonah.”
23 tn Heb “On whose account this calamity is upon us.”
24 tn Heb “the lot fell on Jonah.” From their questions posed to Jonah, it does not appear that the sailors immediately realize that Jonah was the one responsible for the storm. Instead, they seem to think that he is the one chosen by their gods to reveal to them the one responsible for their plight. It is only after he admits in vv. 9-10 that he was fleeing from the God whom he served that they realize that Jonah was in fact the cause of their trouble.
25 tn Grk “And praying, they said.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
26 tn Grk “to take the place.”
27 tn Or “of this ministry.”
28 tn Or “the task of this service and apostleship which Judas ceased to perform.”
29 sn To go to his own place. This may well be a euphemism for Judas’ judged fate. He separated himself from them, and thus separated he would remain.
30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.
31 tn Grk “and the lot fell on Matthias.”
32 tn Or “he was counted as one of the apostles along with the eleven.”