Joshua 8:4-12

8:4 He told ¹  them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops ²  who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack ³  us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place ⁴  and seize ⁵  the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it ⁶  on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” ⁷  8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place ⁸  west of Ai, between Bethel ⁹  and Ai. ¹⁰  Joshua spent that night with the army. ¹¹ 

8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered ¹²  the army, ¹³  and he and the leaders ¹⁴  of Israel marched ¹⁵  at the head of it ¹⁶  to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. ¹⁷  They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. ¹⁸  8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel ¹⁹  and Ai.

Jude 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Jude, ²⁰  a slave ²¹  of Jesus Christ and brother of James, ²²  to those who are called, wrapped in the love of ²³  God the Father and kept for ²⁴  Jesus Christ.

[8:4]  ¹ tn Or “commanded, ordered.”

[8:5]  ² tn Heb “the people.”

[8:6]  ³ tn Heb “come out after.”

[8:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “from the ambush.”

[8:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “take possession of.”

[8:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “the city.”

[8:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “I have commanded you.”

[8:9]  ⁸ tn Or “the place of ambush.”

[8:9]  ⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

[8:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”

[8:10]  ¹² tn Or “summoned, mustered.”

[8:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or “elders.”

[8:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “went up.”

[8:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.

[8:11]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”

[8:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”

[8:12]  ¹⁹ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[1:1]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Judas,” traditionally “Jude” in English versions to distinguish him from the one who betrayed Jesus. The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ²¹ tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). At the same time, perhaps “servant” is apt in that the δοῦλος of Jesus Christ took on that role voluntarily, unlike a slave. The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[1:1]  ²² sn Although Jude was half-brother of Jesus, he humbly associates himself with James, his full brother. By first calling himself a slave of Jesus Christ, it is evident that he wants no one to place stock in his physical connections. At the same time, he must identify himself further: Since Jude was a common name in the 1st century (two of Jesus’ disciples were so named, including his betrayer), more information was needed, that is to say, brother of James.

[1:1]  ²³ tn Grk “loved in.” The perfect passive participle suggests that the audience’s relationship to God is not recent; the preposition ἐν (en) before πατρί (patri) could be taken as sphere or instrument (agency is unlikely, however). Another possible translation would be “dear to God.”

[1:1]  ²⁴ tn Or “by.” Datives of agency are quite rare in the NT (and other ancient Greek), almost always found with a perfect verb. Although this text qualifies, in light of the well-worn idiom of τηρέω (threw) in eschatological contexts, in which God or Christ keeps the believer safe until the parousia (cf. 1 Thess 5:23; 1 Pet 1:4; Rev 3:10; other terms meaning “to guard,” “to keep” are also found in similar eschatological contexts [cf. 2 Thess 3:3; 2 Tim 1:12; 1 Pet 1:5; Jude 24]), it is probably better to understand this verse as having such an eschatological tinge. It is at the same time possible that Jude’s language was intentionally ambiguous, implying both ideas (“kept by Jesus Christ [so that they might be] kept for Jesus Christ”). Elsewhere he displays a certain fondness for wordplays; this may be a hint of things to come.