Leonard J. Greenspoon

The Book of Joshua—Part 1: Texts and Versions

Over the past few decades there has been increased interest in, and research on, the text of the book of Joshua in the Masoretic tradition, the Septuagint, and other ancient versions, as well as the fragmentary remains from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This article provides a discussion of the ancient evidence and an analysis of the major modern theories. English translations of the various textual traditions are compared and discussed. Although the differences are not as extensive as in Jeremiah, and the Qumran material is relatively scant, contemporary scholars have devised a number of intriguing theories to explain the differences and to highlight their significance within the literary, textual, and theological development of this important biblical book. This article is the first half of a two-part treatment discussing recent scholarship on the book of Joshua.

Between Text and Commentary: A Characteristic Feature of Jewish Bible Versions

Abstract Jewish versions of the Bible frequently feature extensive commentaries in addition to translated text. In many instances these commentaries elicit as much attention as the translation itself—if not more. Typically combining grammatical and exegetical remarks, these commentaries accompany both freer and more literal renderings and may contain non-Jewish and non-traditional commentators along with substantial offerings from mainstream Jewish exegetes. The erudition displayed by these Jewish translators is extensive, often aimed at a more learned audience than the translated text itself. Overall, such Jewish versions may be seen as efforts to open up for non-Hebrew readers the intentionally ambiguous language of the original, where lexical and grammatical multivalence are characteristic features—features that are frequently lost when rendering words and expressions from one language to another.