I just put the finishing touches on a new note for Joshua 8:18 in the NET Bible because of the input of some faithful readers. They had noticed that our translation of this verse differed from many other translations, and they wondered why. Our current text in the first edition reads as follows:
The LORD told Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the curved sword in your hand, for I am handing the city over to you." So Joshua held out toward Ai the curved sword in his hand.
The major point of difference revolves around the word we translated "curved sword." Most other translations have "spear" (like NKJV) or "javelin" (like NIV, ESV and NASB). Clearly these are two different weapons, so which is correct?
The answer comes from examining the entry in HALOT (the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament) for the Hebrew word in question, kidon. The entry gives lots of information (as all the HALOT entries do!). This word in Modern Hebrew means "javelin" and has traditionally been translated this way. But the entry also points the reader to a passage in the Dead Sea Scrolls (1QM 5:7, 10-13, to be exact) which shows clearly that a kidon cannot be a spear. It must be a short sword, very likely with a curve in the design. (In this passage the kidon is clearly different from a spear, and its construction is described at length.)
The note I have added will be connected to the first occurrence of the phrase "curved sword." It reads like this:
tn Traditionally “spear,” but see HALOT 472 s.v. כִּידוֹן, which argues based upon evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls that this term refers to a curved sword of some type; note the definition “scimitar” given there.
Three points for takeaway:
- Just because something has always been translated a certain way does not mean that it is correct.
- We should always value the light ancient documents shed on our understanding of the Scriptures, even for an issue as mundane as the meaning of a single, obscure word.
- We should always use the most up to date, accurate tools available. (In this instance, HALOT has the more accurate information as opposed to the other well-known Hebrew lexicon BDB.)
Dr. Michael Burer is Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the assistant project director for the NET Bible and has contributed various studies to the bible.org site. His first book - A New Reader's Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, co-authored with Jeff Miller - was published Fall of 2008. 
Love those 3 rules. That's why the NET is my evangelical translation of choice. I agree with your ideology in trying to get back to the original meaning.
Dr. Burer,
In Yigael Yadin's book "The Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness" (Oxford Univ. Press, 1962), he makes the case that the "belly" of the kidon that is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls is really referring to the sword's scabbard and not to a curve in the sword as some scholars had suggested. But the NET translates it as "curved sword."
Did the translators reject Yadin's interpretation? If so, do you know why? I am currently writing my dissertation on biblical weapons, so any insight you can give me into the issue would be helpful. Thank you.
Seth M. Rodriquez
PhD Candidate
Southern Seminary, Louisville, KY
Yigael Yadin's "The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands" is footnoted* by Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager in their book, "Life in Biblical Israel." While talking about the more than 400 biblical references to "sword" and "sheath," King & Stager say that "Hebrew makes no distinction between the straight sword and the sickle sword, so called because of its curved shape. . . . The sickle sword was known as 'khopesh' (foreleg of an animal) in Egyptian, and perhaps 'kidon' in Hebrew*" (page 224).
I do not know the answer to this, but I'll ask around and see if I can learn anything about it. Sounds like an intriguing dissertation topic. Do you have a lot of evidence other than texts (drawings, artifacts, etc.) that you are working with? May God bless you as you make progress!
Yes. For each weapon I am studying the Hebrew terms, the ancient illustrations, and the artifacts. It hopefully will serve as a good reference work on the topic. I am limiting the project to the monarchy period, but kidon turns up during that period as well as in Joshua.
Thanks for the reference. I haven't looked at Lawrence & Stager's work. I'll check it out.
Thanks for this post, Michael. I've always appreciated the courage of you NET translators to be willing to translate something in a new way if it means that it will be more accurate. Your concluding points are essential.
Thanks for the encouragement, Wayne. I hope that when all is said and done that our efforts will yield some good fruit in the lives of our readers!
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