Now the Lord speaks directly to Joshua again, promising him victory in all his undertakings. Good News Translation introduces Joshua as a noun of address, to indicate that he is the one to whom the Lord is now speaking. For languages which possess both singular and plural forms of “you,” the shift will be obvious without specific mention of the name. In such instances one may translate “No enemy will be able to stand against you (singular).”

Will (not) be able to defeat translates the verb “hold one’s ground, oppose, withstand.”

In Hebrew you (in all of its occurrences in the verse) is singular and refers to Joshua. The Greek Old Testament translators rendered the first occurrence as a plural form, thereby referring it to the people of Israel. However, the focus throughout the verse is upon Joshua as he assumes the role of leadership from Moses, and in languages where distinctions exist, a singular form should be used in translation.

The Lord promises to help Joshua as he did Moses, and tells him he will not forsake or abandon him. The Hebrew uses two synonymous verbs, “to fail, let go,” and “to abandon, forsake”; Good News Translation uses two expressions, negative and positive: I will always be with you; I will never abandon you. In some languages it may be more effective not to have the repetition of verbs. That is, one may use either “I will always be with you” or “I will never abandon you,” but not both. This is especially true in cultures where the accumulation of synonyms tends to weaken rather than to strengthen an affirmation.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Newman, Barclay M. A Handbook on Joshua. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1983. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .