Did as the LORD had commanded, and he may be omitted from translation on the grounds that the information is clearly implicit. One may render “So Joshua circumcised….” Although in verse 2 the command is to Joshua (Make some knives) and in the present verse it is stated that Joshua circumcised the Israelites, it is difficult to imagine that he alone did these actions. Rather one must assume that he was the responsible person, given the command by God to see that it was done. If the language has a causative form, then it is possible to render “Cause (some men) to make some knives (of flint) and cause them to circumcise the Israelites” or “… and cause the Israelites to be circumcised.” Otherwise one may render

• “Command some men to make knives out of flint and circumcise those Israelites who have not yet been circumcised.” 3 So Joshua obeyed the LORD’s command, and the place where the Israelites were circumcised is now called Circumcision Hill.

A place called Circumcision Hill obviously means that the place got its name from this event, not that it was called that before the mass circumcision of the Israelites. Revised Standard Version, New English Bible, New American Bible transliterate the Hebrew name; Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible translate “the Hill of the Foreskins.” In order to indicate that this place was not previously called Circumcision Hill, one may translate “a place which since that time has been called Circumcision Hill.”

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 .