καὶandnarrative conjunction (Hebraizing καί-parataxis)καὶ: connective element linking clauses, phrases, or discourse developments in the passage.
ἐγένετοit came aboutAor Mid Indic 3 Sg · γίνομαιmain verb (impersonal narrative frame)→ constative aorist (narrative event-onset)γίνομαι: 'become / happen / come to be'; the impersonal καὶ ἐγένετο renders the Hebrew narrative formula וַיְהִי, an extremely common LXX calque introducing a temporal setting for what follows.
ὡςwhentemporal conjunction (introducing ἤκουσαν clause)ὡς: 'when / as'; temporal here, rendering כַּאֲשֶׁר / כְּ; it subordinates the kings' hearing to the main clause (their melting hearts).
ἤκουσανthey heardAor Act Indic 3 Pl · ἀκούωverb of temporal clause→ constative aorist (point of report received)ἀκούω: 'hear / hear about'; renders שָׁמַע; the hearing of the Jordan miracle (not direct combat) is what shatters the kings' morale — the report of YHWH's act is itself the weapon.
οἱtheNominativearticle (with βασιλεῖς)οἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
βασιλεῖςkingsNominativesubject of ἤκουσαν (first group)βασιλεύς: 'king'; renders מֶלֶךְ; the plural designates the petty city-state kings of Canaan, each ruling a fortified town, who form the political-military opposition to the conquest.
τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with Αμορραίων)τῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ΑμορραίωνAmoritesGenitivegenitive (defining the kings: 'kings of the Amorites')Αμορραῖος: 'Amorite'; gentilic rendering Hebrew אֱמֹרִי; in the LXX of Joshua the Amorites are the trans-Jordan / hill-country kings; here distinguished from the coastal 'Phoenician' (Canaanite) kings.
οἳwhoNominativerelative pronoun (subject of ἦσαν, modifying βασιλεῖς)οἳ: pronominal form marking person, possession, or reference within the clause.
ἦσανwereImpf Act Indic 3 Pl · εἰμίverb of relative clause (locating the Amorite kings)→ descriptive imperfect (settled location)εἰμί: 'be'; the imperfect ἦσαν gives the standing geographical location of the Amorite kings — 'beyond the Jordan,' i.e. west of it from the narrator's vantage after the crossing.
πέρανbeyondimproper preposition + genitive (location)πέραν: 'beyond / on the other side'; with the genitive τοῦ Ιορδάνου; the deictic reference shifts with the speaker — here, the western (cisjordan) side that Israel has now entered.
τοῦtheGenitivearticle (with Ιορδάνου)τοῦ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ΙορδάνουJordanGenitivegenitive object of πέρανΙορδάνης: 'Jordan'; declined as a first-declension masculine in the LXX (gen. Ιορδάνου); renders Hebrew יַרְדֵּן; the river just miraculously crossed (Josh 3–4).
καὶandcoordinate conjunction (introducing second group of kings)καὶ: connective element linking clauses, phrases, or discourse developments in the passage.
οἱtheNominativearticle (with βασιλεῖς)οἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
βασιλεῖςkingsNominativesubject of ἤκουσαν (second group)βασιλεῖς: lexical item interpreted according to its local syntactic role in this passage.
τῆςofGenitivearticle (with Φοινίκης)τῆς: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ΦοινίκηςPhoeniciaGenitivegenitive (defining the kings: 'kings of Phoenicia')Φοινίκη: 'Phoenicia'; here the LXX's rendering of Hebrew כְּנַעַן ('Canaan') — Greek Joshua regularly equates the Canaanites of the coast with Φοίνικες/Φοινίκη, reflecting the Hellenistic geography of the Levantine seaboard.
οἱthoseNominativearticle (substantizing the following prepositional phrase: 'the ones by the sea')οἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
παρὰby / besidepreposition + accusative (location: 'along the sea')παρά + acc.: 'beside / along'; locates the Phoenician kings along the coastline of the Mediterranean (τὴν θάλασσαν), in contrast to the inland Amorites.
τὴνtheAccusativearticle (with θάλασσαν)τὴν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
θάλασσανseaAccusativeaccusative object of παράθάλασσα: 'sea'; here the Mediterranean (the 'Great Sea'); renders Hebrew יָם; the coastal kings are geographically distinguished from the hill-country Amorites.
ὅτιthatconjunction (introducing content of ἤκουσαν)ὅτι: 'that'; introduces the indirect-discourse content of what the kings heard — namely the drying of the Jordan.
ἀπεξήρανενhad dried upAor Act Indic 3 Sg · ἀποξηραίνωverb of ὅτι-clause (content of the report)→ constative aorist (completed divine act, antecedent to the hearing)ἀποξηραίνω: 'dry up completely'; the compound ἀπο- intensifies ξηραίνω; renders הוֹבִישׁ (Hiphil of יבשׁ); attributes the Jordan miracle directly to YHWH as the divine warrior who controls the waters (cf. the Red Sea, Exod 14).
κύριοςLORDNominativesubject of ἀπεξήρανενκύριος: the standard LXX rendering of the Tetragrammaton יהוה; here in apposition with ὁ θεός, naming the God of Israel as the agent of the Jordan miracle.
ὁtheNominativearticle (with θεός)ὁ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
θεὸςGodNominativeapposition to κύριοςθεός: 'God'; renders אֱלֹהִים; the double title κύριος ὁ θεός ('the LORD God') is emphatic, underlining that it is Israel's covenant God who has acted against the natural barrier.
τὸνtheAccusativearticle (with Ιορδάνην)τὸν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ΙορδάνηνJordanAccusativedirect object of ἀπεξήρανενΙορδάνης: the Jordan as direct object of the drying; the noun ποταμόν stands in apposition, specifying it as a 'river.'
ποταμὸνriverAccusativeaccusative in apposition to Ιορδάνηνποταμός: 'river'; the appositional ποταμόν ('the Jordan river') is an explanatory addition typical of the LXX, clarifying the proper noun for a Greek readership.
ἐκfrompreposition + genitive (source / separation)ἐκ: preposition governing its complement and marking the relation specified by the clause.
τῶνtheGenitivearticle (substantizing ἔμπροσθεν: 'the things before')τῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ἔμπροσθενbefore / in frontimproper preposition / adverb (with following genitive: 'from before')ἔμπροσθεν: 'in front of / before'; the construction ἐκ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ('from before the sons of Israel') is a Hebraism rendering מִפְּנֵי, indicating that the obstacle was removed out of Israel's path.
τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with υἱῶν)τῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
υἱῶνsonsGenitivegenitive (with ἔμπροσθεν: 'before the sons of Israel')υἱός: 'son'; the phrase οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ ('the sons of Israel') is the standard LXX designation of the covenant people, rendering בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
ΙσραηλIsraelgenitive of relationship (indeclinable: 'of Israel')Ισραηλ: transliteration of Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל; indeclinable in the LXX; here the eponymous designation of the nation in the phrase 'the sons of Israel.'
ἐνin / duringpreposition + dative (articular infinitive: temporal)ἐν τῷ + infinitive: a temporal construction ('while / as'), rendering the Hebrew בְּ + infinitive construct; here ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν αὐτούς = 'as they crossed over.'
τῷtheDativearticle (with articular infinitive διαβαίνειν)τῷ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
διαβαίνεινto cross overPres Act Infin · διαβαίνωarticular infinitive (temporal: 'as they were crossing')→ imperfective infinitive (action in progress)διαβαίνω: 'cross over / pass through'; the verb of the Jordan crossing (cf. Josh 3–4); the present infinitive frames the crossing as the ongoing circumstance during which the river was held dry.
αὐτούςthey / themAccusativeaccusative subject of the infinitive διαβαίνειναὐτός: here the accusative subject of the articular infinitive, referring to the sons of Israel; standard Greek syntax for the subject of an infinitive.
καὶandnarrative conjunction (introducing the main-clause result)καὶ: here resumptive after the long temporal frame, introducing the apodosis — the kings' reaction.
ἐτάκησανmeltedAor Pass Indic 3 Pl · τήκωmain verb (result: hearts melt)→ ingressive aorist (onset of failure of courage)τήκω (aor. pass. ἐτάκησαν): 'melt / dissolve'; renders מָסַס (Niphal); the 'melting' of the mind/heart is a standard OT idiom for the collapse of courage in the face of YHWH's mighty acts (cf. Josh 2:11; Exod 15:15).
αὐτῶνtheirGenitivegenitive of possession (with αἱ διάνοιαι)αὐτῶν: pronominal form marking person, possession, or reference within the clause.
αἱtheNominativearticle (with διάνοιαι)αἱ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
διάνοιαιmindsNominativesubject of ἐτάκησανδιάνοια: 'mind / understanding / faculty of thought'; renders לֵב ('heart') in the LXX where the heart is conceived as the seat of intellect and will; the kings' 'minds melted' — their capacity for resolve and strategy dissolved.
καὶandcoordinate conjunctionκαὶ: connective element linking clauses, phrases, or discourse developments in the passage.
κατεπλάγησανthey were panic-struckAor Pass Indic 3 Pl · καταπλήσσωmain verb (coordinate result)→ ingressive aorist (onset of terror)καταπλήσσω (aor. pass. κατεπλάγησαν): 'strike down with fear / astound / panic'; the compound κατα- intensifies; the passive denotes being overwhelmed by dread — the kings are paralyzed before battle is even joined.
καὶandcoordinate conjunctionκαὶ: connective element linking clauses, phrases, or discourse developments in the passage.
οὐκnotnegative particle (with ἦν)οὐκ: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
ἦνthere wasImpf Act Indic 3 Sg · εἰμίmain verb (existential: 'there was no...')→ descriptive imperfect (state of mind)εἰμί: 'be'; existential ἦν with the negative οὐκ and the emphatic οὐδεμία — 'there was not any.'
ἐνinpreposition + dative (locative: 'in them')ἐν: preposition governing its complement and marking the relation specified by the clause.
αὐτοῖςthemDativedative object of ἐναὐτοῖς: lexical item interpreted according to its local syntactic role in this passage.
φρόνησιςunderstanding / good senseNominativesubject of ἦνφρόνησις: 'practical wisdom / prudence / good sense'; the loss of φρόνησις means the kings can form no coherent plan of resistance; their intellectual collapse complements the emotional collapse of the melted διάνοιαι.
οὐδεμίαnone at allNominativeattributive adjective (emphatic negation with φρόνησις)οὐδείς, οὐδεμία, οὐδέν: 'no one / none'; the feminine οὐδεμία agrees with φρόνησις, reinforcing οὐκ — 'no understanding whatsoever,' the total negation of the enemy's resolve.
ἀπὸfrom / because ofpreposition + genitive (causal/locative: 'in the face of')ἀπό προσώπου: a Hebraism rendering מִפְּנֵי ('from before / because of the presence of'); here the kings' loss of nerve is provoked by the very advance of Israel.
προσώπουface / presenceGenitivegenitive object of ἀπόπρόσωπον: 'face / presence'; in the idiom ἀπὸ προσώπου ('before / in the face of') it renders the Hebrew פָּנִים; the dread is occasioned by the looming presence of YHWH's people.
τῶνof theGenitivearticle (with υἱῶν)τῶν: Greek article marking definiteness and the role of the accompanying noun phrase.
υἱῶνsonsGenitivegenitive (with προσώπου: 'in the face of the sons')υἱῶν: lexical item interpreted according to its local syntactic role in this passage.
ΙσραηλIsraelgenitive of relationship (indeclinable)Ισραηλ: the closing repetition of 'the sons of Israel' forms an inclusio with the same phrase earlier in the verse, bracketing the kings' terror between two references to the advancing covenant people.