Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle is literally “And there was when the cloud was over the Tabernacle days number.” A possible model is “Sometimes the cloud remained over the Tabernacle for only a few days” (similarly Good News Translation).

And according to the command of the LORD they remained in camp; then according to the command of the LORD they set out is literally “Upon the mouth of the LORD they encamped, and upon the mouth of the LORD they set out.” See the comments on verse 18. These two clauses form one sentence in Hebrew. The conjunction and at the beginning of this sentence is not in Hebrew. New Century Version provides a helpful model here, saying “At the LORD’s command the people camped, and at his command they moved.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .