And Balaam said to Balak: Good News Bible omits the conjunction And at the beginning of this verse, which other languages may find helpful. New Living Translation renders it “Then.”

Build for me here seven altars, and provide for me here seven bulls and seven rams: The number seven is significant in the Balaam narrative (and throughout the Bible). Balaam pronounced seven oracles (four are long and three are short). The adverb here refers to the place where Balaam and Balak were standing, that is, Bamoth-baal. For translating the term altars, see 3.26. The Hebrew word for bulls (par) refers to “young bulls” (New Living Translation) that are mature (see 7.15). Rams are adult male sheep (see 7.15).

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 .