And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes: And renders the Hebrew word wayehi (literally “And it happened”), which marks the beginning of a new discourse here. Good News Translation indicates this by leaving wayehi untranslated. If a transitional marker is needed, “One day” (Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “A little later” (Nueva Traducción Viviente) may be a helpful model. It is uncertain whether the Hebrew verbal construction rendered complained means “were complaining,” “continued to complain” (similarly Levine), or “began to complain” (Good News Translation, New Living Translation, New Jerusalem Bible). Whichever sounds more natural in translation may be used in this case. In the hearing of the LORD is literally “in the ears of the LORD.” Misfortunes (similarly Good News Translation with “troubles,” and New International Version with “hardships”) renders the Hebrew word raʿ. However, it is unlikely that raʿ has this sense in connection with the Hebrew verb for complained. Other translations interpret raʿ similarly but connect it with what follows; for example, NET Bible renders this clause as “When the people complained, it displeased the LORD” (similarly King James Version), New Jerusalem Bible has “Now the people began to complain, which was offensive to Yahweh’s ears,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “One day the people indulged in lamentations, which the LORD heard with displeasure.” But the phrase “evil in the ears of the LORD” occurs nowhere else in biblical Hebrew. It seems more likely that raʿ functions here as an adverb meaning “badly, bitterly.” This sense is found in many translations; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “The people took to complaining bitterly before the LORD.” However, there is still one other problem in this clause. Both Good News Translation and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh give the wrong suggestion that the people complained and prayed directly to the LORD. The people were not trying to communicate with him. The Hebrew construction for in the hearing of the LORD seems to imply that the LORD overheard them, so this phrase may be rendered “within earshot of the LORD.” A good model for this whole clause is “The people complained [or, were complaining] bitterly, in the hearing of the LORD.”
And when the LORD heard it makes it clear that the LORD heard the Israelites’ bitter complaining.
His anger was kindled is literally “and his nose/anger burned,” which is a figurative expression for intense anger. Many languages use figurative language involving fire or heat when speaking of anger, and translators can use such expressions here. If such idiomatic expressions do not exist, they may say “he became very angry” (similarly New Century Version).
And the fire of the LORD burned among them: Some scholars think the fire of the LORD refers to lightning, but other places where this expression is used in the Bible (for example, Lev 10.2) suggest that this was a supernatural, not a natural phenomenon. There was an actual fire that burned things, leading to the name that was given to that place.
And consumed some outlying parts of the camp: Good News Translation says “and destroyed one end of the camp.” The renderings in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation suggest that the Hebrew specifies how many outlying parts of the Israelite camp were touched by the fire. However, the Hebrew merely has “ravaging the outskirts of the camp” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), without specifying how many outlying parts of it were affected. The Hebrew implies that an unspecified number of people died during this divine act. The outskirts of the camp were seen as a boundary area where danger and impurity lurked and threatened the community (see Lev 14.8; Num 5.1-4). For camp see 1.50.
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 .