And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said: The son of Nun simply identifies Joshua by the name of his father. Nothing more is known of Nun except that he was from the tribe of Ephraim (see 13.8). Minister renders the Hebrew word mesharet. This term is also used to describe Joshua in Exo 24.13; 33.11; and Josh 1.1. It always suggests a high form of service, including the service of a priest. But this does not suggest that Joshua performed a priestly function. He was rather Moses’ most trusted “helper” (Good News Translation)—his “right-hand man” as it were. Good News Translation gives an alternative understanding of the Hebrew expression rendered one of his chosen men, saying “since he was a young man,” which means Joshua had been serving Moses “since the time of his youth.” New International Version supports Good News Translation‘s interpretation by saying “since youth,” while NET Bible supports Revised Standard Version‘s interpretation with “one of his choice young men.” Translators may choose either interpretation.

My lord Moses, forbid them: Joshua wants Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying, possibly because they were doing it outside of Moses’ direct authority. My lord renders the Hebrew word ʾadoniy. An appropriate honorific for this word should be used in the translation. An equivalent to the word “sir” in Good News Translation may be too weak. In any case, the vocative phrase My lord Moses must be placed in a natural position in this clause. In some languages this exclamatory utterance may be at the beginning (so Revised Standard Version), while in others it may sound better at the end (so Good News Translation).

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 .