Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than they: This verse marks the beginning of a new episode, in which Balak sends a different, more honorable group of officials. The narrative tension increases with the sending of this more high-powered delegation. Most languages will insert a paragraph break here (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible). Once again Balak sent … is literally “And Balak added again to send…,” which means he again sent messengers. Good News Bible says simply “Then he sent….” The conjunction “Then” does not convey this new development in the narrative clearly enough and seems to suggest merely a temporal transition. New Living Translation provides a better model with “Then Balak tried again. This time he sent….” The second time Balak sent officials who were more in number and more honorable. The Hebrew word for honorable (kabed), which literally means “weighty,” may be rendered “honored” or “highly respected.” New Revised Standard Version and New International Version say “distinguished.” The pronoun they (literally “these”) refers to the first group of messengers. Good News Bible makes this explicit by saying “the first [group].”

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 .