Then the angel of the LORD went ahead is literally “And the angel of the LORD added to move forward.” Revised Standard Version omits the Hebrew verb meaning “added,” but it can be expressed by saying “Once more” (Good News Translation) or “again” (Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap). The verb “added” ironically repeats the construction used in the preceding sentence: “and he [Balaam] added to strike her [the donkey].” Each stage in the unfolding narrative is thus dramatically highlighted.

And stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left: On this third occasion in the sequence, the climax is reached; there was absolutely no room for the donkey to turn or to move forward without running into the angel of the LORD. This explains the animal’s subsequent action. Good News Translation provides a helpful model here, saying “he stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side.”

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 .