For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel: In this context the Hebrew particle ki rendered For is more likely an emphatic marker rather than a logical connector, so it is better rendered “Lo” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “Surely” (New Revised Standard Version, Ashley), or “No indeed.” The Hebrew word for enchantment (nachash) refers to interpreting various signs and omens, such as the pattern of birds in flight, the disposition of sticks or arrows flung on the ground, or the examination of an animal’s entrails. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “augury,” and Chewa has “the instruments for practicing sorcery.” The Hebrew term for divination (qesem) refers to foretelling the future (see the comments on 22.7). It does not specify the way in which this is done. Chewa says “the instruments for doing divination.” We do not know the precise distinction between the Hebrew terms for enchantment and divination. They have to do with the various means of predicting future events, and certain kinds of magic or witchcraft. The preposition against in the phrases against Jacob and against Israel (also King James Version, New International Version, NET Bible, La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle, Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap, Contemporary Russian Version) is plausible in this context (so Ashley, page 474). Willibrordvertaling also uses this preposition by rendering these two parallel lines as “No spell has any force against Jacob, no divination [has any force] against Israel” (similarly Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation, SPCL, Bijbel in Gewone Taal). However, the Hebrew has literally “in Jacob” and “in Israel” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, La Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Zürcher Bibel, Luther, Buber, Alter, Levine, Good News Translation footnote; similarly Bible en français courant), just as in verse 21. With the preposition “in” the first half of this verse combines well with the second half (see the discussion and model below). To avoid confusion between Jacob and Israel, Good News Translation omits Jacob again as it did in verses 7b, 10, and 21 (see the comments on verse 7b).

Now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel: A new sentence should begin here (so Good News Translation). The adverb now is an appropriate translation of the Hebrew expression kaʾet (also New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New International Version, New Living Translation, Revised English Bible, SPCL, Zürcher Bibel, Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap, Willibrordvertaling). A few translations have “at the right time” (Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, La Nouvelle Bible Segond, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Luther). In this verse “at once” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “promptly” (Levine) makes very good sense. For this whole verse New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh provides a helpful model, saying “Lo, there is no augury in Jacob, No divination in Israel: Jacob is told at once, Yea Israel, what God has planned [or more accurately, has done].” When we look at this verse as a whole, the main point seems to be that in the case of Israel God communicates directly, without the need for divination. Good News Translation avoids the passive verb in this line by translating “Now people will say about Israel,” but this rendering does not combine well with the main point of the verse. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling avoids the passive verb in a much more plausible way, making God the speaker. De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling renders the last two lines of this verse as “God himself speaks to Jacob, at his own time, God himself says to Israel what he will bring about.”

What has God wrought!: The Hebrew perfect verb here indicates the result of an action that has been done. If these are words spoken by people, they could be interpreted as their direct speech (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New Living Translation, NET Bible). But it is also plausible that these words are the indirect speech of God (see the De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling model above). In some languages it may be more natural to combine New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh’s model with De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling‘s avoidance of the passive verb in the third line by saying:

• Lo, there is no augury in Jacob,
no divination in Israel.
God himself speaks/says at once to Jacob,
to Israel, what he has done.

Another possible model is:

• Truly, there is no augury in Jacob,
no divination in Israel:
the people hear at once
what God has done.

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 .