And he took up his discourse, and said: See 23.7a.

Alas, who shall live when God does this?: This rhetorical question is a close rendering of the Hebrew text as it stands. NET Bible is similar with “O, who will survive when God does this!” (similarly Ashley, Cole 429), and so is New Living Translation with “Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it?” What is not clear from the Hebrew text is how this line and verse 24 are connected. The point seems to be that even great kingdoms far away (in contrast to the Amalekites and Kenites) will perish, if they attack the people of Israel. Good News Translation renders this line as “Who are these people gathering in the north?” (similarly Revised English Bible, Hebrew Old Testament Text), which is only based on an emended form of the Hebrew text. Alas renders the same Hebrew word translated “Woe” in 21.29. Here it is a sympathetic cry in anticipation of impending disaster, so it may also be rendered “Oh” or “Ah.” Unfortunately, Good News Translation and many other translations omit this interjection.

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 .