All their cities in the places where they dwelt is literally “and all their cities in their areas of settlement,” which may be rendered simply “all their cities” (Good News Translation). The term “towns” may be needed if the word cities implies large, established (even modern) communities. The pronouns their and they refer to the Midianites.

And all their encampments: The Hebrew word for encampments probably refers to circular settlements characteristic of desert tribes (so Levine, page 454). These settlements were often composed of tents and surrounded by low stone walls, so they were less permanent than the cities.

They burned with fire is a redundant expression in English, so Good News Translation says simply “burned.” Translators should use a verb that implies a complete burning, not just a partial one. The pronoun they refers to the Israelite soldiers.

For this verse New Century Version provides a helpful model that reorders it as follows:

• They burned all the Midianite towns where they had settled and all their camps, ….

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 .