And Nobah went and took Kenath and its villages: Again, the conjunction And is better omitted (Good News Bible) or replaced by a non-chronological connector such as “Meanwhile” (New Living Translation). Nobah was another member of the tribe of Manasseh, not otherwise identified. Went and took may be rendered “attacked and captured” (Good News Bible), as in verse 41. Kenath and its villages is literally “Kenath and its daughters,” which uses the imagery of a large city as a mother and its nearby settlements as daughters (see 21.25). The Hebrew word for villages differs from the one used in verse 41.

And called it Nobah, after his own name: Nobah renamed the city after himself (see Jdg 8.11, where the same city may be in view). The original name Kenath reappears in 1 Chr 2.23.

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 .