Good News Translation uses a list layout that restructures verses 19-28 (also New Living Translation). While this literary convention may be helpful for silent readers of the text, it loses the original orality of the text and will present difficulties for anyone reading the text aloud in public worship. Like Contemporary English Version and Revised English Bible, New International Version offers a list layout without restructuring the text: it has two lines for each leader (the name of the leader on one line, and the name of his tribe on the other line), which follows the formulaic, rhythmic wording of the Hebrew text. Also, like most translations, Contemporary English Version, New International Version, and Revised English Bible close the divine speech at the end of verse 28. Any restructuring should preserve the order of the tribes, which follows their locations from south to north. Probably due to its already emerging political as well as religious prominence, the tribe of Judah is mentioned first, even though the tribe of Simeon received the southernmost territory. The tribe of Dan is seen here as occupying its original location in the south (so Budd, pages 367-369).

These are the names of the men introduces the list of leaders chosen by God from the nine and one-half tribes to divide the land of Canaan among their people. For comments on the tribes listed here, see 1.5-16.

All except for faithful Caleb of Judah (14.24, 30, 38), who is mentioned first, the names of the fathers of the leaders here do not correspond with the names of the leaders in earlier lists. According to Sherwood (page 187), “This means that the generation of leaders who perished in the wilderness was not succeeded in leadership by their sons, but rather by the sons of men who had not been leaders in the first generation” (so also Budd, page 366).

Most of the names included in this list are theophoric, that is, they bear the name of God as part of their meaning. Perhaps these names implicitly conveyed a spiritual message to the community (so Brown, page 297). Some translations may wish to footnote the meanings of the theophoric names here, which are Shemuel (“heard of God”), Elidad (“God loves”), Hanniel (“grace of God”), Kemuel (“God establishes”), Eli-zaphan (“God protects”), Paltiel (“deliverance is God”), and Pedahel (“God ransoms”). Instead of the name Shemuel, Good News Translation has “Shelumiel,” which is based on the Septuagint, not the Hebrew.

For the Hebrew word rendered leader (nasiʾ), see the comments on verse 18.

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 .