Let the people of Israel keep the passover at its appointed time: The Hebrew verb for keep literally means “do,” “make,” or “prepare.” Here it is better rendered “celebrate” (Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, La Nouvelle Bible Segond, Bijbel in Gewone Taal). Some cultures distinguish between formal and informal celebrations. If so, a term for the former should be used in this context. The passover was one of three major festivals that the Israelites celebrated. It was the religious feast celebrating their deliverance from Egypt. During this feast the Israelites remembered that the angel of the LORD “passed over” their homes when he killed the Egyptians’ firstborn sons. The Hebrew word for passover is pesach. This word probably comes from the verb pasach, which can mean “pass by,” “leap,” or “limp.” Possible renderings for the passover are “the festival of deliverance [or, redemption/liberation],” “the festival of passing over,” and “the festival to remember the passing over.” For a good discussion on translating this term, see the introductory comments on Exo 12.1-14 in A Handbook on Numbers, which cautions that the term used for passover should be distinct from the term for “Easter.” Any translation of passover should be carefully checked for hidden associations; for example, “passing by” may be misunderstood as referring to a detour. The target language may use a loanword that has been generally accepted in the community. But it is important to make sure that such terms of foreign origin are carefully explained in a glossary and that the translation is marked accordingly.

At its appointed time, which Good News Translation omits, refers to the fourteenth day of this month, in the evening. This month was the first month. The Passover of Exo 12 was celebrated in the first month as well. The LORD was the one who appointed or “decreed” it. In the evening is literally “between the two evenings.” As A Handbook on Numbers mentions at Exo 12.6, this expression probably refers to the period between sunset and nightfall. Other possible renderings for it are “at twilight” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) and “at the fall of the evening” (La Nouvelle Bible Segond, Herziene Statenvertaling).

You shall keep it at its appointed time: The Hebrew pronoun for you is plural, referring to Moses and the rest of the Israelites. To ensure that this pronoun is not misinterpreted as a singular in reference to Moses, Good News Translation has “the people of Israel are to observe the Passover,” combining verses 2 and 3.

According to all its statutes and all its ordinances you shall keep it: The Israelites must observe all the ritual requirements of the Passover celebration. The Hebrew word for statutes (chuqqah) can mean “task,” “obligation” or “law,” and the word for ordinances (mishpat) can mean “legal decision/judgment” or “established custom.” Good News Translation renders these two words as “rules and regulations.” In this context of a festival another good model is “rules and rites” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).

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 .