And Balak said to him: Some languages may have an introductory word or phrase to indicate that a new episode begins here, for example, “Then” (Good News Bible) or “After that” (Chewa). The pronoun him refers to Balaam, which Good News Bible makes explicit.
Come with me to another place: The Hebrew text includes the word naʾ here, thus making Balak’s request more urgent and compelling. Models that express it are “Please come with me…” (New American Bible) or “Do come with me….” To another place may be rendered “to a different place.” By changing location Balak hopes to achieve his desired outcome.
From which you may see them: The pronoun them (literally “him/it”) occurs four times in this verse. Each time it refers to the Israelites. The first time it may be necessary to render this pronoun as “the people of Israel” for clarity.
You shall see only the nearest of them, and shall not see them all: As in 22.41 (see the comments there), the Hebrew phrase for the nearest of them (literally “the end/outskirts of him/it”) is ambiguous. With this phrase the text aims to dramatize again the great number of Israelites, this time through the mouth of King Balak, who is speaking. Good News Bible combines these two clauses with the previous one for natural English, saying “from which you can see only some of the Israelites.” PV attempts to make these words of Balak sound more logical in their context by saying “There, you will see all the Israelites. From here, you only saw part of them” (similarly Bible en français courant), and so does Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “from where you can see the whole people. From here you only see the end of their camp.” These renderings imply that Balak wants Balaam to have a better view from the new place. However, these renderings are quite speculative when compared with the Hebrew text. Contemporary English Version expresses a somewhat different implication by rendering these clauses and the final one as “Maybe if you see a smaller part of the Israelites, you will be able to curse them for me.” The chiastic structure of this verse seems to support this interpretation. Balak fears that seeing all the Israelites will overwhelm Balaam and make him pronounce another blessing, which he does not want to happen.
Then curse them for me from there: Curse renders the same Hebrew verb as in verse 8 (see the comments there).
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 .
The Hebrew in Numbers 23:23 that is translated as “enchantment” and “divination” in English are translated in Chichewa as “the instruments for practicing sorcery” and “the instruments for doing divination” respectively (source: de Regt / Wendland 2016).
And he came to him, and lo, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him: This sentence is very similar to verse 6 (see the comments there). The only major difference is the use of the Hebrew verb meaning came instead of the verb meaning “returned.” In spite of this difference, Good News Bible uses the verb “went back” both here and in verse 6.
And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”: Balak’s question shows how anxious he is to know what the LORD said. He is now portrayed as being more anxious than in verse 6, where he does not ask anything. In many languages only direct speech will bring out this anxiety in an effective manner. This is why we do not recommend the indirect speech in Good News Bible here (“Balak asked what the LORD had said”). There is another reason why Balak’s question should really stand out in translation: it has no parallel in the context of the other prophecies. (Before the third prophecy in chapter 24 Balak does not ask this question either.) Balak explicitly mentions the LORD: this shows his resignation to the fact that it is the LORD, the God of the people whom he is trying to curse, who ultimately decides about who will be blessed or cursed.
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 .
On the day that the tabernacle was set up: See 7.1, which has the same time setting, but in a longer form. The narrative is still directly connected to the date of Exo 40.17. Many Bantu languages have a demonstrative form that makes reference to such a past event quite specific. In Hebrew this verse begins with the conjunction “And.” Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible omit it for naturalness in English, which other languages may find helpful. For tabernacle, which renders the Hebrew word mishkan (literally “dwelling-place”), see 1.50.
The cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony: Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew text literally by saying the cloud, which indicates that this cloud is already known to the reader. Much of this clause corresponds with Exo 40.34, where it says for the first time that the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting. Good News Bible says “a cloud came and covered it,” which gives the wrong impression that this cloud appears in the narrative for the first time. Although it occurs here in Numbers for the first time, it was already mentioned in Exodus (starting in 13.21). Only a translation such as the cloud or “the cloud-mass” will keep the link with Exo 40.34. For the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony, see the comments on 1.50, even though the wording is a little different there. Good News Bible says simply “the Tent of the LORD’s presence,” but translators should be more precise here as in the Hebrew text. A consistent rendering in the translation is needed, especially in the case of such important thematic expressions.
And at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning: New Revised Standard Version reorders this clause without changing its meaning, saying “and from evening until morning it was over the tabernacle, having the appearance of fire.” New International Version makes explicit that the pronoun it refers to the cloud by saying “From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.” “Looked like fire” (also Good News Bible) does not render the Hebrew word marʾeh, which means appearance or “brightness” in this context. The Hebrew shows that the comparison with fire is not so directly and easily made. A translation such as “as it were, like fire” expresses better the comparative idea here in Hebrew. Possible models for this whole clause are “and from evening until morning the cloud rested over the Tabernacle in the likeness of fire” (similarly New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), and “and the cloud, appearing like [a] fire, covered the Tabernacle from evening until morning.”
So it was continually: Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version omit this clause. But with it the Hebrew marks explicitly that what is described here happened continually, time and time again. (Good News Bible expresses this idea very briefly in verse 17 by using the word “Whenever.”) There is no reason to omit this clause, especially in such a rhythmically fashioned text. Possible models here are “This was always the case” and “This happened every time [or, continually].”
The cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night: As Revised Standard Version‘s footnote indicates, the phrase by day is not based on the Hebrew text but follows the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Peshitta. Revised Standard Version‘s rendering suggests that the cloud and the appearance of fire are really two different things. Although a separate cloud and appearance of fire seem to be in agreement with Exo 13.21 and 40.38, it does not agree with (Revised Standard Version‘s own rendering of) the preceding verse 15, just discussed above, where the appearance of fire is only the nightly manifestation of the cloud. Translators should follow the Hebrew text here by saying “the cloud covered it, appearing as fire by/at night” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Levine) or “the cloud covered it; at night, it [the cloud] had the appearance of a fire” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). These renderings are not only in line with verse 15 but with verse 21 as well.
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 .
The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “front of the tent” in English is translated in Chichewa as “eye of the tent” (source: de Regt / Wendland 2016).
And they fell on their faces, and said: Good News Translation renders the conjunction And as “But,” since Moses and Aaron try to stop the LORD from killing all the Israelites. The pronoun they refers to Moses and Aaron, which Good News Translation specifies for clarity. For they fell on their faces, see the comments on verse 4 and 14.5.
O God: The Hebrew word for God is ʾel, the generic Semitic term for deity. Here this word seems to highlight God as the Creator of life and Lord over all, but a distinct translation is not necessary.
The God of the spirits of all flesh: This phrase only occurs here and in 27.16 in the Old Testament. The Hebrew phrase for the spirits of all flesh is usually understood to refer to all living creatures (so Good News Translation with “all life”). But Rashi and Rashbam, the Jewish medieval commentators, interpreted the Hebrew word for spirits (ruach) as “minds,” so for them this phrase refers to the thoughts of all people. Moses and Aaron argue that since God knows the thoughts of all people and therefore knows who is guilty and who is not, there is no reason for him to punish the whole community. Understood in this way, the phrase certainly makes sense in combination with the question that follows. However, in the Hebrew Bible the word ruach mostly refers to spirit in the sense of “wind” or “breath,” and hence the breath of life (see, for example, Gen 6.17). The Hebrew expression for all flesh refers to all humankind, or even all living creatures, including animals (see Gen 7.15; Job 12.10). Helpful models for the God of the spirits of all flesh are “God, you who have given life to all creatures” (Bible en français courant) and “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures” (New Living Translation). Contemporary English Version says “God, you gave these people life,” but this rendering is too specific, so we do not recommend it as a model.
Shall one man sin, and wilt thou be angry with all the congregation?: This rhetorical question conveys a respectful protest and makes a request at the same time. It implies that a gracious God would (or should) not do what is being queried (see 14.17-20). Helpful models for this question are “will you be angry with the whole community if only one man has sinned?” (Bible en français courant) and “do not punish in anger the [or, this] whole community for the sin of one man” (similarly Bijbel in Gewone Taal). Good News Translation separates this question from the preceding description of God, which may be helpful in other languages.
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 .
And the LORD said to Moses: See 1.1. This quote frame introduces a new subsection. The conjunction And may be rendered “Then” (New Revised Standard Version). The generic verb said may be translated “commanded” (Good News Translation) to indicate the nature of the following speech act. Here the LORD’s speech is no longer directed at Aaron, but at Moses. It would be a conflict of interest for Aaron himself to command the Levites to present an offering to Aaron and his sons, and so the LORD turns to Moses for this part of the instructions (so Olson, page 116).
Moreover you shall say to the Levites introduces a quote within a quote. The words that follow are what Moses is to tell the Levites. In many languages it will be helpful to reduce the levels of direct speech by using indirect speech here (so Good News Translation with “to say to the Levites”).
When you take from the people of Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance: The Hebrew pronouns for you and your are plural, referring to the Levites, who are the addressees here. A literal rendering of the verb take will be misleading if it indicates the Levites were robbing the people of this tithe or forcing them to give it. The verb “receive” in Good News Translation conveys the correct idea. For tithe see verse 21. Good News Translation changes the pronoun I to “the LORD,” so that the translation does not mistakenly suggest that this pronoun refers to Moses, the spokesman.
Then you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe: The Hebrew verb for present and the noun for offering come from the same root, as in verse 19 (see the comments there). A tithe of the tithe refers to a tenth of the Israelites’ tithes. Good News Translation says “a tenth of it.”
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 .
