Nkumbi / Mbangala / Songo: “bread that has gone no yeast” — “this is an application of a common construction in Angolan Bantu languages for speaking about the ingredients in some foods: ‘there is salt in the soup’ is rendered literally, ‘the soup has gone salt.’ (Source: Riikka Halme-Berneking in The Bible Translator 2014, p. 353ff. )
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 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 Moses sent them to the war, a thousand from each tribe …: And, which renders the Hebrew waw conjunction, may be translated “Then” (New Living Translation) to introduce the next event. For the Hebrew word rendered war (tsavaʾ), see verse 3. Good News Translation omits the phrase a thousand from each tribe, which we do not recommend since it shows that Moses explicitly carried out the LORD’s commands (see verse 4).
Together with Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest: In this context together with implies “under the command of” (Good News Translation). Phinehas was first mentioned in 25.7. For Eleazar the priest, see 26.1. Phinehas went to the battlefield instead of his father Eleazar, since it was strictly forbidden for Eleazar as the High Priest to have any contamination by contact with dead bodies (Lev 21.11). In Hebrew this whole phrase is literally “and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest to the war.” The phrase “to the war” seems to be repetitive after the beginning of the verse (And Moses sent them to the war), which is probably why Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation omit it. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh keeps it by rendering the first half of this verse as “Moses dispatched them on the campaign, a thousand from each tribe, with Phinehas son of Eleazar serving as a priest on the campaign.” Reading the Hebrew in this way means Phinehas had the task of being the priest in the battle (so Milgrom, page 257).
With the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand: For the vessels of the sanctuary, see 3.31. Here it is uncertain which sacred utensils are in view. Perhaps this is why some translations give a much more general rendering, saying “the sacred objects” (Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle) or “the holy objects” (New Living Translation, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling). Such a generic rendering would include the Covenant Box, and this would change the meaning considerably. These sacred utensils were probably signs that this was a holy war (so Olson, page 176), serving as symbols of the priest’s status (so Niditch, page 83) or, more likely, symbols of the LORD’s presence during the battle (so Duguid, page 331). Perhaps these sacred objects were the sacred lots, that is, the Urim and the Thummim (see 27.21; so Levine, page 452, following the Targum). For the trumpets for the alarm, see the comments on 10.9, where the Hebrew verb for “sound an alarm” comes from the same root as the noun for alarm. Good News Translation renders this phrase as “the trumpets for giving signals,” which may be confusing. Models that express the function of these trumpets more clearly are “the trumpets for sounding the battle signal” (Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Parole de Vie, La Biblia: Traducción en Lenguaje Actual) and “the trumpets for sounding the [battle] charge” (New Living Translation). Since Phinehas could not have carried all these objects himself, in his hand is better rendered “who took charge of” (Good News Translation) or “who was in charge of” (NET Bible).
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 all the gold of the offering that they offered to the LORD …: The Hebrew words for offering (terumah) and offered (rum) come from the same root. See the comments on 15.19, where they are rendered “present an offering.” Good News Translation omits the ideas of gold and to the LORD, which should be kept. The pronoun they refers to Moses and Eleazar, which New International Readers Version specifies.
From the commanders of thousands and the commanders of hundreds: See verses 14 and 48.
Was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels: As noted in the comments on 3.47, the standard shekel may have weighed about 11.4 grams (0.4 ounce), so sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty shekels is about 190 kilograms (420 pounds).
A possible model for this verse is:
• All the gold from the generals and captains that Moses and Eleazar presented as a gift to the LORD weighed about 190 kilograms.
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 .
