complete verse (Numbers 14:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 14:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “They said to the people, ‘The country we went to check out is beautiful beyond words.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “and said to the whole community of Israel, "The land that we passed through to look at and explored is a very beautiful land.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They said to the whole community, ‘The land that we went-into is exceedingly good.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They said to the Israeli people, ‘The land that we explored is very good.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 14:7

And said to all the congregation of the people of Israel: Joshua and Caleb’s emotive speech in verses 7b-9 closely echoes the positive aspects of the spies’ report in 13.27. For all the congregation of the people of Israel, which is better rendered “the whole Israelite community” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), see verse 1.

The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land: For spy … out, see 13.2. Exceedingly good renders a strong superlative Hebrew expression, which is literally “very very good.”

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 .