But the Levites were not numbered by their ancestral tribe along with them: The conjunction But (literally “And”) may be needed in some languages to highlight the distinctive character of the tribe of Levi at the beginning of this new discourse unit. The Levites were the descendants of Levi, the third son of Jacob and Leah (see Gen 29.34; 35.23). To indicate that the Levites were a specific tribe descended from Levi, this phrase may be rendered “the descendants of Levi” or “the people of Levi.” For the Hebrew verb rendered were … numbered, see the comments on verse 3, where it is translated “number.” By their ancestral tribe is literally “by the tribe of their fathers.” “Fathers” has the sense of “ancestors” in this context. For tribe see verse 4. The pronoun them refers to the other Israelites tribes.

For the LORD said to Moses: For the LORD, which renders YHWH, the name of God in Hebrew, see verse 1. Good News Translation translates the verb said as “had said.” Unlike English, Hebrew has no separate verb form to express that something already took place earlier than the past, that is, before some other point in the past. So Good News Translation is not necessarily more accurate here. Although the verb “had said” shows that the LORD’s direct speech in verses 49-53 actually took place earlier, this verb may make the translation more difficult to follow. The Hebrew text of this chapter does not show an interest in the chronological order of things, but rather highlights what is most important to the account as it is being presented. It is only here in verses 48-49 that the text mentions for the first time that the LORD said that the Levites should not be included in the census.

The LORD’s instructions concerning the Levites occur in verses 49-53. In theory, these instructions could have been included in the LORD’s instructions concerning the census in verses 2-15 so that chronologically they would have come before the census itself was carried out (verses 17-46). But the fact that the instructions concerning the Levites only come as part of verses 48-53 shows that in this text things do not always come in their most likely chronological place but are mentioned where they are the most relevant or prominent. Coming after the statement in verse 47, the role of the Levites is made a separate and important theme. So the simple past tense form said is sufficient (and it may even be correct chronologically).

There is perhaps one more indication why the text does not intend to give chronological information here and why the simple past tense form said is sufficient. The conjunctions For and “because” (Good News Translation) are not based on the Hebrew at all. On the contrary, verse 48 begins literally with “And the LORD spoke….” Also the Leningrad Codex, on which Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia is based, has a minor break in the text between verses 47 and 48 (which has been adopted by New Revised Standard Version and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Thus verse 48 starts another theme in its own right—the role of the tribe of Levi—rather than giving chronological information. This interpretation is supported by the fact that this same expression also begins major discourse units at 1.1 and 2.1. Since the new topic of the Levites’ distinctive role among the tribes is preceded by a reference to them in verse 47 that closes the previous unit, we recommend that verses 47-54 be treated as one unit.

Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, and you shall not take a census of them among the people of Israel: The two Hebrew verbs here are in the singular (in contrast to the plural imperative in verse 2); God is only addressing Moses. You shall not number and you shall not take a census are synonymous. These two synonymous expressions and the clause-initial Hebrew particle ʾak rendered Only indicate that the LORD is speaking with some emphasis here. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh conveys this emphasis by saying “Do not on any account enroll the tribe of Levi or take a census of them with the Israelites.” Perhaps this extra force can be expressed in the target language as well, for example, by a corresponding emphatic particle or conjunction. For the Hebrew verb rendered number, see verse 3; for take a census, see verse 2. Good News Translation renders take a census as “take a census of the men fit for military service.” The phrase “of the men fit for military service” does not correspond with anything in the Hebrew, but it reminds the reader whose census it was and what it was about. If such a reminder is not needed in the translation, it should be omitted.

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 .