complete verse (Numbers 19:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 19:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who is outside and holds on to the body of (a person) who has been killed, or who has died, or a person who has held on to a bone of a person or a hole/grave for a corpse, that person is unclean for seven days.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Furthermore, if any person touches a person killed outside by the sword or a person who dies a natural death, or if anyone touches a bone of a corpse, or a grave, he will be unclean for seven days. ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘(It) will-be-considered also as unclean/dirty for a period/[lit. inside] of seven days anyone who is outside the camp who touched a dead-body/corpse that was-killed or just died a natural death. (It) is also with the one-who-has-touched a bone of a man or who-has-touched a grave.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “If someone who is out in a field touches the corpse of someone who was murdered, or who died from natural causes, or if someone touches a bone from some human or touches a grave, that person will be unacceptable to me for seven days.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 19:16

Whoever in the open field touches one who is slain with a sword, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean seven days: If someone is outdoors and touches human remains, even a grave, it leads to the same ritual impurity as in verse 14. Any dead body, or anything that is left of it, is equally contaminating. In the open field (literally “on the face of the field”) refers to “outdoors” (Good News Translation). One who is slain with a sword refers to anyone who is killed (see the comments on 14.3). The specific instrument of killing is not really important, so Good News Translation says simply “a person who has been killed.” A dead body refers to “someone who has died a natural death” (New International Readers Version). Whether a single human bone or an entire skeleton, the polluting effect is the same for anyone who handles it in any way. A model based on New International Readers Version for this verse is:

• Suppose someone is outdoors. And suppose he touches someone who has been killed or has died a natural death, or he touches a human bone or a grave. Then he will be ritually unclean for seven days.

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 .