Now let us pass through your land: Good News Translation renders this clause as a polite request, saying “Please permit us to pass through your land,” which reflects well the form of the Hebrew verb here and the particle naʾ rendered Now. This request should not sound like a command. Languages will have a certain form that should be used to seek permission in a deferential manner as part of an official diplomatic petition.

We will not pass through field or vineyard: Good News Translation adds “and our cattle,” which is not explicitly mentioned in the Hebrew text. Good News Translation probably includes this phrase because it would be cattle that would leave the road to go through fields. For field and vineyard, see 16.14. These words have a collective sense in this context, so Good News Translation renders the last half of this clause as “through your fields or vineyards.”

Neither will we drink water from a well: A well is a deep pit in the ground with water seeping into it from an underground water source. Obviously more than one well is in view here, so Good News Translation renders this clause as “and we will not drink from your wells.”

We will go along the King’s Highway: The King’s Highway (literally “the road of the king”) was a major north-south route from Damascus to Aqaba, along the eastern bank of the Jordan River. It was a wide, well-marked trail that had been flattened so that kings could ride their chariots on it and people could drive wagons along it (so Noth, page 150). The word Highway sounds anachronistic, as if the road were paved. So better models for this phrase are “the road for kings,” “the route for the kings,” and “the royal route.” Good News Translation says “the main road,” which is not explicit enough.

We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left, until we have passed through your territory: Moses promises that his people will not leave this road at all while they pass through Edom. New Living Translation renders these two clauses and the previous one as “We will stay on the king’s road and never leave it until we have passed through your territory.”

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 .