complete verse (Numbers 20:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 20:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “But the king answered (them), ‘You shall not pass through.’ Then the soldiers of Edom who were fierce came to those Israelites.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Again they replied,
    "You will not be allowed come."
    Then Edom, bringing a great and mighty army, came to fight with them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The king of Edom answered again: ‘You (plur.) should- not -pass-by/through here.’ Then the king of Edom gathered his mighty/strong soldiers in-order to fight against the Israelinhon.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But the king replied, ‘No! Stay out of our country! We will not allow you to travel through our land!’ Then he sent the strongest soldiers in his army to prevent the Israelis from entering his country.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 20:20

But he said: The pronoun he refers to the Edomites (so Good News Translation) or possibly their king (so New Living Translation; see the comments on verse 18).

You shall not pass through: The Hebrew pronoun for You is singular, but as in verse 18, it refers to the nation of Israel, so translators may use a plural pronoun here.

And Edom came out against them with many men, and with a strong force is literally “And Edom went out to meet him [Israel] with many people and with a strong hand.” Revised Standard Version‘s fairly literal translation may suggest that two distinct armies of Edom went to attack the people of Israel. NET Bible clarifies that there was only one Edomite army by saying “Then Edom came out against them with a large and powerful force.”

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 .