Aaron shall be gathered to his people: Good News Translation takes this expression to mean “he is going to die,” but verse 26 seems to indicate that it has a different meaning. As A Handbook on Genesis explains at Gen 25.8, it is often understood to refer to being in Sheol, the place of the dead in the deep parts of the earth. Others understand it to refer to being remembered by the living as one of the honored ancestors. In any case, some kind of solidarity and unity with the faithful forefathers appears to be in view here (so Ashley, page 395; Cole, page 467). This is a specific expression, which occurs only in the Pentateuch, marking the deaths of Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Aaron and Moses—people who were the founding fathers of the nation of Israel. Some languages may need to express this passive construction as an active one, for example, “Aaron will die and unite himself with his kinsmen” or “Aaron will die and join his dead kinsmen.” It may be necessary to make it clear that his people refers to dead people by saying “Aaron will die and join his relatives who have died before him.” New Living Translation says “The time has come for Aaron to join his ancestors in death.” However, the term “ancestors” may present problems in some languages (for example, the Bantu group of languages), because it is taken to refer to “ancestral spirits,” who are still actively involved with the living in traditional religious beliefs and practices. In such languages an explanatory footnote may be needed.

For he shall not enter the land which I have given to the people of Israel: The Hebrew particle ki translated for may be an emphatic marker here, so it may also be rendered “Indeed.” Good News Translation places this clause before the previous one, saying “Aaron is not going to enter the land which I promised to give to Israel; he is going to die.” This arrangement may sound more natural in other languages as well.

Because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah: The Hebrew pronoun for you is plural, referring to Moses and Aaron. Alter makes this clear by saying “you both,” and so does Good News Translation with “the two of you.” Rebelled renders the same Hebrew verb translated “rebels” in verse 10 (see the comments there). My command is literally “my mouth.” In some languages it may be more natural, perhaps even more precise, to say “[the words of] my mouth” rather than my command. For the waters of Meribah, see verse 13. As there, Good News Translation omits the waters again, which we do not recommend. Since the Hebrew word for “water” is plural anyway, this phrase may be rendered “the water of Meribah” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling) or “the water at Meribah” (New Living Translation). Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Bijbel in Gewone Taal say “the source/spring of Meribah.” The waters of Meribah were a source of life for the people of Israel, but they were also a source of death for their leaders on account of their disobedience.

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 .