divination

The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “divination” or similar in English is translated in Elhomwe as edduwelle or “to know about the future” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext) and in Bariai as “magic” (source: Bariai Back Translation).

See also spirit of divination and practice divination.

elder (of the community)

The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated as “elders” in English is translated in the Danish Bibelen 2020 as folkets ledere or “leaders of the people.”

Martin Ehrensvärd, one of the translators, explains: “The term ‘elder’ turned out to pose a particularly thorny problem. In traditional bibles, you can find elders all of over the place and they never pose a problem for a translator, they are just always elders. But how to find a contemporary term for this semi-official, complex position? This may have been our longest-standing problem. A couple of times we thought we had the solution, and then implemented it throughout the texts, only to find out that it didn’t work. Like when we used city council or village council, depending on the context. In the end we felt that the texts didn’t work with such official terms, and throughout the years in the desert, these terms didn’t make much sense. Other suggestions were ‘the eldest and wisest’, ‘the respected citizens’, ‘the Israelites with a certain position in society’, ‘the elder council’ –- and let me point out that these terms sound better in Danish than in English (‘de fremtrædende borgere,’ ‘de mest fremtrædende israelitter,’ ‘alle israelitter med en vis position,’ ‘de ældste og de klogeste,’ ‘ældsterådet’). In the end we just said ‘leaders of the people.’ After a lot of hand-wringing, it turned out that we actually found a term that worked well. So, we had to give up conveying the fact that they were old, but the most important point is that they were community leaders.” (Source: Ehrensvärd in HIPHIL Novum 8/2023, p. 81ff. )

The German das Buch translation by Roland Werner (publ. 2009-2022) translates likewise as “leader of the people” (Anführer des Volkes).

complete verse (Numbers 22:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 22:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “Then the elders of Moab and Midian set off having with them money for the cursing. They went to the home of Balaam and told him the words of Balak.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The elders of Moab and Midian, taking the magician wages from the king’s hand, went to Balaam and told him the king’s message.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So the rulers of Moab and Midian set-out/departed bringing the payment for Balaam. They told him what Balak said.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Balak’s messengers, who were leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would come and curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 22:7

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand …: This verse may seem repetitive after “Balak … sent messengers to Balaam…” in verses 4-5. However, this is typical Hebrew narrative style. The text now specifies that the messengers were the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian (see verse 4). The addition of Midian is perhaps puzzling, but this may suggest that the two nations indeed forged an alliance against Israel, whom they viewed as a common threat. With the fees for divination in their hand is literally “and divinations in their hand.” The root of the Hebrew noun for “divinations” (qesem) means “to foretell the future.” Here this noun is traditionally understood as a metonym referring to “the fee for divination” (New International Version), or perhaps simply the down payment necessary to initiate this activity. In some languages it will be more natural to translate “salary for the diviner” (La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée) or “gifts for the diviner” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). Good News Bible specifies what kind of divination is in view here by saying “payment for the curse.” Such a specific rendering seems unnecessary, except in languages where it would be difficult to find a generic term for divination or “diviner,” or in cultures where diviners do not curse but deal only in revealing secret things, including the future. Instead of fees for divination, Rashi and Rashbam proposed that the Hebrew term here refers to divination tools, that is, representative models of omens, such as ceramic sheep livers found by archaeologists. If so, Balak would have been dissatisfied with the readings of his own diviners and would have sent the model of the divination results to Balaam for a second opinion, more favorable to what he wanted to hear.

And they came to Balaam may be rendered “and they went to Balaam” (similarly Good News Bible).

And gave him Balak’s message is literally “and they spoke to him the words of Balak.” The messengers reported what Balak said in verses 5b-6. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “they reported to him the words of Balak” (similarly Nouvelle Bible Segond).

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 22:7

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand …: This verse may seem repetitive after “Balak … sent messengers to Balaam…” in verses 4-5. However, this is typical Hebrew narrative style. The text now specifies that the messengers were the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian (see verse 4). The addition of Midian is perhaps puzzling, but this may suggest that the two nations indeed forged an alliance against Israel, whom they viewed as a common threat. With the fees for divination in their hand is literally “and divinations in their hand.” The root of the Hebrew noun for “divinations” (qesem) means “to foretell the future.” Here this noun is traditionally understood as a metonym referring to “the fee for divination” (New International Version), or perhaps simply the down payment necessary to initiate this activity. In some languages it will be more natural to translate “salary for the diviner” (La Bible de Jérusalem: Nouvelle édition revue et corrigée) or “gifts for the diviner” (Nouvelle Bible Segond). Good News Bible specifies what kind of divination is in view here by saying “payment for the curse.” Such a specific rendering seems unnecessary, except in languages where it would be difficult to find a generic term for divination or “diviner,” or in cultures where diviners do not curse but deal only in revealing secret things, including the future. Instead of fees for divination, Rashi and Rashbam proposed that the Hebrew term here refers to divination tools, that is, representative models of omens, such as ceramic sheep livers found by archaeologists. If so, Balak would have been dissatisfied with the readings of his own diviners and would have sent the model of the divination results to Balaam for a second opinion, more favorable to what he wanted to hear.

And they came to Balaam may be rendered “and they went to Balaam” (similarly Good News Bible).

And gave him Balak’s message is literally “and they spoke to him the words of Balak.” The messengers reported what Balak said in verses 5b-6. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “they reported to him the words of Balak” (similarly Nouvelle Bible Segond).

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 .