And Balaam said to Balak: The conjunction And may be rendered “Then” (Good News Translation) to introduce this next event.

Stand beside your burnt offering: The Hebrew verb for Stand suggests more than a casual standing nearby the altars and their sacrificial animals; rather, a more deliberate stance is in view, so this verb may be rendered “Station yourself” (NET Bible, Alter) or “Stand watch” (so Noordtzij, page 215). For burnt offering, see 6.11. Perhaps under the influence of verses 1-2, where seven altars are mentioned, the Peshitta and the Samaritan Pentateuch have the plural form “burnt offerings” (so also New Revised Standard Version). However, the standard Hebrew text reads a singular form. As in verse 2, a specific type of sacrifice (as found in the Pentateuch) is probably not in view here, so Revised English Bible has the more generic rendering “sacrifice.”

And I will go: In Hebrew this clause is closely connected with the previous one. Balaam expects Balak to wait by his sacrifice, while he goes off to receive a message from the LORD (not at the site of the sacrifice). Good News Translation expresses this connection more clearly with “while I go.” The text does not specify here where Balaam will go, so other possible models are “while I go off/away” (Bible en français courant, Bijbel in Gewone Taal, Willibrordvertaling), “while I go aside” (New Revised Standard Version, New International Version), and “while I go a bit further” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling, Contemporary Russian Version; similarly Parole de Vie). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch says “I want to go over there,” but the Hebrew here does not specify any direction in which Balaam wants to go. None of these renderings express what the Hebrew verb form here implies, namely, a wish by the speaker. Revised English Bible expresses this clearly with “and let me go off by myself.”

Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me: The Hebrew starts a new sentence here with the word for perhaps (ʾulay), which is an expression of hope. Good News Translation renders perhaps as “to see whether or not,” which does not adequately express it. Revised English Bible provides a better model with “It may be that.” The LORD will come to meet me is literally “the LORD will [allow to] be met to meet me.” Come renders a passive form of the Hebrew verb yiqah. A form of the same verb occurs in Exo 3.18. As A Handbook on Numbers explains, it conveys the idea of an unexpected meeting initiated by the LORD himself. Good News Translation omits this verb by rendering this clause simply as “the LORD will meet me.” Helpful models that keep it are “the LORD will make it happen that he meets me” (similarly La Bible de Jérusalem Nouvelle) and “the LORD will take the occasion to encounter me” (similarly Levine).

And whatever he shows me I will tell you is literally “and what word he lets me see, I will tell you” (similarly Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap). He shows me is better rendered “he reveals to me” (Good News Translation; similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “he will make known to me” (similarly Bible en français courant), since a physical vision of some kind is not implied here.

And he went to a bare height: The Hebrew word for bare height refers to a hill or mountain that lacks any vegetation, including trees. It does not refer to an elevated height that has been built, so it is better to say “a bare hilltop” (New International Readers Version), “the top of a bare hill” (New Living Translation), or simply “the top of a hill” (Good News Translation). Balaam had to go to a high place to be closer to God (so NET Bible footnote), from where he could see the people of Israel, the object of the curse or blessing. Otherwise the curse or blessing would not be effective (so Noth, page 182).

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 .