complete verse (Numbers 24:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 24:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “After that, Balaam distantly saw the Kenites. He narrated proverbs/saying that God told him,
    ‘You think that you will not be found,
    because you live on top of a hill.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Then, looking towards the Kenites, he spoke words in this way,
    "You seem to be strong,
    your house has been built in the rocks.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Then Balaam again saw in his vision the Kenhanon and he said: ‘Your (plur.) dwelling-place is firm/strong, for this is situated/set on a rocky mountain.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Then he looked out over the area where the Ken people-group lived, and he prophesied this:
    ‘You think that the place where you live is secure/safe
    like a nest that is made in the cliffs ,” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 24:21

And he looked on the Kenite: For And he looked on, see verse 20. The Kenite probably refers to ancestors of Cain, since the Hebrew consonants of the two names are the same (q y n). Most French translations say “the Qenites.” The Kenites probably lived in the desert south of Israel, near Moab.

And took up his discourse, and said: See 23.7a.

Enduring is your dwelling place means “The place where you live is secure” (Good News Translation).

And your nest is set in the rock: The Hebrew word for nest (qen) is a wordplay on the name Kenite (qeyni). It is an image for the Kenites’ homeland. Their homeland was set in the rock (“set high on a cliff” in Good News Translation), since they probably lived in the mountains of Midian, that is, in a location that was well-protected against enemy attacks.

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 .