Verses 53-56 specify the second purpose of the census, which was to prepare for the division of the Promised Land among the Israelite tribes. (According to verse 2, the first purpose was to determine the number of males eligible for military service.) Cole (page 461) notes that these verses specify the two principles that would govern the orderly distribution of land: the “principle of proportion” (the amount of land received had to be relative to the size of the tribal population) and the “principle of providential probability” (the land received had to be determined by lot).

To these the land shall be divided for inheritance according to the number of names: The demonstrative pronoun these refers back to the Israelites enrolled in the second census (verse 51). The Hebrew does not refer explicitly to the Israelite tribes at this point; the term for “tribes” only occurs in verse 55 in the LORD’s message here to Moses. But in many languages it will be helpful to have a more specific reference than the pronoun these in this verse; for example, Contemporary English Version and Revised English Bible render To these as “among these tribes,” and Good News Translation has “among the tribes.” Making “tribes” explicit here is helpful, especially if this word has been used already in the translation of verses 5-50 (so Good News Translation). However, other valid renderings for this phrase are “among these clans” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible; supported by a footnote in Alter, page 825), “To these men” (Die Bibel: Einheitsübersetzung der Heiligen Schrift), and “to these people” (Chewa). In languages that use passive constructions rarely it will be more natural to render the land shall be divided as “Divide the land” (Good News Translation), since God is instructing Moses what to do here. As mentioned at 16.14, the Hebrew term for inheritance (nachalah) refers to inherited property that must not be sold or taken away. New International Version renders for inheritance as “as an inheritance,” which is more natural in English. Chewa has “that it might be their inheritance.” According to the number of names means “according to the number of people in each tribe” (similarly Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “according to their [the tribes’] size.” Revised English Bible has “according to the number of names recorded.”

Traduction œcuménique de la Bible provides the following helpful model for this verse:

• “It is among these clans that the land will be divided: the parts/portions will be in proportion to the number of persons.

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 .