complete verse (Numbers 32:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 32:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people went to the valley of Eshkol, saw the country and/but then they made the people of Israel lose hope so that they did not enter the land that God had promised to (them).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “After having gone up to the Valley of Eshkol and having looked at that place, they caused the Israelites to withdraw from going to the place that the LORD had given them.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “When they arrived at Eshcol place-where water -flows and they saw the land, they discouraged the Israelinhon to go to the land which was-given by the LORD to them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “They went as far as Eshcol Valley, but when they saw the huge people in the land, they returned and caused the Israeli people to be discouraged, saying ‘We should not try to enter the land that Yahweh said that he is giving to us.’” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 32:9

For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol, and saw the land … is literally “And they went up to….” The subordinate conjunction when seems to suggest that the spies’ action of discouraging their people occurred at the same time as they explored the land. In fact, this happened only after they explored the land. New Living Translation provides a better model here, saying “After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land…,” and so does Good News Translation with “They went as far as Eshcol Valley and saw the land, but when they returned….” For the sense of went up here, see the comments on “Go up” at 13.17. For the Valley of Eshcol, see 13.23. Once again, the verb saw is better rendered “explored” (New Living Translation, Bible en français courant).

They discouraged the heart of the people of Israel: See verse 7 for the Hebrew expression here. As there, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “they turned the minds of the Israelites.”

From going into the land which the LORD had given them: See verse 7. In some languages the verb had given may have to be rendered “had promised to give” to avoid the wrong implication.

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 .