Verses 1-2 serve as an introduction to the actual list of Israel’s camping places from Egypt to the Jordan River, which begins in verse 5.

These are the stages of the people of Israel: The demonstrative pronoun These points forward to the list of Israel’s campsites in verses 5-49. Stages renders the same Hebrew term as in 10.12, meaning “marches” or “departures.” Here it refers to a series of successive marches or “routes of march” (Levine) on the Israelites’ circuitous route from Egypt to Canaan. RVR says “journeys,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “stages of the journey.” New Living Translation and NTV provide a helpful model for this clause, saying “This is the route the Israelites followed.” In some languages it may be better to refer to the camping places associated with the stages of the journey; for example, Good News Bible has “The following account gives the names of the places where the Israelites set up camp,” and NIRV says “Here are the places where the people of Israel stopped during their journey.”

When they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their hosts under the leadership of Moses and Aaron: By their hosts is literally “by their troops.” This phrase renders the same Hebrew expression translated “company by company” in 1.3 (see the comments there). The nation of Israel is presented here as a well-organized army in preparation for its march to take possession of the land of Canaan. Good News Bible renders this phrase as “in their tribes,” but a better model is “by their divisions” (similarly New International Version), which expresses clearly its military sense. New Living Translation also provides a helpful model by beginning this clause with “as they marched out of Egypt….” Under the leadership of Moses and Aaron is literally “by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” This figurative expression also has a military connotation here (compare 31.49), so a good model is “under the command of Moses and Aaron” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .