complete verse (Numbers 35:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 35:22:

  • Kupsabiny: “But if a person has pushed another person without intending (to do it) and not having enmity, or if he has thrown something at that person and not been lying in wait (doing it with intent),” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “’But when someone dies, having been pushed by someone without realizing it, or when [he] dies when something is thrown by mistake, ” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘But for-example a man who has no grudge has-killed a man intentionally by pushing or throwing-at him whatever thing,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “‘But someone might accidentally shove someone else, or accidentally throw something at another person and hit him, not because he hates that person.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 35:22 - 35:23

Verses 22-23 deal with exactly the same kinds of killing as in verses 20-21, but in these cases the manslayer had no intention to kill. This distinction in motive may be marked in the text by beginning a new paragraph at verse 22.

But if he stabbed him suddenly without enmity …: New Living Translation begins verse 22 with “But suppose someone…” (similarly Good News Translation) to indicate the new set of circumstances here. As in verse 20, the Hebrew verb for stabbed is more accurately rendered “pushes” (New Revised Standard Version). Suddenly is a literal rendering of the Hebrew expression here. In this context it is better translated “unexpectedly” (Herziene Statenvertaling) or “accidentally” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, SPCL, De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling). Without enmity is the opposite of “from hatred” in verse 20. The correspondence in vocabulary between verses 20-21 and 22-23 should be maintained if possible.

Or hurled anything on him without lying in wait: See verse 20.

Or used a stone, by which a man may die: See verse 17.

And without seeing him cast it upon him is literally “without looking he let it fall on him.” In some languages adverbs such as “first” or “properly” need to be added to qualify the verb “looking.”

Though he was not his enemy, and did not seek his harm: These clauses reinforce that the person who killed the other did not intend to do it; there was no ill feeling between them. It is unclear which pronouns refer to the attacker and which ones to the victim. Good News Translation reverses the order of the two clauses and understands the pronouns as follows: “whom [the victim] you [the killer] did not intend to hurt and who [the victim] was not your [the killer’s] enemy.” Without reversing the clauses, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has the same interpretation by saying “who [the victim] was not his [the killer’s] enemy and to whom [the victim] he [the killer] did not want to cause harm.” Revised English Bible takes the opposite view for some of these pronouns, saying “provided the attacker was not his [the victim’s] enemy and was not harming him [the victim] of set purpose.” Compare also Bible en français courant with “without being the enemy of the victim and without wishing to harm him [the victim].” Since the Hebrew pronoun for he is an independent one, the interpretation of Revised English Bible and Bible en français courant is more likely in this context. Perhaps the Hebrew is deliberately ambiguous. New Revised Standard Version avoids making a choice about the referents for the pronouns by saying “though they were not enemies, and no harm was intended” (similarly Nueva Traducción Viviente).

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 .