Number the sons of Levi, by fathers’ houses and by families: God tells Moses to register the Levites by clans and families. Both occurrences of the Hebrew verb for number (paqad) are singular, referring to Moses. As in 1.3 (see the comments there), this verb is better rendered “Enroll” (New Revised Standard Version), “Record” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “muster.” For the Hebrew phrases rendered by fathers’ houses and by families, see the comments on 1.2, where the same phrases occur, though in reverse order. As there, these phrases are better rendered “by clans and families” (Good News Translation) to reflect the kinship system in the Hebrew more accurately.

Every male from a month old and upward you shall number: God tells Moses to register every male Levite that was a month old or older (compare 1.3).

Good News Translation expresses this short quotation of the LORD as indirect speech, which other languages may find helpful.

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 .