And he stood between the dead and the living: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered And may be translated “Thus” (Chewa) or “In this way” to introduce the summary statement of this verse. Good News Translation places this clause at the end of the verse, saying “and he was left standing between the living and the dead,” which wrongly suggests that there was nothing left for Aaron to do. On the contrary, Aaron with his burning incense stood as a buffer, even a mediator, between those people who had already died and those who were still alive. Compare 1.53, which says the camp of the Levites formed a buffer or protective barrier around the Tabernacle against the LORD’s wrath. This clause may be rendered “He went to stand between the dead and those who were still alive” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling; similarly Nije Fryske Bibeloersetting, Contemporary Russian Version) or “He placed himself between the dead bodies and the people who were still alive.”

And the plague was stopped: The actions of Aaron halted the disaster. Good News Translation moves this clause to the beginning of the verse, which confuses the meaning.

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 .