Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 3:23 - 24

O Lord GOD: in his prayer, Moses addresses God as Adonai Yahweh; only here and in 9.26 (also a prayer by Moses) is this title used in this book. Translators have the following options in translating “Adonai Yahweh.” One option is to follow Revised Standard Version; but the spelling GOD may seem strange to readers. Another option is to imitate Today’s English Version, or to say something like “Yahweh the All Powerful One,” or “Yahweh, our Lord,” or “Yahweh who is the Most Powerful.”

Thou hast only begun to show thy servant: Moses is confident that Yahweh will still perform many miracles and mighty acts in the future. To make clear that “your servant” refers to Moses himself, it may be well to translate “… to show me, your servant…” or simply to follow Today’s English Version and Contemporary English Version “me.”

Thy greatness and thy mighty hand: here hand stands for power, might, force. So the translation can be “your greatness and your power.” Bible en français courant has “you have shown me the first signs of your greatness and of your irresistible power.”

What god is there…? This is a rhetorical question, a way of stating “There is no god in heaven or on earth,” that is, no other god anywhere. The question does not deny the existence of other gods; it denies that any other god has the power that Yahweh, the God of Israel, has. God in small letters indicates a pagan deity. This term presents a difficult translation problem in many languages. A Handbook on the Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, iscusses the problem of “God” versus “god”:
In English the supreme God is differentiated from lesser gods or deities by the use of a capital letter. In many other languages this device is not suitable, for the term for God is only used for the Christian God, so it will seem strange to refer to other gods. There are two possible solutions. Translators may use a term or terms which refer to supernatural beings which non-Christians in the culture worship, or they may use the term for the Christian God with an adjective; for example, “false gods” or “small gods.” This will show that these are beings which are thought to be like God but are not really God.

The final sentence of this verse may be alternatively rendered as “No other god in the sky or on earth is able to do the mighty things that you do.” However, if a translator uses a term such as “small god” or “false god,” we may translate, for example, “If there are false gods in the sky or earth, they cannot do the mighty things that Yahweh has done.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 3:12

At the beginning of this new section, Moses should be introduced once again as the speaker; for example, “Moses said to the people of Israel.”

When we took possession of the land at that time: it may be a good idea to say “the land east of the Jordan” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). The phrase at that time is frequently used (2.34; 3.4, 8, 18, 21, 23), but in the context it is quite redundant; it simply repeats the opening When.

I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites: it is better to say something like “I assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad,” or “I assigned to the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad.” For “tribe” see 1.13.

The territory beginning at Aroer: New Revised Standard Version is clearer, “the territory north of Aroer”; Today’s English Version helps by saying “north of the town of Aroer.”

Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon: so also 2.36; 4.48. Inasmuch as the Arnon is a river, it makes more sense in English, at least, to say “the Arnon River,” as Today’s English Version does (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), rather than “the Wadi Arnon” (New Revised Standard Version; also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible) or “the Arnon Gorge” (New International Version). Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje has “the valley of the Arnon River.”

Instead of on the edge of the valley, HOTTP prefers “on the gorge” (so also Contemporary English Version), since the phrase “the edge of” is not in the Hebrew text. But this phrase is present in 2.36 and 4.48, and on that basis a translator is justified in saying the same thing here; Aroer did not change location from one chapter to the next.

And half of the hill country of Gilead with its cities: New Revised Standard Version and Revised English Bible, like Today’s English Version, have “towns.” This is a reference to the part of Gilead south of the Jabbok River. Contemporary English Version has “and went far enough north to include the southern half of the Gilead region.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Translation commentary on Numbers 33:50 - 51

And the LORD said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho: For the quote frame the LORD said to Moses, see 1.1; for in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, see 22.1 and 26.3. To mark the back reference to this setting in verse 48, Good News Bible helpfully adds the adverb “There” and eliminates the conjunction And. Another possible model here is “While the Israelites were camped near the Jordan River on the steppes of Moab opposite Jericho, the LORD said to Moses” (similarly New Living Translation).

Say to the people of Israel: Good News Bible uses indirect speech here by rendering this clause and the previous one as “… the LORD gave Moses 51 the following instructions for Israel.” By doing this Good News Bible reduces the levels of direct speech from two to one, which may be more natural in some languages. Another model that does this is “… the LORD told Moses to say to the Israelites” (similarly Good News Bible at 35.9-10).

When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan refers to crossing over the Jordan River into the territory west of it. In some languages it will be more natural to say “When you cross the Jordan [River] and enter the land of Canaan” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy; similarly Contemporary English Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, TLA, Bijbel in Gewone Taal, Chewa). Good News Bible has this rendering in 35.10.

Verses 51b-54 form one long sentence in Hebrew, opening with the conditional statement When you pass over…. In many languages it will be necessary for both naturalness and clarity to break up this long sentence into separate imperative sentences for each of the points, as Good News Bible does in verses 52-54. (Compare also the negative counterpart in verses 55-56: “But if you do not drive out….”)

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:65

For the LORD had said of them, “They shall die in the wilderness”: This is a summary that refers back to 14.29-35. Good News Bible uses indirect speech here, saying “The LORD had said that all of them would die in the wilderness.” While this model may be more natural in some languages, it may also make the LORD’s words sound less forceful. The disobedient generation had to die out according to the LORD’s explicit command before the Israelites could complete their journey to the land of Canaan.

There was not left a man of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun: This statement confirms what the LORD had said in 14.30 (see the comments there). Only Caleb and Joshua had brought back a positive report about the prospects for conquering the land. Thus, the census of chapter 26 itself was written proof that God kept his word. This census also marked the beginning of a new day for God’s people.

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:64

But among these there was not a man of those numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered But (literally “And”) may be omitted here (so Good News Bible). Once again the Hebrew verb for numbered (paqad) is better rendered “enrolled” (New Revised Standard Version). It may be helpful to make explicit that this enrollment happened “in the first census” (Good News Bible). For Aaron the priest, see 3.6.

Who had numbered the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai: For the wilderness of Sinai, see 1.1.

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:63

Translators should include a section heading here if they have inserted headings at verses 52 and 57 (see the introductory comments on this chapter). Verses 63-65 serve as a conclusion to chapter 26, including both “Retrospective and prospective elements”, for example, references to Moses, the old leader of the people, and to Joshua, the new one about to be chosen (27.18).

These were those numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest is literally “These [are/were] those [males] enrolled by Moses and Eleazar the priest.” The demonstrative pronoun These refers to all the Israelite clans mentioned in verses 5-51 and 57-62. Good News Bible makes this clear by saying “All these clans.” The Hebrew construction here does not have a past tense verb (were). New International Version, New Living Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, PV, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, WV, Luther, and the Vulgate use the present tense, which may be more fitting for a list. Numbered, which renders the Hebrew verb paqad, is better translated “enrolled” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) again (see verse 7). For Eleazar the priest, see verse 1.

Who numbered the people of Israel …: This clause in English may give the wrong suggestion that it does not refer to a census which has been described already. Good News Bible avoids this misunderstanding by saying “when they took a census of the Israelites….”

In the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho: See verse 3. The second census is framed by specifying this place. The Israelites were still on the eastern side of the Jordan River.

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:62

And those numbered of them were twenty-three thousand is literally “And their enrolled [males] were 23,000.” Numbered renders the Hebrew verb paqad again (see verse 7), so a better model for this clause is “The number of those enrolled was…” (New Revised Standard Version). Compare 3.39 for the total number of Levite males in the first census.

Every male from a month old and upward: See 3.15, 39.

For they were not numbered among the people of Israel: The Hebrew particle ki rendered for is probably an emphatic marker here, so it is better translated “Indeed.” Numbered is better rendered “enrolled” (New Revised Standard Version) again. After verses 57-58, which are about the enrollment of the Levite clans, this clause may seem odd. In some languages it will be necessary to avoid misunderstanding by saying “They had not been enrolled with the other Israelites” (Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). In some languages it will be helpful to go even further by using a positive statement here, such as “They were listed separately from the rest of the Israelites” (Good News Bible; similarly Revised English Bible, NBV). It is important to avoid the suggestion that the Levites were not Israelites.

Because there was no inheritance given to them among the people of Israel: See 18.23. For the Hebrew word rendered inheritance (nachalah), see verse 53.

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 .

Translation commentary on Numbers 26:61

But Nadab and Abihu died when they offered unholy fire before the LORD: See the comments on 3.4. This verse reaffirms the priesthood of Eleazar and Ithamar as valid. But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction here (literally “And”) since what this verse says is unexpected after the previous verse. The report of these deaths also functions implicitly as a third “warning” to the new generation (see verses 10 and 19), reminding them here of the LORD’s concern for strict ritual observance within the priesthood.

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 .