Verses 16-18a are very similar to verses 4-7a, so translators should render them consistently.
And the LORD met Balaam: Instead of the LORD (YHWH in Hebrew), verse 4 has “God” (ʾelohim). Translators should keep this difference. As in verse 4 (see the comments there), met renders a passive form of the Hebrew verb yiqah.
And put a word in his mouth, and said: See verse 5.
Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak: See verse 5.
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 .
Balaam said to Balak is literally “And he said to Balak.” Revised Standard Version makes it explicit that the pronoun “he” refers to Balaam, as in many other translations, including the Septuagint and the Peshitta (compare verse 3).
Stand here beside your burnt offering: See verse 3, where this same clause occurs, except for the adverb here. Here renders the Hebrew particle koh, which also appears at the end of this verse, translated yonder. Translators may highlight the difference in these locations by rendering here and yonder as “right here” and “over yonder.”
While I meet the LORD yonder is literally “and I am met over there.” For the passive Hebrew verb rendered meet (yiqah), see the comments on verse 3, where it is translated “come.” In contrast to verse 3, Balaam does not refer to the LORD explicitly here. The LORD is not in the Hebrew text, but “God” (Good News Bible) is in the Septuagint. Unless it is necessary to make the LORD an explicit object in the target language, it may be good to mark this difference with verse 3 by saying “while a meeting befalls me over there” (NBG) or “while I wait over there for a new meeting” (Züricher). If a reference to the LORD is needed in the target language, it will still be helpful to indicate that the Hebrew verb here is passive by saying “while I am met by the LORD over there.” Even the greatest of prophets cannot determine precisely when and where the LORD will grant them a revelation, so NBV says “I will wait over there until the LORD comes to me.”
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 .
And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah: It may be helpful to state the pronominal referents explicitly here by beginning this clause with “So Balak took Balaam…” (New Living Translation). In some languages it will be better to render the verb took as “led” to avoid the misunderstanding of physical carrying. A literal rendering of field could be misleading here, implying a cultivated garden for growing crops. New Living Translation says “plateau.” Zophim, which means “lookouts” in Hebrew, may a proper name or a common noun, so possible models for the field of Zophim are “the Lookouts’ Field” (Alter), “Lookout Plateau” (Levine), “the Field of the Watchers” (Revised English Bible, Nouvelle Bible Segond, RSO), “an observation post” (PV, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible), and “a place for spying.” For Mount Pisgah, see 21.20.
And offered a bull and a ram on each altar: See verses 1-2.
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 .
And Balak said to him: Some languages may have an introductory word or phrase to indicate that a new episode begins here, for example, “Then” (Good News Bible) or “After that” (Chewa). The pronoun him refers to Balaam, which Good News Bible makes explicit.
Come with me to another place: The Hebrew text includes the word naʾ here, thus making Balak’s request more urgent and compelling. Models that express it are “Please come with me…” (New American Bible) or “Do come with me….” To another place may be rendered “to a different place.” By changing location Balak hopes to achieve his desired outcome.
From which you may see them: The pronoun them (literally “him/it”) occurs four times in this verse. Each time it refers to the Israelites. The first time it may be necessary to render this pronoun as “the people of Israel” for clarity.
You shall see only the nearest of them, and shall not see them all: As in 22.41 (see the comments there), the Hebrew phrase for the nearest of them (literally “the end/outskirts of him/it”) is ambiguous. With this phrase the text aims to dramatize again the great number of Israelites, this time through the mouth of King Balak, who is speaking. Good News Bible combines these two clauses with the previous one for natural English, saying “from which you can see only some of the Israelites.” PV attempts to make these words of Balak sound more logical in their context by saying “There, you will see all the Israelites. From here, you only saw part of them” (similarly Bible en français courant), and so does Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch with “from where you can see the whole people. From here you only see the end of their camp.” These renderings imply that Balak wants Balaam to have a better view from the new place. However, these renderings are quite speculative when compared with the Hebrew text. Contemporary English Version expresses a somewhat different implication by rendering these clauses and the final one as “Maybe if you see a smaller part of the Israelites, you will be able to curse them for me.” The chiastic structure of this verse seems to support this interpretation. Balak fears that seeing all the Israelites will overwhelm Balaam and make him pronounce another blessing, which he does not want to happen.
Then curse them for me from there: Curse renders the same Hebrew verb as in verse 8 (see the comments there).
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 .
And Balaam said to Balak: Good News Bible omits the conjunction And at the beginning of this verse, which other languages may find helpful. New Living Translation renders it “Then.”
Build for me here seven altars, and provide for me here seven bulls and seven rams: The number seven is significant in the Balaam narrative (and throughout the Bible). Balaam pronounced seven oracles (four are long and three are short). The adverb here refers to the place where Balaam and Balak were standing, that is, Bamoth-baal. For translating the term altars, see 3.26. The Hebrew word for bulls (par) refers to “young bulls” (New Living Translation) that are mature (see 7.15). Rams are adult male sheep (see 7.15).
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 .
But the person who does anything with a high hand renders the Hebrew literally. This figurative expression who does anything with a high hand is usually taken to mean “who sin[s] deliberately” (Good News Bible) or “who acts defiantly” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), in arrogance and being fully aware of the law. Such sins stand in contrast to the unintentional sins of the preceding verses. In some cultures Revised Standard Version‘s literal rendering may refer to a gesture that has an entirely different meaning. If so, translators should render this expression nonfiguratively (so Good News Bible) or use another figurative expression with the same meaning.
Whether he is native or a sojourner: See verse 14.
Reviles the LORD means a person who sins deliberately blasphemes God (so New Living Translation), who treats him with contempt (so Good News Bible). For such a defiant sin there is no sacrifice for purification or forgiveness.
And that person shall be cut off from among his people: See 9.13. This clause probably means that such a person should be “excluded” (Bible en français courant) or “expelled” (Bijbel in Gewone Taal) from the community. Good News Bible says the person must be “put to death.” However, it is not certain whether execution is in view here, so this more specific sense should not be expressed.
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 .
And they came to the Valley of Eshcol: The Valley of Eshcol was not far from Hebron. It was known for its productive vineyards and orchards. The Hebrew word for Valley (nachal) refers to a “wadi” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Levine). As A Handbook on Deuteronomy points out at Deut 1.28, a wadi is a ravine or watercourse that is dry during the dry season but that can become a torrent in the rainy season. However, in cultures where wadis do not exist, it will be better to translate the Valley of Eshcol as “the dry river [valley] named Eshcol,” with a footnote explaining what a “wadi” is like.
And cut down from there a branch with a single cluster of grapes: A cluster of grapes (“bunch of grapes” in Good News Bible) is a tightly packed grouping of grapes. In cultures that do not have or know about such bunches of grapes, a branch with a single cluster of grapes may be rendered “a branch full of fruit called ‘grapes’ ” (see also Gen 40.10). A glossary entry will also be needed for grapes due to the great importance of this fruit and its products in the Bible.
And they carried it on a pole between two of them shows how rich and fertile the land was. It took two of the spies to carry the single bunch of grapes on a pole.
They brought also some pomegranates and figs is literally “and some of the pomegranates and some of the figs.” Revised Standard Version adds they brought for naturalness in English. Pomegranates are the fruit of a small tree of the same name. The fruit is a bit smaller than an orange and has a hard red skin, which must be cut open to get at the tightly-packed pockets of seeds inside, each seed enclosed in a little bag of juicy pulp. The end of the fruit has a distinctive flower-like shape. In cultures where pomegranates are unknown, translators may borrow the term from a major language or use a locally known fruit with many seeds and similar in size, shape, and color to the pomegranate. Figs are also the fruit of a tree of the same name. Fig trees are native to western Asia. The trees bear fruit twice a year. The fruit is eaten fresh or it is dried and can be preserved for a long time. Fig trees were very important in Israel especially for their fruit. The fruit was eaten as a staple food and it was also used as medicine. If the fig tree and its fruit are not known, translators will need to borrow a word, or use a descriptive phrase.
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 .
This paragraph gives a summary of what is to come in 10.13–12.16, as explained above. So 10.13–12.16 does not follow chronologically after this opening paragraph, but overlaps it. If this is not understood, the reader will draw the wrong conclusion that the Israelites arrived in Paran (10.12) before they came to Kibroth-hattaavah and Hazeroth (11.35) and somehow went back to Paran again (12.16). Verse 11 begins with the Hebrew word wayehi (literally “And it came to pass” King James Version), which marks the beginning of a new discourse unit.
In the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month: See the comments on 1.1, where the first day of this month is mentioned. This date refers to the second year since the Exodus from Egypt. Good News Bible makes this explicit by saying “the second year after the people left Egypt.” It is only here in 10.11, after the major section on rituals and the system of worship has been completed (7.1–10.10), that the narrative returns to the second month of the second year. A footnote may be necessary to clarify the chronology, the connection with 1.1, and the fact that the people had not moved from the desert of Sinai since that time.
The cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle of the testimony: The cloud did not rise by its own power. As mentioned at 9.17 (see the comments there), it may give that wrong impression to render the cloud was taken up as “the cloud … lifted” (Good News Bible) or “the cloud … moved on” (Contemporary English Version). For the tabernacle of the testimony, see the comments on 1.50.
And the people of Israel set out by stages from the wilderness of Sinai: For the Hebrew verb rendered set out, see the comments on 2.9. Here it may be rendered “moved on,” “journeyed further,” or “marched.” By stages is literally “by their marches/departures.” The Hebrew refers to a series of regular marches, journeying further and further away from the desert of Sinai, to the wilderness of Paran. This is why Good News Bible translates set out by stages as “started on their journey.” New Living Translation is even clearer with “set out … and traveled on from place to place.” For the wilderness of Sinai, see 1.1.
And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of Paran refers to the end of this part of Israelites’ journey, which took some time. For the cloud settled down, see 9.17. It is implied in 12.16 that the wilderness of Paran was in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula. It was probably just south of Canaan and west of Midian (see 1 Kgs 11.18). Under normal circumstances it should have taken the people only a few months to journey to Canaan, their final destination. Contemporary English Version expresses this clause clearly, saying “And some time later, the cloud stopped in the Paran Desert.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “The cloud led them to the desert of Paran; there it settled down.” Another possible model is “The cloud led them to the wilderness of Paran, where it stopped.” It may be helpful to place this clause in parentheses to indicate that it refers to an event after the events in 10.13–12.16.
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 .
