Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered Then (literally “And”) suggests not merely temporal sequence, but consequence as well, so it may be translated “As a result” or “So” (New Living Translation, New Century Version). In some languages the LORD sent is better rendered “the LORD caused … to go.” The Hebrew expression for fiery serpents (literally “the snakes the fiery ones”) refers to “poisonous snakes” (Good News Translation). The word for serpents is the common generic Hebrew term for snake and does not indicate what kind of snake. The word for fiery is derived from the Hebrew root meaning “to burn.” This term describes the burning effect of poisonous snakes’ venom as it inflames the skin of victims they bite (so Rashi). Hope believes this word refers to the poisonous snakes called vipers. The Septuagint renders fiery as “deadly,” but many translations say “poisonous” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version). In some languages there will be different words for snakes, depending on whether they are poisonous or not. The poisonous variety should be chosen here. If no generic term for a poisonous snake is available, then some type of common local “viper” may have to be used.

And they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died may be rendered “and the snakes began to bite the Israelites, and many of them died.”

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 .