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 .