And we have brought the LORD’s offering: The tense of the verb used here in translation may differ in accordance with what is most natural; for example, Good News Translation begins this verse with “So we are bringing….” Offering renders the Hebrew noun qorban, which is a generic word for any kind of offering (see 5.15). This noun comes from the same root as the Hebrew verb translated brought (hiqrib). In many languages it will be helpful to translate the LORD’s offering as “an offering to/for the LORD” (New International Version, New Living Translation). The officers brought this gift to the LORD, because miraculously, none of their soldiers were killed in the war (so Noth, page 232).
What each man found, articles of gold: The gift they brought was the gold articles they took as war booty. New International Readers Version says “We’ve brought the gold articles each of us took in the battle.”
Armlets and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and beads are the gold articles they brought. The Hebrew word for armlets refers to round jewelry worn on the arm, usually above the elbow, and the word for bracelets refers to round jewelry worn on the wrist. The Hebrew word for signet rings comes from a root meaning “to stamp with an impression,” since they served as an official seal or stamp for government administrators (see Gen 41.42). However, they were also worn as decorative jewelry on fingers. This is probably the sense here, so translators may say simply “rings” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew word for earrings refers to small rings worn on the ear. The exact meaning of the Hebrew word rendered beads is not certain, but it clearly refers to some type of jewelry. Most translations agree that it refers to something worn around the neck, most likely “necklaces” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “pendants” (Revised English Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Alter). Armlets and signet rings could be worn by men and women, but the bracelets, earrings and beads were women’s ornaments. Most languages will have fairly close equivalents for all of these articles.
To make atonement for ourselves before the LORD is literally “to cover our lives before the LORD.” For the Hebrew verb here, see 5.8. There are several possible interpretations for this clause. Perhaps the officers had to make atonement because of all the Midianites they killed (so Plaut, page 1105). The war was holy, but the killing defiled them and incurred guilt (so Olson, page 179). Another interpretation is that a ransom had to be paid to the LORD for counting the soldiers that had been spared (verse 49; see Exo 30.12). A census was thought to entail danger (compare 2 Sam 24; so Ashley, page 599). A rendering that follows this interpretation is “as a payment for our lives, so that he will protect us” (Good News Translation; similarly Bijbel in Gewone Taal).
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 .