But we will take up arms: But renders well the Hebrew waw conjunction (literally “and”), which introduces a contrast here between the Gadites and Reubenites and their dependents (verse 16). The independent Hebrew pronoun for we reinforces this contrast, which King James Version expresses clearly by beginning this clause with “but we ourselves” (similarly Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In many languages it will be helpful to begin a new sentence for this contrast (so New International Version, New International Readers Version). The Hebrew verb rendered take up arms literally means “become equipped [for battle]” or “put weapons on” (see 31.3, where it is translated “Arm”).
Ready to go before the people of Israel: The Gadites and Reubenites promise that they not only will fight along with the other Israelites, but they also will go in front of them. Good News Translation makes this explicit by rendering this clause and the previous one as “Then we will be ready to go with the other Israelites into battle and lead the attack,” which follows the Septuagint. This would represent a shift in the normal battle array or marching order in which the Gadites and Reubenites were in the second rank (see 2.16). The Hebrew verb for ready to go is often understood to mean “swiftly” (Levine), “quickly” (Parole de Vie, Bijbel: Vertaling in opdracht van het Nederlandsch Bijbelgenootschap, Buber, Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra), or “immediately” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Milgrom also give this sense to the verb by rendering the first two clauses of this verse as “And we will hasten as shock-troops in the van[guard] of the Israelites.” Some translations emend this verb to read “equipped in battle array” (Ashley; similarly NET Bible).
Until we have brought them to their place means until the Gadites and Reubenites have brought the other tribes safely to the different areas in the land of Canaan allotted to them. Good News Translation says “until we have settled them in the land that will be theirs.”
And our little ones shall live in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land: The Hebrew waw conjunction rendered and may be translated “In the meantime” (Good News Translation) or “Meanwhile” (New Living Translation). For our little ones, which may be rendered “our dependents” (Good News Translation) or “our families” (New Living Translation), see verse 16. The fortified cities are already mentioned in verse 16 (so Rashi). Because of the inhabitants of the land is literally “from the face of the inhabitants of the land,” which may be rendered “safe from the inhabitants of the land” (De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling, Willibrordvertaling; similarly Good News Translation) or “for fear of the people in this land” (Chewa). New Living Translation renders this phrase as a clause, saying “so they will be safe from any attacks by the local 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 .