complete verse (Numbers 14:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Numbers 14:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “All the people cried loudly all that night.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “All that night the whole community wept bitterly [lit.: produced screams].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “That very night the whole community wept aloud.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “That night, all the Israeli people cried loudly.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Numbers 14:1

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry is literally “And the whole community lifted and gave their voice,” which means all the Israelites began to cry loudly or wail in grief and bitterness. New Living Translation says “Then the whole community began weeping aloud.” The word all is repeated in verses 1-2, but Good News Translation has removed this particular emphasis of the Hebrew text. The Hebrew word for congregation (ʿedah) is better rendered “community” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), as in 1.2 (see the comments there).

And the people wept that night: Some languages distinguish several types of “weeping,” for example, on account of mourning, sadness, hopelessness, anger, fear, penitence, or even joy. So translators need to imagine themselves in this dramatic communal setting and select the appropriate term for wept to fit it.

Good News Translation combines the two sentences of this verse into one, saying simply “All night long the people cried out in distress,” which diminishes the people’s intense emotional behavior. Better models for this verse are:

• All night long the community cried out loudly and wept.

• All night long the community wept loud and bitterly [similar to Alter’s footnote].

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 .