OET interlinear NUM 17:12

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations

הֵ֥ן

if

The Israelites are using the word Behold to express a strong feeling of alarm and despair. There may be an equivalent word or phrase in your language that you can use in your translation to convey this feeling. If not, you could say what the Israelites were feeling, or you could say what made them afraid. Alternate translation: [Alas]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

גָּוַ֛עְנוּ אָבַ֖דְנוּ כֻּלָּ֥⁠נוּ אָבָֽדְנוּ

perishing lost of_us_of,all lost

The Israelites say we expire! We perish; all of us perish as an extreme statement for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: [we are like those who expire! It is as if we perish, as if all of us perish]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

גָּוַ֛עְנוּ אָבַ֖דְנוּ כֻּלָּ֥⁠נוּ אָבָֽדְנוּ

perishing lost of_us_of,all lost

These three phrases we expire, We perish, and all of us perish mean basically the same thing. The repetition emphasizes the meaning by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [We are all going to die!]