OET interlinear NUM 3:38

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י & לִ⁠פְנֵי֩

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before & to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before

See how you translated the same use of this phrase in [3:7](../03/07.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י הַ⁠מִּשְׁכָּ֡ן קֵ֣דְמָ⁠ה לִ⁠פְנֵי֩ אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֨ד ׀ מִזְרָ֜חָ⁠ה

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the,tabernacle east,on to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before tent/house meeting sunrise,toward

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. Moses is using the two clauses together for emphasize that the descendants of Moses and Aaron camped in an honored place nearest to the Dwelling. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “nearest to the front of the eastern side of the tent of meeting”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וּ⁠בָנָ֗י⁠ו

and,sons_of,his

Here, sons refers to male descendants. See how you translated the same use of sons in [3:9](../03/09.md).

Note 4 topic: writing-poetry

שֹֽׁמְרִים֙ מִשְׁמֶ֣רֶת הַ⁠מִּקְדָּ֔שׁ

having_charge_of duties_of the,sanctuary

See how you translated this phrase in [3:28](../03/28.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לְ⁠מִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל

for,service_of sons_of Yisrael

See how you translated the keeping of the sons of Israel in [3:8](../03/08.md).

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠הַ⁠זָּ֥ר הַ⁠קָּרֵ֖ב יוּמָֽת

and,the,outsider the,near put_to_death

See how you translated this sentence in [1:51](../01/51.md).