Having been translated and reinterpreted quite a number of times, the Bible may reveal rather unexpected information after several versions of translations are compared. Since the original text, written in a language that has been dead for centuries, already represents a combination of symbolism and metaphors, introducing its original sense to modern audiences represents a nearly impossible task. Therefore, there cannot possibly be one correct version of the translated Bible; instead, different translations have to be compared to elicit the initial meaning contained in the sacred text. Thus, to understand the excerpt in question, one will need to consider the King James Version, International Standard Version, and Literal Standard Version. With the former being the established translation, the second one representing a culturally homogenous translation, and the latter being the latest addition, one will be able to grasp the true meaning of the passage in question.
Remarkably, the newer version of the translation appears to deviate from the traditional one to the greatest extent. Going into very tiny details and outlining the ones that the previous versions omitted, the new translation represents a much more specific translation that is devoid of the natural flow represented in the KJV. In turn, ISV appears to be very close to NSV in this regard. For instance, the LSV and the NSV translations specify that Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes, whereas the KJV mentions that they “rented” them (“Numbers 14:1-14, New International Version,” n.d.; “Numbers 14:1-14, King James Version (KJV),” n.d.; “Chronicles: Chapter 14, Literal Standard Version,” 2014, p. 109).
In the course of the analysis required to understand the implicit meanings of the translations above, several sources have been consulted. These were two peer-reviewed journals and an academic boo containing research on the Biblical text (Bick, 2020; Van der Merwe, 2016; Porter & Land, 2019). In the course of the analysis, the primary theological concern of embracing the notion of Universal God as the way of keeping the integrity of the Christian community was identified (Truesdale, 2013; Patterson & Hill, 2016). Furthermore, the following commentaries on the text in question were utilized: Smith and Lemmons (1966), the International Critical Commentary, and the New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Finally, the sermon by Chuck Smith (n.d.) was utilized to explore the concept of unbelief in relation to fear.