The great and terrible wilderness: the wilderness (see 1.1) was vast and filled with dangers (also 1.19 for great and terrible).

Fiery serpents: New Revised Standard Version “poisonous snakes” is like Good News Translation (Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New International Version “venomous snakes”). It is uncertain whether or not this refers to a fabulous creature, that is, a product of myths and legends, such as a dragon (see “flying serpent” in Isa 30.6). All in all it is better to follow Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version. In some languages there will be different words for snakes, depending on whether they are poisonous or not. The poisonous variety should be chosen here.

Thirsty ground where there was no water: this is a description of desert wastes, “dry country without any water.” Good News Translation “dry and waterless land” is another good model. However, in some languages “dry and waterless” will be redundant; in such a case we may say, for example, “a land where people can find no water.”

Brought you water out of the flinty rock: see Num 20.2-13. Flinty rock means solid rock, not soft or loose rock. It is possible to make the action of the LORD clearer by saying, for example, “In that land where there is no water, he [Yahweh] split open a rock, and water poured out so that you could drink” (very similar to Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .