The LORD came from Sinai: it was at Mount Sinai that the LORD came to the people of Israel. The destination is upon us, that is, to “us” or “them,” depending on how the next line is translated.

Dawned … shone forth: these mean exactly the same thing; they compare the LORD’s coming to the rising of the sun.

Seir: that is, “Edom” (Good News Translation); see “hill country of Edom” in 1.2.

Upon us: this is the text of the Septuagint, Syriac, andVulgate; the Hebrew text has “upon them,” which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers ({B} rating). The choice of “us” or “them” will depend on how the Israelites will be referred to in translation of the poem. It is possible that the meaning is rather “to them,” that is, on behalf of the Israelites. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have “to his people.” This interpretation is recommended.

Mount Paran: see Num 10.12. This was the first place where the Israelites stopped after leaving Mount Sinai; the wilderness of Paran was to the south of the land of Canaan. A possible alternative model for these first three lines is:

• From Mount Sinai Yahweh came down to help us;
he rose like the sun and shone from Edom,
and his light shone from Mount Paran.

He came from the ten thousands of holy ones: New Revised Standard Version has “With him were myriads of holy ones,” following the Septuagint, the Samaritan, Syriac, andVulgate texts. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({C} rating) prefers “and with him” over “and he came,” a text that represents different vowels for the same consonants of the Hebrew text. And in the following “from the ten thousands of holy ones,” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({B} rating) states that “from” functions as a partitive, a form that refers to a part or quantity of something—in this instance “some,” as in “[and with him] some of the ten thousands….” But the text is handled differently by others; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “And approached from Ribehoth-kodesh,” and New Jerusalem Bible “From them he came after the meeting at Kodesh.” It is recommended that translators follow New Revised Standard Version‘s model above. The holy ones are angels. Good News Translation follows this interpretation, with “Ten thousand angels were with him.” In languages where “angels” will be translated as “heavenly messengers,” it will be better to say something like “his heavenly helpers,” or even “his soldiers [or, warriors]” (Contemporary English Version).

With flaming fire at his right hand: Revised Standard Version adds the footnote “Heb uncertain”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has a similar note and translates “Lightning flashing at them from his right.” It is difficult to envisage “flaming fire” at Yahweh’s right hand; it seems to be a way of speaking of lightning, which Yahweh carries as a weapon. The language of this verse pictures Yahweh as a warrior.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Yahweh came down from Mount Sinai to help us;
he rose like the sun and shone on his people from Edom.
And his light shone from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his angels were with him,
and fire flamed from his hand.

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 .