As a separate section, this should begin with something like “Moses said” or “Moses continued to speak to the people of Israel.”

For ask now: the introductory For makes no sense in English and should not be imitated. In a general way verse 32 is a consequence of what has been said before. The verb ask does not have an indirect object, that is, whom they are to ask. It means either “talk about it [with one another]” or most likely “think about it.” The subject they are to discuss or think about is the way in which God has dealt with Israel. The people are told to recall their history.

Ask now of the days that are past: “Think over your [or, our] past history”; “Talk [or, Think] about what has happened in the past” (see a similar command in 32.7).

Since the day God created man upon the earth: they are to go back to the beginning of the human race. The terminology of Gen 1.27 is used. Instead of man it is preferable in English to say “human beings” (New Revised Standard Version), “the human race” (New Jerusalem Bible). So we may say “Since the time God created human beings [or, people].”

Ask from one end of heaven to the other: Revised Standard Version repeats the verb ask because of the sentence structure. Here the Israelites are told not only to study their own history but to include the whole earth in their inquiry into how God had dealt with them. The expression from one end of heaven to the other here does not mean that a search should be made in heaven but over all the earth (see its use in Psa 19.6).

Whether such a great thing as this has ever happened: in some languages it may be better to express this as a direct question: “Has anything as great as this ever happened before?” The phrase great thing includes what follows in verses 33-38: Yahweh’s appearance at Sinai (verse 33, 36); the exodus from Egypt (verse 34, 37); the conquest of Canaan (verse 38).

Or was ever heard of: Today’s English Version provides a good model for making this a separate question, “Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?” Contemporary English Version makes it into a statement, “No one has ever heard of another god trying to do such things.”

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 .