22:17–18a
Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. And now, would you turn away from the LORD?: This is a long rhetorical question. It functions as a rebuke.
There are two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the Lord ! And are you now turning away from the Lord ? (New International Version)
• As a statement. For example:
The sin we committed at Peor was bad enough. To this very day we have not purified ourselves; it even brought a plague on the community of the Lord. Now today you dare to turn back from following the Lord ! (NET Bible)
The Berean Standard Bible translates this rhetorical question as one long sentence. Many English versions translate it as two or three sentences. See the example of the New International Version and the NET Bible above. Translate this rhetorical question in the way that makes the meaning most clear in your language.
22:17a
Was not the sin of Peor enough for us: The Hebrew clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Was not the sin of Peor enough for us is more literally “Was it (the sin of Peor) ⌊too⌋ little for us?
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
Is the sin that Israel committed at Peor a small thing to you?
-or-
The Israelites sinned at Peor and that was very bad.
the sin of Peor enough for us: The phrase the sin of Peor refers to the time when the people of Israel sacrificed to other gods and worshiped them. This event is recorded in Numbers 25:1-9. The Israel men committed sexual acts with Moab women while they were camped at Shittim. These women invited them to sacrifice to their god, the Baal of Peor. Deuteronomy 4:3 says this happened at Baal Peor.
22:17b
from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day: In some languages it may be more natural to begin a new sentence here.
cleansed ourselves: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cleansed ourselves can also be translated “purified ourselves.” The people of Israel still felt ashamed when they thought of that sin. It may also mean that there were still some Israel people who wanted to worship Baal. Joshua alludes to this in 24:14-23.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
We (incl.) have still not completely purified ourselves from this sin
-or-
We still suffer from that sin up to the present day
22:17c
It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD: In some languages it may be more natural to begin a new sentence here.
plague: A plague is a disease that spreads quickly and kills many people. A plague came and killed many Israel people when they sinned by worshiping the Baal god at Peor.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
there was a plague in the community of Yahweh
-or-
a deadly disease struck the people of Yahweh
-or-
a terrible disease fell upon the people of Yahweh
In some languages it may be helpful to repeat information to make the connection between the clauses clear. For example:
because of it, there was a plague in the community of Yahweh
-or-
a deadly disease struck the people of Yahweh because of it
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