With the beginning of a new section, it will be helpful to start with something like “Moses said to the Israelites” or “Moses continued to speak to the Israelites, saying, ….”

Statutes and ordinances: see 4.1.

Be careful to do: this expression occurs frequently (5.1, 21; 6.3, 25; 7.11; 8.1; 11.22, 32).

The language of this verse is like that of other passages (see especially 1.8; 6.1, 18). The last clause, all the days that you live upon the earth, may go with the command you shall be careful to do (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) or with the verb to possess (so, apparently, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). It is better to link it quite clearly with the command be careful to do.

Live upon the earth: Good News Translation, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, and BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum take the Hebrew noun ʾadamah in this expression to mean “the land,” that is, the land of Canaan, and not the earth. In the first part of the verse the Hebrew word translated land is a different word, ʾerets. It seems better to take the word ʾadamah here to mean the earth, meaning, of course, “as long as you live” (see Contemporary English Version).

The God of your fathers means “the God whom our [inclusive] ancestors worshiped.” For fathers see 1.8.

The following model for this verse may be useful:

• These are the rules and regulations that you must obey in the land that the LORD, the God of our ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live [or, always].

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 .