So we went on, away from our brethren: this may mean that the Israelites departed, leaving behind the Edomites (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible); or it may mean, more precisely, “So we passed by our kin” (New Revised Standard Version; also Revised English Bible “So we went on past our kinsmen”; also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Bible en français courant). It is difficult to determine which meaning is intended. The Hebrew text is not at all clear, and it appears to embody an inconsistency. It seems to say that the Israelites bypassed Edom (see verse 1), even though the verb used is one that means ordinarily “to go through” (as in 2.4); it is not the verb that normally means “to go around” (see 2.3). But with the verb goes the preposition “from” (as in Num 20.21), which makes the Hebrew say that the Israelites avoided going through Edom. So Contemporary English Version has “We went past the territory that belonged to our relatives, the descendants of Esau.” This is what the Hebrew seems to mean, and is recommended to the translator; but the other meaning “went away from” is also possible.
Our brethren the sons of Esau who live in Seir: as in verse 4. It is difficult to know why Good News Translation has omitted this bit of information; perhaps it was regarded as unnecessarily repetitive.
Away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber: the Hebrew here is also unclear, and the translations vary. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is quite literal but makes sense: “away from the road of the Arabah, away from Elath and Ezion-geber.” Bible en français courant is similar: “We also avoided the road of the Arabah and the sites of Elath and Ezion-geber.” Good News Translation‘s “So we moved on and left the road that goes from the towns of…” is a possible rendering of the Hebrew text. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is even freer: “So we went northward through the territory of our kinspeople, the descendants of Esau, but did not use the road that goes from Ezion-geber and Elath through the Arabah to the Dead Sea.”
We turned and went: this may be stated more naturally, “We resumed our journey,” “We kept on going.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “We marched on in the direction of….” As Good News Translation makes clear, Moab was to the north (see map, page xii).
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 .