The LORD uprooted them from their land … and cast them into another land: the verb translated “uproot” is not used elsewhere in Deuteronomy or the other “books of Moses” (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers). This is a vivid way of describing the people of Israel being taken as prisoners of war to a foreign country. The background of this was probably the period of the Babylonian captivity. The picture of uprooted may be also expressed as “pulled them up by the roots.” However, if the figure sounds strange, a translator may say something like “then the LORD became furiously angry [or, his anger burned hotly], and he removed the Israelites from their land, just like someone pulls up a plant by its roots.”

In anger and fury and great wrath: here three similar terms are used together for emphasis.

And cast them into another land: the picture is of someone pulling weeds out of the ground and tossing or throwing them aside.

As at this day: the day or time when those foreigners are talking about the terrible disasters that have fallen on the Israelites.

The speech of the foreigners, which began at verse 25, ends here.

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 .