They shall call peoples to their mountain: as the context shows, this refers to a place of worship; a hill or high place was the usual spot where altars and worship places were built. If a particular mountain is meant, this could be Mount Carmel or, more probably, Mount Tabor. The people of these two tribes invite peoples to come and worship with them. Some take this to refer to their fellow Israelites; Contemporary English Version makes this clear with “So invite the other tribes.” In English peoples will be taken by readers to mean other groups or nations (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible); so Good News Translation has “invite foreigners.” The meaning “other tribes,” “fellow-Israelites,” is to be preferred.

Offer right sacrifices: these are the appropriate sacrifices, the ones required by the Law.

They suck the affluence of the seas: some languages may have a verb that expresses the meaning of suck in a natural fashion. For suck see the same verb in 32.13. Good News Translation is here a good model to follow. The plural seas can be a reference to the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Galilee, or else it is used in a general sense and may be translated “the sea” (Bible en français courant, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible).

The hidden treasures of the sand: this is not a good translation, since it suggests treasures along the seashore that have been hidden by others. The meaning is still that of trade carried on by ships sailing the seas. Some commentators mention the increasing use of sand in making pottery. Again Good News Translation has a good alternative model.

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 .