Verses 25-26 are one sentence in Revised Standard Version; it is better to divide the material into several sentences. This is a stern warning against idolatry and a threat that the Israelites will be completely destroyed if they worship other gods.

When you beget children and children’s children and have grown old in the land: “when you have been [lived] in the land [of Canaan] for a long time, and have children and grandchildren” (Good News Translation). This looks forward to a period of time some forty or fifty years in the future. The verb translated “grow old” need not necessarily refer to old age but more generally to an extended period of time: “after you have lived there many years” is a possible translation. In some languages beget children and children’s children may be expressed as “have children and they give you grandchildren.”

If you act corruptly by making a graven image in the form of anything: the clause if you act corruptly is better expressed as “if you sin” or “do not sin by…” (Good News Translation), or even “do not disobey Yahweh by….”

Doing what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God: “doing what the LORD your God considers wrong” or “… condemns as evil.”

So as to provoke him to anger: “so that he becomes angry with you” (see verse 21, where a different Hebrew verb is used).

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 .