The LORD showed signs and wonders: this refers to the great miracles, that is, the plagues that God sent on Egypt (Exo 7.14–10.29). The Hebrew verb “to give” (Revised Standard Version showed) in this context means “to do” or “to perform.” For signs and wonders see 4.34 (also 7.19).

Great and grievous: this emphasizes the extraordinary nature of the plagues and their destructive effect. New Revised Standard Version has “great and awesome.” These adjectives describe signs and wonders. So it is possible to translate, for example, “performed marvelous things [or, things that make people astonished] and did horrible [or, horrifying] things to the Egyptians.”

Pharaoh and all his household: this means, as Good News Translation has it, the king and all his officials (not just his family); none of them escaped Yahweh’s fury.

Before our eyes: the Israelites were eyewitnesses of the plagues that God sent on Egypt; and generations later, in the land of Canaan, an Israelite father would think of himself as part of the generation that was set free from Egypt (see the similar creedal confession in 26.5-10). Some translators will wish to place this clause at the beginning of the verse; for example, “With our own eyes we saw him [Yahweh] do…” (Good News Translation).

In verse 23, as in verse 18, the sense is that Yahweh swore to the ancestors, that is, the patriarchs, that he would give the land of Canaan to the people who are now about to take possession of it (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible). It will be helpful to begin a new sentence at verse 23; for example, “The LORD rescued us from Egypt….”

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 .