And the LORD said to Moses introduces what Yahweh instructed Moses to do after the battle. “Then” (Good News Translation) is a better way to begin the paragraph. It is also possible to say “Afterwards,” (Contemporary English Version) or even “After the battle.” Write this (“you” is singular) does not clearly indicate whether this points to what precedes or to what follows. Does it refer to “an account of this victory,” as Good News Translation expresses it, or to what Yahweh promises to do in the future? Or does it refer to both? Most translations, including now New Revised Standard Version, interpret it as pointing to what follows, and place a colon after Joshua to introduce Yahweh’s words as a direct quotation. It should be remembered, however, that punctuation marks such as the colon are not read aloud. Probably the instruction to Write this refers both to “an account of this victory” (Good News Translation) and to a record of what Yahweh promises to do to the Amalekites, and so translators are urged to make this explicit.

As a memorial is just one word, meaning an official record or “a reminder” (New Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation translates “so that it will be remembered,” and Translator’s Old Testament has “so that they [these words] will not be forgotten.” In a book is the word for any writing, document, or scroll. In many languages something like “Write down what I am going to do” will be a possible rendering. And recite it in the ears of Joshua is literally “and you [singular] place [or, fix] in the ears of Joshua.” The it is missing but clearly implied. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “read it aloud to Joshua.” This is better than simply “tell Joshua” (Good News Translation). In some languages this will be expressed as “Read it for Joshua to hear.”

The word for that may mean “because” or “for” (New Jerusalem Bible), but it often introduces a direct quotation, indicated by the colon in many translations. I will utterly blot out, literally “wiping I will wipe [out],” is very emphatic. So New American Bible and New International Version have “I will completely blot out.” In a number of languages this will be rendered as “wipe from the earth.” The remembrance of Amalek uses a word that suggests remembering the Amalekites by name. (The same word is used for remembering the name Yahweh in 3.15.) From under heaven simply adds to the emphatic statement. Translator’s Old Testament puts this all together in a dynamic way: “I will destroy the Amalekites so completely that nobody on earth will ever remember them.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Afterward the LORD said to Moses, “Write an account of this victory and include this promise, that I will destroy the people of Amalek so completely that nobody on earth will ever remember them. Then read it aloud for Joshua to hear.”

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .