Of Benjamin he said: see the models for other tribes in previous verses.

The beloved of the LORD: see in Gen 44.20; Benjamin was Jacob’s favorite son. It is better to make this a statement with a finite verb: “The tribe that the LORD loves” (similarly Good News Translation), or “Yahweh loves you, people of the tribe of Benjamin.”

He dwells in safety by him: see 12.10; 33.28. He is Benjamin; him is Yahweh. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “He rests securely beside Him.” Another way to render this is “You [the people of the tribe of Benjamin] rest securely beside Yahweh.”

New Revised Standard Version renders the first two lines of this blessing as “The beloved of the LORD rests in safety—the High God * surrounds him all day long—.” The footnote says “Heb above him.” There is a textual problem here. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({B} rating) favors this alternative rendering adopted by New Revised Standard Version, and translators should feel free to follow it as the text to be translated. But instead of “the High God,” the more usual “the Most High” should be used. Contemporary English Version follows this interpretation, with “The LORD most High loves you, tribe of Benjamin.” The adoption of this text results in a change in the first line, as set forth by New Revised Standard Version; instead of four lines (Revised Standard Version) there will be three lines.

He encompasses him all the day long: this is like the New Revised Standard Version text; he is Yahweh and him is the tribe of Benjamin. The verb encompasses means to surround with care, to protect.

Makes his dwelling between his shoulders: this can be understood in two ways:
(1) Benjamin lies safely between the shoulders (meaning, “in the arms”) of Yahweh;
(2) Yahweh lives in “the shoulders,” that is, the hills, of the tribe of Benjamin.

The verb “to dwell” is the one used in 12.11 (see also Isa 8.18). This is a reference to a sanctuary in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin; it may be Shiloh, or Bethel, but it is most probably Jerusalem itself, which was at one time regarded as being in the territory of Benjamin (see Josh 15.8; 18.28). The first interpretation is favored by New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje; the second one is adopted by New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Osty-Trinquet. It is impossible to rule out either alternative, but on the whole the second interpretation seems more probable. Contemporary English Version reverses the order of the final two lines as follows:

• He will live among your hills
and protect you.

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 .

With the beginning of a new section, Moses may need to be reintroduced as the speaker.

Then I lay prostrate: Moses does at the foot of the mountain what he had done on top of it (verse 9).

Before the LORD: this is to indicate that what Moses was doing was a religious act. It could be that he lay down in front of the Covenant Tent for the forty days. Good News Translation has “in the LORD’s presence” and Contemporary English Version has “at the place of worship.” Verse 20 indicates that Moses prayed to Yahweh while lying prostrate before him. This may be included in the translation here; for example, “… at the place of worship and prayed to him [Yahweh] for you [plural].”

As before: see verse 9.

I neither ate bread nor drank water: see verse 9.

Doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD: see 4.25.

To provoke him to anger: see verse 7. The text does not mean they did this in order to provoke God, but that by doing this they did in fact provoke God.

Some restructuring will be needed in the last part of this verse. Good News Translation offers a good model:

• “I did this because you had sinned against the LORD and made him angry.”

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 .

Moses wrote this law: see 1.5. This means the book of Deuteronomy; thus Contemporary English Version translates “Moses wrote down all of these laws and teachings,” or we may say “Moses wrote down all these laws and teachings in The Book of God’s Law and gave it to the….”

Gave it: he gave the written record, that is, the book in which he had written the Law.

The priests the sons of Levi: see 18.1.

Who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: see 10.8.

Elders: see 5.23.

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 .

Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle: the meaning is clear enough, but the English is not natural. Revised English Bible is better, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to battle,” or we may say “Do not cause trouble for the people of Moab or make them fight you.” In this context “to harass” means to bother or molest by unprovoked attacks, verbal or physical.

Ar was the capital of Moab (see verse 18; Num 22.36); here it stands for the whole country. This is why Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation translate as Moab.

The sons of Lot are Lot’s descendants, the Moabites (Gen 19.37). This final sentence in some languages may seem to indicate that the sons of Lot are a different people from “the people of Moab.” In such a case we may place this phrase immediately after Moab; for example, “Don’t … with the people of Moab. They are the descendants of Lot, and I have given them…,” or even “The people of Moab are the descendants of Lot, so don’t harass them or make them fight you.”

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 .

Here is another footnote: a note about the iron (or, stone) bedstead (or, coffin) of King Og.

King Og is said to have been the last survivor of the Rephaim (see 2.11), the legendary race of giants. We may also render this as “King Og was the last of the people called Rephaim.”

The Hebrew word translated bedstead by Revised Standard Version and others is taken to mean “coffin,” as Good News Translation has it, or more precisely “sarcophagus,” a stone burial container (so Bible en français courant and Revised English Bible). And the word understood to mean iron (Revised Standard Version) is thought to mean “black basalt,” the material out of which the sarcophagus was carved. The Septuagint translates “iron bed,” and this is how most translations have it. Some commentators think that a sarcophagus is meant, but it is impossible to know for sure. In many cultures “sarcophagus” will be an unknown term, so it is recommended that the equivalent of “[stone] coffin” be used. However, in cultures where other forms of burial are used, we may say something like “They buried him in a large stone container that was six feet wide and….”

Rabbah, the capital of ancient Ammon, is now Amman, the capital of Jordan.

A standard cubit (common cubit) was more or less forty-five centimeters (eighteen inches) in length. Nine cubits would be approximately four meters, or almost fourteen feet; and four cubits converts into one meter and eighty centimeters (1.8 meters), or six feet. Most translations give approximate round figures. Good News Translation omits the information about “cubits” and says “according to standard measurements.” Another way to express this is “according to what they considered the correct measurement.”

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 .

This verse prohibits the Israelites from worshiping any of the heavenly bodies; they were regarded by many peoples as representing various gods or being controlled by different gods. Only the other nations should worship them; and that is by the decision of Yahweh (see 32.8-9).

And beware lest: “and be careful not to….”

You lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see: this is not a prohibition against looking at the sun and the other heavenly bodies, but of worshiping them as gods.

All the host of heaven: a collective term including all heavenly bodies; that is, the sun, the moon, and the stars (Gen 1.16). It is possible to reorder the clauses at the beginning of this verse as follows: “when you look at the sun or moon or stars, don’t be tempted to….”

You be drawn away: the verb means “to lead astray,” “to entice,” “to tempt.” This is spiritual apostasy, and we may express this as “Don’t let your heart lead you astray to….”

Worship and serve them: these are not two separate actions, but the one action of devoted worship. Revised English Bible and Contemporary English Version have “bow down and worship”; Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “don’t fall into the temptation to worship.”

Things which: this translates the Hebrew relative pronoun “that,” “which.”

For the LORD your God see 1.16.

Has allotted: “has assigned,” “has designated”; Bible en français courant “has reserved for,” and Contemporary English Version has “The LORD put them there for….” God has reserved these heavenly bodies to be worshiped by all the peoples under the whole heaven, a wordy way of saying “all the other peoples on earth,” “everybody else in the world.” The text clearly states that Yahweh provided these heavenly bodies as objects of worship for all people, except his own people, Israel.

An alternative translation model reordering the clauses of this verse is:

• When you look at the sun or moon or stars, don’t be tempted [or, let your heart cause you] to bow down and worship them. The LORD your God has designated them for everybody else in the world to worship.

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 .

For the words and phrases of this commandment, see 4.16-18.

The force of make for yourself is “make for your own use.”

A graven image, or any likeness: there is a small problem in the Hebrew text here that Hebrew Old Testament Text Project addresses. The standard (Masoretic) Hebrew text has “a [graven] image of any likeness,” that is, an image that looks like any being (in the whole universe). Revised Standard Version and some other versions follow the text found in many Hebrew manuscripts, a Qumran manuscript, the Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, andVulgate (and see Exo 20.4). In this case a translation like Good News Translation may be preferable, as the two phrases “an image” and “a likeness” mean the same thing. However, in some languages where there is no term for graven image or “idol,” it will be necessary to translate the underlying meaning; for example, “You shall not carve out the likeness of anything living in…,” where “likeness” means “the image of.”

Heaven will be translated as “sky” in many languages.

For water under the earth see 4.18.

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 .