Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 13:9

You shall kill him: the Hebrew uses a compound verbal phrase, “killing you shall kill him.” This is a way of being emphatic: “You must certainly kill him.” How this is to be done follows.

Your hand shall be first: this is to be a public execution, with the person who was enticed taking the lead. He will be the first to throw the stones, and then the others will do the same. It may be necessary to make it clear in verse 9 itself that public execution by stoning is meant, as Good News Translation does with “Kill him! Be the first to stone him, and then let everyone else stone him too.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 15:8

Open your hand: a way of saying “be generous” (Good News Translation) or “be kind” (Contemporary English Version). In some languages this will be expressed as “having an open heart toward.”

Lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be: simply “lend him as much as he needs.” Again “money” is the unstated object of the verb lend.

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 17:4

It is told you and you hear of it: this may be a typical double way of saying one thing (so New International Version “this has been brought to your attention”; New Jerusalem Bible “and this person is denounced to you”; also Bible en français courant; and see Good News Translation). Some take it as an either-or proposition (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible), but this does not seem very likely.

You shall inquire diligently: or “make a thorough investigation.” New International Version has “you must investigate it thoroughly”; and see Good News Translation. Contemporary English Version has “You must carefully find out if….” See the same kind of language in 13.14.

An abominable thing: see verse 1; 13.14.

Has been done in Israel: it may be that Israel here is not the country as such but a way of speaking of the people. But most take it as the country itself.

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 19:17

Both parties to the dispute: that is, both the accuser and the accused.

Appear before the LORD: at the central sanctuary.

Before the priests and the judges who are in office in those days: see 17.8-12, where the same procedure is followed.

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 21:9

You shall purge … from your midst: see 13.5, and especially 19.13. However, the reference in these two passages is to purging the land of a killer by executing him. Since the killer is not known in this case, the people purge their guilt by doing what Yahweh requires, namely killing a young cow. So the translation may be “Yahweh will not hold you responsible for the murder of this person.”

You do what is right: here, what is right is what God tells them to do. The Septuagint has the compound phrase “good and proper,” which is what the Hebrew text in 6.18 has.

In the sight of the LORD: this goes with what is right, not with when you do. This is what Yahweh considers the right thing to do.

In many languages it will be better to place the second clause at the beginning, as Good News Translation has done.

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 22:26

To the young woman you shall do nothing: Good News Translation has “nothing is to be done to the girl,” and Contemporary English Version is more direct, with “Do not punish the woman at all.”

No offense punishable by death: not a capital offense (see 21.22).

This case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor: the raped woman is like the murdered man; she is the innocent party, she is the victim.

Neighbor: a fellow Israelite. Good News Translation and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “another man [or, person].”

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 25:2

If the guilty man deserves to be beaten: this is a serious offense, and the guilty person is to be flogged, that is, beaten with a whip made of leather thongs, or perhaps with a rod. In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may say, for example, “If the judges order them to beat [or, whip] the guilty man.”

The judge shall cause him to lie down: the judge will have the man lie prone, that is, face down on the ground. The Septuagint keeps the plural “the judges” from the previous verse (so also Contemporary English Version).

In his presence: to make sure the punishment is carried out exactly as he ordered. Another way to express this is “in front of him.”

A number of stripes in proportion to his offense: this would be according to the judge’s decision. Stripes may be also expressed as “lashes,” “strokes,” or “blows,” or even “times,” as in “the number of times that he is to be hit with the whip.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 27:5

There you shall build: the important thing about Mount Ebal is the altar, not the stones.

An altar of stones … lift up no iron tool on them: the altar is to be built with stones as they are found, without any work being done on them with iron tools to shape them. Another way to express this is “But don’t use stones that you have cut with iron tools.” For altar see 7.5.

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 .