The thing seemed good to me: this is more clearly translated “I thought the plan was a good one,” or even “I gave my approval to your plan.” See verse 14.

And I took: see the same use of the verb in verse 15.

One man for each tribe: this is better rendered “one man from each tribe [or, from each of the twelve tribes].”

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 .

The Hebrew word translated frontier here is different from the one translated “boundary” in verse 18, and can be taken to mean “boundary” or “frontier.” The phrase the sons of Ammon means “the Ammonites,” or “people of Ammon” who, like the Moabites, were descended from Lot (Gen 19.30-38).

For do not harass them or contend with them, see verse 9. The assignment of this region to the Ammonites is stated in the same way as the assignment made to the Moabites in verse 9.

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 .

Until the LORD gives rest to your brethren, as to you: that is, until Yahweh gives them complete victory over their enemies, as he did to the eastern tribes. Then they will be able to settle down and live in peace, “secure from the threat of enemies, and from the threat of homelessness” (Mayes). So the first part of this verse may be rendered as:

• You must help the other Israelites to conquer their enemies and occupy the land that the LORD is giving them west of the Jordan river. Then they will be able to live there securely.

The LORD your God: again the second person is used.

The land … beyond the Jordan: here, verse 25, and 11.30 are the three passages in which “beyond the Jordan” means on the west side of the Jordan; elsewhere it means the east side. Here the point of view is that of Moses, who is on the east side of the river.

As elsewhere, verses 17-19 make it clear that the Israelites are able to conquer and possess the land because Yahweh is giving it to them. His gift comes first and is the cause of their conquest of the land.

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 .

The exile of Israelites to other countries is seen as God’s punishment for their idolatry.

The LORD will scatter you among the peoples … the LORD will drive you: again, the repetition gives emphasis in Hebrew. For languages in which repetition does not produce emphasis, a translator may wish to reduce the repetition (see Good News Translation, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). The LORD will scatter you … may also be expressed as “the LORD will make you go in all directions to where you will live among other peoples.”

The verb translated will drive you may have the gentler sense of “lead you” (Septuagint, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible). In this context, however, the harsher sense seems justified (New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible), namely “will force you to leave the land.”

You will be left few in number: “only a few of you will survive” (Good News Translation). In the context, the people’s idolatry and their punishment is seen as happening within the next fifty years (see verse 25).

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 .

Honor your father and your mother: to honor is to respect and obey.

As the LORD your God commanded you: see verse 12.

For the rest of the verse, see 4.40. The primary emphasis of your days may be prolonged here, as in 4.40, is that the Israelites, as a people, will live in the land of Canaan for many generations. This, of course, is not incompatible with an individual Israelite living to a ripe old age—which is the way the commandment is understood in Eph 6.2-3. In any case both clauses, your days may be prolonged and it may go well with you, go with the final part of the verse, in the land which the LORD your God gives 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 .

You shall remember all the way … in the wilderness: the forty years they have spent traveling through the wilderness is not something they will soon forget. The command remember is for them to recall and ponder the meaning of their forty years’ experience. In some languages the negative “Don’t forget” will be more natural style. For wilderness see 1.1.

That he might humble you: the structure of the Hebrew expresses the purpose of God through a conjunction and a sequence of three verbs, “in order to humble … testing … to know” (New Revised Standard Version). This can also be expressed as “because he wanted to humble you…” or “because he wanted to make you submissive to him.” Humble is not in the sense of “humiliate” but means to make the people submissive and teachable, to get rid of their proud sense of self-sufficiency by making them endure all sorts of hardships.

Testing you: they endured trying experiences because God wanted to learn their motives and their loyalty to him. “Test” here does not mean “tempt.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh joins the two verbs “humble” and “test” into one phrase, “test you by hardships” (similarly Good News Translation). An alternative model may be “causing you to endure hardships to test you.”

To know what was in your heart: the purpose of the hardships was to reveal their disposition and will (Good News Translation “what you intended”), especially to find out whether or not they would obey God’s commandments (see 4.2). Contemporary English Version “He wanted to find out…” may be a useful model for some translators.

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 .

On three other occasions, at Taberah (Num 11.1-3), Massah (Exo 17.1-7), and Kibroth-hattaavah (Num 11.31-34), the Israelites had provoked the LORD’s anger (see verse 7).

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 .