Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 33:29

Here end Moses’ words to the people of Israel.

Happy are you, O Israel! The translator must decide whether it is better to say “Israel” or “people of Israel.” Here happy has the meaning of “fortunate.” So “People of Israel, you are so fortunate” is a good alternative model.

Grammatically Revised Standard Version Who is like you … is a question, demanding a question mark at the end of the sentence. This is a rhetorical question whose answer is “No one.” It is better to render it as an emphatic declaration, “There is no other people like you…,” followed by the reasons for this affirmation. See a similar kind of statement in 4.7.

A people saved by the LORD: this can be a reference to their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, or more generally to their being protected and guarded by Yahweh during their forty years’ trek through the wilderness. If it is the latter we may say “Yahweh has continually protected you.”

The shield … the sword: a shield is a defensive weapon, a sword an offensive weapon. God both defended the Israelites and attacked their enemies. Some translators will prefer to use similes; for example, “Like a shield he protects you, and like a sword he kills your enemies.”

Your help: or “to help you,” that is, “to defend you.”

Your triumph: or “to win the victory for you.”

Shall come fawning to you: the form of this verb occurs only here in the Old Testament. It means to act submissively, or else to try to gain favor by flattery. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Revised English Bible translate “cringing.” Good News Translation has “begging for mercy,” and Contemporary English Version has “will bow in fear.”

Tread upon their high places: this can mean to walk triumphantly over their land (see “high places” in 32.13). The phrase can be understood to mean the pagan shrines of those people. But the opinion of most is that “their backs” is meant (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible; the Septuagint translates “their neck”).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• People of Israel,
how fortunate you are!
The LORD has continually guarded you.
Like a shield he protects you,
and like a sword he kills your enemies.
Your enemies will come and beg you not to kill them,
but you will trample on their backs.

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 21:22

It will be helpful as at the beginning of other sections to begin with “Moses said to the people of Israel” or something similar.

A crime punishable by death: in today’s English jargon this is styled “a capital offense” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible).

He is put to death: the text does not say how. Presumably it is by stoning. In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may translate “they [people not named] put him to death.” However, in some languages the passive may be avoided through the use of a verb similar to “suffer”; for example, “If a man suffers death for….” It is possible to avoid the repetition in the Hebrew of this first sentence, with something like “If they have put to death [or, executed] a man who has committed a crime” (see Good News Translation).

Hang him on a tree: this can mean that he is hung by his neck to a tree. The Hebrew word may mean either “tree” or “wood” (that is, a stake, or a pole); see Josh 8.29; 10.26-27; 2 Sam 4.12. Probably impalement is meant; the dead body was fixed to a stake, or pole, driven into the ground. Good News Translation here is quite unsatisfactory.

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 3:12

At the beginning of this new section, Moses should be introduced once again as the speaker; for example, “Moses said to the people of Israel.”

When we took possession of the land at that time: it may be a good idea to say “the land east of the Jordan” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje). The phrase at that time is frequently used (2.34; 3.4, 8, 18, 21, 23), but in the context it is quite redundant; it simply repeats the opening When.

I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites: it is better to say something like “I assigned to the tribes of Reuben and Gad,” or “I assigned to the people from the tribes of Reuben and Gad.” For “tribe” see 1.13.

The territory beginning at Aroer: New Revised Standard Version is clearer, “the territory north of Aroer”; Today’s English Version helps by saying “north of the town of Aroer.”

Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon: so also 2.36; 4.48. Inasmuch as the Arnon is a river, it makes more sense in English, at least, to say “the Arnon River,” as Today’s English Version does (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), rather than “the Wadi Arnon” (New Revised Standard Version; also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Revised English Bible) or “the Arnon Gorge” (New International Version). Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje has “the valley of the Arnon River.”

Instead of on the edge of the valley, HOTTP prefers “on the gorge” (so also Contemporary English Version), since the phrase “the edge of” is not in the Hebrew text. But this phrase is present in 2.36 and 4.48, and on that basis a translator is justified in saying the same thing here; Aroer did not change location from one chapter to the next.

And half of the hill country of Gilead with its cities: New Revised Standard Version and Revised English Bible, like Today’s English Version, have “towns.” This is a reference to the part of Gilead south of the Jabbok River. Contemporary English Version has “and went far enough north to include the southern half of the Gilead region.”

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 1:32

Yet in spite of this word: that is, in spite of Moses’ speech reminding them how Yahweh had led and protected them all the way from Egypt. Other ways to express this are “But in spite of what I said” (Good News Translation) or “I said all these things, yet you still….”

You did not believe: this verb means, basically, “to be firm,” and means to trust in, to rely on, or to believe. New Jerusalem Bible has “you put no faith in,” and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “you have no faith in.” Driver points out that the verb in Hebrew is a participle, suggesting a continuous attitude, “you continued not believing.” Terms for believe in many languages are highly figurative; for example, “place one’s heart in” (Thai), “to conform with the heart” (Timorese), and so on. Other examples may be found in A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, pages 38-39.

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 2:31

The language is familiar: see verse 24. For Behold see 1.8.

Begin to: for Yahweh’s order, see Revised English Bible, “Begin the conquest, occupy 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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 4:2

You shall not add … nor take from: the Law is regarded as a complete and perfect whole, and the Israelites are not to add any more rules to it nor take any out. So Good News Translation has “Do not add anything to what I command you, and do not take anything away.”

The Law is here called the word (which I command you). But the Hebrew word for word can have the more general sense of “matter,” “subject,” or even “thing,” and that is how New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy take it here: “You shall not add anything to what I am commanding you….”

Which I command you: see “which I teach you” in verse 1.

Commandments translates the word most commonly used for the laws of Israel; it appears forty-three times in this book.

The LORD your God: see 1.10.

It is possible to reorder the clauses of this verse as follows:

• I have told you everything that Yahweh your [or, our] God has commanded you to do. Don’t add anything or take anything away.

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 4:39

This verse is the conclusion of the long sentence beginning with verse 37 (see the comment there).

Know … lay it to your heart: this may be treated as the double expression of one action, or else as two separate actions: “Recognize … and reflect without ceasing” (Bible en français courant); “Acknowledge … take to heart” (New Revised Standard Version); “Hence grasp this … and meditate on it constantly” (New Jerusalem Bible); “Remember today and never forget” (Good News Translation).

In heaven above and on the earth beneath: in many languages this may be somewhat redundant, and something like “in heaven and on earth” (Good News Translation) or “in the whole universe” may be more natural.

For the rest of the verse, see verse 35.

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 5:26

This verse seems to contradict verse 24, but in fact verse 24 provides only a rare exception to the rule. Moses and the other Israelites did in fact survive, after Yahweh had spoken to them on that occasion, but normally people could hardly hope to escape death.

Who is there of all flesh: the literal translation of the Hebrew is not normal English idiom; Good News Translation is better, “Has any human being….” The Hebrew phrase translated all flesh means here the entire human race, all humanity (in some other contexts it means all living creatures). Another possible translation is “Was there ever any person who…?” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “What mortal…?”

The form of the Hebrew is a rhetorical question, whose expected answer is negative, “No one.” It may be better in some languages to use a direct emphatic statement: “Nobody ever … and has survived,” “There has never been a person who … and has survived.”

The living God: this title contrasts Yahweh with the gods of other peoples, gods who were powerless, dead, lifeless idols. A translation may bring this out by translating “The only living God.” This contrasts well with human “flesh,” mortal humankind.

As we have indicates that the elders are saying that they and the other Israelites are the only people in the world who have ever heard God speak and survived. They are the exception to the rule, but they don’t want to go through the experience again.

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 .