Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 28:54 - 28:55

Notice how Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have combined verses 54-55, for a more natural and clearer statement.

The man who is the most tender and delicately bred among you: something like “most refined and sensitive” represents well the meaning of the text. This is expressed as “most gentle and sensitive” (New International Version); “The gentlest and tenderest man among you” (New Jerusalem Bible); “most refined and gentle” (Revised English Bible); “a man who had been gentle and kind” (Contemporary English Version). Good News Translation “most refined man of noble birth” appears to miss the point.

Will grudge food: that is, “will not share any of his food,” which, in this context, consists of the flesh of some of his own children (verse 55). The Hebrew expression translated grudge is “make the eye hostile” (see 15.9); here it means to look at his family with indifference and hostility. So we may translate as “he will viciously [or, nastily] refuse to share his food with…,” or even “he will look at them with a vicious look and refuse to share….”

Brother: in a number of languages translators will need to indicate the relative age of a brother, whether older or younger. In such a case we may say, for example, “to his older or younger brother.”

The wife of his bosom: that is, his dear, or beloved, wife.

To the last of the children who remain to him: or “any of his children who are left,” or even “… who are still alive.”

He will not give any of them: this repeats information from verse 54 and may be omitted in a number of languages.

Because he has nothing left him: Good News Translation says “because he had no other food.” That is the reason why he is eating the flesh of some of his own children.

In the siege and in the distress: as in verse 53.

A possible translation model combining verses 54 and 55 is the following:

• Because the enemies are surrounding his town, a man who had been gentle and kind will become so desperate that he will eat his own children. He will do this because he feels that there is nothing else he can do; he has no food left. He will viciously refuse to share any of the meat with his brother or his beloved wife or any of his children that are left.

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 29:22

A sentence begins here that ends at verse 24, with verse 23 inserted as a vivid description of the ravaged land. The structure of Revised Standard Version should not be imitated here; see Good News Translation for a good model.

The generation to come, your children who rise up after you: this is repetitious, the two phrases saying the same thing, that is, “your descendants.” For a comment on descendants see 1.8.

The foreigner who comes from a far land: as in other similar instances, the plural should be used, “the foreigners who come….” It is also possible to render this as “people from all lands [or, countries].” Care should be taken not to give the impression that “your descendants” (Good News Translation) are also from “distant lands,” as Good News Translation seems to suggest (so also Contemporary English Version).

Would say: this is picked up at the beginning of verse 24, where their statement appears. In Hebrew say here in verse 22 is third person singular, agreeing with the singular generation; in verse 24 it is plural, agreeing with “all the nations.”

When they see the afflictions of that land: beginning here and extending to the end of verse 23, there is the description of the ravages inflicted on the land of Israel. The Hebrew noun translated afflictions is the same one that in 25.3 is used of the blows of a whip; see also 28.61. New Revised Standard Version translates “the devastation of that land.”

The sicknesses with which the LORD has made it sick: this clause is parallel to the previous expression and has the same meaning. Good News Translation has “the disasters and sufferings”; Contemporary English Version has “diseases and disasters”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “the plagues and diseases,” New International Version “calamities and diseases.”

Translators should be careful that that land is understood by the reader to mean the land of Canaan (“your land” Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), which at the time of these terrible events had been the land of Israel for many years.

It is possible to reorder the clauses of this verse, putting the final sentence at the beginning as a preface to verses 22-24 as follows (Moses speaking):

• The LORD will cause your land to have all sorts of diseases and calamities. Your descendants and the foreigners who will later come from faraway countries will see that your land has become….

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 31:7

In his charge to Joshua (verses 7-8) Moses repeats in part what God had said to him, using the same expressions.

Summoned: this word in English is used of a person of high rank ordering someone of lower rank to come to him; in this situation that sense fits, since Moses is superior in rank to Joshua. In most contexts, however, the verb also has the sense that the person who is being summoned is going to be reprimanded. This other sense, of course, should be avoided in translation. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version use “called.”

Be strong and of good courage: see verse 6.

You shall go with this people: as is said of Yahweh in verse 6.

The land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them: see 1.8.

You shall put them in possession of it: the verb “take possession of” (see 1.38) is here used as a causative, meaning “you shall cause [or, enable] them to take possession 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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 32:17

This verse is one sentence in Hebrew, but in some languages more than one sentence may be needed. Translators should use a style that is appropriate and natural in their language.

They sacrificed to demons: “to sacrifice” means to offer sacrifices, usually of animals. Only here and in Psa 106.37 does this noun occur. Demons refers to the “foreign gods,” who were thought of as representing demons. Some translators may wish to keep the word demons (“dirty or evil spirits”) and translate similarly to Contemporary English Version:

• You offered sacrifices
to demons, those useless gods

Which were no gods: that is, they were not really divine, but demonic; so Good News Translation says “gods that are not real.” But the Hebrew text may be translated “not to God” (New Revised Standard Version), and this seems preferable. See 1 Cor 10.20. So “rather than offering them [the sacrifices or animals] to God” will be a good model.

Gods they had never known: see 9.24.

New gods that had come in of late: that is, gods they got to know after they had settled in Canaan. This does not mean that those gods had arrived recently in Canaan, but that they had recently become known to the Israelites. So we may say “gods they [or, you] had just come to know.”

Whom your fathers had never dreaded: the verb is more or less parallel with never known of two lines above. It is used of religious awe, reverence, or respect. As elsewhere, fathers means ancestors.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• They [or, You] offered sacrifices to foreign gods
rather than offering them to God.
These were gods that they [or, you] had just come to know,
gods that your ancestors had never worshiped.

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 33:2

The LORD came from Sinai: it was at Mount Sinai that the LORD came to the people of Israel. The destination is upon us, that is, to “us” or “them,” depending on how the next line is translated.

Dawned … shone forth: these mean exactly the same thing; they compare the LORD’s coming to the rising of the sun.

Seir: that is, “Edom” (Good News Translation); see “hill country of Edom” in 1.2.

Upon us: this is the text of the Septuagint, Syriac, andVulgate; the Hebrew text has “upon them,” which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers ({B} rating). The choice of “us” or “them” will depend on how the Israelites will be referred to in translation of the poem. It is possible that the meaning is rather “to them,” that is, on behalf of the Israelites. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version have “to his people.” This interpretation is recommended.

Mount Paran: see Num 10.12. This was the first place where the Israelites stopped after leaving Mount Sinai; the wilderness of Paran was to the south of the land of Canaan. A possible alternative model for these first three lines is:

• From Mount Sinai Yahweh came down to help us;
he rose like the sun and shone from Edom,
and his light shone from Mount Paran.

He came from the ten thousands of holy ones: New Revised Standard Version has “With him were myriads of holy ones,” following the Septuagint, the Samaritan, Syriac, andVulgate texts. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({C} rating) prefers “and with him” over “and he came,” a text that represents different vowels for the same consonants of the Hebrew text. And in the following “from the ten thousands of holy ones,” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({B} rating) states that “from” functions as a partitive, a form that refers to a part or quantity of something—in this instance “some,” as in “[and with him] some of the ten thousands….” But the text is handled differently by others; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “And approached from Ribehoth-kodesh,” and New Jerusalem Bible “From them he came after the meeting at Kodesh.” It is recommended that translators follow New Revised Standard Version‘s model above. The holy ones are angels. Good News Translation follows this interpretation, with “Ten thousand angels were with him.” In languages where “angels” will be translated as “heavenly messengers,” it will be better to say something like “his heavenly helpers,” or even “his soldiers [or, warriors]” (Contemporary English Version).

With flaming fire at his right hand: Revised Standard Version adds the footnote “Heb uncertain”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has a similar note and translates “Lightning flashing at them from his right.” It is difficult to envisage “flaming fire” at Yahweh’s right hand; it seems to be a way of speaking of lightning, which Yahweh carries as a weapon. The language of this verse pictures Yahweh as a warrior.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Yahweh came down from Mount Sinai to help us;
he rose like the sun and shone on his people from Edom.
And his light shone from Mount Paran.
Thousands of his angels were with him,
and fire flamed from his hand.

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 34:5

The servant of the LORD: this is a title of honor (see Josh 1.1); there is no idea of servility or hard labor. In some languages this will be rendered as “The LORD’s man” or even “The LORD’s right hand person.” Translators need to find a term that shows that in Yahweh’s eyes Moses had dignity and status.

There in the land of Moab: this is included for emphasis; Moses did not die in Canaan.

According to the word of the LORD: that is, “as the LORD had said he would.” But in light of 32.50, it is possible to translate “at the command of the LORD” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), or “as the LORD decreed” (New Jerusalem Bible).

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 23:17

With the beginning of a new section, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

Cult prostitute: see also Lev 19.29. In Canaanite religions temple prostitutes had intercourse with the worshipers in order to make sure that their fields and flocks would be fertile.

It is clear from such passages as 1 Kgs 14.24; Hos 4.14; Amos 2.7 that temple prostitution was a problem in Israel. It may be a good idea to use the expression “temple [or, cult] prostitutes,” and provide an explanatory footnote, as follows: “Such a person was found in Canaanite temples, where fertility gods were worshiped. It was believed that intercourse with such a prostitute would make fields and herds fertile.” Many languages will have terms for male and female prostitutes. But in languages where such words are not available, we may say something like “men or women who sell their bodies [or, have sex] in the temple for money.”

Daughters of Israel … sons of Israel: that is, Israelite women or men.

Contemporary English Version has a helpful model for this verse:

• Moses said:

People of Israel, don’t any of you ever be temple prostitutes. [Or one can say “… be prostitutes in the place where Yahweh is worshiped.”]

It gives the following explanatory footnote:

• temple prostitutes: Some Canaanites worshiped by going to their temples and having sex with prostitutes that represented their gods.

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 5:23

If translators follow the recommendation of this Handbook, to begin the new section here instead of at verse 22, it may be useful to introduce Moses again as the speaker: “And Moses went on to say: ‘When….’ ”

And when you heard: it is not necessary to begin the verse with And (see New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, and others).

For the voice out of the midst of the darkness and while the mountain was burning with fire see 4.11-12, 33.

You came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders: here the pronoun you, which refers in previous verses to all the Israelites, is limited by the following heads of your tribes, and your elders. To translate literally, as Revised Standard Version does, may be natural style in some languages, but it is unnatural in most others. So the translation may be “You came near to me, that is, all the heads…,” or else it should imitate Today’s English Version and others and say “The chiefs of all your tribes and the elders came….” For heads of your tribes see 1.15. Elders were respected elderly males, wielding considerable authority in their communities (see also 27.1; 29.10; 31.9, 28). They were recognized for their maturity and ability to lead. If in the translation the two ideas of leadership and authority can be combined in one term like “elders,” then that term should be used. However, if such a term is not available, then Today’s English Version “your leaders,” or Contemporary English Version “the chiefs of your tribes,” or even Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “[other] authorities” are possible models. Bible en français courant provides a definition in its Vocabulary, “heads of families or clans,” and adds “Those in a given town formed a council, responsible for governing the town and rendering justice.”

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 .