Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 33:22

Dan is a lion’s whelp: this is said of Judah in Gen 49.9. The figure can be expressed as a metaphor, “Dan is a young lion,” or as a simile, “Dan is like a young lion.” In most instances a simile will probably be better.

Leaps forth from Bashan: Bashan was a region east of the Jordan River, south of Lake Galilee (see 3.1). The text is talking about military raids against neighboring peoples. It does not mean Dan “leaps out of Bashan”; it means that from his lair in Bashan Dan assaults his enemies, and in a number of languages something like the following will be a possible translation:

• From your lair [or, cave] in Bashan
you leap out on [or, attack] your enemies.

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 17:8

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

One kind of homicide and another: see Exo 21.12-14. In many languages it will be necessary to define the two types: “kill someone on purpose [murder],” or “kill someone accidentally” (similar to Contemporary English Version).

One kind of legal right and another: in the broadest sense of the term, “lawsuits” (New International Version).

One kind of assault and another: this may be bodily assault, or else damage to property.

Most modern translations reduce the wordiness considerably; see New International Version, for example, “bloodshed, lawsuits, or assaults.” However, some translators will need to expand; for example, “certain cases of property rights or bodily injury” (Good News Translation), or “whether injury or property damage was done by accident or on purpose” (Contemporary English Version).

Any case within your towns which is too difficult for you: this includes the different cases cited and any others that may arise. Too difficult for you means too difficult for the local magistrates to settle; consequently Good News Translation has “the local judges,” and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “the judge in that town.” It will be helpful to place this clause at the beginning of the verse; for example, Good News Translation “It may be that some cases will be too difficult for the local judges to decide.” Contemporary English Version repeats the phrase too difficult: “It may be difficult to find out the truth in some legal cases in your town…. If the case is too difficult, take it to….”

Arise and go up: this means simply “go”; the verb arise functions as an auxiliary. The up may be significant if the writer had Jerusalem in mind; for example, “go up to the….”

The place which the LORD your God will choose: the central sanctuary (see 16.16).

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 30:11

This commandment which I command you this day: Moses is speaking, and with the beginning of a new section, he should be reintroduced as the speaker. This commandment means all the laws and teachings that he has given that day (see verse 16, below; see also “all the commandment” in Moses’ second speech, at 5.31). So translators may express this as “These commandments” rather than “This commandment.”

Not too hard for you: not difficult to obey.

Neither is it far off: not hard to understand, since it is right there with them, and not in some distant land. That is what Good News Translation “is not … beyond your reach” intends to say. See Psa 139.6 for a similar use of the idiom.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Moses said to the people of Israel: “These commandments that I am giving you today are not too difficult to understand or obey.

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 1:12

How can I bear alone the weight…? This is what is called a rhetorical question; that is, Moses does not want an answer to his question (as though someone could tell him how he could bear the weight alone), but he is declaring, emphatically, that it is not possible for him to bear the weight alone. So in languages that would not use a rhetorical question in this context, we may translate, for example, “But I cannot alone bear the heavy responsibility…” or “But I cannot take care of all your problems … alone” (Contemporary English Version), or else “There is no way I could bear….”

The weight and burden of you and your strife: this translates the Hebrew “the-load-of-you and the-burden-of-you and your-strife.” The first two nouns have the same meaning, and it may be that they function as a phrase, “heavy burden” or “heavy load.” The noun translated strife means more precisely “complaints” and here refers to the complaints the people made against Moses, accusing him of being a failure and of making them suffer (see Exo 17.7; Num 14.1-4). See Revised English Bible “and put up with your complaints.” This seems preferable to Good News Translation “disputes” and Revised Standard Version strife.

It is possible that all three nouns go together in one phrase: “the heavy load of your complaints” or “your continual [or incessant, or unending] complaining.” And the entire verse may be alternatively expressed as:

• But I cannot alone bear [or, put up with] your unending complaints against me.

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 2:8

So we went on, away from our brethren: this may mean that the Israelites departed, leaving behind the Edomites (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New Jerusalem Bible); or it may mean, more precisely, “So we passed by our kin” (New Revised Standard Version; also Revised English Bible “So we went on past our kinsmen”; also Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Bible en français courant). It is difficult to determine which meaning is intended. The Hebrew text is not at all clear, and it appears to embody an inconsistency. It seems to say that the Israelites bypassed Edom (see verse 1), even though the verb used is one that means ordinarily “to go through” (as in 2.4); it is not the verb that normally means “to go around” (see 2.3). But with the verb goes the preposition “from” (as in Num 20.21), which makes the Hebrew say that the Israelites avoided going through Edom. So Contemporary English Version has “We went past the territory that belonged to our relatives, the descendants of Esau.” This is what the Hebrew seems to mean, and is recommended to the translator; but the other meaning “went away from” is also possible.

Our brethren the sons of Esau who live in Seir: as in verse 4. It is difficult to know why Good News Translation has omitted this bit of information; perhaps it was regarded as unnecessarily repetitive.

Away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber: the Hebrew here is also unclear, and the translations vary. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh is quite literal but makes sense: “away from the road of the Arabah, away from Elath and Ezion-geber.” Bible en français courant is similar: “We also avoided the road of the Arabah and the sites of Elath and Ezion-geber.” Good News Translation‘s “So we moved on and left the road that goes from the towns of…” is a possible rendering of the Hebrew text. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is even freer: “So we went northward through the territory of our kinspeople, the descendants of Esau, but did not use the road that goes from Ezion-geber and Elath through the Arabah to the Dead Sea.”

We turned and went: this may be stated more naturally, “We resumed our journey,” “We kept on going.” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “We marched on in the direction of….” As Good News Translation makes clear, Moab was to the north (see map, page xii).

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 3:10

This verse is a summary of all the territory east of the Jordan that had been conquered by the Israelites.

The tableland is the southern plateau, going from Gilead, in the north, to the boundary of Moab at the Arnon River. Another way to express tableland, or “plateau,” is “high, flat land.” Gilead was the central area of east Jordan, divided into two by the Jabbok River (see map, page xii).

Salecah and Edrei (see 1.4) appear as two towns more or less in the same region. Both seem to have been at the southern boundary of the land (Josh 13.11-12).

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 4:17 - 4:18

All living beings are here grouped under four headings (see Gen 1.26). Good News Translation has kept the essential information by translating “animal or bird, reptile or fish” (also Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant). Some translations may prefer to use a fuller form, in keeping with the Hebrew style. Whatever is used, it should sound natural in that language.

Any beast that is on the earth: “any land animal.”

Any winged bird that flies in the air: “any [wild] bird.”

Anything that creeps on the ground: “any reptile or insect,” “any of the smaller animals or insects.”

Any fish that is in the water under the earth: this corresponds to the Hebrew concept of the universe as consisting of three parts: the heavens, the earth, and the water under the earth (see 5.8). This water under the earth was the vast subterranean ocean under the surface of the earth, not the lakes and seas on the surface of the earth. A literal translation here will require a note explaining what is meant by this strange phrase.

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 5:7

You shall have no other gods before [or, besides] me: this may be expressed “You shall [or, must] not worship any other god except me,” or “Do not worship any god but me.” New Jerusalem Bible translates “You will have no gods other than me.” It is better to use the verb “worship” or “obey,” rather than “have.”

This commandment does not deny the existence of other gods; it demands of the Israelites that they acknowledge only Yahweh as their god. Psa 81.9-10 has a good statement of this first commandment. The you is singular as mentioned in the introduction to this chapter. But many translators will wish to use a plural pronoun here and throughout the rest of the chapter.

See the comment on gods at 3.24.

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 .