Bratcher, Robert and Hatton, Howard. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. New York: UBS, 2000.
I commanded: as in verse 16. New Jerusalem Bible has “I gave you instructions.”
At that time: as in verse 9, at Mount Sinai.
All the things that you should do: Moses was talking to Israelites, giving them instructions about their duties and responsibilities as the people of God.
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 hand of the LORD was against them: this is a vivid way of saying that Yahweh kept punishing them and killing them, until all who belonged to the adult generation that left Egypt had died.
To destroy them from the camp, until they had perished: here the camp stands for the people themselves, the community, and God is portrayed as rooting them out and killing them.
An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Yahweh kept punishing them until they were all dead.
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 .
It is a good idea to make a break at the end of verse 16 and begin a new sentence here, as Good News Translation does. And it should be made clear that this verse is a summary statement of the territory assigned to all three tribes: Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. So this verse may start with “On the west the territory of the three tribes extended to….”
The Arabah: see 1.1.
Chinnereth: this is Lake Galilee (Good News Translation) or the Sea of Galilee (most English translations). In areas where lakes are unknown, we may express “Lake Galilee” as “a small fresh water sea named Galilee.”
The sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea: today it is known as the Dead Sea.
Under the slopes of Pisgah on the east: this is not easy to understand. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh makes “the slopes of Pisgah” the eastern boundary. Mount Pisgah is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of the northern end of the Dead Sea. Here the name may refer to the mountain itself, or more likely to the whole mountain range, of which Mount Nebo was the summit (32.49; 34.1). It is recommended that Good News Translation be followed here: “and to the foot of Mount Pisgah on the east.”
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 .
A devouring fire: perhaps a simile would be better; for example, “like a fire that burns everything up,” or “like a fire destroying everything in its path” (Contemporary English Version). So the whole sentence may be expressed as “Because Yahweh your God will be like a fire that burns everything before it,” or “Because if Yahweh gets angry with you, he will be like a fire….” This is a vivid representation of Yahweh’s anger.
A jealous God: the adjective jealous in modern English speech always carries bad overtones and means “resentful about and envious of what belongs to someone else”; this meaning is not appropriate when applied to God. Rather the meaning should be “desiring to preserve what is rightly his.” Good News Translation expresses a jealous God as “he tolerates no rivals.” In some languages it will be necessary to make the meaning of “rivals” clear by saying, for example, “Yahweh will not tolerate your worshiping [or, loving] other 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 .
Six days you shall labor, and do all your work: this may be treated as a statement of fact, “There are six days in which to do your work,” or as a command, “Do all your work in six days.” What the Hebrew says is literally a command, but it is possible that it can be read as a statement, showing the special nature of the seventh day, the day of rest. Work here refers to work in general, such as daily business, the work one does to earn a living. Again the singular you may be changed to the plural if required.
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 LORD your God in the midst of you: Yahweh was present with them, in the Sacred Tent in particular. Good News Translation has “who is present with you.” We may also express this as “who lives among you.”
A jealous God: see 4.24.
The anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you: God’s anger is likened to fire, which will blaze out and destroy the people (see Num 11.1-3). An alternative translation model using figurative language may be “The LORD’s heart [or, liver] will burn against you like fire” (see also 1.34).
Destroy you from off the face of the earth: this is biblical language, literally translated. It means to destroy completely, to wipe out. In English “wipe you off the face of the earth” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible) is more natural, and this will be a natural expression in many languages. A literal translation of the face of the earth will not be understood in many languages; the phrase means simply “the earth.”
An alternative translation model for verses 14-15 is:
• You must not worship any of the gods that the nations around you worship. If you do, the LORD’s heart [or, liver] will become hot just like fire, and he will wipe you off the face of the earth. The LORD your God is present with you and will not tolerate your worshiping other 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 .
All objects of worship of pagan gods are to be destroyed, to avoid the possibility of the Israelites being drawn to worship them.
Graven images: these are idols of wood and metal (see 4.16; 5.8).
Burn with fire: see a similar phrase at 7.5.
Covet the silver or the gold: for covet see 5.21. Even the silver and the gold that was on the idols must be destroyed. These were wooden idols overlaid with silver or gold; the Israelites were to melt the metal off them and throw it away.
Lest you be ensnared by it: see the same idea (but not the same Hebrew word) in verse 16. Contemporary English Version has “Don’t get trapped into wanting the silver or gold on an idol.” Another way to express this is “Don’t let your hearts lead you into wanting the silver….”
An abomination: this is something so hateful, so terrible, that it produces the strongest dislike. It may be expressed as “detestable” (New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version) or “abhorrent” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version). BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum has “is horrified with these things”; Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “to worship idols is a disgusting thing”; Good News Translation “because the LORD hates idolatry”; Contemporary English Version “is disgusting to the LORD.” We may also say “makes the LORD’s insides turn over.”
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 .
I was afraid of the anger and the hot displeasure: God’s anger is described in terms of fire and heat, a common enough way of talking about anger.
Which the LORD bore against you: to “bear anger” means to have it, to feel it, to nurture it. We may restructure the first sentence as follows: “The LORD was terribly angry with [or, his heart, or nose, burned fiercely against] you and I was afraid of him. He was so angry with you that he wanted to….”
The LORD hearkened to me that time also: this probably refers back to 5.23-28, where Moses interceded successfully with Yahweh. Good News Translation has “but once again the LORD listened to 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 .