Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 3:13

It is good idea to begin a new sentence here, “To half the tribe of Manasseh I assigned…,” or “I assigned to half the tribe of Manasseh the….”

The rest of Gilead: or “the other half of Gilead,” or “the northern half of Gilead” (Contemporary English Version).

And all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, that is, all the region of Argob: the writer includes all the names used for this region (see verse 4). Good News Translation restructures the items, for ease of understanding. It should be clear that Og is a person, not the name of the country; so Good News Translation “where Og had ruled.”

For the half-tribe of Manasseh it may be useful to have a footnote explaining that the other half of the tribe settled in the territory west of the Jordan River. See Josh 13.29-31 for East Manasseh and 17.1-13 for West Manasseh.

The last sentence of the verse is placed within parentheses by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, linking it with verse 14. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy join it to the first part of this verse, as follows: “and all of Bashan under Og’s rule—the whole Argob district, all that part of Bashan which is called Rephaim country—I assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh.”

Is called: Good News Translation has “was known as,” the meaning expressed by New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, and which this Handbook recommends.

For Rephaim see 2.11, 20.

Something like the following may serve as a model for this verse:

• And to the half-tribe of Manasseh I assigned the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, that is, the entire region of Argob, the territory ruled by King Og, which used to be called the land of the Rephaim.

However, the Contemporary English Version model using two sentences will be helpful in many languages:

• I gave the northern half of Gilead and all of the Bashan region to half of the tribe of Manasseh. Bashan had belonged to King Og, and the Argob region in Bashan used to be called the land of the Rephaim.

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 4:20

Has taken you and brought you forth: the two verbs describe two actions in sequence; God asserted his dominion over the Hebrews and then delivered them from bondage in Egypt. In this way he made them his own people, exclusively his.

Out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt: see the same description of Egypt in 1 Kgs 8.51; Jer 11.4 (see also Isa 48.10). This is a figure of intolerable suffering; translations in general try to keep the figure, translating variously: Revised English Bible “the smelting-furnace”; New Revised Standard Version “the iron-smelter”; New Jerusalem Bible “the iron-foundry”; New International Version “iron-smelting furnace”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “blast furnace.” These all sound somewhat technical, and something more general like “a blazing furnace” or “a red-hot furnace” is surely more effective. However, in many languages it will be necessary to use a simile here; for example, “brought you out of Egypt, where you suffered terribly like being in a red-hot furnace.”

To be a people of his own possession: this is the first time the phrase is used of the people as Yahweh’s possession; elsewhere it has indicated the land of Canaan as Israel’s possession (see 3.28). The fact that they are the LORD’s people is shown by his rescuing them from Egypt. So we may translate “But today you are still the LORD’s people, because he rescued you from Egypt, where you suffered terribly like….”

As at this day: this sounds like a later addition to the text, but its use here does not disrupt the flow of the narrative too much. New Jerusalem Bible has “as you still are today.”

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 5:9

You shall not bow down to them or serve them: or “You must not….” See 4.19. Bow down in some languages will be expressed as “prostrate yourself before.” So we may also render this first sentence as “Do not prostrate yourselves before [or, bow down to] any likeness [or, image] of these gods.”

I … am a jealous God: see 4.24; 6.14-15. There are better ways of translating the concept of jealous when applied to God. Bible en français courant has “I demand to be your only God,” and see Good News Translation, “I tolerate no rivals”; or we may say “I demand that you love only me.” For a further discussion see 4.24.

Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon …: that is, extending the punishment for the sins of fathers onto their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This may require considerable restructuring (see below).

Instead of the children to the third and fourth generation, it is better to say “their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

Those who hate me refers back to the fathers, not to the future generations. The verb hate can be translated “oppose me” (Bible en français courant), “are against me,” or even “my enemies.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version interpret the iniquity as being the sin of “hate” or “rejection.” So Good News Translation restructures the sentence, combining fathers and those who hate me to read “I bring punishment on those who hate me and on their descendants down to the third and fourth generations.” Contemporary English Version puts the clause those who hate me at the beginning of the sentence, making it conditional: “If you reject [the equivalent of “hate”] me, I will punish….”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Do not bow down to [or, prostrate yourselves before] and worship any likeness of these gods. I am Yahweh, the God you must worship. I will not tolerate your worshiping any other gods. If you hate me, I will punish you for that sin. I will punish not only you, but your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

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 6:11

Good things: in the nature of the case, these are family possessions, furniture, tools, food, cooking utensils, and perhaps animals.

Which you did not fill means “which you did not put in them” (Contemporary English Version).

Cisterns hewn out, which you did not hew: it is not clear whether the Hebrew word here means “cisterns” or “wells” (see Pro 5.15, where the two are parallel in meaning). Cisterns are cavities, hollow places, or pits hewn (cut) out of rock, to collect rainwater; new techniques were developed, perhaps during the time the Israelites invaded Canaan, of plastering the sides of the bell-shaped holes in the rock, to make them watertight. The porous limestone of the country was not ideal for cisterns. But the word may mean “wells,” which are holes dug to find underground water. A translator should feel free to use the word most easily understood by readers of the language.

Vineyards and olive orchards refer to pieces of land set aside for growing grapes or olives. In cultures where grapes or olives are unknown, we may borrow terms from the prestige language in the area, and for this first occurrence of the terms in Deuteronomy say something like “a garden for growing fruit called ‘grape [or, olive].’ ” It will also be helpful to have a description of these fruits in a footnote or in the Glossary.

When you eat and are full: this refers to having enough food stored up to keep from going hungry. An alternative model may be “But when you have enough food to satisfy your hunger….”

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 7:21

You shall not be in dread of them: the same verb is used in 1.29 (see the comment there). Them refers to the peoples of Canaan, the enemies of the Israelites.

In the midst of you: see 6.15.

A great and terrible God: great can mean many things, depending on the context. In this verse it means that God is all powerful, and no other god can compare with him. In cultures where kings or high chiefs still rule, there will be natural expressions meaning “majestic,” “above the heads of all,” and so on. These will fit this context very well. However, in other languages it will often be necessary to use two or more terms; for example, “God is all-powerful and above every other god.” The word terrible means here “awesome” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version); it is derived from the Hebrew verb “to fear,” and the meaning of this passive form is “one who is to be feared” or “one whom you should fear [or, be afraid of].”

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 9:14

Let me alone: God is telling Moses to stand back or step aside, not to get in his way; “Don’t try to stop me…” (Good News Translation). Apparently Yahweh regards Moses as a person with considerable authority.

That I may destroy them: the whole statement could be rephrased: “Step aside and let me wipe them out” or “Don’t interfere while I get rid of them.”

Blot out their name from under heaven: see similar language in 7.24.

I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they: God proposes to exterminate the Israelites and make Moses the ancestor of a people that eventually will outnumber the Israelites and be more powerful than they are. This should be spelled out clearly in translation. The contrast between them in the first sentence and you (Moses) in this sentence should be emphasized if possible; a possible model is “I will make a larger and more powerful nation out of you instead [of them].” Good News Translation “the father of a nation” may not be the best way of saying of you a nation in some languages. Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje has “Of you and your descendants I will make….”

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 10:22

Your fathers went down to Egypt: this refers to the time when Jacob and his whole family went from the land of Canaan to Egypt, to join Joseph there (see Gen 46.26-27; Exo 1.5). Contemporary English Version has a good model: “When your ancestors went to live in Egypt, there were only seventy of them.”

The stars in heaven for multitude: see the same expression in 1.10.

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 12:3

For this command to destroy their altars, their pillars, their Asherim, and graven images of their gods, see 7.5. The only differences between the two verses is that here the fuller expression the graven images of their gods is used, whereas in 7.5 it is simply “their graven images”; and the last two verbs burn and hew down are reversed in 7.5.

Destroy their name out of that place: this summarizes the whole process of doing away completely with Canaanite religion and worship. Their name means “the names of their gods” (see similar use of “the name” in 7.24). Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje translates “They will be completely forgotten”; BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum has “cause to vanish from that land anything that will bring those gods to mind.” We may also translate as “Destroy the images of these gods so completely that no one will ever worship them in these places 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 .