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 .

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 .

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 .

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 .

These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel: this can be rendered “This is a [written] report [or, record] of what Moses said to all the people of Israel.” The pronoun These must, of course, point forward, not backward. So the sentence may begin “What follows is…,” or even “In this book are the words…” (Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, German common language version [Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch]); Bible en français courant has “This book reports…,” and Contemporary English Version has “This book contains the speeches that Moses made….” And instead of the literal words, it will be better for translators to have something similar to “the long speeches” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Bible en français courant), or even “the discourses.”

To all Israel means, of course, “to all the people of Israel,” “to all the Israelites.” However, in some languages simply translating “to the Israelites” or “to the people of Israel” will mean that “all” are included.

Beyond the Jordan: the point of view of the writer is the land of Israel, so that “the other side of the Jordan River” means the east side, that is, Transjordan. More precisely Moses and the people of Israel are in the plains of Moab (Num 33.48; 36.13). Contemporary English Version makes this clear with “while Israel was in the land of Moab.” Jordan may be translated as “Jordan River” or “the river named Jordan.”

In the wilderness: this was an area without permanent human habitation, usually dry and rocky, unfit for cultivation of crops, but with occasional patches of moisture and vegetation. Translations have often used the term “desert” for wilderness, meaning that it had only sand; but this is not accurate, as this wilderness did have vegetation of various kinds. In cultures where very dry areas like this are unknown, we may translate wilderness with a descriptive phrase; for example, “rocky region with little vegetation,” “place where people don’t settle,” “a place where no house is,” and so on.

In the Arabah over against Suph: the Arabah is the deep depression that makes for the Jordan Valley, running to the Dead Sea and further south as far as the Gulf of Aqaba. Good News Translation “the Jordan Valley” accurately names the part of the Arabah that is spoken of here. The phrase against Suph modifies the Arabah, that is, “that part of the Arabah that faces [or, is opposite] Suph.” We do not know exactly what “opposite Suph” means, since the identity and location of Suph are unknown. The Hebrew preposition means “in front of”; in more general terms the phrase can be represented by “near a place named Suph.” New Jerusalem Bible has “facing Suph.” In languages that will have difficulty expressing “Jordan Valley,” it will be possible to combine the two phrases beyond the Jordan in the wilderness and in the Arabah over against Suph, and translate the first part of this verse as follows:

• This book contains the long speeches that Moses spoke to the Israelites while they were in the land of Moab. They were camped near the place called Suph in the wilderness east of the river named Jordan.

Between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab: Good News Translation and the Revised English Bible (Revised English Bible) make it clear that Paran is on one side, and the other four towns are on the other side of the Jordan. None of these localities has been identified. Since it is not clear whether Paran was to the west and the other towns to the east, translators should leave this ambiguous. Another way to express this is “The town of Paran was on one side of them and the towns of … on the other side.” Contemporary English Version resolves this problem with “The town of Paran was in one direction from their camp, and the towns of … were in the opposite direction.” In cultures where the only large human settlements are villages surrounded by fences, translators will need to use descriptive phrases for “towns”; for example, “large villages with high fences around them,” and in the case of “cities,” when this term occurs later in Deuteronomy (see 1.22), we may say “very large villages…” or something similar.

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 people’s answer in the first part of the verse offers no difficulty. Moses is reporting what the people said to him at Kadesh Barnea.

We have sinned against the LORD: the verb “to sin” in a context like this means primarily to do something contrary to God’s will, and something like “make a mistake” or “commit an error” is not strong enough; the general idea of “do something bad,” that is, something that violates moral values and standards, will in places be an adequate translation. But when God is expressly mentioned, as here, the sense of disobeying God’s command is required. So Contemporary English Version has “We disobeyed the LORD our God.”

We will go up and fight: the men are ready to set out at once and invade the land. In languages that require an object or goal for fight, we may translate, for example, “fight our [inclusive] enemies.”

And every man of you girded on his weapons of war: the obsolete verb “to gird” means to put on or around, and here it means to put on a shield and perhaps a helmet, in addition to taking up a sword or spear. New Revised Standard Version “strapped on your battle gear” is much clearer; or we may even say “put on all your weapons [for fighting],” or in languages spoken by people who do not strap on weapons, we may say something like “all of you carrying your weapons.”

And thought it easy to go up into the hill country: the Hebrew verb translated thought it easy occurs only here in the Old Testament, and its meaning is not quite certain; most translate as do Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

The hill country is the land of Canaan itself, to the north of Kadesh Barnea, where they are. For hill country see verse 7.

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 .

This verse makes clear that the Israelites strictly obeyed Yahweh’s commands and did not invade any region or attack any town unless Yahweh told them to. The translator should notice that the language switches from the first person plural of the previous verses to the second person plural; if such a change will cause difficulty for the readers, the first person plural forms should be maintained (so Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version).

The sons of Ammon: that is, the Ammonites, or “people of Ammon,” or even “the descendants of Ammon” (see verse 19).

All the banks of the river Jabbok: for part of its way the river ran north to south, thus forming the western boundary of the Ammonite territory (see map, page xii). The Israelites did not invade Ammon. Contemporary English Version interprets this to mean “We stayed away from all the Ammonite towns both in the hill country and near the Jabbok river.”

And wherever the LORD our God forbade us: New Revised Standard Version translates “just as the LORD our God had charged,” with a textual note indicating that this follows the Septuagint and the (Jerusalem) Targum; the Hebrew text has “and all,” instead of “just as.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers the Hebrew and gives the following translation: “and, generally, whatsoever the LORD our God commanded you.” A translator who wishes to follow the Hebrew Old Testament Text Project decision may take Traduction œcuménique de la Bible as a model: “and all the places the LORD our God had forbidden us,” or we may say “or to any other place where the LORD our God had commanded us not to go.”

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 .

After the direct quotation in verse 6 of what people of other nations will say about the Israelites, in verse 7 Moses resumes his address to the people. To ensure that those who hear the text being read aloud understand this, it may be helpful to make verse 7 a separate paragraph and begin it with “And Moses continued….”

Moses’ words in verses 7-8 are in the form of two rhetorical questions, and in some languages it will be useful to render them as direct statements, as Good News Translation does. The point of Moses’ rhetorical questions is that Israel’s God, Yahweh, always answers promptly and decisively whenever the people pray for his help.

A god: the Hebrew word is plural in form, but in most instances it is singular in meaning; here, however, some translations translate it as plural, “gods” (Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, Bible en français courant, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version). It seems preferable, however, to take it as singular. For god see 3.24.

So near to it as the LORD our God is to us: if the figure of physical nearness raises difficulties for the readers, it may be better to say “so quick [or, ready] to help it as the LORD our God is ready to help us.” For another instance of this figure, see Psa 145.18; and see the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1 Kgs 18.20-40.

Whenever we call upon him: “every time we pray for him to help us.”

In some languages it will be helpful to use at least three sentences for translating this verse:

• No other nation, no matter whether it is great or small, has a god like ours. The LORD our God [or, The God whom we worship] is quick to help us. He answers us whenever we call for him to help.

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 .