The Revised Standard Version text carries on this verse as a continuation of the question that starts in verse 37. In some languages this may be difficult to do, and it will be better to start this verse as a new sentence.

Who ate the fat of their sacrifices: the fat was considered the choicest part of the animal offered in sacrifice. Instead of “who ate the fat of your sacrifices,” Good News Translation and Bible en français courant have “You fed them the fat of your sacrifices,” which may be easier to follow.

Drank the wine of their offerings: this means they drank the wine of the drink offerings; these also are sacrifices. Good News Translation has “and offered them wine to drink.”

Let them rise up and help you: this is a sarcastic suggestion, not a request. It may be expressed as “They ought to get up and help you now.” As elsewhere rise up functions as an auxiliary verb indicating the beginning of the action expressed in the main verb: “Let them help you now!”

Let them be your protectors: this is parallel to the previous line; the Hebrew word translated protectors appears only here in the Old Testament. So the final two lines may be translated:

• They ought to get up and help you now
or come and protect you.

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 .

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 .

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 .

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 .

This verse speaks of another primitive race, the Avvim; they are not identified as giants, but this is suggested by the name being linked with the others in the context of the explanatory note.

Gaza was one of the five Philistine city-states, on the Mediterranean coast.

As for the Caphtorim and Caphtor, it is generally agreed that these are the Philistines, who came originally from Crete (see Amos 9.7). This migration took place about 1200 B.C. Translators are urged to say “Philistines” or “people from Philistia,” rather than using the form Caphtorim.

Another possible model for this verse is:

• The same thing happened to the Avvim, who lived in the land along the Mediterranean coast as far south as Gaza. People who came from the island of Crete destroyed the Avvim and took over all their 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 .

You shall not fear them: English translations make it appear that Moses is addressing Joshua; but the plural forms in Hebrew make it clear that Moses is speaking to all the people, and not only to Joshua. A translation should make that clear if the target language, like English, does not have different forms for the singular and the plural.

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 .

But from there: “But while you are there,” “But in that country.” Yahweh is not restricted to his own land, the land of Israel. He can be “found” anywhere.

You will seek the LORD your God and you will find him: the idea of looking for God and finding him may not be easy to express without sounding ludicrous, as though God were hiding or living in some place difficult to find. The “seeking” consists of praying to God, and the “finding” of having the prayer answered. So we may translate “But in that country you will pray to the LORD your God, and he will answer you.”

If you search for him: here a different Hebrew verb is used; other models can be “if you really look for him,” “if you really try to find him,” or “if you really try to contact him….” In some languages this if clause will come first. In such cases translators must ensure that this verse fits with the flow of the paragraph.

With all your heart and with all your soul: in general the heart stands for intellect or will, and the soul for emotion, feelings. This phrase recurs frequently (10.12; 11.13; 13.3; 26.16; 30.2, 6, 10); the triple phrase “heart, soul, and might” is used in 6.5. Some possibilities are “whole-heartedly,” “completely,” “with all your being,” “earnestly.” Translators are urged to use descriptive language similar to the Hebrew if it does not sound strange or unnatural. Otherwise we may simply have to combine the two parts of the verse; for example, “If you earnestly pray to the LORD your God in that country, he will listen to you.”

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 .