Then the LORD became king in Jeshurun: for Jeshurun see 32.15. The Hebrew text says only “and there was a king in Jeshurun.” This could refer to Yahweh or to Moses; or it could refer to some other person, as New Revised Standard Version translates, “There arose a king in Jeshurun” (also Revised English Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible). It is recommended that Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation be followed.

The heads of the people were gathered: this means the chiefs, the leaders of the Israelites, perhaps the tribal leaders.

All the tribes of Israel together: this is parallel with the previous line. The two lines together can be translated “all the tribes and their leaders assembled [together].”

Verses 4 and 5 may be combined as follows:

• When all the people of Israel gathered together,
I gave you God’s Law,
the most treasured thing our nation has.
Then the LORD became king of the Israelites.

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 .

See the similar account of Aaron’s death in Num 20.20. Thirty days seems to have been the normal length of time of mourning for a leader.

Then the days of weeping and mourning … were ended: this is quite redundant information. To make the text less repetitive, it may be placed at the beginning of the next paragraph (as in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh). Contemporary English Version has a good model for this verse:

• The people of Israel stayed in the lowlands of Moab, where they mourned and grieved thirty days for Moses, as was their custom.

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 .

Your neighbor’s vineyard: the neighbor here, as usual, is a fellow Israelite, not necessarily someone who lives next door.

For vineyard see 6.11.

Your vessel: this is a container of some sort; it could be a bowl, or a basket, or a bag—anything that would hold grapes.

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 .

Verse 4 in Hebrew continues without a break from verse 3, but in many languages it is better to make a break, as Good News Translation does (also New Revised Standard Version). “This was after…,” or we may say “He spoke to the people after….”

He had defeated: the Hebrew text is ambiguous, since the pronominal suffix “he” can mean either Moses or Yahweh. Revised English Bible keeps the ambiguity by using the passive construction “after the defeat of…”; this, however, is not recommended. Good News Translation has “the LORD,” while Contemporary English Version, Bible en français courant, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Spanish common language version (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy) have “Moses,” which is the preferred interpretation and recommended for translators. This does not mean that Moses single-handedly defeated Sihon; it means that the Israelites, commanded by Moses, defeated the Amorites commanded by Sihon. It is a fairly common thing to credit victory (and defeat) to the commander of the fighting troops.

For the defeat of Sihon the king of the Amorites, see Num 21.21-32. These Amorites were the people living in the hill country east of the Jordan (see Num 13.29). Amorites will be expressed in some languages as “people of Amor.” King in certain languages will be rendered as “high [or, great] chief” or just “the great one.” So Sihon the king of the Amorites may also be expressed as “Sihon, the great chief in the town of Heshbon, who ruled over the people of Amor.”

Heshbon was a town some fifteen kilometers (nine miles) east of the northern tip of the Dead Sea. Bashan was the region to the northeast of Lake Galilee. For the location of the towns of Ashtaroth and Edrei, see map, page xii.

Who lived … who lived: since the verbs have a king as subject, in both cases the verb may be rendered “who ruled” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible; New Revised Standard Version “reigned”). The Hebrew text says that Og had “lived [or, ruled] in Ashtaroth in Edrei”; the Greek translation, the Septuagint, has “in Ashtaroth and in Edrei.” Taking its clue from the account in Num 21.33-35 (see also Deut 3.1), which reports the defeat of Og in Edrei (verse 33), Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant, and others connect “in Edrei” with the verb “he defeated” and translate “defeated Og … (who lived in Ashtaroth) in Edrei.” This is possible, but most, like Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Jerusalem Bible, translate “lived [or, ruled] in Ashtaroth and Edrei” (see Josh 12.4; 13.12, 31). Biblia Dios Habla Hoy takes Ashtaroth to be a town and Edrei a region, but this does not seem very likely. It is recommended that the translation say “who ruled in the towns of Ashtaroth and Edrei” or “who ruled over the people in the towns of…,” and the first part of the verse may be alternatively expressed as “He [Moses] spoke to the people after he had defeated Sihon, who….”

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 returned: presumably to their camp at Kadesh Barnea. Contemporary English Version has “Then you came back to the place of worship at Kadesh-Barnea.”

And wept before the LORD: this seems to indicate a religious service in which the Israelites poured out to God their grief and anguish. Good News Translation has “cried out to the LORD for help.” A note of repentance or sorrow for their sin may be understood; but the statement that Yahweh did not respond indicates that they were asking for help, so we may say “wept asking the LORD for help” or “cried out to the LORD to help you.”

The LORD did not hearken to your voice or give ear to you: this literal translation is not current English. The two verbal expressions mean the same: “the LORD didn’t listen to your cries, he paid no attention to you,” or “but the LORD would not pay any attention 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 .

The same thing happens in the Israelite conquest of King Og’s territory that happened in the conquest of Sihon’s kingdom (2.32-36). Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje has “So the LORD, our God, enabled us to defeat King Og and all his army.”

We smote him until no survivor was left to him: “We kept on fighting him until all of his men had been killed,” or “We kept on … until we had killed him and all his soldiers.”

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 .

Instead of continuing the long and complex sentence, as Revised Standard Version does, it is better to follow Good News Translation and begin a new sentence at the end of verse 9: “Tell your children and grandchildren about the day…,” or we may bring verse 9 to a full stop and begin a new sentence at verse 10: “Tell them about the day….”

On the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb: this refers to Exo 19–20. Here before means “in the presence of” (Good News Translation). Good News Translation consistently uses “Sinai” as the name of the mountain, in keeping with its practice of using the better-known name when there are two names (or more) for the same person or place. Translators are urged to do the same.

Gather the people to me: “Bring all the people together in my presence,” “Assemble all the people in front of me.” In some languages this clause will be expressed as “Call the people of Israel to come and gather in front of me,” or even “Bring the people here to….”

That I may let them hear my words: “so that I can speak to them,” “so that they will hear what I will say to them.” The words are the Ten Commandments (see verse 13), but there is no reason for the translation to say that here.

So that they may learn to fear me: the translation of the phrase “to fear God” may be difficult (see also 5.29; 6.2, 13, 24). The basic idea is that of reverence or awe, as befits God’s transcendence and holiness. A word that means simply “be afraid of” should not be used. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and New International Version have “revere”; Bible en français courant “respect”; “obey” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) is not satisfactory here. Translators should, if possible, use a term that refers to “great respect” or “awe.” In cultures that are ruled by kings or chiefs, such a term should be readily available. A possible solution in English is to use two words; for example, “respect and obey.” If no suitable term is found, we may follow the solution of Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje. It uses the normal verb “to fear” (temer) and marks it with an asterisk, with the following explanation in the Glossary: “Fear God: Show respect or reverence for God, in acknowledgment of his greatness and holiness. It does not mean simply to be afraid of God, but to show him respect, love, obedience, and worship.”

All the days that they live upon the earth: “all their lives,” “as long as they live.”

And that they may teach their children so: that is, “teach their children to fear God.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• Tell them about the day when you all stood at the foot of Mount Sinai in the presence of Yahweh your [or, our] God. Yahweh said, “Moses, call the people of Israel to come here before me. I want to speak to them so that they will learn to respect and obey me as long as they live. I want them also to teach their children to respect and obey 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 .

And Moses summoned all Israel: it is not necessary to preserve And in translation, unless it is a natural feature of the language. “Moses called all the people of Israel to meet with him.”

“Hear, O Israel, all the statutes and ordinances…”: this may be expressed as “People of Israel [or, Israelites], listen to….” For statutes and ordinances see 4.1.

Which I speak in your hearing this day: that is, “that I am announcing [or, proclaiming] to you today [or, now],” “that I am giving you today” (Good News Translation), or “Today I am telling you the laws that you…” (Contemporary English Version). The phrase in your hearing is quite repetitive and unnatural in today’s English, and perhaps in some other languages as well. The language should be natural and conform to normal style.

You shall learn them and be careful to do them: or “you must learn them and obey them faithfully” or “learn them and be sure that you obey them” (Good News Translation). See similar commands in 4.2, 5, 6.

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 .