Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 23:23

What has passed your lips … what you have promised with your mouth: this repetition, as elsewhere, is for emphasis.

You have voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God: there was no obligation. The person who made the promise was not forced to do it. An alternative model may be “the LORD didn’t force you to make a promise.”

For the whole verse, many translators will find the Good News Translation model simpler than Revised Standard Version, which follows the Hebrew structure.

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 26:8

Brought us out of Egypt: or “led us out”; the verb should not have the overtone of transporting or carrying.

A mighty hand and an outstretched arm: see 4.34.

Great terror, with signs and wonders: these are the means by which Yahweh made the Egyptian king agree to let the Israelites leave Egypt. The word terror here refers to the effect the signs and wonders, that is, the plagues, had on the Egyptians. The word signs generally means “miracles,” and wonders often functions as a term that emphasizes this same meaning (see 4.34). The signs and wonders were done by Yahweh before he led them out of Egypt, so we may reorder the text as follows: “Then you made the Egyptians very afraid [or, terrified] with your powerful miracles, and led us out of Egypt.”

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 27:25

This is not stated directly elsewhere in Deuteronomy; but see in 16.19 the prohibition against taking bribes; see also Exo 23.6-8. Good News Translation has “anyone who accepts money to murder an innocent person” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

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 28:40

You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory: or “Olive trees will grow everywhere in your land” (Good News Translation).

You shall not anoint yourself with the oil: this is the use of olive oil in normal daily body care (see Ruth 3.3; 2 Sam 12.20; 14.2); it does not refer to its use in the ordination of kings or priests. Another way to express this is “You shall not have any of the oil to put on your bodies.”

Your olives shall drop off: because the olive trees are not healthy, and the olives drop off before they mature.

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 29:9

For be careful to do see 28.1, 56; for the words of this covenant, see 29.1.

You may prosper: nearly all modern translations understand the Hebrew verb to mean prosper, or “be successful”; see New Revised Standard Version “succeed in everything that you do.” There is no need to provide an alternative translation, as Revised Standard Version does.

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 30:14

Is very near you: that is, it is accessible, it is understandable. Contemporary English Version has “No, these commands are nearby.”

In your mouth: that is, in language you understand and speak; so we may say “you quote them.”

In your heart: that is, you already know it. Good News Translation reverses the order of the two verbs: “You know it and can quote it.”

So that you can do it: or “so now obey it” (Good News Translation); Contemporary English Version has “All you have to do is obey.”

For similar language to this, see in 6.6-7; 11.18.

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 32:5

Except for the line they are a perverse and crooked generation, this verse in Hebrew is very difficult. Moses is talking about the people of Israel. New Revised Standard Version translates the first line in Hebrew as “yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,” with a footnote stating that the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and New International Version have alternative renderings in footnotes.

Hebrew Old Testament Text Project ({B} rating) proposes the following:
it [that is, the generation of the last line] has dealt perversely with him, they are no longer his children (that is their blemish).

Hebrew Old Testament Text Project also suggests that a note should be added: “ ‘(that is their blemish)’ perhaps a gloss.” This may be a good model for those translations in which the note “perhaps a gloss” is helpful; but in many translations a note like this will hinder rather than help. In such cases a translator can use the Good News Translation as a model, with the footnote “Hebrew unclear.”

The first thing to do when translating is to clearly establish who Revised Standard Version They are. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version do well by introducing at once “You,” that is, the people of Israel; but we may also say “You people of Israel….”

The following is proposed as a model, translating along the lines suggested by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project:

• But you have sinned against the LORD,
and because of your faults
you are no longer his children;
you are a wicked and deceitful people.

It is important that readers should understand this verse as an accusation and not just as a statement of fact. See similar language in 9.12.

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 32:38

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 .