Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 22:26

To the young woman you shall do nothing: Good News Translation has “nothing is to be done to the girl,” and Contemporary English Version is more direct, with “Do not punish the woman at all.”

No offense punishable by death: not a capital offense (see 21.22).

This case is like that of a man attacking and murdering his neighbor: the raped woman is like the murdered man; she is the innocent party, she is the victim.

Neighbor: a fellow Israelite. Good News Translation and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “another man [or, person].”

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 25:2

If the guilty man deserves to be beaten: this is a serious offense, and the guilty person is to be flogged, that is, beaten with a whip made of leather thongs, or perhaps with a rod. In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may say, for example, “If the judges order them to beat [or, whip] the guilty man.”

The judge shall cause him to lie down: the judge will have the man lie prone, that is, face down on the ground. The Septuagint keeps the plural “the judges” from the previous verse (so also Contemporary English Version).

In his presence: to make sure the punishment is carried out exactly as he ordered. Another way to express this is “in front of him.”

A number of stripes in proportion to his offense: this would be according to the judge’s decision. Stripes may be also expressed as “lashes,” “strokes,” or “blows,” or even “times,” as in “the number of times that he is to be hit with the whip.”

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 27:5

There you shall build: the important thing about Mount Ebal is the altar, not the stones.

An altar of stones … lift up no iron tool on them: the altar is to be built with stones as they are found, without any work being done on them with iron tools to shape them. Another way to express this is “But don’t use stones that you have cut with iron tools.” For altar see 7.5.

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 28:13

The vivid language in this verse should be preserved in translation, if it makes sense.

The head … the tail: that is, “in first place … in last place,” in terms of prosperity, power, and prestige. So Good News Translation has “will make you the leader among the nations and not the follower” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Tend upward only, and not downward: this means to increase, to go forward, to become even more prosperous, and never the contrary. So “you will always prosper and never fail” (Good News Translation), and “Israel will be wealthy and powerful, not poor and weak” (Contemporary English Version).

For the rest of the verse, see the same language in verse 1.

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 28:59

Here again adjectives and a series of terms which all mean the same thing are used for emphasis.

Will bring on you: or “will punish you … with” (Contemporary English Version), or even “will cause you to become sick with….”

On you and your offspring: “on you and on your descendants” (Good News Translation).

Extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting: for afflictions New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “plagues,” which is better in English.

Sicknesses grievous and lasting: Good News Translation “horrible epidemics” may serve as a good model to follow.

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 30:6

Here Moses is talking about the people present with him there in the plains of Moab.

Will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring: circumcision was the sign of belonging to the people of Yahweh, the people of the covenant; an uncircumcised man was, by definition, a Gentile, a pagan. In effect this clause means that God will make these stubborn and disobedient Israelites his obedient people once more (see 10.16; Jer 4.4). Contemporary English Version begins the verse with the statement “You and your descendants are stubborn, but the LORD will make you willing to obey him.” We may also say “but the LORD will make your hearts and the hearts of your descendants obedient to him.”

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul: see 6.5.

That you may live: this might be quite literally true; but primarily it means to have a long and prosperous existence as a nation in the land of Canaan. So Good News Translation has “and you will continue to live in that 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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 31:25 - 31:26

The Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: see verse 9; 10.8.

Put it by the side of the ark: the ark or “sacred box” itself was in the Most Holy Place in the “tent of meeting,” which was separated by a curtain from the larger Holy Place (Exo 26.33-34; 40.16-21). While this book was to be placed by the side of the ark, the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments were placed inside the ark (10.2, 5; Exo 40.20).

A witness against you: as it stands in Hebrew and translated literally in Revised Standard Version, Moses is talking to the Levites, and what he says in verses 26-27 and 29 is directed at them. But this seems hard to believe. Moses is speaking about all the Israelites, as Yahweh had done in verses 16-22. Good News Translation makes the appropriate changes by having at the end of verse 26 “… as a witness against his people,” then using the third plural in verse 27 and introducing “the people” as the subject in verse 29. Bible en français courant and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje do the same, and translators may wish to follow their example. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has done it differently by adding at the end of verse 26, after the closing quotation marks of Moses’ statement, the following words: “And turning to the people, he went on to say, ….” This is also a good model. In any case it should be clear that the denunciations in verses 26-27 and 29 are directed not only at the Levites but at all 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 .

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 32:30

The Israelites had been defeated in war by an enemy army much smaller than theirs; so the ironic question points out that this incredible defeat—one enemy soldier routing a thousand Israelites—could happen only because the LORD was no longer fighting for them.

The verse is in the form of a rhetorical question, which may be effective in some languages; in many, however, if not in most, a rhetorical question may be misunderstood and should thus be translated as a strong statement.

How should one chase a thousand: that is, “How could one [enemy] soldier put to rout [or chase, or put to flight] one thousand [Israelite] soldiers?” or, as a statement, “The only reason why one enemy soldier defeated one thousand Israelite soldiers was….” Good News Translation offers another good model.

Two put ten thousand to flight: or “two enemies defeated ten thousand.” This is parallel, but it heightens the sheer absurdity of the matter.

Their Rock had sold them: see verse 4; sold means that Yahweh sold (or, abandoned) them to the enemy (see Judges 2.14; 3.8; 4.2; 10.7).

The LORD had given them up: that is, he had abandoned them (see 23.15).

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• One enemy soldier defeated a thousand Israelite soldiers,
and ten thousand Israelites were defeated by two of their enemies.
This is because Yahweh, their mighty protector [or, Rock],
has abandoned them to their enemies,
and has let their enemies defeat them.

However, in some languages it may be better to reverse the order of the lines as follows:

• The Mighty God sent his people away,
the LORD abandoned them.
That is why one enemy [soldier] routed a thousand [Israelites],
two enemy soldiers put ten thousand Israelites to flight.

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 .