And the elders of Israel: see 5.23. Moses associates the elders with him, although he speaks on his own authority in the first person.

All the commandment: for commandment see 4.2; and for all the commandment see 5.31.

I command: Moses speaks in his own name.

This day: as often throughout these discourses. See 26.16.

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 .

Establish you: this gives the idea of firmness, permanence, endurance (also in 29.13).

A people holy to himself: that is, “a people completely dedicated to him” (7.6; 14.2; see Exo 19.6), namely, “his own special people” (Contemporary English Version).

As he has sworn to you: the LORD’s solemn promise (see 1.8).

Keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways: these are two ways of saying the same thing, for emphasis; for walk in his ways see 8.6; 10.12.

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 .

Verses 52-57 speak of how the enemy will besiege the fortified towns and all other settlements in Israel, and what will happen when the people are under siege.

They shall besiege you: to besiege is to surround a town with enemy troops, thus preventing anyone from leaving or entering, in an attempt to get the people in the town to surrender. For a comment on the translation of besiege, see 20.12.

Your high and fortified walls: high walls surrounded fortified towns, with parapets on top from which the defending forces could shoot arrows at the enemy. Other ways to say this are “high and well-protected walls” or “high and strong walls, inside of which you feel safe.”

In which you trusted: but to no avail; the enemy will break through the walls.

Come down: this is the same verb translated as “fall” in 20.20. Contemporary English Version has “the enemy will tear them down.”

They shall besiege you: repeating the thought of the first part of the verse; this is now expanded to include all your towns throughout all your land.

Which the LORD your God has given you: as often stated in this book.

A possible alternative translation model for this verse is:

• All over the land that the LORD your God gave you, your enemies will surround all your towns. You may feel safe inside your high and strong walls, but your enemies will tear them down.

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 .

Verses 20-21 state the punishment that Yahweh will send on such a person. It is described in vivid and repetitious detail. Moses is still the speaker.

The LORD would not pardon him: as long as he continues in his stubborn ways, he cannot be forgiven. Him refers to anyone who acts like this. So we may say “Yahweh will not pardon that person.” For a comment on pardon or “forgive,” see 21.8.

The anger of the LORD and his jealousy: for jealousy see 4.24; 6.15. Here, as often, the two nouns anger and jealousy can be translated as one phrase, a noun modified by an adjective: “the intense [or, furious] anger” (see in 1.27, where there are more than two terms).

Would smoke against that man: God’s anger is compared to a fire that flames out and burns and destroys. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “[the LORD’s] anger and passion [will] rage against that man.” Good News Translation has “will flame up against.” It is also possible to use a simile; for example, “The LORD will become furiously angry with that person, just like a flame that leaps up and burns him.”

The curses written in this book: see 28.58. The Septuagint expands considerably: “all the curses of this covenant written in this book of the law.” Contemporary English Version is similar, with “all the curses in The Book of God’s Law.”

Would settle upon him: that is, they would be applied to him, be laid upon him, or “fall upon him” (Good News Translation); or we may say “piling on him all the curses in….”

The LORD would blot out his name from under heaven: God will destroy the man and his family, so that there are no descendants left to carry on the family name (see 9.14; 25.19).

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 .

Jeshurun: this is an affectionate name for the people of Israel, and it appears also in 33.5, 26; Isa 44.2; in all instances the Septuagint translates “Jacob.” Jeshurun means “the upright one.” If the name is used in the text, a footnote like the one in New International Version should be used: “Jeshurun means the upright one, that is, Israel.” In most languages it will be better to use “Israel” or “Yahweh’s people” in the text.

Kicked: that is, “rebelled.” For a description of rebellion see 8.12-17.

You waxed fat … grew thick … became sleek: these are successive stages in the process of becoming fat and prosperous (see 31.20). In this context sleek means well-fed, healthy, even prosperous. Notice the change from the third person of narration to the second person of address. The second line of the verse expands what is said in the first line; see point 2 in the section about “Translation of Poetry” in “Translating Deuteronomy” at the beginning of the Handbook (page 8). It is thus possible to combine the two lines as follows:

• People of Israel, you grew rich and revolted against God….

He forsook: another change of person; see 31.16. However, “you [plural]” may be kept by translators who have been using the second person pronoun throughout.

Scoffed: New International Version and Good News Translation take it to mean “rejected,” as a closer parallel to forsook. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh translates “spurned” (see its use in Jer 14.21; but the meaning “treat with contempt” is to be found in Micah 7.6; Nahum 3.6). See below for a way to combine these two verbs.

The Rock of his salvation: that is, the Rock (see verse 4) who saved them. Translators should be careful that the translation of the final two lines doesn’t seem to refer to two separate deities, one who is the God who made him and the other the Rock of his salvation. Since scoffed at and forsook in the previous line are so close in meaning, it is possible to combine the information in the final two lines as follows:

• They [or, You] rejected God their [or, your] Creator,
the one who is their [or, your] mighty savior.

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 see the land before you: you is singular; God is speaking only to Moses. The particular sense here is brought out by Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, New International Version: “you will see from a distance.”

The land which I give to the people of Israel: once more emphasizing the fact that the Promised Land was a gift from God.

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 Negeb: the desert region south of Judah (see 1.7). It will be good to begin a new sentence here with, for example, “The LORD showed Moses the land called the Negeb that lay to the south of Judah.” Some traditions transliterate the name as “the Negev.”

The Plain, that is, the valley of Jericho … as far as Zoar: see Good News Translation for the translation of this region. This is a reference to the basin of the Dead Sea; Jericho was in the northwest, and Zoar in the southeast, south of the Dead Sea.

The city of palm trees: a familiar description of Jericho (see Judges 1.16; 3.13).

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 .