Take … in pledge: an Israelite could not charge a fellow-Israelite any interest on a loan. In order to make sure that the loan would be repaid, however, the lender would take an object of value from the borrower and keep it until the loan had been repaid. This item would serve as a pledge, that is, a promise on the part of the borrower that the loan would be repaid.

A mill: this refers to the small mill in every household with which the housewife would grind the grain every day in order to make bread. It consisted of two stones; it was enough to take away the upper millstone to render the mill ineffective.

An alternative translation model for the first part of this verse is:
• When you lend money to a fellow Israelite, you are allowed to keep something of his as a guarantee that he will pay back the money. But don’t take either of the two stones used for grinding grain.

He would be taking a life in pledge: without the mill the family’s health would be in danger. Contemporary English Version has a helpful model: “they need those millstones for grinding grain into flour to make bread.” However, if the information about grinding grain has been put into the previous sentence, we may say something like “they [he] use that flour for making bread to eat.”

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 days approach when you must die: some different ways of expressing this are “You will soon die” (Contemporary English Version), “the day of your death is near” (New International Version), “your time to die is near” (New Revised Standard Version), “The time is drawing near for you to die” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “the time is near when you must die” (New Jerusalem Bible). This is meant as a statement of fact; it is neither a promise nor a threat as such.

Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting: present yourselves applies to Moses and Joshua. The tent of meeting (the “tabernacle”) was the place where God “met” his people, that is, where he was present with them (see Exo 27.21; 33.7-11; Lev 25.22; 29.42-45; 33.7-11; Num 27.19). The tent of meeting may also be expressed as “the tent where I meet with you” or “the sacred tent” (Contemporary English Version). Translators should avoid following the model of Today’s English Version, which simply capitalizes “Tent.” People listening to the text read aloud will not hear this special marking device. These two clauses may be more simply expressed as “Call Joshua, and bring him with you to the sacred tent.”

I may commission him: that is, “install him in office.” In Num 27.8-19 Yahweh orders Moses to commission Joshua. Another way to express this is “appoint him as leader of Israel” (Contemporary English Version). Today’s English Version “give him his instructions” is misleading.

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 .

In this section Moses is still the speaker.

See, I have set before you this day means “Today I am giving you the choice between,” or “Today I am letting you choose between.”

Life and good, death and evil: notice that Today’s English Version has rearranged the four into two contrasting pairs, “good and evil … life and death.”

Life and good: this is the option for life, a long existence as a people in the Promised Land (verse 18). Good here is prosperity, success, wealth; New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible have “prosperity,” BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum “happiness,” Contemporary English Version “success.” Its opposite, evil, is “disaster” (Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible), “adversity” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “destruction” (New International Version). For the two options Bible en français courant has “success and failure.”

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.

Obey the voice … be careful to do: these are parallel and have the same meaning (see verse 13).

His commandments and his statutes: see 4.1-2. For the language see verse 1.

These curses shall come upon you and overtake you: see verse 2. For a comment on “curse” see 11.26.

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 .

Brothers dwell together: not necessarily in the same house, but on the same family property. Today’s English Version makes this clear, with “live on the same property.” In this instance brothers means blood brothers.

One of them dies and has no son: the Hebrew word is the normal one for son; but the Septuagint has “seed” (meaning descendants, of either sex). As quoted in the Gospels, Mark 13.19 has “has no child,” Matt 22.24 “has no children,” and Luke 20.28 “is childless.” It seems from the context that the meaning here is a male descendant, a son (so also Today’s English Version, Contemporary English Version, New International Version).

The wife of the dead: many languages will have a technical term such as “widow” for this woman, and say for example, “his widow,” or “the widow of the man”; but in other languages “the wife of the dead man” may be preferable.

Shall not be married outside the family to a stranger: the woman was not to be married off to a man belonging to a clan different from the one her dead husband belonged to. The main reason for this, it seems, was to keep property from passing on to another family. Shall not be married suggests that the woman would not take the initiative to choose a partner, but that her family would find a new husband for her. Today’s English Version follows this interpretation with “then his widow is not to be married to.” Contemporary English Version “his widow must not marry” appears to clash with Hebrew custom.

Go in to her, and take her as his wife: this is a normal way in Hebrew of speaking of possessing a woman sexually; in most languages there are more appropriate ways of saying this. In many languages “and take her as his wife” will be sufficient.

In the Hebrew text the noun “brother-in-law,” the verb perform the duty of a husband’s brother, and the noun brother’s wife in verse 7 are all cognates, that is, they come from the same Hebrew root; they appear only here and in Gen 38.8. For perform the duty of a husband’s brother, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “perform the levir‘s duty.” Today’s English Version combines both sentences with “it is the duty of the dead man’s brother to marry her.” This will be a helpful model for many translators.

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 this new section, translators are urged to reintroduce Moses as the speaker.

This verse is very similar to 17.6.

Any crime or … any wrong … any offense that he has committed: this is somewhat wordy. After the first noun in Hebrew (translated crime), the next two are closely related forms of the same noun, usually translated “sin,” followed by the verb “to sin.” New International Version is a good model to follow: “any crime or offense he may have committed.”

In connection with: in English at least, this is a rather wordy and an unnecessary way of stating the matter. New International Version‘s English is much more natural and meaningful, as seen in the previous comment.

For of two witnesses, or of three, see 17.6. The meaning is the same: “at least two witnesses,” or “two or more witnesses.”

Shall a charge be sustained: that is, an accusation will be upheld, be judged to be true.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• Before you convict a person of a crime, at least two witnesses must be able to testify that the person did it [or, is guilty].

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 command is an ancient one and appears also in 27.17; Job 24.2; Pro 22.28; 23.10; Hos 5.10.

In the inheritance which you will hold in the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess: Revised Standard Version has reversed the order of the Hebrew. New Revised Standard Version, which is exactly the same as New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, is more natural: “… the property that will be allotted to you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.” Today’s English Version has condensed the text considerably but retains the essence of the command: “established long ago in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” For “inherit” (used twice in Hebrew) see 1.38, and for possess see 1.8.

You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark: the landmarks were stones, or piles of stones, marking the place where one person’s property ended and another person’s began. This was a matter not of “removing” but of “moving” (Today’s English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) the boundary markers, in order to increase your own property by diminishing someone else’s. Since different types of boundary markers are used in some parts of the world, it will be helpful to make it clear that “stones” are involved; for example, “Do not move the stones set up to mark the property lines.” However, the form of the boundary marker is not important here. So if a culture uses some other kind of moveable boundary marker, the translator may use that marker in this context, if it is more meaningful.

The men of old have set: the original conquerors of the land divided the territory and determined the exact boundaries of each person’s property. Something like “previous generations” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh) or “former generations” (New Revised Standard Version) is better; or else “your ancestors.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• In the land the LORD is giving you, your ancestors set up stones to mark the property lines between fields. Do not move these stones.

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, translators are advised to reintroduce Moses as the speaker.

These nations, which you are about to dispossess: see 9.1; 11.23; 12.2, 29.

Give heed to: this means “pay attention to,” that is, “consult,” “go to them for advice.”

To soothsayers and to diviners: see 18.11.

The LORD your God has not allowed you so to do: God has forbidden the people of Israel to engage in these pagan practices. Today’s English Version has “The LORD your God does not allow you to do this,” and Contemporary English Version has “… won’t allow you to do those things.”

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 .