Circumcise … the foreskin of your heart: this figure of speech reflects the rite of circumcision, by which a Jewish male became a member of the chosen race, bound to God by the covenant which God had made with Abraham, of which circumcision was the sign (Gen 17.1-14). To “circumcise … the … heart” is to make your disposition and desire obedient to the terms of the covenant, that is, to obey God’s laws (Jer 4.3-4). The meaning is clarified by what follows, and be no longer stubborn (see 9.6, 13).

In very few languages will this figure of speech mean very much; in fact in some languages such figurative language will be vulgar and offensive. Some translations provide a footnote explaining the figure. It is better to abandon the figure altogether and give the meaning in a straightforward manner, as Good News Translation does with “be obedient to the LORD.” See Bible en français courant “be completely consecrated to the LORD your God.” But Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “Put in your heart the sign of the covenant” (similarly BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum) is not very clear.

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 .