The three instructions in verses 9-11 have to do with what is regarded as an unnatural mixing of two different forms of creation (see the parallel in Lev 19.19).

Sow your vineyard with two kinds of seeds: this means sowing some sort of crop in the rows between the grapevines. So Good News Translation has “Do not plant any crop in the same field with your grapevines.” For vineyard see 6.11.

Lest the whole yield be forfeited to the sanctuary: as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, this translates the causative form of the Hebrew verb “be holy.” The meaning is that in this case both the crops and the wine belong to the LORD and will go to the Temple. There are various translations possible: “… may not be used” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “everything would be dedicated to the LORD” (Bible en français courant, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum), “you will not be allowed to use…” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy), or even “you must bring to the place of worship everything you harvest from the vineyard” (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 .