As the sons of …: The first part of the verse recalls how the Edomites and the Moabites gave free passage to the Israelites. For the Edomites see verse 4, and for the Moabites see verses 18-19.

Care should be taken to link the last part of the verse (until I go over the Jordan into the land …) with verse 28. New Revised Standard Version uses dashes to make the proper connection: “Only allow me to pass through on foot—just as the descendants … who live in Ar—until I cross the Jordan.” In most cases it will be better to restructure the verse in a way similar to Good News Translation: “until we reach the Jordan River and cross over it into the land that the LORD our God is giving us. The descendants of Esau, who live in Edom, and the people of Moab, who live in Ar, allowed us to pass through their lands.” The singular I go over means not only Moses himself but all the people.

The LORD our God: our is exclusive, since Yahweh is not the God of Sihon and his people.

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 .