A horror, a proverb, and a byword: again, three terms that mean almost the same thing are used for emphasis (see verse 25). Horror here, as in verse 25, is something that horrifies others (New Revised Standard Version “object of horror”). So Good News Translation has “the people will be shocked at what has happened to you,” and Contemporary English Version “people … will shudder when they see.” A proverb means that the Israelites will become examples of victims of cruel treatment by enemies. The tragic fate of the Israelites will be remembered, and people will refer to it when the subject of national defeat arises. Byword means almost the same as proverb; the Hebrew word appears here, in 1 Kgs 9.7; 2 Chr 7.20; Jer 24.9, and nowhere else in the Old Testament. It has the basic meaning of “taunt,” that is, to ridicule, to make fun of someone. New Jerusalem Bible “laughingstock” is a good idiom in English. Revised English Bible has “a horror, a byword, and an object-lesson.” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje translates “They will be horrified at what happened to you; they will malign you and make fun of you.”

Where the LORD will lead you away: defeat in war and the exile are the doings of Yahweh. As Yahweh had led them out of slavery in Egypt, he will lead them back into slavery. This final sentence may be placed at the beginning of the verse as follows:

• The people of countries to which Yahweh scatters you will be shocked at what has happened to you.

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 .