In verses 16-17 Moses is the speaker again, and he gives a brief review of the situation of the Israelites as slaves in Egypt. This serves as an introduction to the long warning that follows (verses 18-28).

The translator will notice the switch from the first person plural we dwelt and we came to the second person plural you passed (verse 16) and you have seen (verse 17). Translators should study the Good News Translation to see one way to handle this problem. New International Version and others are also able to eliminate such inconsistencies.

We dwelt in the land of Egypt: according to the historical account in Deuteronomy, the adult generation that left Egypt had already died (see 2.14-15; 5.3), and it is the succeeding generation that is ready to enter the Promised Land. The verb translated dwelt is itself neutral, indicating neither prosperity nor hardship; but the modifying how was understood by the original readers of this account to indicate the condition of the Hebrews as slaves, in the latter part of their stay in Egypt; Good News Translation refers indirectly to this with “what life was like in Egypt.”

We came through the midst of the nations: as reported in chapters 1–3.

Through which you passed: this is as repetitive and illogical in Hebrew as it is in English. An alternative translation is “and [you know] what it was like to travel through the lands of other nations.”

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 .