Neither shall you commit adultery: it is not necessary to begin with Neither, a literal translation of the common Hebrew conjunction waw that may be translated “and,” “but,” “also,” “neither,” and so on, depending on the immediate context. However, in languages where using a conjunction will be natural style, a translator may choose to include it. To commit adultery is for a married individual to have sexual relations with some person who is not his or her spouse. In the context the commandment is directed to men, and adultery was to have relations with another man’s wife or with a woman who was promised in marriage to another man (see 22.22-25).

In translation the prohibition should apply to both sexes. If an equivalent term cannot be found in a language, it may be necessary to say, for example, “You shall not sleep with someone else’s spouse.” Care must be taken not to use a term that is considered crude or vulgar; euphemisms or polite ways of referring to sexual intercourse can be readily found in most languages; and many languages have their own standard idioms or euphemisms for adultery.

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 .