Marriages were arranged by the parents. The bride was the passive partner: she was “given” by her father to the groom, and was “taken” from her own father. Revised Standard Version here is a better representation of the Hebrew than Good News Translation: the giving and taking clauses are an explanation of the main verb, make marriages. In some cultures it may be impossible to represent this cultural element, and a general statement forbidding intermarriage will have to be satisfactory; for example, “and don’t let your sons and daughters marry any of them.”

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 .