I turned and came down: or “I got up [see verse 12] and went down….” Yahweh is the center of focus, so in many languages Moses will “go” down the mountain away from Yahweh.

The mountain was burning with fire: that is, “The mountain was in flames” or “There was fire on the mountain.” This is possibly a way of describing a volcanic eruption (see 4.11).

The two tables of the covenant: see verse 11.

It is not necessary to say literally my two hands unless that is the natural way of referring to the hands. In some languages “both hands” will be the most natural way to say this. Good News Translation expresses the meaning well: “carrying the two stone tablets on which the covenant was written.” In languages that do not use the passive voice, we may say, for example, “carrying the two stone tablets on which Yahweh had written the covenant [or, Ten Commandments].”

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 .