This verse seems to contradict verse 24, but in fact verse 24 provides only a rare exception to the rule. Moses and the other Israelites did in fact survive, after Yahweh had spoken to them on that occasion, but normally people could hardly hope to escape death.

Who is there of all flesh: the literal translation of the Hebrew is not normal English idiom; Good News Translation is better, “Has any human being….” The Hebrew phrase translated all flesh means here the entire human race, all humanity (in some other contexts it means all living creatures). Another possible translation is “Was there ever any person who…?” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “What mortal…?”

The form of the Hebrew is a rhetorical question, whose expected answer is negative, “No one.” It may be better in some languages to use a direct emphatic statement: “Nobody ever … and has survived,” “There has never been a person who … and has survived.”

The living God: this title contrasts Yahweh with the gods of other peoples, gods who were powerless, dead, lifeless idols. A translation may bring this out by translating “The only living God.” This contrasts well with human “flesh,” mortal humankind.

As we have indicates that the elders are saying that they and the other Israelites are the only people in the world who have ever heard God speak and survived. They are the exception to the rule, but they don’t want to go through the experience again.

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 .

Go near, and hear … and speak to us: they ask Moses to act as an intermediary, believing, as they do, that he will not die from such a close encounter with Yahweh. Good News Translation has “Go back, Moses, and listen to everything…”; or we may say “Moses, you [singular] go up close and listen….”

And speak to us: Moses must go up the mountain and listen to the LORD, and then return to tell the people what he said. So it will be good for translators to indicate this; for example, “Then return and tell us” (Good News Translation).

We will hear and do it: the people’s spokesmen pledge the people to obey God’s commands.

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 .

Moses now recounts what Yahweh said to him (verses 28b-31). In Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation Yahweh’s words are enclosed within single quotes, since they are a second level of direct speech. See the comments at the beginning of chapter 5.

Notice the redundancy in the Hebrew text: “your words, when you spoke to me”; “I have heard the words … that they have spoken to you”; “all that they have spoken.” Good News Translation has removed most of the redundancy: “When the LORD heard this, he said to me.” In some languages it will be desirable to keep the redundancy as giving a feeling of solemnity to the text.

They have rightly said all that they have spoken: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “They did well to speak thus”; Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “Everything they have said is right”; New Jerusalem Bible “Everything they have said is well said.”

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 .

Oh that they had such a mind in them always: the Hebrew expression is in the form of a question: “Who will give…?” (meaning “If only there were…!”). This expresses a wish: “May they always be of such a mind” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh); “If only their heart were always so” (New Jerusalem Bible); “Would that they may always be of a mind” (Revised English Bible); “I wish that their hearts [or, minds] were always like this”; or even “I wish that they would always think like this.” In this passage mind translates the Hebrew word for “heart,” meaning here the people’s attitude or resolve.

To fear me: see 4.10.

Keep all my commandments: see 4.2.

That it might go well with them and their children forever: see 4.40; 5.16. We should note that the initial it is used idiomatically and does not refer back to anything earlier in the text. We can readily substitute “everything” (Good News Translation) or “things.” Here children means “descendants.” Another model for this final sentence is “Then they and their descendants would always enjoy a successful life.”

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 .

In this verse Yahweh tells Moses what to say to the people. If the order is given in direct speech, as it is in Revised Standard Version, double quotes enclose the quotation; but an indirect statement may be used, as in Good News Translation, in which case no quotation marks are necessary. Since the command is such a brief one (Return to your tents), Good News Translation may well be followed in most languages. As a general rule, however, each language should do what is natural and easily understood, both by the reader and by those who hear the text being read.

Return to your tents: the people are ordered to disperse, each family going to its own tent (1.27). In some languages the more general “Go back home” may be better.

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 .

Stand here by me: that is, “Stay with me,” “Stay by my side.” Such human language does not mean that Yahweh was a being with a (human) body.

All the commandment: this is a strange singular form, with the accompanying plural forms. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh takes the singular to be inclusive, translating “the whole Instruction—the laws and the rules—” (see also 11.22). This is possible, and a translator may choose to do the same. Most translations, like Good News Translation, translate the commandment (4.2) as plural, in conformity with the plurals the statutes and the ordinances (4.1): “all my laws or commands,” or as Contemporary English Version translates, “my laws and teachings.”

Which you shall teach them: it will be helpful in many languages to begin a new sentence here as Good News Translation does: “Teach them to the people, so that….”

That they may do them: this may be understood to mean that God is giving the people permission to obey his laws. It is better to follow Good News Translation: “so that they will obey them.”

The land which I am giving them to possess: the land of Canaan; for the language see 1.8; 3.18; 4.1.

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 .

Yahweh’s speech has ended and Moses is again speaking to the Israelites. This should be indicated in translation; for example, “Moses spoke to the Israelites again, saying….”

Be careful to do: see 5.1. Strict obedience is demanded, without any deviation from Yahweh’s commands.

Not turn aside to the right hand or to the left: the path to be followed is straight. The sense is “Never fail to do exactly what God commands” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), or “Be careful to obey all his laws,” or even “Do not disobey any of his laws” (Good News Translation). See the idiom also in 17.11, 20.

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 .

You shall walk in all the way: this is a biblical idiom, meaning to live as God requires, obeying the commandments, statutes, and ordinances as given through Moses. If the figure walk in the way or “walk your lives in the way” is kept, the verb that follows should be “that the LORD your God has shown [or indicated, or traced] for you.” New Jerusalem Bible has “has marked for you.”

It may go well with you: see verse 29.

You may live long in the land: see 4.40; 5.16.

Which you shall possess: see 1.8.

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 .