Verses 20-25 are a confession of God’s mighty acts of salvation on behalf of his people. This is in the form of a creed which fathers are to repeat to their children for all generations to come.

In the interests of inclusiveness, Good News Translation (second edition), Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh have “your children,” instead of the exclusive masculine your son. New Jerusalem Bible uses the singular, “your child asks … tell your child.” It could be, however, that in the context of the writing of the book this actually refers to a ceremony in which the (older) son would ask his father this question, and the father would answer. But it seems better to make the text inclusive.

In time to come (Good News Translation, “In times to come”) may also be rendered as “some day” or “sometime,” or “in the future.”

The question What is the meaning of…? means “Why did God give you these…?” or “For what reason did God give you…?”

The testimonies: see 4.45; the statutes and the ordinances: 4.21.

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 .

Then you shall say to your son: Good News Translation has “Then tell them,” or more simply “Then you will answer” (Contemporary English Version).

We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt: Pharaoh is not a proper name but a title, which is why Good News Translation has “the king of Egypt.” For slaves see 5.6, and for “king” see 1.4.

The LORD brought us out of Egypt: for the verb “bring out” see 4.20.

With a mighty hand: this means by force, by means of great strength (as in 4.34). (The Septuagint has “a mighty hand and an outstretched arm,” as the Hebrew text has in 4.34.)

The final part of the verse may also be rendered as “Yahweh used his great power to bring us out of Egypt.”

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 .

For statutes see 4.1; fear, 4.10.

For our good always: this is the purpose of strict obedience to God’s commands; good here includes material prosperity and security. This clause can be joined to the next, that he might preserve us alive, as New International Version has done: “that we might always prosper and be kept alive”; see also New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “for our lasting good and for our survival,” and Contemporary English Version “If we do, the LORD will always protect us and help us to be successful.”

As at this day: the security and prosperity they now enjoy will last forever—if they obey Yahweh’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 .

It will be righteousness for us: the noun righteousness here can be understood in two different ways (note the alternative translation given in Good News Translation):
(1) The people’s merit, God’s approval of them. So Good News Translation has “God will be pleased with us,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “it will be to our merit before the LORD our God,” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “our lives will be pleasing to him,” and New Revised Standard Version “we will be in the right.”
(2) The people’s conduct. New Jerusalem Bible has “For us, right living will mean this,” Bible en français courant “our conduct will be according to God’s will,” and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible “We will be righteous if we…” (with a footnote indicating that this is the kind of conduct that leads God to approve the person and receive that person as his friend).

It is hard to decide which of these is the better rendering; a translator should feel free to choose either one, and perhaps include an alternative rendering in a footnote.

All this commandment: see 5.31.

For the rest of the verse, see 6.1.

Alternative models illustrating interpretation (2) are as follows:

• We will live [or, walk] our lives according to God’s will, if we faithfully obey everything that he has commanded us.

• If we faithfully obey everything that God has commanded us, we will be living our lives as he wants us to.

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 .

With the beginning of a new chapter and section, Moses may need to be reintroduced as the speaker; for example, “Moses said to the people of Israel:….”

Verses 1-2 are one sentence, and some restructuring may be required, such as Good News Translation has done.

Brings: or “takes” (see 6.10).

Take possession: see 2.12.

Clears away many nations before you: see 4.38. The verb means “expel,” “drive out” (Revised English Bible, Good News Translation, New International Version). For before you Good News Translation has “as you advance.” The many nations are seven in number; the list here is complete.

Seven nations greater and mightier than yourselves: greater means larger in number of population, and mightier (Note Exo 1.9) refers to the combined strength of a large population rather than the physical strength of each individual.

The meaning and origin of the names of these seven nations are matters of dispute among scholars. Some of these groups are said to have been descended from Noah’s son Ham (Gen 10.6, 15-19), but the Handbook does not recommend that they appear as “the descendants of….” The Jebusites are identified as the inhabitants of Jebus, that is, Jerusalem (Josh 15.8, 63), and so can be called “the people who lived in [the city of] Jebus.” The Canaanites can also be called “a people who lived in [the land of] Canaan.” It seems, however, that the best translation of all seven of these names is “the people called ‘Hittites’ ” and so on, transliterating the proper names in accordance with the rules of the target language.

In restructuring the text, the information about the seven nations may be placed nearer to the beginning of the verse, as follows:

• The LORD your God is going to take you into the land that you will possess. Seven nations that have more people and are stronger than you live in that land: the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. As you advance [into the land] God will drive them all out.

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 .

The LORD your God gives them over to you: the meaning is better expressed by “delivers them into your power” (Revised English Bible), or “lets you have power over them.” The Israelites will fight those nations, but it is God who will give them the victory.

Gives them … and you defeat them: the two events are one action. Instead of the time clause When …, it may be better to restructure as follows: “The LORD your God will deliver them into your power and you will defeat them. When this happens….”

Utterly destroy them: this is the word appropriate to a holy war; see its use in 2.34.

Make no covenant with them: the Israelites are forbidden to make any kind of alliances or treaties with these pagan peoples. Contemporary English Version has “Don’t make any peace treaties with them.”

Show no mercy to them: and the Israelites are to be completely ruthless as they kill off these people. The book of Deuteronomy is rich in the vocabulary of slaughter and destruction. This clause may be combined with the clause you must utterly destroy them; for example, “you must show them no mercy, but destroy them completely,” or “Then you must destroy them without mercy” (Contemporary English Version).

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 .

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 .