They would turn away your sons from following me: the reason for the ban on intermarrying with these pagans is that the Israelite husband would be led by his pagan wife and her family to worship their god, thus forsaking Yahweh. To “follow” means to worship and to be faithful to. Since verse 3 refers to both sons and daughters, an alternative model is “If you do, these people will lead your children away from the LORD to worship…” (similarly Good News Translation).

From following me: even though the text does not indicate that this is a quotation of Yahweh’s words, me is not Moses here, but Yahweh (see Good News Translation).

To serve other gods: in this context it means not only worship but also obedience to the laws and rules of the pagan religion. So it may be expressed as “worship and serve other gods.” For gods see 3.24.

The anger of the LORD would be kindled against you: see 6.15.

Destroy: this translates a verb different from the one in 6.15 and the one in 7.10; but the meaning is the same. The Septuagint uses the same Greek verb to translate all three different Hebrew verbs.

Quickly: God would destroy them at once, without delay.

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 .

Following the prohibition to intermarry comes the command to destroy the idols and places of worship of the peoples of Canaan.

Break down their altars: altars, on which sacrifices were offered, were made of stone and dirt. Many modern cultures have similar elevated structures for sacrificing animals and offering gifts to a deity. Sometimes this is a stone or wood platform or table. Terms for such structures may be used here. However, in cultures where altars are unknown, we may say, for example, “place [or, platform] for sacrificing animals.”

Dash in pieces their pillars: these pillars were made of stone, erected near the shrines of Baal, the chief god of the Canaanites. Such pillars were symbols of this god. Good News Translation has “sacred stone pillars.” An alternative model may be “stone pillars dedicated to the male god Baal.”

Hew down their Asherim: these were wooden poles, dedicated to Asherah, the goddess of fertility and the partner or female counterpart of Baal. Good News Translation has “cut down their symbols of the goddess Asherah”; but Contemporary English Version is clearer, with “cut down the poles that they use in worshiping the goddess Asherah.” “Goddess” may also be rendered as “female god.”

Burn their graven images: these were wooden idols. For graven images see also 4.16.

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 .

This verse offers the reason for Yahweh’s commands. It is better to keep it in the same paragraph with verses 1-5, as Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version do.

Here the Hebrew text switches from the second person plural of address to the second singular, but in some languages translators may need to keep the plural pronoun.

You are a people holy to the LORD your God: the adjective holy means being the exclusive possession of Yahweh their God, and thus complete dedication to him. Holiness is not primarily moral and spiritual purity; it is total commitment to the exclusive worship and service of God. So Good News Translation has “Do this because you belong to the LORD your God,” and Contemporary English Version has “Israel, you are the chosen people of the LORD your God.”

God has chosen you: the initiative is God’s, not Israel’s. The verb has the sense of choosing from among several options: out of all the peoples.

For his own possession: this is the meaning of holiness, “belonging exclusively to God.”

On the face of the earth: it is not necessary to reproduce the Hebrew figure “face of the earth”; it is enough to say “all the world,” or “the whole earth” (see 6.15).

New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh offers a good model for this verse:

• You are a people consecrated to the LORD your God; of all the peoples on earth the LORD your God chose you to be His treasured people.

However, in languages that do not use the passive voice, we may translate

• Israel, you belong to the LORD your God. There are many nations [or, peoples] in the world, but he chose only you to be his special people.

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 Israelites were not chosen because they were more in number than other peoples; on the contrary, they were the fewest in number. This may not literally have been the case; it is a way of pointing out that they were an insignificant people, of little power and no prestige.

The LORD set his love on you: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and New Revised Standard Version have “set his heart on you,” which is a more natural expression in English. The verb means “desire” or “want.” The Septuagint translates with a verb that means “prefer,” “choose.”

And chose you: this additional verbal phrase may be joined to the previous one, as follows: “he decided you were the people he wanted, and so he chose you,” and the whole verse may be restructured as follows:

• The LORD [or, Yahweh] decided that you were the people he wanted, and chose you. This was not because you had more people [or, were more numerous] than any other nation. Actually you were the smallest nation on earth.

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 loves you: the Hebrew verb here is different from the one in verse 7. For love in this sense see 4.37.

Is keeping the oath which he swore to your fathers: see this language in 1.8. To “swear an oath” is to make a solemn promise, that is, to make a promise and bind it with a vow or pledge. Your fathers are the ancestors, particularly the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For fathers or “ancestors” see 1.8. An alternative translation model for the first part of this verse is “The LORD loves you and wants to keep the solemn promise that he made to your ancestors.”

Brought you out with a mighty hand: see 4.34. This contrasts well with from the hand of Pharaoh at the end of the verse.

For the house of bondage see 5.6.

Pharaoh king of Egypt: here the title Pharaoh is used as a proper name (see also 11.3). For king see 1.4.

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 .

Know therefore: the force of the Hebrew verb is “Keep in mind,” “Do not forget,” and this is what Good News Translation “Remember” is intended to mean. Other possible translations are “You must think about this carefully,” “You must understand,” or even “Be sure in your minds.”

The LORD your God is God: this seems to mean that only Yahweh, the God of the Israelites, is God; none of the deities worshiped by the pagans is God. New Jerusalem Bible translates “the true God” (similarly Contemporary English Version); Good News Translation “the only God”; New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “only the LORD your God is God.”

The faithful God: this stresses the fact that Yahweh keeps his promises; he does not abandon his people if they remain faithful to him. An alternative way to render this is “You can trust him to keep….”

Keeps his covenant and steadfast love: for covenant see 4.13; steadfast love, 5.10. New Revised Standard Version joins the two terms, “maintains covenant loyalty,” but the phrase “covenant loyalty” is not simple or easy to translate. An alternative model is the following: “He will keep his covenant [or, agreement] and always loves those….”

Those who love him and keep his commandments: Israel’s love for Yahweh is shown by faithful obedience to his laws. Since this is referring to Yahweh’s love for Israel, translators may change those to “you [plural]” (see Contemporary English Version).

For a thousand generations: this modifies the expression of God’s faithful love for his people. It is an expansion of 5.10 “thousands.” In practical terms it means “forever,” “for all time.” The translation of generations may be difficult, as well as the representation of the number a thousand. It may be necessary to say, simply, “God does not change, and he keeps on loving his people forever.”

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• I want you [plural] to understand that Yahweh the God you worship is the true God. If you love him and obey his commands, you can trust him always to keep his covenant with you and to love you.

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 .

And requites to their face … by destroying them: this is not natural English. New Revised Standard Version “repays in their own person” is better, but Revised English Bible is even better: “he repays with destruction.” We can say something like “pays them back by destroying them,” “punishes them with destruction,” or “punishes them by destroying them.”

Those who hate him: see the same expression, with the same meaning, in 5.9. Here New Revised Standard Version has “reject,” and Revised English Bible “defy and reject,” which may serve as good models.

The second part of the verse is practically redundant, but it is better to keep the redundancy, if it is emphatic, as in Hebrew. The Hebrew text switches from the plural to the singular person of address.

He will not be slack: this means he will not hesitate (Good News Translation), he will not be slow, he will not delay. Contemporary English Version has “He will quickly destroy you.”

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 .

Therefore refers to the statement about God in verses 9-10.

Be careful to do: see 6.3.

For the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, see 6.1.

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 .