If you have no delight in her: that is, “if she doesn’t please you any longer,” “if you lose your desire for her,” or “if you no longer want to have sex with her.”

You shall let her go: the Hebrew verb is used in the context of divorce in 22.19, 29 (Contemporary English Version “you can divorce her”). Other ways to express “divorce her” are “send her away,” or perhaps “return her to her own people.”

Where she will: this is important; she’s a free (Israelite) woman, and no restrictions are placed on her freedom to go anywhere she wants to.

You shall not sell her for money: in Hebrew the verb form is emphatic.

You shall not treat her as a slave: the Hebrew verb is used only here and in 24.7, and its precise meaning is disputed. Revised English Bible has “treat her harshly,” New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “enslave her,” and Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje “mistreat her.” Some commentators take the meaning to be “treat her as merchandise.” It seems best to follow Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation here. For slave see 5.6.

You have humiliated her: as Good News Translation makes clear, this refers to his having had intercourse with her; she had no choice in the matter and was forced to have sex with him. Contemporary English Version has “But you have slept with her as your wife.”

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 on the day may also be expressed as “when,” or even “later, when…” (Contemporary English Version).

When he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons: here the Good News Translation translation “children” for sons is not exact. The daughters play no role in the distribution of the man’s estate; the assumption is that daughters get married and so will be taken care of by their husbands. An alternative model for this first sentence is “Later, when the man divides the property among his sons, ….”

In preference to: this translates a Hebrew idiomatic phrase, “over the face of,” which indicates preference (also in 5.7). This final sentence may also be expressed as “he is not to show partiality to the son of his favorite wife by giving him the share that belongs to the first-born son.”

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 .

He shall acknowledge the first-born: in Hebrew this is the main clause. To keep the meaning of the whole verse clear, Good News Translation has reordered the clauses and made them into separate sentences. In this context acknowledge means to show that the son of the wife who is not his favorite is indeed the first-born, and his rights will be respected.

By giving him a double portion of all that he has: the oldest son was given twice the amount of his father’s property, compared to what was given to each of his younger brothers (or, brother).

He is the first issue of his strength: there may be some cultures in which there is an appropriate way to express this (as in the Hebrew culture), but this is not the case in those cultures whose language is English. All English language translations are artificial and awkward: New International Version “That son is the first sign of his father’s strength”; Revised English Bible “the firstfruits of his manhood”; New Jerusalem Bible, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “the first fruits of his vigor.” Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version omit this clause as too repetitive, and other translators should do this, unless their language has an idiom similar to the Hebrew.

An alternative translation model combining verses 16 and 17 is the following:

• Later, when the man divides the property among his sons, he must give a double share to his first-born son, even though he is not the son of his favorite wife.

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 .

Take hold of: this does not necessarily mean to conduct him as a prisoner to the place of judgment, but simply to take him there (Good News Translation “take him before”).

The elders of his city: see verse 6. As in other passages in Deuteronomy, city should be “town” (see 1.1, 28).

At the gate of the place where he lives: this refers to the open space in the town, near the gate in the town wall, where legal and commercial matters were settled (see 22.15; 25.7; Ruth 4.1-2, 15; Amos 5.10, 12, 15).

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 .

Is stubborn and rebellious: the same words used in verse 18.

He will not obey our voice: as in verse 18.

A glutton and a drunkard: see the same phrase in Pro 23.20-21. Some take the Hebrew noun translated glutton to mean “spendthrift” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “wastrel” (Revised English Bible); New International Version has “profligate”; Good News Translation has “wastes money and is a drunkard.” There is no way to be sure which is better; a term like glutton fits in nicely with drunkard; a glutton is someone who eats too much food, while a drunkard is someone who drinks too much wine. If there aren’t exact technical terms available, we may translate “He eats too much food and drinks too much wine.”

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 .

Stone him to death: this is the action commanded (see 13.10).

Purge the evil from your midst: the effect of taking the action (see verse 9).

All Israel shall hear, and fear: the result (see 13.11).

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 .

Shall not remain all night: that is, the body is to be removed before sunset of that same day (see Josh 8.29; 10.27); “Be sure to bury him that same day” (New International Version). Good News Translation has “it [the body] is not to remain there overnight,” and Contemporary English Version “you must not let it hang there overnight.”

You shall bury him the same day: the Hebrew is emphatic, using the compound form of the verb. Another way of emphasizing this is “He must be buried the same day.”

Accursed by God: not because the body is impaled on a stake, but because it is the body of a criminal put to death for his (or her) crime. The translation should not suggest that God curses the corpse; rather, this is a strong expression for something that is an offense or abomination to God. Good News Translation has “because a dead body hanging on a post brings God’s curse on the land” (similarly Contemporary English Version). “Brings God’s curse upon” may be transformed to “causes God to curse the land,” or even “makes God say, ‘May the land become cursed [or, unclean].’ ” (In Gal 3.13 Paul applies this verse to Christ’s crucifixion.)

Defile the land: that is, render it unfit for the worship of the God of Israel.

Your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance: see verse 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 .

Verses 1-4 deal with a single theme: providing help to a fellow-Israelite in case his animals wander off or lie helpless on the ground (see Exo 23.4-5, where the same kind of help is to be given to an enemy). In all these verses brother (also New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) is a “fellow Israelite” (Good News Translation, Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje), or “fellow countryman” (Revised English Bible, BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant); New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh “your fellow” is not natural, and New Revised Standard Version “your neighbor” carries the wrong meaning.

If this is the beginning of a new section, Moses should be reintroduced as the speaker.

You shall not see … and withhold: it is better to structure as Good News Translation does, “If you see … do not ignore it.”

You: in the nature of the case, this is singular; so Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “one of you.”

Ox: Good News Translation “cow” seems better in referring to cattle as a class (bovines). For “cow” see 5.14.

Sheep: the Hebrew term may apply to the young of sheep or goats; so Bible en français courant has “goat or sheep.” For sheep see 17.1.

Go astray: that is, the animal has wandered off. Contemporary English Version has “wandering around lost.”

Withhold your help: as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, this translates the Hebrew “hide yourself.” In English other ways to say this are “do not ignore it” (Good News Translation, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version) and “you must not disregard it” (New Jerusalem Bible); other possible translations are “don’t act as though you didn’t see it” (Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje); “don’t pass by unconcernedly” (BÍBLIA para todos Edição Comum).

Take them back: since the likelihood is that it is one animal or the other, not both an ox and a sheep, it is better to use the singular “it.”

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 .