And the elders of Israel: see 5.23. Moses associates the elders with him, although he speaks on his own authority in the first person.

All the commandment: for commandment see 4.2; and for all the commandment see 5.31.

I command: Moses speaks in his own name.

This day: as often throughout these discourses. See 26.16.

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 .

Pass over the Jordan: that is, cross the river from the east side to the west side.

The land which the LORD your God gives you: a recurring statement (see 26.1).

Set up large stones: the text does not say how many stones; since all the words of this law (verse 3) were to be written on them, many would be required. Good News Translation has “some large stones.”

Plaster them with plaster: this would make it possible to write the laws on the stones, instead of having to carve them. Some suggest that this plaster was more in the nature of what is now called “whitewash” (New International Version). Whitewashing seems to have been practiced in Egypt. Contemporary English Version has “white plaster.” Other ways to express plaster them with plaster are “take lime and daub [or, cover] it over the stones,” or in cultures where lime or plaster are unknown, we may say “cover them with a white substance.”

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 .

All the words of this law: notice that Good News Translation has “all these laws and teachings” (see 1.5). This assumes that all the laws given in Deuteronomy have been recorded and assembled.

When you pass over: there is considerable repetition in verses 1-4; the crossing of the Jordan is mentioned three times, and in a number of languages this information may need be supplied only once (see the alternative translation model for verses 2-4 below).

A land flowing with milk and honey: see 6.3.

As the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you: that is, as the LORD promised their ancestors that he would give them and their descendants the land of Canaan (see 1.8; 26.15).

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 .

When you have passed over the Jordan: as in verses 2 and 3.

This day: as in verse 1.

Mount Ebal: in the hill country of Israel, some forty-eight kilometers (thirty miles) north of Jerusalem, near the city of Shechem. This verse appears to say that the people are to plaster the stones after setting them up on Mount Ebal. Since it would take several days for them to get to Mount Ebal, this verse does not agree with verse 1, in which the Israelites are told to set up the stones the day they cross the Jordan. Two different traditions have been brought together in this narrative.

Instead of Ebal Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers “Gerizim,” citing as justification the factor which it calls “interpretive modifications.” The Samaritan text has “Mount Gerizim,” which was the holy mountain of the Samaritans after the split between Samaritans and Jews in the fourth century B.C. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives its decision only a {D} rating, and the argument can go either way: it could be that the Samaritan text made the change, or the Masoretic text (the Hebrew text that has come down to us) may have made the change in the interests of the Jews. While several English translations have “Gerizim” in their footnotes, none of the most commonly used versions have it in the text. It is recommended that translators follow the Hebrew (Masoretic) Text.

The repetition in verses 2-4 will be unnatural in a number of languages. In such cases it will be better to combine these verses in a way similar to the following:

• Soon you will cross the Jordan River and enter the land that the LORD your God has promised to give you. He is the God your ancestors worshiped. It is a land full of cattle and crops [or, produce]. As soon as you enter the land, go to Mount Ebal. Set up some large stones there and cover them with lime [or plaster]. Then write on them all these laws and teachings.

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 .

There you shall build: the important thing about Mount Ebal is the altar, not the stones.

An altar of stones … lift up no iron tool on them: the altar is to be built with stones as they are found, without any work being done on them with iron tools to shape them. Another way to express this is “But don’t use stones that you have cut with iron tools.” For altar see 7.5.

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 .

An altar … of unhewn stones: this repeats verse 5 concerning the stones. To avoid unnecessary repetition we may follow Good News Translation, “because any altar you build for the LORD your God must be made of uncut stones,” or Contemporary English Version, “Look for stones that can be used without being cut.”

Burnt offerings: see 12.6.

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 .

Sacrifice peace offerings: these are sacrifices in which only part of the animal was burned on the altar; the rest was eaten by the worshipers. This sacrifice is not mentioned by name elsewhere in Deuteronomy (but see the comments on 12.27; also see Exo 20.34 and Lev 3.1-17). The purpose of the offering was to restore shalom or fellowship with someone else. Modern translations use different terms for it: Revised English Bible “shared-offering”; New Revised Standard Version “sacrifice of well-being”; Good News Translation “fellowship offering”; or we may say “offer sacrifices to restore fellowship with each other,” or even “kill animals before Yahweh to restore….”

For eat and rejoice see 26.11; Exo 32.6.

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 is a repetition of the first part of verse 3, with very plainly added. In order to avoid the appearance of unnecessary repetition, translators may use the following model:

• Don’t forget to write out a copy of these laws on the stones that you are going to set up. Make sure that the writing is easy to read.

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 .