The Levitical priests: see 17.9.

All Israel: that is, the people mentioned in verse 1.

Keep silence and hear: or “Be quiet and listen to me” (Contemporary English Version), or even “Give me your attention … and listen to me” (Good News Translation).

This day you have become the people of the LORD your God: this is the day on which Moses (and the elders) were speaking to the people in preparation for the crossing of the Jordan. This is covenant language (see 26.18).

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 repeats what was stated at length in 26.16-19.

Commandments and statutes: see 4.1, 2.

I command you this day: as in 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 .

For the curse: this may be rendered as “to listen to the curses” or “to hear how Yahweh will punish people.” Nova Tradução na Linguagem de Hoje rearranges the verse: “The curses will be pronounced from Mount Ebal, and there the following tribes will stand:….” For a comment on curse see 11.26. Or the full sentence may be alternatively rendered as “The tribes of … will go up and stand on Mount Ebal, where they will listen to the curses [or, hear how Yahweh will punish people].”

The six tribes on Mount Ebal, Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, have the names of sons of Leah (Reuben and Zebulun), of Bilhah, Rachel’s slave (Dan and Naphtali), and of Zilpah, Leah’s slave (Gad and Asher); see Gen 35.22-26. All of these tribes had their territory in the north of Israel or on the east side of the Jordan.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali will go up on Mount Ebal, where they will hear how Yahweh will punish 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 Levites: see 12.12. These are the men from the tribe of Levi who served in the tabernacle, not the whole tribe of Levi.

All the men of Israel: the Septuagint has “all Israel,” and New Revised Standard Version translates “all the Israelites.” Contemporary English Version has “all the rest of the people,” while Good News Translation omits the phrase altogether. To be consistent with verses 11 and 12, this should refer to all the people, not just to the males.

With a loud voice: because of the distances at that location, it would have to be a very loud voice! In some languages this will be made very clear with “will shout loudly.”

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 .

Cursed be the man: or “God will punish the person.” See also the comment on “curse” at 11.26.

A graven or molten image: see 4.16 and 9.12, 16; also 5.8; Exo 20.4. New International Version “carves an image or casts an idol” better represents the meaning than Revised Standard Version; Good News Translation also makes it quite clear: “makes an idol of stone, wood, or metal.” We may also say “makes a likeness of a false god out of stone, ….”

An abomination to the LORD: Good News Translation has “The LORD hates idolatry,” and Contemporary English Version has “The LORD is disgusted with idols.” See also 7.25.

Made by the hands of a craftsman: unless the language requires it, “the hands of” can be dispensed with in translation, since the maker (the man, or “anyone”) has been mentioned in the first sentence (see Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version).

Sets it up in secret: this does not mean that God’s curse will not apply if this is done in public. It is simply a way of stating the obvious: very few Israelites would worship idols publicly. Good News Translation “worships” emphasizes the reason why an Israelite would make an idol, and is a legitimate translation of the text.

All the people: this means the people of all twelve tribes, not only the six tribes on Mount Ebal.

Amen: a way of affirming the truth of the statement. Its sense is “So be it,” “It is so,” or “We agree!”

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 this curse, see 5.16; 21.18-21.

Dishonors is the exact opposite of “honor” in 5.16.

The Hebrew has the masculine he … his, but in this verse the general “person,” or the plural “persons,” or “all” (Contemporary English Version) may be used in translation. We should note, however, that in some of the other similar curses, the male Israelite is the subject (see verses 20, 22, 23).

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 this prohibition, see 19.14.

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 rule is not mentioned elsewhere in Deuteronomy; see Lev 19.14.

The sense of misleads in this context is quite plain: it means to give wrong directions to, or to provide false information. So Contemporary English Version has “anyone who tells blind people to go the wrong way.”

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 .