When Aaron saw this is literally “And Aaron saw.” It is not clear what this refers to. New English Bible follows a different text, “Then Aaron was afraid,” but Revised English Bible has changed it to “Seeing this.” What it was that Aaron saw could be the bull-calf, or possibly what the people did. It seems strange to say that he saw the bull-calf, since he had just made it. Durham offers a possible solution, “When Aaron saw their reaction,” and Contemporary English Version has “When Aaron saw what was happening.” But Good News Translation omits the word saw as unnecessary and connects Aaron directly to the next verb, “Then Aaron built.”

He built an altar before it is literally “and he built an altar to its face.” This means, as Good News Translation puts it, that he “built an altar in front of the gold bull-calf.” (See the comment on altar at 17.15.) And Aaron made proclamation and said is literally “And Aaron called out and he said.” This means that he made a public announcement, so Good News Translation has “and announced.” The words and said are not necessary in translation if the word for made proclamation implies the same thing.

Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD is literally “a festival to Yahweh tomorrow.” The word for feast may suggest more than just eating; it implies a “procession,” or even “dancing.” So Good News Translation and New Revised Standard Version have “festival.” Contemporary English Version has “Tomorrow we will celebrate in honor of the LORD.” The same word is used in Moses’ demand to the Pharaoh (5.1) and again in reference to the Passover (12.14). (See the comment at 10.9.)

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .