He shall kill: literally “he shall slaughter.” While the general term kill is used by both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version, other translations seek to capture the special meaning of this word by using such terms as “slaughter” (New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version, and New Jerusalem Bible) or “immolate” (Jerusalem Bible). According to ancient Jewish custom, it was the lay person who offered the sacrifice that actually cut the throat of the animal. But in the ancient Greek translation rendering of this verse, and in 2 Chronicles 29.22-24, this rite is reserved for the priests. In Ezekiel 44.11 and 2 Chronicles 35.6 it is the responsibility of the Levites.
The bull: literally “a son of the herd.” See verse 2 on “herd” and “flock.” In expressions of this type the Hebrew word that usually means “son” or “child” expresses the idea of membership in a group. Compare the very frequent Old Testament expression “children of Israel,” which means simply “Israelites,” or the expression “son of a prophet,” indicating membership in a group of prophets (see, for example, 1 Kings 20.35 and Amos 7.14). The idea of youth (translated “young bull” in New International Version) is not an essential component of the meaning here. What is important in this context is that a male animal of the category of larger animals must be sacrificed.
Before the LORD: in this context the expression before the LORD refers to a particular place which is made clear in 17.3-5. In Good News Translation the adverb “there” simply refers to “at the entrance of the Tent of the LORD’s presence” in verse 3. A literal translation as in Revised Standard Version runs the risk of hiding from the reader the implied reference to the location at the entrance to the Tent. In some languages this may be translated “there in my presence,” if direct discourse is being used. It should be noted that the aspect of physical location is of less importance than the fact of the presence of the LORD.
Aaron’s sons the priests: the expression “sons of Aaron” may be understood in its more literal sense as referring to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, the four sons born of Aaron’s wife Elisheba (see Exo 6.23; Lev 10.1, 6). Or it may refer more generally to “members of the group of Aaron’s descendants” (see the explanation above on “son of the herd”). It is very likely that the more general meaning is to be understood here. In some languages it may be necessary to say “priests in the order of Aaron” or “Aaron’s descendants who serve as priests.” This expression also occurs in verses 8 and 11 of this chapter as well as in 2.2; 3.2; 7.35; 13.2; and 21.1. The plural “priests” occurs without mention of Aaron in 6.29; 7.6; 16.33; and 22.15. All other occurrences of the word (about 175 of them in Leviticus) are singular in form. In some cases there is no obvious reason for the selection of the plural form, but usually it appears where more general statements are being made.
The term priest may present special difficulties in some languages. The Levitical priests were representatives of the people, and thus their position involved great responsibility as well as honor and certain privileges. The primary duty of the priest was to serve as an intermediary between the LORD and his people. The means by which this was done was sacrifice. Thus in some languages this word has been translated “sacrificer” or “intermediary.” But care should be taken to avoid negative connotations of a word like “sacrificer.” If it evokes ideas of pagan sacrifice quite different from those of the people of Israel, then another term should be sought; for example, “one who offers gifts to God (for the people).”
Present the blood: the expression “to the LORD” is added in Good News Translation because it is implied in the original. The Hebrew verb may be understood in the more technical sense of making a ritual presentation, or in the general sense of “take” or “bring.” Probably this was a separate ritual act done before the blood was thrown on the altar. In some languages one may have to say “hold the blood up before the LORD” or something similar.
Throw the blood …: this is different from placing the blood on the corners of the altar (4.25). In this case the priest caught the blood in a container as it flowed from the arteries of the animal. According to later Jewish tradition it was then tossed against the northeast corner in order to cover the north and east sides. Next he threw the remainder against the opposite corner to cover the other two sides so that all four sides were covered. The use of the verb “sprinkle” (as in the King James Version, New American Standard Bible, and New International Version) is probably somewhat off the mark. But if throw implies indiscriminate or accidental scattering of the blood in the receptor language, it will be necessary to find a verb meaning “deliberately pour out.”
Round about: the word translated round about may be understood in the sense of “in the general vicinity” (as in Exo 7.24), but in this context it almost certainly has reference to the four sides of the altar. See the comments in the previous paragraph, which explains how this was done.
Altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting: the Hebrew word for altar comes from the verb “to slaughter.” Eventually, however, it took on a more general meaning that included any place where any kind of sacrifice was offered to God. There are two altars related to the Tent of the LORD’s presence: (1) the altar of sacrifice, which stood directly in front of the entrance to the Tent (Exo 27.1-8; 38.1-7), and (2) the altar of incense, which was inside the Tent just in front of the “Holy of Holies.” Some languages require completely different words for these two objects. In this verse it is clearly the altar of sacrifice that the writer has in mind. In some cases a descriptive phrase may be required: “the place where offerings are given to God” or “the table where sacrifices are burned for God.”
Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René and Ellington, John. A Handbook on Leviticus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1990. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .