Verse 11 repeats the information given in verse 5 but in a slightly different form. While this verse has the priest in singular form, verse 5 has “Aaron’s sons” in the plural. In this verse the expression “one of the priests” may be used.

The most significant difference between verses 5 and 11 consists in the use of the word food (here and in verse 16a) along with the Hebrew term corresponding to offered by fire (see 1.9), translated together as “a food offering” in Good News Translation. In 21.22 the word rendered food here is translated “bread” in Revised Standard Version but refers to all that is not eaten by the lay persons; in other words, both the part offered to God as well as the part reserved for the priest(s). Perhaps it was under the influence of this understanding of the word that it came to be used here, even though God does not actually “eat” this food. The translator must avoid using a term that would give the impression that God actually partakes of the meal. See 1.9 and the remarks on the expression “offered by fire” in the introduction, “Translating Leviticus,” following the table of “The Sacrifices in Leviticus.”

As in verse 5 above, the pronoun it refers to all the items mentioned in the previous verses. So it is probably better translated “all this,” as in Good News Translation.

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 .