He: since the pronoun refers to Aaron, this has been made clear in Good News Translation by the substitution of the noun for the pronoun. Other languages may find it necessary to make the same kind of adjustment.

Keep the lamps in order: this is exactly the same verb as used in the previous verse, but here Good News Translation uses two verbal expressions that are more general in meaning: “take care of … and must see that they burn….” This makes explicit what is implied in the verb in this context. In contrast with verses 2-3 above, the word lamps here is plural. The context shows quite clearly that what is referred to in this case are the lamps “on the lampstand.” This is probably something quite different from the single lamp mentioned earlier (verses 1-3) and should be clearly distinguished in the receptor language.

Lampstand: since there is no special word for lampstands in many cultures, this may have to be translated something like “lamp holder” or “thing on which lamps are placed.” It should perhaps be emphasized that this object did not hold candles but oil lamps.

Pure gold: the text literally says “a pure lampstand” (so New Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), which possibly refers to the sacred character or ritual cleanness of the lampstand without reference to the material of which it is made. New English Bible, for example, has “the lampstand, ritually clean….” But the majority of versions take it to mean “pure gold lampstand.” If the pure gold interpretation is followed, the idea of “purity” in this case may have to be expressed as “containing no other things” or “made of nothing but (gold).” And the word for gold may have to be borrowed in some languages. If this is the case, it should be explained in the glossary.

Continually: see verse 2.

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 .