And this shall be the priests’ due: in verses 3-4 Moses says what the priests, the Levites, are to receive (their due) from the other Israelites.

From the people, from those offering a sacrifice: the second phrase defines more precisely the first one.

Ox or sheep: this is more accurately “cattle or sheep” (Good News Translation). The Hebrew term does not mean only a castrated bull, as ox often does in English; it means any member of the bovine (cattle) family. The first part of the verse may thus be expressed as “Whenever you sacrifice a cow or sheep, you must give the priests….”

The shoulder and the two cheeks and the stomach: the parts mentioned are fairly clear. The two cheeks are the jowls (or, more simply, Good News Translation “the jaw”); the stomach is more generally “the inner parts” (New International Version), that is, the internal organs.

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 .