The Hebrew text of this verse is very confused, and most English translations as well as the ancient versions have made some changes in order to make sense of it. Two textual problems exist: (1) The Hebrew has no negative and reads “If a Levite does redeem….” But the Latin adds the negation which may well have been a part of the original: “If a Levite does not redeem….” So Revised Standard Version has does not exercise his right of redemption. (2) Further in this same verse the Hebrew has “… a house and a town,” but the Greek version reads “a house in a town” (compare Revised Standard Version the house … in a city). The copyist must have become very tired while working on this verse and therefore made some mistakes. For this reason most modern versions have acknowledged the difficulties in the Hebrew text and have made both of the corrections suggested above.

If one of the Levites does not exercise his right of redemption: this phrase, corrected according to what the original is assumed to have been, is still subject to more than one interpretation. Good News Translation takes it to mean “If a house … is sold by a Levite and is not bought back….” But it is possible that by not accepting the first of the two suggested textual changes (the addition of the negative) to understand “If a Levite buys a house … and its original owner buys it back from him, it returns to the Levite in the Year of Jubilee” (Bible en français courant; see also Noth’s commentary, page 191). This solution has the advantage of making less changes in the Hebrew text and follows the recommendation of HOTTP (pages 201-202).

Shall be released in the jubilee: see verse 28.

Among the people of Israel: literally “among the sons of Israel.” But this may be better translated in this context “among the other Israelites.” This will avoid the danger of giving the impression to untrained readers that Levites were not Israelites.

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 .

As in the previous verse, the structure is somewhat complicated and should be simplified in translation. One possible model is “The more time (or, years) remaining (until the Year of Restoration), the greater the price; the less time remaining, the smaller the price, because what you are buying is the crops that the land will produce” (compare New English Bible).

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 .

The fields of common land belonging to their cities: this whole expression more than likely refers to the unenclosed pasture land surrounding the cities of the Levites.

Be sold: this passive will have to be translated actively in many languages. And this will require a restructuring of the verse. A possible model may be “No one can ever sell the pasture land…,” or “The Levites may never sell…,” or “No one may buy … from the Levites.”

It is their perpetual possession: that is, they do not have the right to sell this land even for a limited period of time. This may be expressed as “it must always belong to them,” or “it must remain permanently in the hands of the Levites,” or “it must always belong to the priestly family.” This is in contrast with their houses, which could be temporarily sold to persons outside the priestly class.

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 .

You shall have one law: it may be misleading in some languages to translate literally one law. The meaning is that the same set of laws cover both the foreigner (see 22.23) and the Israelite of pure descent. In many languages the collective singular use of law as well as of “foreigner” and native will be more naturally translated as a plural; for example, “the same laws.”

For I am the LORD your God: this gives the reason behind the application of the same law to all people. See 18.2.

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 .

This verse resumes the narrative of the half-Israelite who cursed God, where it was interrupted at the end of verse 14. It may be necessary in some languages to begin this verse by saying “After Moses had given the people of Israel these (general) rules….”

Him who had cursed: see verse 14.

Stoned him with stones: see 20.2 as well as verse 14.

Thus: or “by doing this.”

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 .

Six years …: it will be better in many languages to translate this phrase only once in this verse, even though the Hebrew repeats it. In some languages the repetition may even give the impression of two separate six-year periods. In other cases the repetition may simply be stylistically unacceptable. Note that Good News Translation has shifted this information to the end of the verse for the sake of naturalness in English.

You shall sow … prune … gather: the subject of these three verbs is singular in form (the pronoun you), but it is collective, and the meaning is plural. See 19.9. Instead of you shall …, some languages may prefer “you may…” (Moffatt, New Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible) or “it is acceptable to….”

Your field … your vineyard: the possessive pronouns are likewise singular in form but plural in meaning. And the singular field and vineyard are collective and should be translated as plurals, 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 .

A sabbath of solemn rest: see 16.31 and 23.3.

For the land: in some languages the verb “to rest” will be inappropriate to use with land. So it may be more natural to say something like “a year when the land is not cultivated at all.”

You: as in the previous verse, the pronouns here are singular but should be translated as plurals in most languages, since they refer to the whole people of Israel.

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 .