And Moses took half of the blood refers to the blood of the animals that the young men slaughtered. And put it in basins refers to large metal “bowls” (Good News Translation) used for mixing food or wine. They were sometimes as large as sixteen inches in diameter, about eight inches deep, and had handles. How many of these basins were needed to hold half of the blood would depend, of course, on how many animals were slaughtered.

And half of the blood in the second clause refers to “the other half” (Good News Translation), which probably was measured out as each animal was killed. Instead of half and half, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh has “one part” and “the other part.” He threw against the altar is literally “he sprinkled upon the altar,” but the verb may be interpreted as “dashed” (New Revised Standard Version), “splashed” (New American Bible), or “flung” (Revised English Bible). Probably the blood was sprinkled on top of the altar and “dashed” (New Revised Standard Version) against its sides. (See 29.16 in Good News Translation.)

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .