But: again it is necessary to mark the contrast between what may be eaten and what is forbidden (see verse 4).

The threefold repetition of in the waters in addition to in the seas or the rivers will certainly be too awkward to be included in most receptor languages. Good News Translation provides a good model for reducing the redundancy while retaining the meaning.

That has not fins and scales: presumably the prohibition would include sea creatures lacking either fins or scales. So in some languages it may be more appropriate to translate the conjunction and as “or.”

Swarming creatures … living creatures: the creatures that live in the water are divided into two groups: “swarming things” and “others.” The first term is used in 5.2 and 7.21, but the contexts in those two cases are different since the creatures do not necessarily live in water. The fundamental meaning seems to be “that which cannot be numbered,” either because of their small size or their great number. So it is used here to designate small sea creatures, but in verse 20 it refers to “insects,” and in verse 29 to “creepers” or small animals (such as rats, mice, moles, and lizards). The second term is used here to refer to larger sea creatures. New English Bible translates “small creatures in shoals and larger creatures,” while New Jerusalem Bible has “all the small water creatures and all the living things found there.”

An abomination: this corresponds to the statement in the above verses, “they are unclean to you,” but it is even stronger. The main component of meaning in this word is the idea of aversion or disgust. The unacceptable water creatures were to be held in contempt by the faithful Jew and were not to be touched. The Good News Translation translation “must not be eaten” is a bit weak. Translators may consider “should be strictly avoided” or “must be seen as disgusting.” New Jerusalem Bible says “you will regard as detestable,” while New American Bible has “are loathsome for you.”

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 .