Shall lay both his hands: in many languages it is unnecessary and even awkward to introduce the term both when the plural for hands is used. But in other cases it is possible to use the word for emphasis. Naturalness in the receptor language will determine what the translator does in this case. It should be remembered, however, that the usual practice was to put only one hand on the head of the sin offering (see 4.4). So some kind of emphasis is desirable if it can be done naturally in the language of translation.

The live goat: it may be unnecessary in some languages to repeat the word live if one says “that goat [already referred to in verse 20]” or simply “the goat,” using the definite article.

Confess: if the usual term for this is a technical term which may have undesirable connotations, a similar term may be used, such as “recite,” “admit,” or “list.” See 5.5.

Iniquities … transgressions … sins …: in the following verse these three terms are summarized with the single word “iniquities.” They are practically synonymous here but should be translated as separate words if the receptor language has the resources to do so. See verse 16.

Put them upon the head of the goat: in some languages it may be better to omit the reference to the head of the animal, since it is the whole animal that goes away into the desert. But the more difficult problem is to understand how, or in what sense, the sins of the people can be transferred to the goat. It may be necessary to say something like “assigning them to the goat,” or “passing them on to the goat,” or “transmitting them to the goat.” In some languages a careful choice of expression for confess may help clarify the idea of a transfer of guilt.

And send him away …: instead of the conjunction and, it may be more understandable if a stronger transition word such as “then” or “next” is used in this context. The verb used here has been understood to mean “driven off” (Good News Translation) or “lead away” (compare An American Translation). But the verb “to send” seems out of place here. According to Jewish tradition the goat is taken to the top of a high cliff or ledge and then pushed off in order that it might be killed. This would imply the presence of someone leading the animal up to the last moment.

By the hand of a man who is in readiness: specific reference to the hand is not necessary and may even be misleading in some languages. The point is that a particular person was designated in advance to be the one who would lead or drive the animal out into the desert. One may translate “by the person appointed (or, chosen) for the task.”

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 .