You shall keep my statutes: this command points forward and thus begins a new paragraph or section in most modern versions. It stresses the importance of those rules which follow.

Keep …: see verse 3.

Cattle: the term is to be understood here in its most general sense, referring to all animals over which humans have control. Both Good News Translation and New American Bible rightly translate “domestic animals.”

Breed with: there will be a wide variety of ways of expressing the idea of mating animals. Some languages may use a causative form of the verb, meaning “cause to have intercourse” or “cause to meet together.” Others may say something like “allow to come together” or “permit to produce offspring (with a different kind).”

Different kind: literally “in two kinds.” This word is found only here (three times) and in Deuteronomy 22.9. It is not the same as in Genesis 1, “after its own kind (or, species).” But it is, for all practical purposes, the opposite of the Genesis expression, and so may be translated in a similar manner but with a negative. For example, “not after its own kind” or “not of the same species.”

Two kinds: the same word translated a different kind with regard to animals is used here with reference to seed and cloth material. This is not intended as a prohibition against mixing two varieties of the same kind of grain (as two types of corn), but rather against mixing two totally different grains.

Nor shall there come upon you: this is a roundabout way of saying “You must not wear…” or “Do not put on….” In most cases the more direct statement will be better.

Stuff: this word is used only here and in Deuteronomy 22.11. In the later passage it is defined as “wool and linen together.” This, then, is the source of the King James Version rendering. Many languages will have difficulty in finding such a general word for “material” or “fabric.” The word may also be understood in the sense of “thread” (New American Bible) or “yarn” (New English Bible). So it is possible to say “anything made of two different kinds of thread.”

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 .