Takes: this is probably to be understood as meaning “marries” (New International Version and New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation) or “takes as his wife.” Wenham, however, suggests “cohabits with.” See 18.17, 18.

Wickedness: see 18.17.

Burned with fire: the redundancy may be reduced by omitting with fire. It may also be important in some languages to indicate clearly that the purpose of the burning is to put the guilty person to death (Good News Translation “burned to death”). One should not give the impression that this is merely a painful means of corporal punishment. Some may prefer to say “they shall burn them alive” or “they shall kill them with fire.” See 6.30.

They … both he and they: the pronouns here ultimately refer to all three parties involved in the affair: the man, his wife, and his mother-in-law.

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 .