I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt: see 11.45; 22.33; 25.38. Compare also 18.2.

Their slaves: the possessive idea is not made explicit in the Good News Translation translation. This is unfortunate, since this expression stands in contrast with “my slaves” in 25.55. In some cases this part of the verse may have to be restructured along the following lines: “I am the LORD your God, who freed you from slavery under the Egyptians and brought you out of their country.”

The bars of your yoke: the figurative use of the word yoke in Matthew 11.29-30 is well known. The term first occurs in the Bible in Genesis 27.40. Originally a yoke was a wooden frame placed over the necks of two animals to harness them for work. But it was also used on human beings when they were taken captive (Jer 28.10) or made slaves. It then became a symbol of the subjection and servitude of slaves. To break the bars of a yoke would mean to liberate the person or animal held by them. Good News Translation avoids the literal meaning and translates the figurative sense. This may also be good in many other languages. Compare Ezekiel 34.27b.

Made you walk erect: the removal of the object that holds a person in slavery allows him to walk uprightly. As the yoke is a symbol of servitude, its absence and the accompanying ability to walk with the head held high constitute a symbol of freedom and dignity. In some languages this may be rendered “let you to walk with your head up,” “enabled you to live without bowing down,” or “caused you not to have to submit to other people.”

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 .