Scatter you among the nations: the people of Israel will be separated from each other and settled in the lands of other peoples. Logically this should come after the statement that follows.

Unsheathe the sword after you: as in verses 6, 7, 8, and 25, the sword represents war as a whole. Good News Translation has switched the positions of these first two propositions, since it is more logical to think of war occurring before the people of Israel are scattered.

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 .