Herds and flocks: although the plural is used in Revised Standard Version here, the words are the same as in 1.2, where they are translated as singular in form.

That pass under the herdsman’s staff: according to Jewish commentators, this expression is an allusion to the way in which animals were selected for the tithe. The animals were counted as they passed single file under the staff of the herdsman. Every tenth animal was marked with a red colored stick, to show that it had been chosen for the tithe. If this image can be retained in the receptor-language translation while at the same time clearly conveying the idea of counting, then this will probably be better. But the details of the actual procedure are less important than the fact that one of every ten animals was to be designated as belonging to the LORD. One possible formulation may be “When you count your animals, cattle, sheep or goats, every tenth animal must be marked as belonging to the LORD.”

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 .