Compare this verse with verse 4b.

The elders: in ancient times, as in many cultures today, age was thought to be a guarantee of wisdom. Consequently older persons were entrusted with greater responsibility within the community. In translation the accent should probably be placed on the position of leadership and authority these people held and not on the number of years they had lived. If in the receptor language these two ideas are synonymous as in ancient Israel, then elders will be a good translation. Otherwise it may be better to follow the Good News Translation model and translate something like “leaders.”

Lay their hands: see 1.4. The use of the plural hands follows the Hebrew and is used because there were several persons involved. But the parallels with verses 4, 24, 29, and 33 seem to indicate that each elder or leader placed only one hand on the head of the animal. Every language has its own way of clarifying such nuances. It is up to the translator to decide what is the most natural way of expressing this meaning.

Shall be killed: the Revised Standard Version rendering is passive in form, but literally the text has only a third person masculine singular. It says simply “he must kill (or, slaughter).” Some ancient versions have the plural “They must kill,” but the singular seems to fit better here. In those languages where the passive is not possible and an agent must be named, it is probably best to say “one of them [the elders] shall kill.” The expression “someone shall kill” is too vague and might give the impression that the person performing this action is from outside the group of Israelite leaders. Some have suggested that it was the High Priest who killed the animal, but this is unlikely since in the other paragraphs it is always the one who lays his hand on the head of the animal who then slaughters it. The High Priest appears in the ritual only in the following verse.

Before the LORD: see verse 4.

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 .