The Hebrew text leaves implicit the transmission of an order by Aaron which would fill a logical gap. In verse 3 Aaron is told to give certain instructions to the people of Israel, and verse 5 shows that this has been done. If the structure of the receptor language normally requires this intermediate step to be made explicit, it will be legitimate to include it in the translation. This may be done by adding at the end of verse 4, following the quotation, “and he did so,” or “so he told them,” or something similar. But this is recommended only where the receptor language will be unclear or unnatural without it.

They: the pronoun here is impersonal and indefinite. In some languages a passive may be more natural: “The things Moses ordered were taken to the front of the Tent….”

Before the tent of meeting: the animals required were to be brought forward “to the front of the Tent.”

Tent of meeting: see 1.1.

All the congregation: this indicates the entire community and may be better translated in some languages as “all the Israelites” or “all the people of Israel.”

Drew near and stood before the LORD: implicit in this statement is the purpose of approaching the LORD. It was in order to worship him. This information may have to be made explicit in some languages, as the Good News Translation model indicates.

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 .