So Aaron took it as Moses said: The pronoun it refers to Aaron’s censer, which Good News Translation makes clear by saying “his fire pan.”

And ran into the midst of the assembly: The Hebrew word for assembly is qahal (see verse 3).

And behold, the plague had already begun among the people: The Hebrew word hinneh rendered behold precedes the same clause occurring at the end of the previous verse, as Aaron actually witnessed the disaster that was taking place among his people. A model of this clause that expresses well the idea of behold in this context is “Aaron saw for himself that the disaster had already started among the people.” The Hebrew term for people (ʿam) is different from the word for assembly (qahal), but it is apparently used here as a synonym with no difference in meaning.

And he put on the incense means that Aaron “put the incense on the coals” (Good News Translation), as instructed in the preceding verse. Rashbam, the Jewish medieval commentator, noted that incense, which causes death when handled by non-priests, puts a stop to death when it is in the hands of the LORD’s true priests.

And made atonement for the people: See the comments on verse 46.

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .