So the LORD said to Aaron: The conjunction So renders well the Hebrew waw connector here (literally “And”), since the LORD is responding to the fearful cry of the Israelites in 17.12-13. This is the first time the LORD addresses only Aaron in this book (see the introductory comments on this section).

You and your sons and your fathers’ house with you …: In this context the Hebrew word for house refers to an extended family, which includes three or four generations (see 1.2). If house or a similar metaphorical term can be kept in the translation, fathers’ may be rendered “ancestral” (New Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society Version). The Hebrew word for fathers’ is actually singular, so it should be rendered “father’s” (New International Version). “Your father’s house” (English Standard Version) refers to the extended family of which Aaron is himself a member. A number of translations understand this phrase to refer to the descendants of Levi as a whole (the founding father of the tribe of Levi); for example, Dutch Common Language Version says “the other members of the tribe of Levi,” Bible en français courant has “your brothers of the tribe of Levi,” and Good News Bible translates “the Levites.” But the Hebrew text mentions them only in verse 2. Rashi, the Jewish medieval commentator, noted that “your father’s house” refers specifically to the descendants of Kohath, the Levite clan that was responsible to carry the most holy objects (see 3.27-31; 4.1-20). Aaron and his sons were members of this clan. A good model for this phrase is “the members of your father’s clan” (similarly Revised English Bible). If an explicit name is really needed here, translators should refer to the clan of Kohath, not to the tribe of Levi; for example, Contemporary English Version has “the other Levites of the Kohath clan.”

Shall bear iniquity in connection with the sanctuary is literally “shall carry guilt of the sanctuary,” which may be rendered “must carry the consequences of any offense [that occurs] in connection with the sacred place” (similarly Chewa), “are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the sanctuary” (New International Version), or “are now responsible for any wrongs done against the Holy Place” (NCV). One such offense would be that others come too close to the sanctuary (so Contemporary English Version footnote), while another would be the unauthorized handling of sacred objects, which had happened in the events recorded in chapter 16. The Hebrew word for sanctuary is miqdash. Here the term is usually taken to refer to the Tabernacle, so De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling says “holy place,” and Good News Bible has “Tent of my presence,” which is another way to highlight its holiness. The word miqdash also occurs in 3.38 and 10.21. In 3.38 it refers to the Holy Place of the Tabernacle, while in 10.21 it refers to the Tabernacle’s sacred objects, which were to be carried by the Kohathite clan of the Levites. Like most translations of 18.1, Nouvelle Bible Segond has “sanctuary,” but a footnote mentions that “sacred objects” is another possible translation, as in 10.21. In this context miqdash may refer to both the sanctuary and its sacred objects. The Levites, let alone lay people, were not to intrude upon this sacred space where only the Aaronic priests could go.

And you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity in connection with your priesthood: You and your sons with you refers to Aaron and his own sons. Good News Bible and De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling say “only you and your sons” (similarly New Living Translation), which brings out the contrast with the Kohathite clan in the previous clause to which Aaron and his sons belong. Shall bear iniquity in connection with your priesthood may be rendered “are to bear the responsibility for offenses against the priesthood” (New International Version). This clause implies that God would severely punish Aaron and his sons for any violation of the regulations regarding the defilement of the priestly office. Only Aaron and his sons were authorized to carry out the ritual duties of the priesthood. The Hebrew term for priesthood already occurred in 3.10 and 16.10. It should be rendered consistently if possible. The Hebrew pronoun for your at the end of this verse is plural, referring to Aaron and his sons.

Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible have one sentence in this verse by means of a semicolon. However, in many languages it is will be much better to break this long sentence into two (so Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation).

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 .