Your brother: to whom does the pronoun your (singular in Hebrew) refer? This appears to be a general rule for all Israelites and should therefore be translated so that it is understood as such. New English Bible has “When one of you is reduced to poverty….” It is not advisable to translate the word brother literally, since this will almost certainly be misunderstood in many languages.

Sells: Good News Translation makes explicit the fact that the person is forced to sell against his will by the circumstances.

Next of kin: the Hebrew term used here is closely related to the verb redeem used in this same verse. It is sometimes translated “redeemer” (see Job 19.25) or “avenger” (Num 35.19). This is because of the Israelite custom that required a close relative to act as protector of any person in difficulty. He was required to redeem the person if he was sold into slavery, or redeem his property if he lost it due to circumstances beyond his control, and he was even required to avenge the death of his relative. The term is probably best translated in this context by an expression that brings out both the kinship and the responsibility of redeeming his relative or his relative’s property. This is done, for example, in the New English Bible rendering, “his next-of-kin who has the duty of redemption.” However, some have suggested that it would be better to speak of the “right” of redemption rather than the “duty.”

Come and redeem: the common Hebrew practice of using two verbs (compare “conceives and bears” in 12.2) to convey a single main idea does not necessarily mean that two verbs will be required in the receptor language in every such case. Here, the verb come may be left implicit, since redeem or “buy back” is more important. The verb redeem is central to the thought of the Old Testament. It describes the giving of something in exchange for another item or for the life of a person. In some cultures the verb used to describe the ransoming of slaves may be equally appropriate for property. Compare Exodus 6.6 and 13.13.

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 .