But the seventh year, literally “and the seventh,” may be better understood by adding “But in the seventh year” (Good News Translation). New International Version has “during the seventh year.” You shall let it rest and lie fallow is literally “you [singular] shall let it fall and you shall leave it to itself.” This means that they were not to cultivate the land or sow any seed, and they were not to “harvest anything that grows on it” (Good News Translation). Contemporary English Version has “but let the land rest during the seventh year.”

That the poor of your people may eat is literally “and the poor [plural] of your [singular] people will eat.” The conjunction waw takes on the meaning of “so that” (New Revised Standard Version). The purpose is, as Good News Translation expresses it, that “the poor may eat what grows there,” or “whatever grows there shall be food for the poor” (Translator’s Old Testament). This shows a genuine concern for the poor. We may assume, therefore, that the seventh year did not occur at the same time for all the Israelites, and that the poor would move from one area to another rather than wait for six years until all the land would lie fallow.

And what they leave the wild beasts may eat is literally “and their remainder the living thing of the field will eat.” The wild beasts, therefore, were not necessarily fierce or dangerous animals. You shall do likewise still uses the singular you. The vineyard was a piece of land reserved for growing grapes (see also 22.5). The orchard was a special place where fruit trees were planted, so the olive orchard was “a place for growing olive trees.” This will be a suitable translation in many languages. Contemporary English Version combines “fields” with vineyard and olive orchard and restructures the verse as follows: “but let the land rest during the seventh year. The poor are to eat what they want from your fields, vineyards, and olive trees during that year, and when they have all they want from your fields, leave the rest for wild animals.” This will be a natural reordering of the clauses for many languages.

Quoted with permission from Osborn, Noel D. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Exodus. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1999. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .