On the eighth day: in some languages it will be necessary to say “Eight days later,” “Eight days after the child is born,” or “When the child is one week old.”

The flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised: the pronoun his obviously refers to the male child. But in languages where masculine and feminine pronouns are not distinguished, it may be wise to say “the child,” as in Good News Translation. In some cultures female circumcision is practiced, and this verse may be misunderstood.

As in the case of menstruation, there are also many very different ways of speaking of circumcision. Some examples are “to cut the child,” “to make the mark on the child,” “to cause the child to undergo the ceremony,” and “to remove the foreskin of the child.” But in some cultures the practice of circumcision may be unknown. In such cases the translator should attempt to find a descriptive expression that will not be shocking when read in public. But in some cases this may prove to be almost impossible, and it may be necessary to resort to a borrowed word, transliteration, or some special expression that will have to be explained in a glossary.

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 .