Before the LORD: the action is more clearly situated in Good News Translation by shifting these words to the beginning of the sentence. This serves to identify the expression “within the veil” of verse 12 as the place where the LORD is present.

On the fire: or “on the (burning) coals.”

The cloud of the incense: the cloud here is thick smoke which prevents a person from seeing clearly. It is reminiscent of the smoke in Exodus 19.9, in which the LORD is at the same time hidden and revealed.

Cover: in this context the most important element of meaning is “to conceal” or “to hide,” as is brought out in Good News Translation.

Mercy seat: see verse 2.

The testimony: the context clearly shows that the Ark, or “Covenant Box,” is intended here. In order to avoid confusing the reader, it is probably best to translate using the same terminology as in verse 2.

Lest he die: this expression already seen in verse 2 may be rendered “so that he will not die because of seeing it,” or something similar. This will show more clearly the relationship between death and the hiding or covering of the lid of the box. In some languages it may be advisable to translate the pronoun he by the noun “Aaron,” in order to make sure that the readers understand who is involved.

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 .