Its entrails: it was necessary to wash the stomach and intestines, because their contents were in the process of being digested and could not be a part of what was offered on the altar. The expression “the internal organs” in Good News Translation is probably too general here, although this meaning fits the context much better in 4.12. Most versions retain the word entrails here. In some languages it will be necessary to translate “intestines.”
Its legs: the Hebrew word here has been variously understood as referring to “hind legs” (as in Good News Translation), “shins” (New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible), or simply legs (Revised Standard Version and Jerusalem Bible). What is clear is that these parts, like the internal organs, were most likely to be unclean, both ritually and in fact. They must therefore be washed.
He: according to Good News Translation, the washing is the responsibility of the person bringing the sacrifice, while the priest is charged with the actual burning. However, the Hebrew text is ambiguous and can be interpreted to mean that the priest performs this task as a part of his duties. It is probably best to follow Good News Translation, which renders the pronoun he as “The man” and shifts the subject to the beginning of the sentence to make it more natural English. But in some languages it may be possible to use a passive or indefinite form which does not clearly define the subject: “The internal organs and hind legs must be washed, and then….”
Wash with water: in most languages it is redundant to add the words “with water” since this is already implied in the verb “to wash.”
The priest: some Septuagint manuscripts have the plural “priests,” as in the preceding verse. However, the singular is recommended here.
Burn: the corresponding Hebrew verb is a technical term used in the language of sacrifice. It evokes the idea of smoke going up from the altar toward heaven. See the discussion under the section heading for this section.
As a burnt offering, an offering by fire: these words translate two Hebrew technical terms that are simply put together in this verse. The first term is discussed under the title of this section, “Sacrifices Burnt Whole” or “holocaust.” The precise meaning of the second term is not known, but it is similar to the word for “fire” and has sometimes been translated “an offering by fire.” It is used of whole burnt offerings and of fellowship offerings alike (see chapter 3). Both Good News Translation and New English Bible take it to refer to “a food offering.” This may be taken, then, not as a separate sacrifice, but as another way of referring to the burnt offering already mentioned. See the discussion of the different types of sacrifice in the introduction, “Translating Leviticus,” page 5.
A pleasing odor to the LORD: this is a dynamic rendering of another technical term which is placed alongside the two preceding words. The phrase may be literally translated “aroma appeasing to the LORD.” However, it is unnecessary to think of appeasement in the sense that God, angered by the sins of the people, had to be appeased by sacrifices. This expression is, in fact, used almost always of the whole burnt offerings (chapter 1), of the grain offerings (chapter 2) and of the fellowship offerings (chapter 3), but only once of a sacrifice in order to obtain God’s pardon (4.31). It is possible therefore to translate this expression as “It is a whole burnt sacrifice with a pleasant odor which the LORD accepts gladly” or “in which the LORD takes pleasure and which he accepts.”
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 .