If …: marking the beginning of a new topic within the overall subject of offerings for unintentional sins (see verse 3). If the receptor language uses several levels of headings, it will be appropriate to place one at the beginning of this verse. It may read “The sacrifice for the whole community.” Compare New Jerusalem Bible. It may be advisable in some languages to introduce this hypothetical situation with something like “Suppose a person commits…” or “Let us say that someone sins….” This kind of structure will make it possible to have shorter sentences that will be more easily understood in the material that follows.

The whole congregation of Israel: since the High Priest was a part of the community, this case is very similar to the preceding one, and the rituals are almost identical.

Commits a sin: see verses 2 and 3.

Unwittingly: see verse 2.

Congregation … assembly: two different words are used for the same sociopolitical reality which is the people of Israel. The first word seems to have a more marked religious connotation than the second. In translation it is unnecessary to search for two different terms, since this might lead the reader to think that two separate realities are being discussed. The use of this abstract collective noun (congregation or assembly) as the subject of verbs like “to sin” and in some cases “to not know” may present difficulties in some languages. In such cases it may be better to use an expression like “all the people of Israel” as the subject.

And the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly: it is difficult to imagine how the whole community could be guilty of a sin of which they were all unaware. If this were the case, it would never be known. While it is possible that the LORD might reveal it to them, there may have been some one or some few persons in the group that would be aware of the sin. In this case it may be better to translate “and most of the people (or group, or assembly) are unaware of it.” The passive formulation is hidden may also be misleading in some languages. Other ways of rendering this idea may be “even though the community is unaware of the matter” (New International Version) or “some wrong which escapes the notice of the people” (Moffatt).

And are guilty: the idea of guilt may be difficult to express in some languages. In this context the words are guilty may have to be translated in some languages as “bear responsibility” or “deserve punishment.”

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 .