| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb wayyaʿamed {וַֽיַּעֲמֵד֙ | wə-ya-ʿa-mēd} ‘and he stationed’, marking sequential historical action. It is followed by the participle ha-shoʿarim {הַשּׁ֣וֹעֲרִ֔ים | ha-šō-ʿa-rîm} as subject ‘the gatekeepers’. The construct chain ʿal-shaʿarei beit Yahweh {עַֽל־שַׁעֲרֵ֖י בֵּ֣ית יְהוָ֑ה | ʿal-ša-ʿārê bêt Yə-hō-wāh} links ‘at the gates of the house of the LORD’. The prohibition clause wə-lō-yā-ḇō ṭāmeʾ {וְלֹֽא־יָבֹ֥א טָמֵ֖א | wə-lō-yā-ḇō ṭā-meʾ} combines conjunction, negative particle, and imperfect verb with ‘unclean’ to form a prohibitive construction. Finally, the idiom lə-ḵol-dāvar {לְכָל־דָּבָֽר | lə-ḵol-dā-ḇār} ‘for any thing’ emphasizes the totality of the exclusion. The English renderings preserve these structures by maintaining sequence, highlighting the possessive construct, and reflecting the force of the prohibition. |