| 34. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal phrase ad hayom hazzeh {עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה | ʿad hay-yôm} ‘until this day’, framing the persistent nature of the behavior. The paired participles osim {עֹשִׂים | ʿô·sîm} ‘doing’ and yereim {יְרֵאִים | yə·rê·’îm} ‘fearing’ establish a contrast between human action and divine reverence. Emphatic negations einam {אֵינָם | ’ê·nām} ‘they do not’ before each participle heighten the sense of culpability. The series of ke- clauses ke-chukotam, u-ke-mishpatam, ve-katorah, ve-kamitsvah {כְּחֻקֹּתָם | u·kə·miš·pā·ṯām} enumerates multiple layers of legal obligations. The relative clause asher sam shemo yisrael {אֲשֶׁר שָׂם שְׁמוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל | ǎ·šer sām še·mô yis·rā·’êl} links personal identity to covenant renaming. English syntax mirrors the Hebrew sequence to preserve the progression of participial actions, negations, and the cumulative listing of law. |