| 37. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew text features four objects introduced by the direct object marker ve’et {וְאֶת־ | wə’ĕt} ‘and the’, attaching to ha-ḥuqqîm {הַחֻקִּים | ha-ḥuqqîm} ‘the statutes’, ha-mišpāṭîm {הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים | ha-mišpāṭîm} ‘the judgments’, hattôrāh {הַתּוֹרָה | hattôrāh} ‘the law’, and hammitswāh {הַמִּצְוָה | hammitswāh} ‘the commandment’. The relative pronoun ’ăšer {אֲשֶׁר | ’ăšer} introduces a clause with the Qal perfect kāṯav {כָּתַב | kāṯav} ‘he wrote’. The main verb tišmərûn {תִּשְׁמְרוּן | tišmərûn} ‘you shall keep’ is a Qal imperfect second person plural, linked by the infinitive laʿăšôt {לַעֲשׂוֹת | laʿăšôt} ‘to do’, modified by the temporal phrase kāl-hayyāmîm {כָּל־הַיָּמִים | kāl-hayyāmîm} ‘all the days’. The negative wə·lōʾ tīrʾû {וְלֹ֥א תִירְאוּ | wə·lōʾ tīrʾû} ‘and do not fear’ contrasts obedience with the prohibition against ʾĕlōhîm ’ăḥērîm {אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים | ʾĕlōhîm ’ăḥērîm} ‘other gods’, preserving the structure of command and prohibition. |