| 4. Linguistic Exegesis yeladim {יְלָדִ֣ים | yə-lā-ḏîm} ‘children’ is modified by the relative pronoun asher {אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾă-šer} ‘who’, introducing the negated predicate ein-bahem {אֵֽין־בָּהֶ֣ם | ʾên-bā-hêm} ‘there is not in them’ governing kol-maum mum {כָּל־מאום מוּם | kāl-mā-ʼūm mūm} ‘any blemish’. The descriptor vetovey mareh {וְטוֹבֵ֨י מַרְאֶ֜ה | wə-ṭō-vê mar-ʾeh} conveys ‘good appearance’. A series of participles—umaskilim {וּמַשְׂכִּילִ֣ים | û-maś-kî-lîm}, veyodei da’at {וְיֹ֤דְעֵי דַ֙עַת֙ | wə-yō-ḏ-ʿê daʿ-ʿat}, and umevinei mada {וּמְבִינֵ֣י מַדָּ֔ע | û-mə-bî-nê mad-dāʿ}—lists escalating intellectual attributes. The clause va’asher koach bahem la’amod beheikhal hamelech {וַאֲשֶׁר֙ כֹּ֣חַ בָּהֶ֔ם לַעֲמֹ֖ד בְּהֵיכַ֣ל הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ | wa-ʾă-šer kō-aḥ bā-hêm la-ʿă-mōḏ bə-hê-ḵal ham-me-lekh} ‘and who had strength in them to stand in the king’s palace’ denotes readiness for royal service. The infinitive u-lallamdam sefer u-leshon kasdim {וּֽלֲלַמְּדָ֥ם סֵ֖פֶר וּלְשׁ֥וֹן כַּשְׂדִּֽים | û-lă-lam-mə-ḏām sê-fer û-lə-šōn kaś-dîm} ‘and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans’ expresses intended instruction. The cumulative Hebrew structure—from physical attributes to intellectual capacity to vocational purpose—is mirrored in English with parallel descriptive progression. |