| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive imperfect ushmartem {וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם | ūš·mǎr·tem} ‘and you shall keep’, a forceful covenant command. The pairing with the infinitive construct laʿăṣōt {לַעֲשׂוֹת | la·ʿă·ṣōt} expresses active observance. The dual direct object markers ʾēt… wəʾēt foreground two complementary legal categories before the relative clause introduced by ʾǎšer ‘which’ specifies the content. The participle nōtên ‘am giving’ highlights the ongoing nature of Mosaic mediation of the covenant law, and the temporal phrase lifnêykhem hayôm ‘before you today’ situates the obligation in the present moment. English rendering preserves Hebrew emphasis by combining ‘keep’ with an infinitive, maintaining the listing of statutes and judgments, and placing the temporal phrase at the end. |