| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the nominal clause banim {בָּנִים | bā-nîm} ‘sons’ and atem {אַתֶּם | ʾa-tɛm} ‘you’, establishing Israel’s divine sonship. The prepositional phrase laYHWH Eloheikhem {לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם | la-Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hê-khem} ‘to the LORD your God’ conveys belonging through the preposition lamed plus possessive suffix. Two coordinated prohibitions follow: lo titgodedu {לֹא תִתְגֹּדְדוּ | lōʾ tit-gō-ḏe-ḏū} ‘do not cut yourselves’ in the Hitpael imperfect, and velo tasimu {וְלֹא תָשִׂימוּ | wə-lōʾ tā-śîmū} ‘and do not put’ in the Qal imperfect, expressing ongoing interdiction. The noun korchah {קָרְחָה | qār-ḥāh} ‘baldness’ is located by bein eineikhem {בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם | bên ʿê-ne-khem} ‘between your eyes.’ The final lamet {לָמֵת | lā-meṯ} ‘for the dead’ conveys purpose or association. The vav-conjunction establishes parallelism, emphasizing the comprehensive ban on mourning rituals, while the Hitpael stem highlights self-directed action and the Qal stem indicates performative action. |