| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve-kol {וְכֹל֙ | zve-kol} ‘and every’, establishing a universal prohibition. The compound subject sheretz ha-ʾōp̄ {שֶׁ֣רֶץ הָע֔וֹף | še-reṣ hā-ʾōp̄} ‘creeping thing, flying creature’ pairs an absolute noun with a definite noun to define the category of winged swarmers. The predicate ṭā-mē {טָמֵ֥א | ṭā-mē} ‘unclean’ with the pronoun hūʾ {ה֖וּא | hūʾ} ‘it’ forms an equational clause emphasizing impurity. Lākhem {לָכֶ֑ם | lā-ḵem} ‘for you’ specifies the addressees, and the negative Niphal imperfect lōʾ yē-ʾāḵē-lû {לֹ֖א יֵאָכֵֽלוּ | lōʾ yē-ʾā-ḵē-lû} ‘they shall not be eaten’ conveys a passive prohibition. Hebrew syntax foregrounds ritual status before prescribing dietary restrictions, reflecting purity laws in Israelite cultic practice. |