| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav consecutive in vezakharta {וְזָ֣כַרְתָּ | wə-zā-ḵar-tā} ‘and you shall remember’, which marks an imperative force through a perfect form. The causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} links the command to its rationale in the recollection that ‘eved hayita’ {עֶ֥בֶד הָיִ֖יתָ | ʿe-vêḏ hā-yî-ṯā} ‘you were a slave’ in Egypt (beMitzrayim {בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם | bə-miṣ-rā-yim}), establishing the historical context. The coordinated verbs veshamarta {וְשָׁמַרְתָּ | wə-šā-mar-tā} ‘and you shall keep’ and ve’asita {וְעָשִׂ֔יתָ | wə-ʿā-śî-tā} ‘and you shall do’ create a dual obligation common in Deuteronomic law, emphasizing both preservation and enactment. The particle et {אֶת־ | ʾet} introduces the specific corpus of stipulations hakhukkim ha’eleh {הֽ͏ַחֻקִּ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה | hā-ḥuqqîm hā-ʾêlleh} ‘these statutes’, underscoring their definiteness. In English, these sequences are rendered through conjunctions and punctuation to preserve the legal discourse progression from motive to mandate. |