| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the imperative verb tīspār-lāḵ {תִּסְפָּר־לָךְ | tīspār-lāḵ} ‘you shall count for yourself’, establishing a direct command. The direct object šāḇûʿôṯ {שָׁבֻעֽוֹת | šāḇûʿôṯ} ‘weeks’ with the numeral šibʿā {שִׁבְעָה | šibʿā} ‘seven’ forms a quantitative accusative. The prepositional phrase mêhā-ḥêל {מֵהָחֵל | mêhā-ḥêל} ‘from the beginning’ introduces a temporal clause that governs the Hifil imperfect tāḥēל {תָּחֵל | tāḥēל}, initiating the subordinate infinitive clause liśpōר {לִסְפֹּר | liśpōר} ‘to count’. The construct ba-qāmāה {בַּקָּמָה | ba-qāmāה} ‘in the standing grain’ contextualizes the agrarian setting. The parallel structure of the main and subordinate clauses emphasizes both the initial act and its ongoing fulfillment, which English preserves by mirroring the Hebrew coordination. |