| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with lo {לֹא | lō} ‘not’, a negative particle introducing a prohibitive jussive form of the Qal imperfect verb tizbakh {תִזְבַּח | tiz-bakh} ‘you shall sacrifice.’ The prepositional phrase la-Yahweh {לַיהוָה | la-Yə-hō-wāh} ‘to the LORD’ together with the possessive Eloheikha {אֱלֹהֶיךָ | ʾĕ-lō-hê-kā} ‘your God’ identifies the divine addressee in the covenant context. The coordinated noun phrase shor wa-seh {שׁוֹר וָשֶׂה | šôr wə-sāh} ‘ox and sheep’ lists the acceptable offerings. A relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ’ă-šer} ‘which’ qualifies the animals: yihyeh bo mum {יִהְיֶה בוֹ מוּם | yih-yê-hê bô mūm} ‘there is in it a defect,’ where the imperfect conveys potential presence. The construct chain kol davar ra {כֹּל דָּבָר רָע | kōl dā-var rāʿ} ‘any evil thing’ expands the prohibition. The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} marks the causal clause that follows: to’evat Yahweh Eloheikha hu {תוֹעֲבַת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ הוּא | tō-ʿă-vat Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hê-kā hū} ‘an abomination to the LORD your God it is.’ The resumptive pronoun hu emphasizes the divine verdict on blemished offerings. The English translation preserves the Hebrew sequence of prohibition, specification, and rationale. |