| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb ve-hayah {וְהָיָ֣ה | wə-hā-yāh} ‘and it shall be’, which introduces a conditional stipulation. The infinitive construct keshivto {כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ | kə-šiv-tô} ‘when he sits’ functions as a temporal clause modifying the condition. The construct chain kisse mamlakhto {כִּסֵּא מַמְלַכְתּוֹ | kis-sē mam-laḵ-tô} ‘throne of his kingdom’ underscores the monarch’s authority. The following vav-consecutive wə-kha-tav {וְכָתַב | wə-ḥā-tav} ‘and he shall write’ issues the directive, with ʾet mishneh ha-torah ha-zot {אֶת־מִשְׁנֵה הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת | ʾet miš-nê hā-tō-rāh hā-zōṯ} ‘a copy of this law’ as the direct object. Finally, the prepositional clause milifnei ha-kohanim ha-leviyim {מִלִּפְנֵי הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּים | mil-lif-nê hā-kō-hă-nîm ha-lĕ-vî-yîm} ‘from before the priests, the Levites’ specifies the exemplar maintained under priestly oversight. English renders the stipulation as a protasis–apodosis conditional while preserving Hebrew construct chains and the legal authorization nuance. |