| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive hiphil verb vehoridu {וְהוֹרִ֡דוּ | wə-hô-rî-ḏû} marking the elders as agents, introduced by ziknei {זִקְנֵי֩ | zîqnê} ‘elders of’ and specified by the demonstrative hahi {הַהִ֤וא | ha-ḥî} ‘that’ modifying haʿir {הָעִ֨יר | hā-ʿîr} ‘the city.’ The direct object marker et- {אֶת־ | ʾet} introduces haʿeglah {הָעֶגְלָה֙ | hā-ʿeḡ·lāh} ‘the heifer.’ The locative el- naḥal ʾêṯan {אֶל־נַ֣חַל אֵיתָ֔ן | ʾel naḥal ʾê-ṯān} ‘to a valley with running water’ is refined by the relative particle ʾasher {אֲשֶׁ֛ר | ʾă-šer} introducing a restrictive clause. In that clause, the negatives lo {לֹא־ | lō} and wə-lo {וְלֹ֣א | wə-lō} govern the imperfect passive lo yeaved {לֹא־יֵעָבֵ֥ד | lō yē-ʿă-ḇēd} ‘is not worked’ and the niphal yizara {יִזָּרֵ֑עַ | yiz-za-ṝe-aʿ} ‘is not sown,’ highlighting the land’s untouched state. The narrative resumes with wə-ʿarpû {וְעָֽרְפוּ־ | wə-ʿăr-pû} ‘and they shall break,’ followed by šām {שָׁ֥ם | šām} ‘there,’ et- haʿeglah, and the locative ba-nachal {בַּנָּֽחַל׃ | ba-nā-ḥal} ‘in the valley.’ English rendering preserves the Hebraic sequence of command, setting, and ritual act while reflecting the consecutive vav and relativization. |