| 12. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the Hiphil perfect vehaʿavarta {וְהַעֲבַרְתָּ֥ | wə-hă-ʿă-vărʹ-tā} ‘and you shall cause to pass over’, where the vav consecutive marks a legal-ritual consecration command. The construct kol-peter-rechem {כָל־פֶּטֶר־רֶחֶם | kôl-pə-tēr-re-ḥēm} ‘all firstborn of the womb’ specifies human primogeniture, paralleled by ve-kol-peter-sheger-behemah {וְכָל־פֶּטֶר־שֶׁגֶר־בְּהֵמָה | və-kôl-pə-tēr-še-ger-bə-hê-māh} ‘and all the firstborn of the beast’ defining animal primogeniture. The relative clause asher yihyeh le-kha {אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ | ə-šer yi-hyēh lə-kha} ‘that will be yours’ delimits the animals in view. The repetition of la-Yahweh {לַיהוָה | la-Yə-hō-wāh} at the close of each clause marks divine ownership and underscores the total dedication of firstborn to the LORD. |