| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The command begins with the fronted imperative zakhor {זָכ֛וֹר | zā-ḵôr} ‘remember’ to give it rhetorical force. It is followed by the objective marker et {אֶת | ʾeṯ} ‘objective marker’, which introduces the definite noun phrase yom ha-shabbat {יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת | yôm haš-šab-bāt} ‘the Sabbath day’. The Piel infinitive construct le-kadshehu {לְקַדְּשֽׁוֹ | lə-qad-de-šô} ‘to sanctify it’ functions as a purpose clause, its pronominal suffix referring back to the Sabbath. This yields an imperative main clause plus an infinitive of purpose, which in English is rendered as a coordinated action, preserving the immediacy and covenantal emphasis of the Hebrew. |