| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse unfolds through a sequence of vav-consecutive Hiphil and Qal perfect verbs outlining a legal procedure. The Hiphil imperfect vehigisho {וְהִגִּישׁוֹ | wə-higgîšô} ‘he shall present him’ marks the formal presentation stage, governed by the prepositional phrase el-ha'elohim {אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים | ʾel-hā-ʾĕ-lō-hîm} ‘to God.’ While some interpret ha'elohim as “judges” due to its plural morphology, the singular verb, ritual context, and covenantal setting favor a divine reading. The paired expressions el-ha-delet u-el-ha-mezuzah {אֶל־הַדֶּלֶת וְאֶל־הַמְּזוּזָה | ʾel-hā-de-let wə-ʾel-hām-me-zū-zā} form a merism ‘to the door and to the doorpost,’ denoting the entire threshold. The Qal perfect veratsa {וְרָצַע | wə-rā-ṣaʿ} ‘he shall pierce’ takes the direct object et-ozno {אֶת־אָזְנוֹ | ʾet-ō-zenô} ‘his ear,’ with the instrument specified by bamarzea {בַּמַּרְצֵעַ | ba-mmar-ṣē-aʿ} ‘with the awl.’ The clause culminates in va'avado l’olam {וַעֲבָדוֹ לְעוֹלָם | va-ʿă-vā-dō lə-ʿō-lām} ‘he shall serve him forever,’ expressing irrevocable lifelong servitude. |