| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the wayyiqtol verb vattishḥati {וַֽתִּשְׁחֲטִ֖י | wa-ttish-cha-Tî} ‘and you slaughtered’, a Qal form with the vav consecutive that introduces past narrative action addressed to the feminine subject. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} precedes banai {בָּנָי | bā-nāy} ‘my sons’, a construct noun with a pronominal suffix. The sentence continues with another wayyiqtol, vattittenim {וַֽתִּתְּנִ֔ים | wa-ttit-tə-nîm} ‘and you gave them’, which advances the narrative sequence. The Hiphil infinitive construct behaʿavir {בְּהַעֲבִ֥יר | bə-ha-ʿă-ḇîr} ‘in causing to pass’ introduces a circumstantial clause of purpose, reflecting the ritual of fire-passing in child sacrifice. The pronominal otam {אוֹתָ֖ם | ʾō-ṯām} and the goal-marker lahem {לָהֶם | lā-hem} emphasize the transfer of the children to the recipients. The coordination of the verbs without conjunction heightens the sense of cumulative, deliberate sacrificial actions. English renders the idiomatic Hiphil infinitive as “by burning them as an offering” to convey the cultural practice. |