| 31. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs Hifʿil infinitive constructs uviśet {וּבִשְׂאֵת | û-viś-ʾēt} ‘and in lifting up’ and behā‘āḇîr {בְּהַעֲבִיר | bə-hā-ʿă-ḇîr} ‘in causing to pass’ to introduce ritual actions, highlighting the ongoing nature of gift presentation and child sacrifice. The Nifal participle nitmē’îm {נִטְמְאִים | nit-mə-ʾîm} ‘you defile yourselves’ conveys reflexive defilement. Bekōl-gillūlēkhem {בְּכָל־גִּלּוּלֵיכֶם | bə-ḵol gillū-lē-ḵem} ‘with all your idols’ frames these acts as idolatrous abominations. The rhetorical question formed by ’ēdāreš la-khem {אֵדָרֵשׁ לָכֶם | ʾē-ḏā-rēš lā-ḵem} ‘will I be inquired of by you’ is reinforced by the oath ḥay-anî {חַי־אָנִי | ḥay-ʾā-nî} ‘as I live’, underscoring divine resolve. The construct bēt-Yisrā’ēl {בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל | bêt yiś-rā-ʾêl} ‘house of Israel’ and the emphatic denial are rendered to maintain both the formal Hebrew chain and the emphatic refusal in English. |