| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the demonstrative zot {זֹאת | zōṯ} ‘this’ marking an equative statement in which beriti {בְּרִיתִי | bə-rî-tî} ‘my covenant’ functions as the predicate nominative. The relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer} ‘which’ specifies the obligation, with tishmeru {תִּשְׁמְרוּ | tiš-mə-rû} ‘you shall keep’ expressing ongoing duty. A rhythmic series of prepositional phrases—beyni {בֵּינִי | bê-nî} ‘between Me’, uveineichem {וּבֵינֵיכֶם | û-bê-nê-ḵem} ‘and between you’, and uvein zarakha acharekha {וּבֵין זַרְעֲךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ | û-bên zar-ʿă-ḵā ʾa-ḥa-rê-ḵā} ‘and between your offspring after you’—frames the relational and generational scope. The fronted Niphal infinitive himol {הִמּוֹל | him-môl} ‘shall be circumcised’ lachem {לָכֶם | lā-ḵem} ‘to you’ kol-zakhar {כָּל־זָכָר | kol-zā-ḵār} ‘every male’ functions as an impersonal passive command, here rendered with a finite passive construction to preserve its collective, distributive force. |