| 13. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the emphatic pair himmol {הִמּוֹל | him-mōl} ‘he must be circumcised’ and yimol {יִמּוֹל | yim-mōl} ‘he must be circumcised again,’ where the doubled Niphal imperfect intensifies obligation. This verbal complex governs the compound subject yelid beitekha {יְלִיד בֵּיתְךָ | yə-lîḏ bêṯ-ḵā} ‘one born in your house’ and umiknat kaspekha {וּמִקְנַת כַּסְפֶּךָ | û-miq-naṯ kas-pe-ḵā} ‘and purchase with your silver,’ thus including all household members. The result clause vehayetah beriti bivsarkhem {וְהָיְתָה בְּרִיתִי בִּבְשָׂרְכֶם | wə-hā-yə-ṯāh bə-rî-tî bib-śar-ḵem} ‘and My covenant will be in your flesh’ presents circumcision as the tangible sign of divine commitment. The prepositional phrase livrit olam {לִבְרִית עוֹלָם | liḇ-rît ʿô-lām} ‘for an everlasting covenant’ further defines this sign’s enduring purpose. English word order balances the parallel subjects, preserves the emphatic modal force, and conveys the bodily imagery of the covenant sign. |