| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is structured by a sequence of plural imperatives—kechu {קְחוּ | qə-ḥû} ‘take’, veshuvu {וְשׁוּבוּ | wə-šû-ḇû} ‘return’, and imru {אִמְר֣וּ | ʾim-rû} ‘say’—which guides the audience from gathering words to embodied repentance and then to direct address. The petition kol-tisa avon {כָּל־תִּשָּׂא עָוֹן | kol-tiś-śāʾ ʿā-ḇōn} employs the imperfect with jussive force to plea for complete removal of guilt, while vekakh-tov {וְקַח־ט֔וֹב | wə-qaḥ ṭôḇ} balances by requesting acceptance of what is fitting. The cohortative uneshalemah {וּנְשַׁלְּמָ֥ה | û-nə-šal-lə-māh} expresses a vowed response rather than preexisting merit. The idiom farim sefateinu {פָרִים שְׂפָתֵֽינוּ | pā-rîm śə-fā-ṯê-nû} casts spoken confession and praise as sacrificial bulls, underscoring the metaphorical offering in the context of repentance. |