| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional conjunction ve’im {וְאִם־ | wə-’im} “if” combined with the negative lo {לֹא | lō}, establishing a protasis. The infinitive leqaddesh {לְקַדֵּשׁ | lə-qad-dēsh} “to sanctify” states the positive Sabbath charge, paralleled by u-lebilti se’et massa u-vo {וּלְבִלְתִּי שְׂאֵת מַשָּׂא וּבֹא | û-lə-ḇil-tî śə-’ēṯ maś-śā’ û-ḇō} “and in order not to carry a burden or to enter,” defining the prohibitions. The repeated be-yom ha-shabbat {בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת | bə-yōm ha-šab-bāṯ} frames the temporal boundary. The apodosis employs the Hiphil perfect ve-hitzati {וְהִצַּתִּי | wə-hiṣ-ṣā-tî} “I will kindle” to signal divine agency, followed by the Qal perfect ve-okhlah {וְאָכְלָה | wə-’ā-ḵə-lāh} “it will consume” and the Qal imperfect ve-lo tikhbeh {וְלֹא תִכְבֶּה | wə-lō tiḵ-béh} “and it will not be quenched,” underscoring the certainty and enduring scope of the judgment. |