| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with an equative clause introduced by eleh {אֵ֣לֶּה | ʾêlleh} ‘these’ and hayu {הָיוּ֩ | hāyû} ‘were’, establishing identity. A construct chain in arei hammûʿādâ {עָרֵי הַמּוּעָדָה | ʿărê hammûʿādâ} ‘designated cities’ frames the legal setting. Scope expansion occurs through coordinated prepositional phrases with ləkhol {לְכֹל | ləkhol} ‘for all’ and wəlagger {וְלַגֵּר | wəlagger} ‘and the foreigner’, reinforced by haggār {הַגָּר | haggār} ‘sojourning resident’. Purpose is marked by the infinitive construct lānûs {לָנ֣וּס | lānûs} ‘to flee’. Eligibility is specified by the participial phrase kol-makkêh-nep̄eš bišgāgâ {כָּל־מַכֵּה־נֶפֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָה | kol-makkêh nep̄eš bišgāgâ} ‘anyone who strikes a life unintentionally’. Preventive justice is conveyed in wəlōʾ yāmût bəyad gōʾēl haddām {וְלֹא יָמוּת בְּיַד גֹּאֵל הַדָּם | wəlōʾ yāmût bəyad gōʾēl haddām} ‘and he shall not die by the hand of the avenger of blood’. The temporal clause ʿad ʿomdô liphnei hāʿĕdāh {עַד־עָמְד֖וֹ לִפְנֵי הָעֵדָה | ʿad ʿomdô liphnei hāʿĕdāh} ‘until he stands before the congregation’ underscores procedural accountability. |