Leviticus 14:18ExegesisTAB

Leviticus 14 : 18 Atonement | Anointing | Cleansing
18. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse begins with the conjunctive participle vehanōtar {וְהַנּוֹתָ֗ר | wə-han-nō-tār} ‘and the remainder’, connecting back to the preceding ritual context. The relative pronoun ʾăsher {אֲשֶׁר֙ | ʾă-šer} ‘which’ introduces a restrictive clause, and the locative phrase ʿal-kap̄ hākōhên {עַל־כַּף הַכֹּהֵ֔ן | ʿal-kap̄ ha-kō-hên} ‘on the priest’s palm’ specifies the oil’s placement. The verb yiṯten {יִתֵּ֖ן | yi-ttên} ‘he shall put’ governs the directional action toward ʿal-rōʾš hammittāhēr {עַל־רֹאשׁ הַמִּטַּהֵ֑ר | ʿal-rōʾš ham-miṭ-tā-hêr} ‘on the head of the one being cleansed’, a typical idiom for anointing. The vav-consecutive vəkiṯper {וְכִפֶּ֥ר | wə-kiṯ-per} ‘and he shall make atonement’ marks progression to the sacrificial function, with the beneficiary marked by ʿā-lāw {עָלָיו | ʿā-lāw} ‘for him’. The final clause hakōhên lif-nê Yahweh {הַכֹּהֵן לִפְנֵי יְהוָה | ha-kō-hên lip-nê yə-hō-wāh} ‘the priest before the LORD’ sets the divine presence as the locus of ritual efficacy. English structure demands splitting into two sentences for clarity while preserving the sequential ritual flow.

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