| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive Piel form vetsivvah {וְצִוָּה֙ | wə-ṣiv-vāh} ‘and he shall command’, introducing a procedural directive by the definite noun hakohen {הַכֹּהֵ֔ן | hā-qō-hên} ‘the priest’. It continues with velakach {וְלָקַ֧ח | wə-lā-qaḥ} ‘and he shall take’, indicating sequential action. The prepositional phrase lamittaher {לַמִּטַּהֵ֛ר | la-mit-tā-hēr} ‘for the one being cleansed’ marks purpose with a lamed prefix plus Piel participle. What follows is a coordinated list: shetei-tsipporim {שְׁתֵּֽי־צִפֳּרִ֥ם | šᵉ-tê-ṣip-pô-rim} ‘two birds’ modified by chayot {חַיּוֹת | ḥay-yôṯ} ‘living’ and tehorot {טְהֹרוֹת | ṭə-hô-rôt} ‘clean’; the construct chain ets erez {עֵ֣ץ אֶ֔רֶז | ʿēṣ ʾē-rez} ‘cedar wood’; the numeric construct ushni tolaat {וּשְׁנִ֥י תוֹלַעַת | û-šnî tô-lā-ʿaṯ} ‘and two worm’; and ve-ezov {וְאֵזֹב | wə-ʾē-zôḇ} ‘and hyssop’. In translation, conjunctions are streamlined and Hebrew construct clusters are rendered as clear adjective-noun phrases. |