| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive verb ve-nasa {וְנָשָׂא | və-nā-śāʾ} “and he will carry,” with its subject ha-śā-ʿîr {הַשָּׂעִיר | ha-śā-ʿîr} “the goat.” The prepositional phrase ‛ā-lāv {עָלָיו | ‛ā-lāv} “upon him” marks the transfer of the construct chain ʾet-kol-ʿă-vō-nō-tām {אֶת־כָּל־עֲוֺנֹתָם | ʾet-kol-ʿă-vō-nō-tām} “all their iniquities.” The destination is expressed by ʾel-ʾe-reṣ gĕ-zē-rāh {אֶל־אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה | ʾel-ʾe-reṣ gĕ-zē-rāh} “to a land of separation,” a construct of preposition + noun + noun. The narrative continues with the Piel vav-consecutive wə-šil-laḥ {וְשִׁלַּח | wə-šil-laḥ} “and he will send,” where the subject is understood from context. The direct object ʾet-ha-śā-ʿîr {אֶת־הַשָּׂעִיר | ʾet-ha-śā-ʿîr} resumes the scapegoat theme, and the final prepositional phrase ba-mīd-bār {בַּמִּדְבָּר | ba-mīd-bār} “in the wilderness” indicates geographic and symbolic removal. The Hebrew sequence underscores substitutionary atonement and physical exile, rendered in English with parallel clauses preserving cause-and-effect and emphasis on complete transfer and release. |