| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conjunction wə- {וּ | wə} “and,” introducing the next ritual step. The phrase mēʾet ʿădat bənê yiśraʾel {מֵאֵת עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | mēʾet ʿădat bənê yiśraʾel} “from the assembly of the sons of Israel” employs a double construct chain linking “assembly” to “sons” to “Israel,” highlighting communal agency. The verb yiqqāḥ {יִקַּח | yiqqāḥ} “he shall take” in the Qal imperfect third masculine singular issues the priestly command. The noun phrase šənê-se-ʾîrē ʿizzîm {שְׁנֵי-שְׂעִירֵי עִזִּים | šənê-se-ʾîrē ʿizzîm} “two male goats” uses the dual form šənê and a construct-absolute pairing to denote precise number and gender. The prepositional clauses lə-ḥaṭṭāʾṯ {לְחַטָּאת | lə-ḥat-tāʾṯ} “for a sin offering” and lə-ʿōlāh {לְעֹלָה | lə-ʿōlāh} “for a burnt offering” define distinct cultic purposes, coordinated by wə- {וְ | wə}. English renders the Hebrew VSO order as SVO, preserves the dual as “two,” and maintains the ritual parallelism of expiation and dedication inherent in the original. |