| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the distributive expression ve-ish ish {וְאִישׁ אִישׁ | wə-’îš ’îš} ‘any man,’ applying universally to Israelites (mi-beit yisrael {מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל | mîbbêt Yiśrā’ēl}) and resident foreigners (ha-ger ha-gar {הַגֵּר הַגָּר | ha-gêr ha-gār}) in their midst (be-tokham {בְּתוֹכָם | bə-tôkām}). The relative clause asher yokhal kol-dam {אֲשֶׁר יֹאכַל כָּל־דָּם | ’ăšer yô’k̂al kol-dām} defines the prohibition as ‘eats any blood.’ The idiom ve-natatti panai {וְנָתַתִּי פָנַי | wə-nāṭâttî panāy} ‘and I will set My face’ expresses divine opposition against the blood-consuming nefesh {נֶפֶשׁ | nep̄eš} ‘life essence.’ The Hiphil perfect ve-hikhrati {וְהִכְרַתִּי | wə-hīḵrâttî} ‘and I will cut off,’ together with mi-kerev ammah {מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּהּ | mi-kerêv ’ammāh} ‘from among her people,’ emphasizes decisive communal exclusion. |