| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the negative particle lo {לֹא | lō} ‘not’, marking each prohibition. The verb to’khelu {תֹאכְלוּ | tōʾə-khe-lû} (Qal imperfect 2mp) follows, directing the community. The prepositional phrase al-haddam {עַל־הַדָּם | ʿal-haddām} ‘upon the blood’ indicates eating while blood remains. Each subsequent clause uses coordinated negatives lo tenakhashu {לֹא תְנַחֲשׁוּ | lō te-na-ḥa-šû} ‘you shall not practice divination’ and ve-lo teonenu {וְלֹא תְעוֹנֵנוּ | wə-lō tᵉ-ʿō-nē-nû} ‘and not you shall interpret omens’, reflecting a series of equal-weight prohibitions in the Hebrew syntax. |