| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the prepositional address ve-el {וְאֶל־ | wə-ʾel} ‘and to’ combined with the Qal imperfect tomar {תֹּאמַר | tō-ʾă-mar} ‘you shall say’, signaling a direct command. The distributive repetition ish ish {אִ֣ישׁ אִישׁ | ʾîš ʾîš} ‘man, man’ marks universal inclusion. The phrase mi-benei yisrael {מִבְּנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל | mibənê yiśrāʾêl} ‘from the sons of Israel’ is coordinated with ū-min ha-ger ha-gar {וּמִן־הַגֵּ֣ר הַגָּ֣ר | ūmin ha-gēr hagār} ‘and from the sojourner, the resident’, thus extending the injunction to natives and resident aliens. The relative clause ăšer yittēn mizzarʿô lamōlekh {אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִתֵּ֧ן מִזַּרְע֛וֹ לַמֹּ֖לֶךְ | ăšer yittēn mizzarʿô lamōleḵ} ‘who gives of his seed to Molech’ specifies the forbidden act of child sacrifice. The emphatic death penalty uses the infinitive absolute mot {מוֹת | mōṯ} ‘die’ with the Niphal imperfect yūmāṯ {יוּמָ֑ת | yūmāṯ} ‘he shall die’ to convey certainty of execution. Finally, the community’s role is expressed by ʿam hā-ʾāreṣ yirgemūhū bā-ʾāben {עַ֥ם הָאָ֖רֶץ יִרְגְּמֻ֥הוּ בָאָֽבֶן | ʿam hāʾāreṣ yirgemūhū baʾāḇen} ‘the people of the land shall stone him with the stone’, highlighting collective responsibility. These structural and emphatic features are rendered in both English versions with parallel distributive and intensification patterns, adapted for idiomatic clarity. |