| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive imperfect vayomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | va-yō-mer} ‘and he said’, projecting continuation of divine instruction. The imperative emor {אֱמֹ֥ר | ʾĕ-mōr} ‘say’ introduces the command to el-hakkōhanim {אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים | ʾel-ha-kō-hă-nîm} ‘the priests’, with the construct chain b-ney Aharōn {בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן | bĕ-nê ʾa-hă-rōn} ‘sons of Aaron’ specifying the priestly lineage. The second verb ve-amartā {וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ | wə-ʾā-mar-tā} ‘and you shall say’ frames the prohibition expressed by the idiom le-nefesh {לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ | lə-nĕ-p̄eš}, here meaning ‘on account of the dead’, lo {לֹֽא | lōʾ} negates the imperfect yiṭṭamma {יִטַּמָּ֖א | yiṭ-ṭa-māʾ} ‘he shall defile himself’ with reflexive force, and b-ʿammāy {בְּעַמָּֽיו | bĕ-ʿammāy} ‘among his people’ specifies communal boundaries. |