| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the emphatic plural adjective kedoshim {קְדֹשִׁים | qĕ-dō-šîm} ‘holy ones’, placed clause-initially to emphasize priestly status, followed by the imperfect verb yiḥyû {יִהְיוּ | yĭh-yū} ‘they will be’, forming an equative clause. The beneficiary phrase lĕ-ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem {לֵאלֹהֵיהֶם | lĕ-ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem} ‘to their God’ marks the object of consecration. The prohibition uses a vav-consecutive imperfect in vĕ-lō yĕ-ḥallē-lû {וְלֹא יְחַלְּלוּ | vĕ-lō yĕ-ḥallē-lû} ‘and not they will profane’, with the Piel stem intensifying the causative desecration. The construct chain šēm ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem {שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיהֶם | šēm ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem} ‘name of their God’ highlights divine reputation. The causal conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} ‘because’ introduces the rationale clause, where the direct object marker ʾet in ʾet-îšêi yĕ-hō-wāh {אֶת־אִשֵּׁי יְהוָה | ʾet-îšêi yĕ-hō-wāh} ‘fire-offerings of the LORD’ signals emphasis, paralleled by lē-ḥem ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem {לֶחֶם אֱלֹהֵיהֶם | lē-ḥem ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem} ‘bread of their God’. The vav-consecutive perfect vĕ-hā-yû qō-ḏeš {וְהָיוּ קֹדֶשׁ | vĕ-hā-yû qō-ḏeš} ‘and they shall be holy’ returns to the main theme, creating an inclusio that frames the holiness obligation. |