Leviticus 21:8ExegesisTAB

Leviticus 21 : 8 Sanctification | Priesthood | Holiness
8. Linguistic Exegesis
The verse begins with veqiddashto {וְקִדַּשְׁתּ֔וֹ | wə-qid-dāš-tō} ‘and you shall sanctify him’, an imperative instruction in Piel perfect with vav consecutive that calls Israel to consecrate the priest. The causal ki {כִּֽי־ | kî} introduces the reason clause, linking the consecration to his role expressed by makriv {מַקְרִ֑יב | mak-rî-ḇ} ‘offers’ as a Hifil participle describing his ongoing sacrificial service. The phrase yihyeh-lecha {יִֽהְיֶה־לָּ֔ךְ | yih-yêh-lā-khā} ‘he shall be to you’ employs a Qal imperfect with suffix forming a nominal predicate that signifies communal obligation. The second ki {כִּ֣י | kî} again marks causality, this time grounded in divine holiness proclaimed by ani Yahweh mekaddishkhem {אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם | ʾă-nî Yə-hō-wāh mê-qad-dî-šə-khem} ‘I, the LORD, sanctify you’, where the Piel participle mekaddishkhem underscores God’s active sanctifying. English rendering mirrors the Hebrew’s imperative–causal structure while highlighting priestly function and divine authority in holiness.

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