| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The opening imperative daber {דַּבֵּ֨ר | dabbēr} ‘speak’ directs Moses to address Aaron and his sons, establishing priestly hierarchy. The coordinate conjunction ve-el {וְאֶל־ | wə-ʾel} links Aaron with his descendants banav {בָּנָיו | banāyw} ‘his sons’ to define the audience. The Nifal imperfect ve-yinnazru {וְיִנָּֽזְרוּ | wə-yinnāzərū} ‘and let them separate themselves’ forms an injunction of abstention, referencing mi-kadshei benei-yisrael {מִקָּדְשֵׁי בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל | mīqqāḏšê bnê yiśrāʼēl} ‘from the holy things of the sons of Israel’ as its domain. The prohibitive clause ve-lo yeḥalləlû {וְלֹא יְחַלְּלוּ | wə-lō yeḥalləlû} ‘and not let them profane’ introduces the potential violation, focusing on the direct object et {אֶת־ | ʾet} ‘direct object marker’ + shem kadshi {שֵׁם קָדְשִׁי | šēm qāḏōšî} ‘my holy name’. The relative clause asher hem makdishim li {אֲשֶׁר הֵם מַקְדִּשִׁים לִי | ’ăšer hēm maqqəḏîšîm lī} qualifies the nature of holiness. The final declarative ani Yahweh {אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה | ’ănî Yəhōwāh} anchors the command in divine authority and identity. Hebrew imperative, imperfect, and participle structures are rendered in English using imperative, subjunctive, and participle constructions to preserve force, sequence, and temporal nuance. |