| 24. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the four asyndetically linked participles umaukh {וּמָע֤וּךְ | ū-mā-’ūḵ} ‘crushed’, vekatut {וְכָתוּת֙ | wə-kā-tūt} ‘shattered’, venatuk {וְנָת֣וּק | wə-nā-tûq} ‘torn off’, and vekarut {וְכָר֔וּת | wə-kā-rût} ‘cut off’, each marked by a prefixed waw to intensify the prohibition on bodily injury. This series is governed by the Hiphil imperfect lo takrivu {לֹא תַקְרִיבוּ | lō ta-qri-vû} ‘you shall not offer’, directing the prohibition toward laYHWH {לַֽיהוָה | la-Yahweh} ‘the LORD’. A second negative command follows in the Qal imperfect uveartschem lo taasu {וּֽבְאַרְצְכֶ֖ם לֹ֥א תַעֲשֽׂוּ | u-və-ar-tsə-khem lō ta-’a-sû} ‘and in your land you shall not do’, expanding the ban from ritual offerings to all related practices within Israel’s territory. The repetition of lo with successive verbs and the placement of “in your land” at the end create a balanced structure that emphasizes both liturgical and communal dimensions of holiness. |