| 2. Linguistic Exegesis The command opens with the Piel imperative dabber {דַּבֵּ֞ר | dabbēr} ‘speak,’ assigning Moses a directive. The prepositional phrase el bene yisra’el {אֶל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | ʾel bə-nē yiśrāʾēl} specifies the audience. The vav-consecutive we’amarta {וְאָמַרְתָּ | wə-ʾāmar-tā} continues the narrative command structure. The construct mōʿădêy Yahweh {מוֹעֲדֵי יְהוָה | mōʿă-dêy Yə-hō-wāh} frames the festivals as belonging to the LORD. The relative clause asher tikre'u ʾôtām mikra'ei kodesh {אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ | ʾă-šer tik-kər-ē-ʾû ʾô-tām mik-kə-rāʾ-êy qō-ḏēš} mandates that Israel call them “holy convocations.” The emphatic sequence eleh hem mo'adai {אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי | ʾēl-leh hēm mōʿă-dāy} underscores exclusivity as God’s appointed seasons and solidifies covenantal ownership in the sacred calendar. |