| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew text opens with the conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for, because’, forming a causal clause that leads to a prescribed consequence. The expression kol-hanep̄eš {כָל־הַנֶּפֶשׁ | kol-hanep̄eš} ‘every soul’ uses a totality construction to include all individuals. A relative clause follows with ’ăšer {אֲשֶׁר | ’ăšer} ‘who’, specifying the subject of the self-affliction. The verb tə‘unneh {תְעֻנֶּה | tə‘unneh} in the Niphal imperfect conveys deliberate self-affliction, typical of Levitical fasting rituals. The intensifying temporal phrase bə‘eṣem hayyôm hazzeh {בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה | bə‘eṣem hayyôm hazzeh} ‘on this very day’ emphasizes precise timing for the affliction. The consequence clause employs the vav-consecutive perfect wə-nikkə̆rāṯā {וְנִכְרְתָה | wə-nikkə̆rāṯā} ‘and shall be cut off’, a formulaic passive denoting expulsion. Finally, mē‘ammēhā {מֵעַמֶּיהָ | mē‘ammēhā} ‘from her people’ specifies removal from the covenant community. The English translation renders the Niphal imperfect as a present conditional (‘does not humble’/‘deny themselves’) and the vav-consecutive as a future consequence (‘shall be cut off’/‘will be separated’) to preserve Hebrew aspectual nuances. |