| 39. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the adversative particle akh {אַךְ | ʾakh} ‘but’, signaling contrast with preceding instructions. The temporal phrase bachamishah asar yom lachodesh hashevi‘i {בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי | baḥamiššāh ʿāsār yôm laḥōḏēš haššĕḇīʿî} ‘on the fifteenth day of the seventh month’ establishes the sacred calendar context. The infinitive construct be-asp’khem {בְּאָסְפְּכֶם | bəʾaspəḵem} functions as a temporal clause “when you gather,” leading into the noun phrase tevu’at ha-arets {תְּבוּאַת הָאָרֶץ | təvūʾāṯ hāʾāreṣ} ‘the produce of the land,’ marked by et {אֶת־ | ʾet}. The verb tachogu {תָּחֹגוּ | ṭāḥōgū} ‘you shall celebrate’ issues the command for the festival of the LORD, with chag Yahweh {חַג יְהוָה | ḥag Yahweh} specifying its divine designation and shivat yamim {שִׁבְעַת יָמִים | šiḇaʿat yāmmîm} ‘seven days’ indicating duration. The parallelistic clauses ba-yom ha-rishon and u-va-yom ha-shmini {בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן וּבַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁמִינִי | bayyōm hāriššōn ūbayyōm haššmīnî} frame the opening and closing days as shabbaton ‘solemn rest,’ emphasizing the liturgical cessation at the festival’s boundaries. |