| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the paired commands ut’nu {וּתְנ֣וּ | ū-tə-nû} ‘and put’ and vesimu {וְשִׂימוּ֩ | wə-sî-mû} ‘and set’, marking ritual actions. Fire (esh {אֵ֡שׁ | ʾêš}) is placed in the pans (behem {בָהֵ֣ן | ba-hên}) and incense (ketoret {קְטֹ֜רֶת | qə-ṭō-ret}) upon them (aleihen {עֲלֵיהֶ֨ן | ʿa-lê-hen}), while lifnei {לִפְנֵ֤י | li-pə-nê} ‘before’ frames the act at the divine presence Yahweh {יְהוָה֙ | Yə-hō-wāh}. Tomorrow (machar {מָחָ֔ר | mā-ḥār}) sets the scheduled appointment. The vav + perfect vehayah {וְהָיָ֗ה | wə-hā-yāh} ‘and it will be’ introduces a relative clause led by asher {אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾă-šer} ‘who’ and yivchar {יִבְחַ֥ר | yiv-ḥar} ‘will choose’, culminating in the emphatic hu {ה֣וּא | hū} ‘he’ and predicate nominal ha-kadosh {הַקָּד֑וֹשׁ | ha-qā-ḏôš} ‘the holy’. The closing rebuke uses rav-lakhem {רַב־לָכֶ֖ם | rav-lā-khem} ‘too much for you’ directed at benei Levi {בְּנֵ֥י לֵוִֽי | bə-nê lê-wî}. The syntax underscores divine sovereignty by embedding the choice directly before the assignment of holiness, a pattern reflected in English through preserved conjunctions and emphatic pronoun placement. |