| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the vav-consecutive weavad {וְעָבַד | wə-ʿā-vaḏ} ‘and he shall serve’, introducing a stipulation for liturgical duty. The pronoun hu {הוּא | hûʾ} ‘he himself’ restricts this obligation to the Levite. The technical phrase et-avodat ohel moed {אֶת־עֲבֹדַת אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד | ʾet-ʿa-vō-ḏaṯ ʾō-hel mō-ʿêḏ} ‘the service of the Tent of Meeting’ employs the direct object marker to highlight cultic function. The shift to vehem {וְהֵם | wə-hēm} ‘and they’ with yisau {יִשְׂאוּ | yiś-ʾû} ‘shall bear’ and avonam {עֲוֺנָם | ʿa-vō-nām} ‘their guilt’ emphasizes collective accountability. The legal formula chukat olam {חֻקַּת עוֹלָם | ḥū-qaṯ ʿō-lām} ‘statute of everlasting’ paired with ledoroteichem {לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם | lə-dô-rō-ṯê-ḵem} ‘for your generations’ establishes a perpetual ordinance. Finally, the prohibition lo yinchalu nachalah {לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ נַחֲלָה | lōʾ yi-nḥa-lû na-ḥā-lā(h)} ‘they shall not inherit an inheritance’ uses a noun-verb repetition for emphasis, defining lasting exclusion from land allotments. |