| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The instruction sequence begins with the vav-consecutive verb velakhach {וְלָקַ֞ח | wə-lā-qaḥ} ‘and he shall take’, setting the ritual action in motion. It is followed by the explicit agent Elʿazar {אֶלְעָזָ֧ר | ʾel-ʿā-zar} ‘Eleazar’ with the title hakohen {הַכֹּהֵ֛ן | ha-kô-ḥên} ‘the priest’, defining the officiant. The construct midamah {מִדָּמָ֖הּ | min-dā-māh} ‘from its blood’ linked to beetsbao {בְּאֶצְבָּע֑וֹ | bə-’eṣ-ṣə-bā-’ō} ‘with his finger’ specifies the instrument. The causative Hifil vehizzah {וְהִזָּ֞ה | wə-ḥiz-zāh} ‘and he shall sprinkle’ introduces the perfunctory act, directed by el-nokhach penei ohel-moʿed {אֶל־נֹ֨כַח פְּנֵ֧י אֹֽהֶל־מוֹעֵ֛ד | ʾel-nō-ḥaḥ pə-nê ʾō-hel-mô-ʿēd} ‘toward the front of the tent of meeting’, indicating precise spatial orientation. The repetition of midamah and the distributive numeral sheva peamim {שֶׁ֥בַע פְּעָמִֽים | še-vāʿ pə-‘ā-mîm} ‘seven times’ creates numerical emphasis, conveying completeness. The Hebrew VSO order is rendered into English SVO to maintain clarity while preserving the specialized prepositional phrases for ritual precision. |