וְאַנְשֵׁ֨י תָמִ֤יד יַבְדִּ֨ילוּ֙ עֹבְרִ֣ים בָּאָ֔רֶץ מְקַבְּרִ֣ים אֶת־הָעֹבְרִ֗ים אֶת־הַנֹּותָרִ֛ים עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאָ֖רֶץ לְטַֽהֲרָ֑הּ מִקְצֵ֥ה שִׁבְעָֽה־חֳדָשִׁ֖ים יַחְקֹֽרוּ׃
And men of continual employment shall set apart those who pass through the land, burying those who remain on the face of the land, to cleanse it; at the end of seven months they shall make search.
Morphology
- וְאַנְשֵׁי (ve-ʾanshê) – Root: אישׁ (ʾīsh); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “and men of”; Notes: Refers to individuals assigned a specific role or duty within the community.
- תָמִיד (tāmīd) – Root: תמד (tāmad); Form: Noun masculine singular absolute; Translation: “continual” / “constant”; Notes: Denotes continuous, ongoing duty—men regularly assigned for this work.
- יַבְדִּילוּ (yavdīlū) – Root: בדל (badal); Form: Hiphil imperfect 3mp; Translation: “they shall set apart”; Notes: Hiphil stem indicates causative action—appointing or separating designated workers.
- עֹבְרִים (ʿōvrīm) – Root: עבר (ʿāvar); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those passing through”; Notes: Refers to travelers or scouts assigned to locate unburied remains.
- בָּאָרֶץ (ba-ʾārets) – Root: ארץ (ʾārets); Form: Preposition בְּ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “in the land”; Notes: The land of Yisraʾel as the scene of the purification process.
- מְקַבְּרִים (məqabbərīm) – Root: קבר (qāvar); Form: Piel participle masculine plural; Translation: “burying”; Notes: Piel indicates intensive or repeated action—continuous burial work by appointed men.
- אֶת־הָעֹבְרִים (ʾet-ha-ʿōvrīm) – Root: עבר (ʿāvar); Form: Direct object marker אֵת + definite Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who pass through”; Notes: Refers to the ones assigned for search and burial activity.
- אֶת־הַנֹּותָרִים (ʾet-ha-nōtārīm) – Root: יתר (yātar); Form: Direct object marker אֵת + definite Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “those who remain”; Notes: Refers to corpses left unburied after the initial phase of the conflict.
- עַל־פְּנֵי (ʿal-pənê) – Root: פנה (panāh); Form: Preposition עַל + construct noun masculine plural; Translation: “upon the face of”; Notes: Common idiom for “throughout” or “over the surface of” the land.
- הָאָרֶץ (ha-ʾārets) – Root: ארץ (ʾārets); Form: Definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Refers again to the defiled land of Yisraʾel needing purification.
- לְטַהֲרָהּ (le-taḥărāh) – Root: טהר (ṭāhar); Form: Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct + suffix 3fs; Translation: “to cleanse it”; Notes: Expresses purpose—ritual purification of the land from corpse impurity.
- מִקְצֵה (miqtseh) – Root: קצה (qātsāh); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “at the end of”; Notes: Temporal phrase indicating the completion of the seven-month period.
- שִׁבְעָה־חֳדָשִׁים (shivʿāh-ḥodāshīm) – Root: שבע (shevaʿ) / חדשׁ (ḥādāsh); Form: Numeral masculine singular + noun masculine plural; Translation: “seven months”; Notes: Duration of the cleansing operation.
- יַחְקֹרוּ (yaḥqōrū) – Root: חקר (ḥāqar); Form: Qal imperfect 3mp; Translation: “they shall make search”; Notes: Refers to an investigation or inspection of the land to ensure total purification is completed.
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