וְלֹֽא־יִגְּשׁ֤וּ אֵלַי֙ לְכַהֵ֣ן לִ֔י וְלָגֶ֨שֶׁת֙ עַל־כָּל־קָ֣דָשַׁ֔י אֶל־קָדְשֵׁ֖י הַקְּדָשִׁ֑ים וְנָֽשְׂאוּ֙ כְּלִמָּתָ֔ם וְתֹועֲבֹותָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשֽׂוּ׃
And they shall not come near to Me to serve Me as priests, nor to come near to any of My holy things, to the most holy things; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed.
Morphology
- וְלֹא־יִגְּשׁוּ (ve-lo yiggshu) – Root: נגשׁ (nagash); Form: Conjunction וְ + negative particle לֹא + Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they shall not come near”; Notes: Expresses prohibition—God restricts these Levites from approaching Him directly in priestly service.
- אֵלַי (ʾelai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + first person singular suffix; Translation: “to Me”; Notes: Emphasizes divine separation—their access to YHWH’s presence is barred.
- לְכַהֵן (le-kahen) – Root: כהן (kahan); Form: Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct; Translation: “to serve as priest”; Notes: The Piel denotes specialized priestly ministry; they are forbidden from performing sacred priestly functions.
- לִי (li) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + first cs suffix; Translation: “for Me”; Notes: Indicates service on behalf of or in dedication to YHWH.
- וְלָגֶשֶׁת (ve-lageshet) – Root: נגשׁ (nagash); Form: Conjunction וְ + preposition לְ + Qal infinitive construct; Translation: “and to approach”; Notes: Repeats the theme of restricted access to sacred objects, emphasizing exclusion from holy proximity.
- עַל־כָּל־קָדָשַׁי (ʿal-kol-qodashai) – Root: קדשׁ (qadash); Form: Preposition עַל + noun masculine plural construct + 1cs suffix; Translation: “upon all My holy things”; Notes: Refers to sacred temple vessels, offerings, and rituals belonging to YHWH.
- אֶל־קָדְשֵׁי (el-qodshei) – Root: קדשׁ (qadash); Form: Preposition אֶל + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “to the holy things of”; Notes: Continues the theme of denied access to sacred spaces and items.
- הַקְּדָשִׁים (ha-qedashim) – Root: קדשׁ (qadash); Form: Definite article + noun masculine plural; Translation: “the most holy things”; Notes: Refers specifically to the inner sanctum and objects reserved for high priestly use.
- וְנָשְׂאוּ (ve-nasʾu) – Root: נשא (nasaʾ); Form: Conjunction וְ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they shall bear”; Notes: Conveys bearing the burden of guilt or shame as a consequence of sin.
- כְּלִמָּתָם (kelimmatam) – Root: כלם (kalam); Form: Noun feminine singular + 3mp suffix; Translation: “their shame”; Notes: Denotes humiliation resulting from divine judgment or moral disgrace.
- וְתֹועֲבֹותָם (ve-toʿavotam) – Root: תעב (taʿav); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine plural + 3mp suffix; Translation: “and their abominations”; Notes: Refers to detestable acts, particularly idolatry and ritual impurity.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause describing their past actions.
- עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have done”; Notes: Refers to their active participation in abominable practices leading to divine exclusion.