וְהָי֤וּ בְמִקְדָּשִׁי֙ מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים פְּקֻדֹּות֙ אֶל־שַׁעֲרֵ֣י הַבַּ֔יִת וּֽמְשָׁרְתִ֖ים אֶת־הַבָּ֑יִת הֵ֠מָּה יִשְׁחֲט֨וּ אֶת־הָעֹלָ֤ה וְאֶת־הַזֶּ֨בַח֙ לָעָ֔ם וְהֵ֛מָּה יַעַמְד֥וּ לִפְנֵיהֶ֖ם לְשָֽׁרְתָֽם׃
And they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, appointed for oversight at the gates of the house and serving the house; they shall slaughter the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to serve them.
Morphology
- וְהָיוּ (ve-hayu) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural with conjunction; Translation: “and they shall be”; Notes: Introduces the consequence of their prior disobedience — relegated to lower temple service roles.
- בְמִקְדָּשִׁי (be-miqdashi) – Root: קדשׁ (qadash); Form: Preposition בְ + noun masculine singular + 1cs suffix; Translation: “in My sanctuary”; Notes: Denotes location within YHWH’s sacred dwelling place.
- מְשָׁרְתִים (meshartim) – Root: שרת (sharat); Form: Piel participle masculine plural; Translation: “serving” or “ministering”; Notes: Indicates continuous service, often priestly or Levitical in context.
- פְּקֻדֹּות (pekudot) – Root: פקד (paqad); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “appointed duties” or “charges”; Notes: Refers to assigned roles or responsibilities, especially regarding temple gates and oversight.
- אֶל־שַׁעֲרֵי (el-shaʿarei) – Root: שער (shaʿar); Form: Preposition אֶל + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “to the gates of”; Notes: Specifies their area of assignment — supervision of the temple entrances.
- הַבַּיִת (ha-bayit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the house”; Notes: Refers to the temple, the dwelling place of YHWH.
- וּמְשָׁרְתִים (u-meshartim) – Root: שרת (sharat); Form: Conjunction וְ + Piel participle masculine plural; Translation: “and serving”; Notes: Repetition underscores their subordinate role within the temple hierarchy.
- אֶת־הַבָּיִת (et-ha-bayit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Definite direct object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “the house”; Notes: Specifies the object of their service — the temple itself.
- הֵמָּה (hema) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “they”; Notes: Used emphatically to distinguish these Levites from higher-ranking priests.
- יִשְׁחֲטוּ (yishḥatu) – Root: שׁחט (shaḥat); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall slaughter”; Notes: Describes ritual slaughtering of sacrificial animals on behalf of the people.
- אֶת־הָעֹלָה (et-ha-ʿolah) – Root: עלה (ʿalah); Form: Definite direct object marker + noun feminine singular; Translation: “the burnt offering”; Notes: Refers to the whole offering that ascends as smoke to YHWH.
- וְאֶת־הַזֶּבַח (ve-et-ha-zevaḥ) – Root: זבח (zavach); Form: Conjunction וְ + object marker + noun masculine singular; Translation: “and the sacrifice”; Notes: Refers to general offerings, possibly including peace or thank offerings.
- לָעָם (laʿam) – Root: עם (ʿam); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular; Translation: “for the people”; Notes: Indicates mediation — the Levites serve as intermediaries for the worshippers.
- וְהֵמָּה (ve-hema) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction וְ + pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “and they”; Notes: Resumes subject emphasis — continuing description of their assigned service.
- יַעַמְדוּ (yaʿamdu) – Root: עמד (ʿamad); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “shall stand”; Notes: Connotes ritual presence and readiness to serve before others.
- לִפְנֵיהֶם (lifneihem) – Root: פנה (panah); Form: Preposition לְ + noun plural construct + 3mp suffix; Translation: “before them”; Notes: Indicates direct service to the people as representatives or attendants.
- לְשָׁרְתָם (le-shartam) – Root: שרת (sharat); Form: Preposition לְ + Piel infinitive construct + 3mp suffix; Translation: “to serve them”; Notes: Highlights their subordinate status — ministering to the people instead of directly before YHWH.