וְאַלְמָנָה֙ וּגְרוּשָׁ֔ה לֹֽא־יִקְח֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם לְנָשִׁ֑ים כִּ֣י אִם־בְּתוּלֹ֗ת מִזֶּ֨רַע֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהָֽאַלְמָנָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה אַלְמָנָ֔ה מִכֹּהֵ֖ן יִקָּֽחוּ׃
And a widow and a divorced woman they shall not take for themselves as wives, but only virgins from the seed of the house of Yisraʾel; and the widow who is a widow from a priest they may take.
Morphology
- וְאַלְמָנָה (ve-almanah) – Root: אלמן (alman); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular; Translation: “and a widow”; Notes: Refers to a woman whose husband has died; joined with the following term to indicate a category of prohibited marriages.
- וּגְרוּשָׁה (u-gerushah) – Root: גרשׁ (garash); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun feminine singular passive participle; Translation: “and a divorced woman”; Notes: Refers to a woman who has been formally separated from her husband.
- לֹא־ (lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces the prohibition against marrying certain women.
- יִקְחוּ (yiqḥu) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they shall take”; Notes: Refers to the act of taking a wife in marriage; the plural denotes all priests collectively.
- לָהֶם (lahem) – Root: —; Form: Preposition לְ + suffix 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “for themselves”; Notes: Indicates possession or personal action on their own behalf.
- לְנָשִׁים (le-nashim) – Root: אשה (ishah); Form: Preposition לְ + noun feminine plural; Translation: “as wives”; Notes: Specifies the context of marriage or taking women in union.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: כי (ki); Form: Conjunction; Translation: “for” or “but”; Notes: Introduces an exception or reason clause.
- אִם־ (ʾim) – Root: אם (ʾim); Form: Conditional particle; Translation: “if” or “only”; Notes: Here functions as a restrictive particle meaning “but only.”
- בְּתוּלֹת (betulot) – Root: בתל (batul); Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “virgins”; Notes: Refers to unmarried women of pure status, the only permissible marriage partners for priests.
- מִזֶּרַע (mi-zeraʿ) – Root: זרע (zeraʿ); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from the seed”; Notes: Denotes lineage or offspring; indicates descent or ancestry.
- בֵּית (beit) – Root: בית (bayit); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “house of”; Notes: Construct form links it to “Yisraʾel,” expressing belonging or lineage.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the covenant people of YHWH.
- וְהָאַלְמָנָה (ve-ha-almanah) – Root: אלמן (alman); Form: Conjunction וְ + definite noun feminine singular; Translation: “and the widow”; Notes: Introduces an exception clause regarding widows of priests.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who” or “which”; Notes: Links the following clause to specify the type of widow permitted.
- תִּהְיֶה (tihyeh) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person feminine singular; Translation: “is” or “shall be”; Notes: Describes the condition or status of the widow.
- אַלְמָנָה (almanah) – Root: אלמן (alman); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “a widow”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes her marital status.
- מִכֹּהֵן (mi-kohen) – Root: כהן (kohen); Form: Preposition מִן + noun masculine singular; Translation: “from a priest”; Notes: Specifies that she was previously married to a priest, marking the exception to the general rule.
- יִקָּחוּ (yiqqachu) – Root: לקח (laqach); Form: Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they may take”; Notes: Permissive form, allowing priests to marry widows of priests, maintaining priestly purity and lineage.