וְעַ֛ל כָּל־נַפְשֹׁ֥ת מֵ֖ת לֹ֣א יָבֹ֑א לְאָבִ֥יו וּלְאִמֹּ֖ו לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּֽא׃
And he shall not come near any dead body; he shall not defile himself for his father or his mother.
Morphology
- וְעַ֛ל (veʿal) – Root: על (ʿ-l); Form: Conjunction + preposition; Translation: “And upon”; Notes: Indicates prohibition regarding association with the dead.
- כָּל־נַפְשֹׁ֥ת (kol-nafshot) – Root: נפש (n-p-sh); Form: Noun feminine plural construct with “all”; Translation: “All souls”; Notes: Refers to human beings, specifically the deceased.
- מֵ֖ת (met) – Root: מות (m-w-t); Form: Participle Qal masculine singular; Translation: “Dead”; Notes: Used to specify the prohibition against contact with the dead.
- לֹ֣א יָבֹ֑א (lo-yavo) – Root: בוא (b-w-ʾ); Form: Negative particle + verb Qal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He shall not come”; Notes: Prohibits entering or being in proximity.
- לְאָבִ֥יו (le-aviv) – Root: אב (ʾ-b); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “For his father”; Notes: Even familial defilement is prohibited for the High Priest.
- וּלְאִמֹּ֖ו (u-le-immov) – Root: אם (ʾ-m); Form: Conjunction + preposition + noun feminine singular construct with 3rd person masculine singular suffix; Translation: “And for his mother”; Notes: Expands the prohibition to include parents.
- לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּֽא (lo-yittamma) – Root: טמא (ṭ-m-ʾ); Form: Negative particle + verb Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “He shall not defile himself”; Notes: Prohibits ritual impurity, even for close relatives.