וְלֹֽא־תִקְח֥וּ כֹ֨פֶר֙ לְנֶ֣פֶשׁ רֹצֵ֔חַ אֲשֶׁר־ה֥וּא רָשָׁ֖ע לָמ֑וּת כִּי־מֹ֖ות יוּמָֽת׃
You shall not accept ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death; he shall surely be put to death.
Morphology
- וְלֹֽא־תִקְח֥וּ (velo-tiqchu) – Root: לקח (lqḥ); Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “You shall not take”; Notes: Prohibition directed at the community or judges.
- כֹ֨פֶר֙ (kofer) – Root: כפר (kpr); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “ransom”; Notes: Refers to a payment to substitute for a penalty.
- לְנֶ֣פֶשׁ (le-nefesh) – Root: נפש (npsh); Form: Preposition with noun, feminine singular; Translation: “for the life”; Notes: Indicates the object of ransom.
- רֹצֵ֔חַ (rotseach) – Root: רצח (rṣḥ); Form: Noun, masculine singular; Translation: “a murderer”; Notes: Refers to one guilty of intentional killing.
- אֲשֶׁר־ה֥וּא (asher-hu) – Root: אשר (ʾshr); Form: Relative pronoun with pronoun; Translation: “who is”; Notes: Introduces a clause specifying the murderer.
- רָשָׁ֖ע (rasha) – Root: רשע (rshʿ); Form: Adjective, masculine singular; Translation: “guilty”; Notes: Describes the legal status of the murderer.
- לָמ֑וּת (lamut) – Root: מות (mwt); Form: Infinitive construct; Translation: “to die”; Notes: Indicates the penalty for the crime.
- כִּי־מֹ֖ות (ki-mot) – Root: מות (mwt); Form: Infinitive absolute; Translation: “surely”; Notes: Emphasizes certainty of execution.
- יוּמָֽת׃ (yumat) – Root: מות (mwt); Form: Hofal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he shall be put to death”; Notes: Passive form indicating judicial execution.