Leviticus 1:10

Summary

Leviticus 1:10 addresses the case where the burnt offering ('olah, H5930A) is drawn from the flock — either young rams (kesavim, H3775) or goats ('izzim, H5795) — rather than from cattle. The animal presented must be a male (zakhar, H2145) that is unblemished (tamim, H8549G).

Key words

• Tzon ("flock", H6629G) — common gender singular noun, the general category ("flock") from which the more specific kesavim ("young rams") or 'izzim ("goats") are drawn.
• korbano ("his offering", H7133A + H9023) — masculine singular noun in construct form with a pronominal suffix, literally "offering-of-him," identifying the offering as belonging to the one bringing it.
• zakhar ("a male", H2145) — masculine singular adjective, specifying the required sex of the animal.
• tamim ("unblemished", H8549G) — masculine singular adjective, specifying the required physical condition of the animal.
• yakrivennu ("he will present it", H7126H + H9033) — Hiphil (causative) imperfect verb with a 3rd person object suffix ("it"), indicating an action the offerer causes to happen — bringing the animal near/forward — with the imperfect aspect allowing for ongoing or future application.

What the text says

The verse opens with ve'im ("and if", H9002 + H0518A), a conditional construction that continues a series of case-by-case instructions (this is the second condition in the chapter, following the case of cattle in v.3). The condition is built with three parallel prepositional phrases using min ("from", H4480A): "from the flock" (min-ha-tzon), then further specified as "from the young rams" (min-ha-kesavim) "or from the goats" ('o min-ha-'izzim). This layered structure narrows the general category (flock) into two specific options (rams, goats), joined by 'o ("or", H0176A).

The purpose clause le-'olah ("for a burnt offering", H9005 + H5930A) states the offering's designation. The two adjectives zakhar ("a male") and tamim ("unblemished") stand before the verb, describing the required qualities of the animal without a copula — the noun phrase "male, unblemished" functions as the object description.

The final verb yakrivennu ("he will present it") is Hiphil, a causative stem here meaning "to cause to come near" or "to bring near," with the 3rd person masculine singular object suffix -nu referring back to the animal. The imperfect form can indicate future or habitual/instructional action, consistent with the legal-instructional register of the passage.

Differences between versions

The LXX adds τῷ κυρίῳ ("to the Lord"), a phrase not present in the Hebrew text provided, and further specifies ἀπό τε τῶν ἀρνῶν ("from the lambs") using a term for young lambs that overlaps but is not identical to the Hebrew kesavim ("young rams"). The LXX also includes an additional clause, καὶ ἐπιθήσει τὴν χεῖρα ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ("and he shall lay his hand on its head"), which has no corresponding Hebrew text in the data given. The Vulgate renders min-ha-tzon as "de pecoribus" ("from the flocks/herds"), a broader term than the Hebrew tzon ("flock," typically sheep and goats specifically).