Leviticus 27:11

Summary

Leviticus 27:11 addresses the case of a ritually unclean animal that cannot be brought as a sacrificial offering to Yehovah. The verse states that the owner must instead present the animal before the priest, presumably for a valuation process related to a vow.

Key words

• behemah ("animal", H0929) — feminine singular noun, referring to a domesticated animal; it appears twice in the verse, first as the general subject, then with the definite article specifying "the animal" already mentioned.
• teme'ah ("unclean", H2931) — feminine singular adjective agreeing with behemah, marking the animal as ritually unsuitable for sacrifice.
• yaqrivu ("people will present", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) imperfect, third person plural; the imperfect aspect indicates an ongoing or generalized action — describing what is not normally/habitually done with such an animal, rather than a single event.
• he'emid ("he will station", H5975G) — hiphil sequential perfect, third person singular; this causative form shifts to a specific singular subject (the owner) and continues the narrative sequence begun with the conditional clause, marking the required action that follows from the animal's unclean status.
• qorban ("a present", H7133A) — masculine singular noun, the technical term for an offering brought near to the deity; its absence in the negated clause defines what is impossible with this class of animal.

What the text says

The verse opens with the conditional particle 'im ("if", H0518A) governing the entire clause about an unclean animal, followed by a relative clause introduced by 'asher ("which", H0834A) that explains why: people do not/cannot present (yaqrivu) a qorban ("offering") from it la-Yehovah ("to Yehovah"). The shift from the plural imperfect yaqrivu (a general, customary negation — "people do not offer") to the singular sequential perfect he'emid ("he will station") marks a grammatical transition from a general statement about unclean animals to a specific required action by an individual (the owner or dedicator). The verb he'emid, causative of "to stand," implies not merely bringing the animal but causing it to stand or be positioned lifney ha-kohen ("before the priest", using the construct noun peney, H6440G), for inspection or evaluation. The direct object marker 'et before ha-behemah signals that this is the very animal earlier introduced, now made grammatically definite.

Differences between versions

The Vulgate adds the clause "si quis voverit" ("if anyone has vowed"), a phrase with no equivalent in the Hebrew text's wording of this verse, making explicit a vow context that the Hebrew leaves implicit within the broader chapter. The Vulgate also renders he'emid as "adducetur" ("it will be led/brought"), a passive construction, whereas the Hebrew and the LXX (στήσει, "he will station") preserve an active causative sense with the owner as implied agent.