Leviticus 27:32

Summary

The verse establishes that every tenth animal among cattle and flock — whatever passes under the rod — is designated as holy to Yehovah. It describes a counting or selection process applied to herd and flock animals.

Key words

• ma'.Sar ("tithe/tenth part", H4643) — construct noun meaning "tithe of," linking to bakar ("herd") and setting up the topic of the sentence.
• ya.'a.Vor ("it will pass by", H5674A) — qal imperfect, describing a repeated or future action: each animal passing under something.
• Sha.vet ("rod", H7626G) — masculine singular noun with definite article, "the rod," the instrument under which animals pass.
• 'a.si.Ri ("tenth", H6224) — ordinal number, masculine singular, marking which specific animal in the sequence is meant.
• Ko.desh ("a holy thing", H6944G) — masculine singular noun, the status assigned to the tenth animal.

What the text says

The verse opens with ve.khol ("and all") governing two construct chains: ma'.Sar bakar ("tithe of the herd") and va.Tzon ("and flock"), establishing the general category being addressed — tithes from cattle and flock animals. The relative clause kol 'a.Sher-ya.'a.Vor Ta.chat ha.Sha.vet ("all that passes under the rod") uses the qal imperfect ya.'a.Vor, which in Biblical Hebrew often carries a habitual or repeated sense — describing an ongoing action of animals passing by, one after another, under the rod named with the definite article ha.Sha.vet.

The second clause, ha.'a.si.Ri yih.yeh-Ko.desh la.Yehovah ("the tenth will be holy to Yehovah"), places the ordinal 'a.si.Ri ("tenth") as the subject of the qal imperfect verb yih.yeh ("it will be"), followed by the predicate noun Ko.desh ("a holy thing") and the prepositional phrase la.Yehovah ("to Yehovah"). The imperfect form of yih.yeh indicates a future or general truth: whichever animal occupies the tenth position in this passing-under-the-rod process automatically receives the status of Ko.desh.

Differences between versions

The Hebrew text does not specify who administers the rod, but the LXX renders the phrase as ἐν τῷ ἀριθμῷ ὑπὸ τὴν ῥάβδον ("in the numbering under the rod"), making the counting process explicit rather than implied. The Vulgate specifies sub pastoris virga ("under the shepherd's rod"), introducing the figure of the shepherd, which is not present as a separate word in the Hebrew text (the Hebrew only has ha.Sha.vet, "the rod," without a possessor named). The BSB and SBLIBRE translations follow this Vulgate tradition by adding "shepherd's rod" or "vara del pastor," an interpretive addition not found explicitly in the Hebrew wording.