Leviticus 27:9

Summary

The verse addresses the case of an animal (behemah, H0929) that qualifies as something people may bring near to Yehovah as an offering. It then states that whatever portion is actually given from that animal to Yehovah becomes a holy thing.

Key words

• behemah ("an animal", H0929) — feminine singular noun, the subject of the conditional clause.
• yakrivu ("people will present", H7126H) — hiphil (causative) imperfect, third person masculine plural; the causative stem marks the action of bringing something near/causing it to be offered, distinct from a simple act of giving.
• qorban ("a present", H7133A) — masculine singular noun naming the category of offering the animal falls into.
• yitten ("someone will give", H5414G) — qal (simple, non-causative) imperfect, third person masculine singular; contrasts grammatically with the hiphil yakrivu used earlier in the verse.
• qodesh ("a holy thing", H6944G) — masculine singular noun functioning as the predicate of yihyeh ("it will be", H1961), stating the resulting status of what is given.

What the text says

The verse contains two parallel relative clauses, each introduced by 'asher ("which/that", H0834A) and each followed by a verb with a pronominal suffix meaning "from it" (mimennah, feminine, referring to behemah; mimennu, masculine). The first clause uses the hiphil verb yakrivu ("they will cause to be brought near"), describing the general category of animal that can be presented as a qorban to Yehovah. The second clause shifts to the qal verb yitten ("he will give"), describing the specific act of someone giving from that animal to Yehovah. This shift from causative to simple verb form marks a movement from the general classification of the animal as offering-material to the concrete action of giving a part of it.

The final clause, yihyeh qodesh ("it will be a holy thing"), places qodesh as a predicate noun after the verb "to be," asserting that whatever is given under these conditions acquires the status of qodesh, without further specifying degree or restrictions in this string of words alone.

Differences between versions

The LXX renders the singular behemah with the plural τῶν κτηνῶν ("of the cattle/animals"), broadening the reference from the Hebrew's singular collective noun. The Vulgate introduces the verb voverit ("he shall have vowed"), a concept of vowing not present in the Hebrew wording of this verse itself, which speaks only of presenting (yakrivu) and giving (yitten). The BSB similarly adds "if he vows," reflecting the same interpretive addition found in the Vulgate rather than a direct rendering of the Hebrew verbs used here.