Numbers 19:4

Summary

The verse describes a ritual action: Eleazar the priest takes some of the blood (of the red heifer, referenced from the previous verse) with his finger and sprinkles it seven times toward the front of the Tent of Meeting. The verbs describe a sequence of two actions — taking and sprinkling — both performed by the priest.

Key words

• la.Kach ("he will take", H3947G) — qal sequential perfect; continues a narrative chain begun in the prior verse, marking this as the next act in the ritual sequence.
• ko.Hen ("priest", H3548) — masculine singular noun in apposition to Eleazar's name, specifying his cultic role in performing the act.
• 'etz.ba.' ("finger", H0676) — feminine singular construct noun with the suffix -o ("his"), specifying the instrument of application; the construct form ties it directly to the possessor.
• hi.Zah ("he will spatter", H5137A) — hiphil (causative) sequential perfect; the causative stem indicates the priest causes the blood to scatter, distinct from a simple placing action.
• She.va' pe.'a.Mim ("seven times", H7651 + H6471) — cardinal number plus plural noun, quantifying the repetitions of the sprinkling action.

What the text says

The Hebrew sentence is built as two coordinated clauses joined by the narrative ve- ("and"), each headed by a sequential perfect verb: laqach ("he will take") and hizzah ("he will spatter"). This verbal chain marks a continuous sequence of ritual steps rather than isolated events. The object of the first verb is expressed through the partitive preposition mi- ("some of") attached to dam ("blood") with the third-feminine-singular suffix -ah ("its"), referring back to the animal's blood mentioned earlier. The phrase be-'etzba'o ("with his finger") specifies the instrument, using a construct noun with a pronominal suffix.

The second clause repeats the same partitive blood phrase (mi-damah) before the goal is stated: 'el nokhach pene 'ohel mo'ed ("to the front of the face of the tent of meeting"), a chain of construct nouns building a precise directional target. The hiphil stem of hizzah denotes causing the blood to scatter or spatter, distinguishing this action from simply touching or placing blood. The final phrase sheva pe'amim ("seven times") quantifies the repetitions of the sprinkling act.

Differences between versions

The LXX (καὶ λήμψεται Ἐλεαζὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτῆς) does not render the Hebrew be-'etzba'o ("with his finger") in the taking clause, nor does it repeat "the priest" (ha-kohen) as a title for Eleazar. The Vulgate places the finger action explicitly in a participial phrase, tingens digitum in sanguine ejus ("dipping his finger in her blood"), and does not name Eleazar in this verse at all, relying on the subject from the previous verse. Where the Hebrew reads nokhach pene 'ohel mo'ed ("before the face of the tent of meeting"), the Vulgate has contra fores tabernaculi ("toward the doors of the tabernacle"), using "doors" rather than "face/front."