וּקְרָא משֶׁה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲמַר לְהוֹן שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יָת קְיָמַיָּא וְיָת דִּינַיָּא דִּי אֲנָא מְמַלֵּל קֳדָמֵיכוֹן יוֹמָא דֵין וְתַלְּפוּן יָתְהוֹן וְתִטְּרוּן לְמֶעְבָּדְהוֹן:
And Moshe called to all Yisraʾel and said to them, “Hear, O Yisraʾel, the statutes and the judgments that I am speaking before you today, and you shall learn them and keep them to perform them.”
Margins of Authority: The Verse at a Glance
This verse marks a turning point—the reintroduction of the Ten Words—but the Targum does not simply restate the moment. It invokes precise Aramaic legal terminology, with a hierarchy of command verbs: hear, learn, keep, and do. The verse is grammatical commandment: syntax used in service of covenant.
1. וּקְרָא משֶׁה לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל — “And Moshe called to all Yisraʾel”
- וּקְרָא — Peʿal perfect 3ms of קרא, “he called.”
- לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל — Prepositional phrase meaning “to all Yisraʾel,” using לְ + quantifier + proper noun.
2. וַאֲמַר לְהוֹן — “And he said to them”
- וַאֲמַר — Peʿal perfect 3ms of אמר, “he said.”
- לְהוֹן — “to them,” preposition + 3mp suffix.
3. שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל — “Hear, Yisraʾel”
- שְׁמַע — Imperative ms of שׁמע, “hear, listen.”
- Vocative structure addressing the nation directly.
4. יָת קְיָמַיָּא וְיָת דִּינַיָּא — “the statutes and the judgments”
- יָת — Direct object marker used before definite objects.
- קְיָמַיָּא — “statutes,” plural of קְיָם, “decree” or “ordinance.”
- דִּינַיָּא — “judgments,” plural of דִּין, legal rulings or case law.
5. דִּי אֲנָא מְמַלֵּל קֳדָמֵיכוֹן יוֹמָא דֵין — “which I am speaking before you today”
- דִּי — Relative particle, “that” or “which.”
- מְמַלֵּל — Paʿel participle ms of מלל, “speaking” (formal/legal speech).
- קֳדָמֵיכוֹן — “before you,” preposition + 2mp suffix.
- יוֹמָא דֵין — “this day.”
6. וְתַלְּפוּן יָתְהוֹן — “And you shall learn them”
- תַלְּפוּן — Paʿel imperfect 2mp of לף, “to learn / study / instruct.”
- יָתְהוֹן — “them,” direct object marker + 3mp suffix.
7. וְתִטְּרוּן לְמֶעְבָּדְהוֹן — “And you shall keep them to perform them”
- תִטְּרוּן — Peʿal imperfect 2mp of נטר, “to guard, keep.”
- לְמֶעְבָּדְהוֹן — Infinitive construct of עבד (“to do”) + 3mp suffix = “to perform them.”
Covenant Command Table
| Form | Verb | Stem & Function | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁמַע | שׁמע | Imperative (Peʿal) | “Hear!” |
| מְמַלֵּל | מלל | Participle (Paʿel) | “I am speaking” (formal/legal) |
| תַלְּפוּן | לף | Imperfect (Paʿel) | “You shall learn” |
| תִטְּרוּן | נטר | Imperfect (Peʿal) | “You shall keep” |
| לְמֶעְבָּדְהוֹן | עבד | Infinitive construct + suffix | “to do them” |
When Syntax Commands
This verse is a linguistic chiasm of command: hear → learn → keep → do. The Targum expands the legal scope of שמע with strong verbs like תַלְּפוּן and תִטְּרוּן, transforming the audience into disciples of grammar and obedience.
The verbs do not just instruct—they construct a covenantal people.
Here, syntax becomes Sinai’s second voice.
