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Grammar Analysis: Deuteronomy 14:22–27 — The Tithe Law and the Weqatal Chain

"Thou shalt truly tithe ... and thou shalt eat ... and thou shalt turn it into money ... and thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after ... and thou shalt eat there ... and thou shalt rejoice"

The tithe-feast pericope of Deuteronomy's central-sanctuary code. Its five 2ms imperatival predicates (one Piel inf-abs-intensified imperfect + four weqatals) form the classic Deuteronomic covenant-obligation chain. The chain is triggered in v. 22 by the figura etymologica עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר and carried through vv. 23–26 by a sequence of וְ+perfect 2ms forms, then closed by the prohibition of v. 27.

The passage is controlling for one ancient-near-eastern-law question: when Moses names יַיִן ("wine") and שֵׁכָר ("strong drink") in v. 26, are those two nouns direct objects of the verb ("thou shalt buy wine and strong drink"), or are they items enumerated inside a permissive בְּכֹל-PP that functions as the complement of the verb נָתַן "give/spend"? This entry answers that question with the BHSA clause-role tags and a clause-by-clause map of the whole pericope.

Text

Hebrew (BHS / ETCBC 2021):

v. 22 עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר אֵ֖ת כָּל־תְּבוּאַ֣ת זַרְעֶ֑ךָ הַיֹּצֵ֥א הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה שָׁנָ֥ה שָׁנָֽה׃

v. 23 וְאָכַלְתָּ֞ לִפְנֵ֣י׀ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ בַּמָּקֹ֣ום אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַר֮ לְשַׁכֵּ֣ן שְׁמֹ֣ו שָׁם֒ מַעְשַׂ֤ר דְּגָֽנְךָ֙ תִּֽירֹשְׁךָ֣ וְיִצְהָרֶ֔ךָ וּבְכֹרֹ֥ת בְּקָרְךָ֖ וְצֹאנֶ֑ךָ לְמַ֣עַן תִּלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָ֛ה אֶת־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃

v. 24 וְכִֽי־יִרְבֶּ֨ה מִמְּךָ֜ הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ כִּ֣י לֹ֣א תוּכַל֮ שְׂאֵתֹו֒ כִּֽי־יִרְחַ֤ק מִמְּךָ֙ הַמָּקֹ֔ום אֲשֶׁ֤ר יִבְחַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לָשׂ֥וּם שְׁמֹ֖ו שָׁ֑ם כִּ֥י יְבָרֶכְךָ֖ יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃

v. 25 וְנָתַתָּ֖ה בַּכָּ֑סֶף וְצַרְתָּ֤ הַכֶּ֨סֶף֙ בְּיָ֣דְךָ֔ וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּקֹ֔ום אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בֹּֽו׃

v. 26 וְנָתַתָּ֣ה הַכֶּ֡סֶף בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּ֨ה נַפְשְׁךָ֜ בַּבָּקָ֣ר וּבַצֹּ֗אן וּבַיַּ֨יִן֙ וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔ר וּבְכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר תִּֽשְׁאָלְךָ֖ נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ וְאָכַ֣לְתָּ שָּׁ֗ם לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ אַתָּ֥ה וּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃

v. 27 וְהַלֵּוִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־בִּשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ לֹ֣א תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּ כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לֹ֛ו חֵ֥לֶק וְנַחֲלָ֖ה עִמָּֽךְ׃ ס

KJV (from D:/bible/tools/data/kjv.txt):

22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. 24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; [or] if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: 25 Then shalt thou turn [it] into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: 26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, 27 And the Levite that [is] within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

LXX (Rahlfs, Deut 14:26) — tool-aligned via LXX mapping in H3196-yayin and H7941-shekar:

καὶ δώσεις τὸ ἀργύριον ἐπὶ παντός, οὗ ἂν ἐπιθυμῇ ἡ ψυχή σου, ἐπὶ βουσὶν ἢ ἐπὶ προβάτοις, ἐπὶ οἴνῳ ἢ ἐπὶ σικερᾷ ἢ ἐπὶ παντός, οὗ ἂν ἐπιθυμῇ ἡ ψυχή σου…

Five-fold distributive ἐπί + dative, preserving the Hebrew בְּ-PP structure word-for-word. οἶνος renders יַיִן; σίκερα (direct Greek calque of שֵׁכָר, per word-studies LXX alignment) renders שֵׁכָר. Both Greek nouns stand in the dative as complements of ἐπί — not in the accusative as direct objects of δώσεις. The LXX thus grammatically reinforces the Hebrew syntactic tree: wine and strong drink are items under a preposition, not objects of a verb.

Word-by-Word Parsing (hebrew_parser.py --verse)

v. 22

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 עַשֵּׂ֣ר עשׂר Verb.Piel.InfAbs take tenth
2 תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר עשׂר Verb.Piel.Impf.2ms take tenth
3 אֵ֖ת את Prep (object marker) —
4 כָּל כל Noun.ms.Cst whole
5 תְּבוּאַ֣ת תבואה Noun.fs.Cst yield
6 זַרְעֶ֑ךָ זרע Noun.ms.Abs+2ms thy seed
7 הַ ה Art the
8 יֹּצֵ֥א יצא Verb.Qal.Ptcp going out
9 הַ ה Art the
10 שָּׂדֶ֖ה שׂדה Noun.ms.Abs field
11 שָׁנָ֥ה שׁנה Noun.fs.Abs year
12 שָׁנָֽה שׁנה Noun.fs.Abs year

v. 23

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 וְ ו Conj and
2 אָכַלְתָּ֞ אכל Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt eat
3 לִפְנֵ֣י ל + פנה Prep + Noun.mp.Cst before
4 יְהוָ֣ה יהוה PropN YHWH
5 אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ אלהים Noun.mp.Abs+2ms thy God
6 בַּמָּקֹ֣ום ב + ה + מקום Prep+Art+Noun.ms.Abs in the place
7 אֲשֶׁר אשׁר Rel which
8 יִבְחַר֮ בחר Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms he shall choose
9 לְ ל Prep to
10 שַׁכֵּ֣ן שׁכן Verb.Piel.InfCon cause-to-dwell
11 שְׁמֹ֣ו שׁם Noun.ms.Abs+3ms his name
12 שָׁם֒ שׁם Adv there
13 מַעְשַׂ֤ר מעשׂר Noun.ms.Cst tithe-of
14 דְּגָֽנְךָ֙ דגן Noun.ms.Abs+2ms thy corn
15 תִּֽירֹשְׁךָ֣ תירושׁ Noun.ms.Abs+2ms thy must/new-wine
16 וְיִצְהָרֶ֔ךָ יצהר Conj+Noun.ms.Abs+2ms and thy oil
17 וּבְכֹרֹ֥ת בכר Conj+Noun.mp.Cst and firstborn-of
18 בְּקָרְךָ֖ בקר Noun.Abs+2ms thy cattle
19 וְצֹאנֶ֑ךָ צאן Conj+Noun.Abs+2ms and thy flock
20 לְמַ֣עַן למען Prep/Conj (purpose) so that
21 תִּלְמַ֗ד למד Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms thou mayest learn
22 לְיִרְאָ֛ה ירא Prep+Verb.Qal.InfCon to fear
23 אֶת את Prep (obj marker) —
24 יְהוָ֥ה יהוה PropN YHWH
25 אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אלהים Noun.mp.Abs+2ms thy God
26 כָּל כל Noun.ms.Cst all
27 הַיָּמִֽים יום Art+Noun.mp.Abs the days

v. 24

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 וְכִֽי ו + כי Conj+Conj (casuistic) and when
2 יִרְבֶּ֨ה רבה Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms is/becomes great
3 מִמְּךָ֜ מן + 2ms Prep+suff from thee
4 הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ דרך Art+Noun.Abs the way
5 כִּ֣י כי Conj that
6 לֹ֣א לא Neg not
7 תוּכַל֮ יכל Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms thou art able
8 שְׂאֵתֹו֒ נשׂא Verb.Qal.InfCon+3ms to carry it
9 כִּֽי כי Conj when
10 יִרְחַ֤ק רחק Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms is far
11 מִמְּךָ֙ מן+2ms Prep+suff from thee
12 הַמָּקֹ֔ום ה+מקום Art+Noun the place
13 אֲשֶׁ֤ר אשׁר Rel which
14 יִבְחַר֙ בחר Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms shall choose
15 יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ — — YHWH thy God
16 לָשׂ֥וּם שׂים Prep+Verb.Qal.InfCon.Cst to place
17 שְׁמֹ֖ו שָׁ֑ם — — his name there
18 כִּ֥י כי Conj (since) for
19 יְבָרֶכְךָ֖ ברך Verb.Piel.Impf.3ms+2ms he shall bless thee
20 יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ — — YHWH thy God

v. 25

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 וְ ו Conj and
2 נָתַתָּ֖ה נתן Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt give/convert
3 בַּכָּ֑סֶף ב+ה+כסף Prep+Art+Noun.ms.Abs into/for the silver
4 וְ ו Conj and
5 צַרְתָּ֤ צור Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt bind
6 הַכֶּ֨סֶף֙ ה+כסף Art+Noun.ms.Abs the silver
7 בְּיָ֣דְךָ֔ ב+יד Prep+Noun.Abs+2ms in thine hand
8 וְ ו Conj and
9 הָֽלַכְתָּ֙ הלך Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt walk/go
10 אֶל אל Prep unto
11 הַמָּקֹ֔ום ה+מקום Art+Noun the place
12 אֲשֶׁ֥ר אשׁר Rel which
13 יִבְחַ֛ר בחר Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms shall choose
14 יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ — — YHWH thy God
15 בֹּֽו ב+3ms Prep+suff in it

v. 26

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 וְ ו Conj and
2 נָתַתָּ֣ה נתן Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt give/spend
3 הַכֶּ֡סֶף ה+כסף Art+Noun.ms.Abs the silver [Objc]
4 בְּ ב Prep for/in
5 כֹל֩ כל Noun.ms.Cst whatsoever
6 אֲשֶׁר אשׁר Rel that
7 תְּאַוֶּ֨ה אוה Verb.Piel.Impf.3fs desires
8 נַפְשְׁךָ֜ נפשׁ Noun.fs.Abs+2ms thy soul
9 בַּ ב+ה Prep+Art in the
10 בָּקָ֣ר בקר Noun.Abs cattle
11 וּבַ ו+ב+ה Conj+Prep+Art and in the
12 צֹּ֗אן צאן Noun.Abs flock
13 וּבַ ו+ב+ה Conj+Prep+Art and in the
14 יַּ֨יִן֙ יין Noun.ms.Abs wine
15 וּבַ ו+ב+ה Conj+Prep+Art and in the
16 שֵּׁכָ֔ר שׁכר Noun.ms.Abs strong drink
17 וּבְ ו+ב Conj+Prep and in
18 כֹ֛ל כל Noun.ms.Cst whatsoever
19 אֲשֶׁ֥ר אשׁר Rel that
20 תִּֽשְׁאָלְךָ֖ שׁאל Verb.Qal.Impf.3fs+2ms asks of thee
21 נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ נפשׁ Noun.fs.Abs+2ms thy soul
22 וְ ו Conj and
23 אָכַ֣לְתָּ אכל Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt eat
24 שָּׁ֗ם שׁם Adv there
25 לִפְנֵי֙ ל+פנה Prep+Noun.mp.Cst before
26 יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ — — YHWH thy God
27 וְ ו Conj and
28 שָׂמַחְתָּ֖ שׂמח Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal) thou shalt rejoice
29 אַתָּ֥ה אתה Pron.2ms thou
30 וּבֵיתֶֽךָ ו+בית Conj+Noun.ms.Abs+2ms and thy house

v. 27

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 וְ ו Conj and
2 הַלֵּוִ֥י לוי Art+Adj/Noun.ms.Abs the Levite
3 אֲשֶׁר אשׁר Rel who
4 בִּשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ ב+שׁער Prep+Noun.mp.Abs+2ms in thy gates
5 לֹ֣א לא Neg not
6 תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּ עזב Verb.Qal.Impf.2ms+3ms thou shalt forsake him
7 כִּ֣י כי Conj (motive) for
8 אֵ֥ין אין NegExistential there is not
9 לֹ֛ו ל+3ms Prep+suff to him
10 חֵ֥לֶק חלק Noun.ms.Abs portion
11 וְנַחֲלָ֖ה נחלה Conj+Noun.fs.Abs and inheritance
12 עִמָּֽךְ עם+2ks Prep+suff with thee

Morphology Table: Every Verb in the Pericope

Canonical enumeration of the verbal backbone.

# Verse Form Lemma Parsing Function KJV
1 22 עַשֵּׂ֣ר עשׂר Piel InfAbs paronomastic intensifier "truly" (unrendered-as-verb)
2 22 תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר עשׂר Piel Impf. 2ms main command — imperfect-of-injunction with inf-abs trigger "thou shalt tithe"
3 22 הַיֹּצֵ֥א יצא Qal Ptcp. (ms abs) articular attributive ptcp modifying זֶרַע "that the field bringeth forth"
4 23 וְאָכַלְתָּ֞ אכל Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #1 "and thou shalt eat"
5 23 יִבְחַר֮ בחר Qal Impf. 3ms relative clause (אֲשֶׁר) — future "shall choose" "he shall choose"
6 23 לְשַׁכֵּ֣ן שׁכן Piel InfCon + לְ purpose inf ("to cause his name to dwell") "to place"
7 23 תִּלְמַ֗ד למד Qal Impf. 2ms לְמַעַן purpose clause (result of tithe-feast) "thou mayest learn"
8 23 לְיִרְאָ֛ה ירא Qal InfCon + לְ complement of תלמד "to fear"
9 24 יִרְבֶּ֨ה רבה Qal Impf. 3ms protasis #1 (כִּי casuistic) "be too long"
10 24 תוּכַל֮ יכל Qal Impf. 2ms subordinate כִּי clause "thou art not able"
11 24 שְׂאֵתֹו֒ נשׂא Qal InfCon + 3ms suff. complement of תוכל "to carry it"
12 24 יִרְחַ֤ק רחק Qal Impf. 3ms protasis #2 (כִּי casuistic) "be too far"
13 24 יִבְחַר֙ בחר Qal Impf. 3ms relative clause "shall choose"
14 24 לָשׂ֥וּם שׂים Qal InfCon.Cst + לְ purpose inf "to set"
15 24 יְבָרֶכְךָ֖ ברך Piel Impf. 3ms + 2ms suff. subordinate motive-clause "shall bless thee"
16 25 וְנָתַתָּ֖ה נתן Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #2 (apodosis of v. 24) "then shalt thou turn it into"
17 25 וְצַרְתָּ֤ צור Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #3 "and bind up"
18 25 וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ הלך Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #4 "and shalt go"
19 25 יִבְחַ֛ר בחר Qal Impf. 3ms relative clause "shall choose"
20 26 וְנָתַתָּ֣ה נתן Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #5 — controls wine/shekar PP "thou shalt bestow"
21 26 תְּאַוֶּ֨ה אוה Piel Impf. 3fs relative clause (subject נפש) "thy soul lusteth after"
22 26 תִּֽשְׁאָלְךָ֖ שׁאל Qal Impf. 3fs + 2ms suff. relative clause "thy soul desireth"
23 26 וְאָכַ֣לְתָּ אכל Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #6 "and thou shalt eat"
24 26 וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ שׂמח Qal Perf. 2ms + ְו (weqatal) command continuation #7 — climax of chain "and thou shalt rejoice"
25 27 תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּ עזב Qal Impf. 2ms + 3ms suff. negated prohibition breaking chain (לֹא + yiqtol) "thou shalt forsake" (negated)

Seven weqatals across vv. 23–26 (וְאָכַלְתָּ֞, וְנָתַתָּ֖ה, וְצַרְתָּ֤, וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙, וְנָתַתָּ֣ה, וְאָכַ֣לְתָּ, וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖) all 2ms Qal perfects with prefixed waw, each inheriting imperatival force from the Piel inf-abs + Piel yiqtol in v. 22. See weqatal-legal-imperatival.

The KJV rightly translates every one of these as "thou shalt X." They are the load-bearing commands of the pericope.

Clause Structure (hebrew_parser.py --clause)

v. 22 — the paronomastic imperative (chain trigger)

Clause 1  Type: xYq0  Domain: Q
  [Modi] עַשֵּׂ֣ר                             ← Piel InfAbs, cognate intensifier
  [Pred] תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר                           ← Piel Impf. 2ms, main verb
  [Objc] אֵ֖ת כָּל תְּבוּאַ֣ת זַרְעֶ֑ךָ        ← direct object marked by אֵת
Clause 2  Type: Ptcp (attributive relative participle)
  הַ + יֹּצֵ֥א + הַ + שָּׂדֶ֖ה + שָׁנָ֥ה שָׁנָֽה

The cognate inf-abs ([Modi]) + imperfect-of-command construction in second-person paraenesis is the canonical Deuteronomic "thou shalt surely X" formula (see infinitive-absolute-intensification, with parallels at Gen 2:17 מוֹת תָּמוּת, Deut 7:2 הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים). KJV renders "thou shalt truly tithe."

v. 23 — weqatal command continuation #1

Clause 1  Type: WQt0  Domain: Q   ← ETCBC weqatal clause-type
  [Conj]  וְ
  [Pred]  אָכַלְתָּ֞                         ← Qal.Perf.2ms (weqatal)
  [Adju]  לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ
  [Loca]  בַּמָּקֹ֣ום
  [Objc]  מַעְשַׂ֤ר דְּגָֽנְךָ֙ תִּֽירֹשְׁךָ֣ וְיִצְהָרֶ֔ךָ וּבְכֹרֹ֥ת בְּקָרְךָ֖ וְצֹאנֶ֑ךָ
Clauses 2–3: אֲשֶׁר relative + לְ-InfCon purpose
Clauses 4–5: לְמַעַן + Impf.2ms תִּלְמַד + לְ-InfCon

Direct object of "eat" in v. 23 is the tithe itself — "the tithe of thy corn, thy tirosh [must/new-wine, H8492], thine oil, and the firstlings." These are marked [Objc] (direct object) in the BHSA tree. Note: the word here is תִּירֹשׁ (tirosh, must/new-wine, 38 HB occurrences, H8492-tiyrowsh) — not יַיִן (yayin, fermented wine). Tirosh is the first-processed produce of the vine brought as firstfruit/tithe; it is the agricultural raw material of the tithe in situ, not a purchase-item.

v. 24 — casuistic protasis (chain paused)

Three nested כִּי-clauses giving the geographic exception: the way is too long / place too far / YHWH has blessed thee with so much produce. All verbs here are Qal Impf. 3ms or 2ms (none are weqatal-commands). This is the condition, not a command.

v. 25 — weqatal commands #2–4 (apodosis)

Clause 1  Type: WQt0   [Pred] נָתַתָּ֖ה     [Cmpl] בַּכָּ֑סֶף
Clause 2  Type: WQt0   [Pred] צַרְתָּ֤      [Objc] הַכֶּ֨סֶף֙   [Cmpl] בְּיָ֣דְךָ֔
Clause 3  Type: WQt0   [Pred] הָֽלַכְתָּ֙   [Cmpl] אֶל־הַמָּקֹ֔ום
Clause 4  relative     יִבְחַ֛ר ... בֹּֽו

Note v. 25 already shows the same WQt0 + [Cmpl] בַּ-PP pattern (וְנָתַתָּ֖ה בַּכָּ֑סֶף) that will recur in v. 26. The ETCBC BHSA tagger categorizes the bet-phrase as [Cmpl] (prepositional complement of נתן), not as [Objc]. This is the same tagger, same verb (נתן), same clause-type that governs v. 26.

v. 26 — THE KEY CLAUSE — weqatal command #5 (bestow the money)

Clause 1   Type: WQt0   Domain: Q
  [Conj]   וְ
  [Pred]   נָתַתָּ֣ה                               ← weqatal: "thou shalt give/spend"
  [Objc]   הַכֶּ֡סֶף                                ← *the silver* is the only direct object
  [Cmpl]   בְּכֹל֩ ... בַּבָּקָ֣ר וּבַצֹּ֗אן וּבַיַּ֨יִן֙ וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔ר וּבְכֹ֛ל
           ↑ one continuous prepositional complement
Clause 2   Type: xYqX — internal relative "that thy soul desireth" (v.26a)
  [Rela]   אֲשֶׁר    [Pred] תְּאַוֶּ֨ה    [Subj] נַפְשְׁךָ֜
Clause 3   Type: xYqX — internal relative "that thy soul asketh of thee" (v.26b)
  [Rela]   אֲשֶׁ֥ר    [PreO] תִּֽשְׁאָלְךָ֖    [Subj] נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ
Clause 4   Type: WQt0   Domain: Q   ← weqatal command #6 "and thou shalt eat"
  [Conj]   וְ    [Pred] אָכַ֣לְתָּ    [Loca] שָּׁ֗ם    [Adju] לִפְנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ
Clause 5   Type: WQtX   Domain: Q   ← weqatal command #7 "and thou shalt rejoice"
  [Conj]   וְ    [Pred] שָׂמַחְתָּ֖    [Subj] אַתָּ֥ה וּבֵיתֶֽךָ

This is the tool-verified BHSA clause tree for v. 26. The single [Objc] tag of clause 1 is הַכֶּסֶף. The entire sequence בְּכֹל ... בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן וּבַיַּיִן וּבַשֵּׁכָר וּבְכֹל is tagged [Cmpl] — one unified prepositional complement of נתן.

v. 27 — chain-breaking prohibition

Clause 1   וְהַלֵּוִ֥י אֲשֶׁר־בִּשְׁעָרֶ֖יךָ לֹ֣א תַֽעַזְבֶ֑נּוּ
Clause 2   motive-כי: אֵ֥ין לֹ֛ו חֵ֥לֶק וְנַחֲלָ֖ה עִמָּֽךְ

Casus-pendens-like fronted-topic וְהַלֵּוִי (resumed by 3ms suff. on תַעַזְבֶנּוּ) + לֹא + Qal Impf. 2ms breaks the weqatal chain with a categorical negative command (the לֹא+yiqtol prohibition, not אַל+jussive). Motive כִּי-clause grounds the Levite provision in his lack of landed inheritance.

Five (Actually Seven) Main Imperatival Predicates — Chain Map

The user's question identifies five imperatives. The parser and BHSA tree yield seven, one of which is the intensified opener and the others the weqatal continuations. Listed in chain order:

# Verse Form Parsing KJV
1 22 עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר Piel InfAbs + Piel Impf. 2ms thou shalt truly tithe
2 23 וְאָכַלְתָּ֞ weqatal (Qal Perf. 2ms) and thou shalt eat
3 25 וְנָתַתָּ֖ה weqatal and thou shalt convert [into money]
4 25 וְצַרְתָּ֤ weqatal and [thou shalt] bind up the money
5 25 וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ weqatal and [thou shalt] go unto the place
6 26 וְנָתַתָּ֣ה weqatal and thou shalt bestow/spend the money
7 26 וְאָכַ֣לְתָּ weqatal and thou shalt eat (second eating, now at the chosen place)
8 26 וְשָׂמַחְתָּ֖ weqatal and thou shalt rejoice

Chain anchor: inf-abs + yiqtol (v. 22). Chain propagation: וְ + qatal 2ms repeated through the pericope (see weqatal-legal-imperatival — "stacks of weqatals in Deut 12, 14, 16 binding the addressee to a sequence of cultic acts at the chosen-place"). Chain terminator: v. 27's לֹא + yiqtol (categorical prohibition) closes the paragraph.

Every direct verbal command names an action: tithe, eat, convert, bind, go, spend, eat again, rejoice. Not one command names a food or drink.

Key Grammatical Features

1. עַשֵּׂ֣ר תְּעַשֵּׂ֔ר (v. 22) — Piel Inf-Abs + Piel Impf. 2ms

  • Form: Cognate infinitive-absolute immediately preceding the finite imperfect of the same root עשׂר ("to take a tenth") in the same stem (Piel). The ETCBC tag on עַשֵּׂר is Verb.Piel.InfAbs; on תְּעַשֵּׂר is Verb.Piel.Impf.2ms.
  • Significance: Paronomastic intensification — GKC §113n, Joüon-Muraoka §123d–l, IBHS §35.3.1. In second-person paraenetic genre this produces an emphatic, non-negotiable command: "thou shalt certainly / surely / fully tithe." This construction is the anchoring trigger of the weqatal chain that runs through vv. 23–26. Same construction at Gen 2:17 מוֹת תָּמוּת; Deut 7:2 הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים (see deut-7-1-6).
  • Grammar reference: infinitive-absolute-intensification

2. Weqatal Chain (vv. 23–26) — וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְנָתַתָּה ×2, וְצַרְתָּ, וְהָלַכְתָּ, וְאָכַלְתָּ, וְשָׂמַחְתָּ

  • Form: Seven Qal perfects 2ms prefixed with waw, morphologically identical to plain qatal but functioning here as future/directive 2ms commands in a Deuteronomic legal-paraenetic chain.
  • Significance: Each weqatal inherits imperatival force from the v. 22 inf-abs + imperfect trigger. The classical stress shift (וְנָתַתָּ֣ה ultimate-syllable stress in v. 26) is the morphological diagnostic. The ETCBC BHSA tagger classes each as clause-type WQt0 (w-qatal, no extra constituents) — the signature Deuteronomic command-chain clause-type.
  • Significance for the passage: The chain collapses the whole cultic journey into one continuous covenant obligation: tithe → eat → (or if-far) convert → bind → go → spend → eat → rejoice. Every node is a divine command binding the addressee. No node is a description of permissible commodities.
  • Grammar reference: weqatal-legal-imperatival (explicitly cites Deut 14:26 וְנָתַתָּ֣ה as an example of the stress-shifted weqatal)

3. נָתַן + בְּ (v. 25, v. 26) — "give money INTO/FOR X" idiom

  • Form: Both weqatal instances of נתן in this passage take the 2ms addressee as subject, with an [Objc] slot filled by כסף (silver/money) and a [Cmpl] slot filled by a ב-PP.
  • v. 25: וְנָתַתָּ֖ה בַּכָּ֑סֶף — "thou shalt convert [the produce] into silver" (ב-pretii / ב-of-exchange); בַּכָּסֶף is [Cmpl].
  • v. 26: וְנָתַתָּ֣ה הַכֶּ֡סֶף בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ בַּבָּקָר וּבַצֹּאן וּבַיַּיִן וּבַשֵּׁכָר וּבְכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁאָלְךָ נַפְשֶׁךָ — "thou shalt give the silver for/in whatsoever thy soul desires, [namely] in the cattle, in the flock, in the wine, in the strong drink, and in whatsoever thy soul asks of thee" (ב-pretii / ב-of-transaction).
  • Significance: נָתַן + כֶּסֶף + בְּ is the classic Biblical Hebrew purchase idiom — "pay money for X." The ב-PP marks what the money is exchanged for, not a second object of נתן. Cross-compare Gen 23:9 (Machpelah: בְּכֶסֶף מָלֵא יִתְּנֶנָּה לִי), Deut 2:6 (בַּכֶּסֶף תִּשְׁבְּרוּ מֵאִתָּם אֹכֶל וַאֲכַלְתֶּם). The verbal complement is the ב-phrase; the items inside the ב-phrase are not direct objects of the verb. They are items inside a prepositional phrase.
  • Grammar reference: no dedicated entry yet for "ב-pretii / ב of exchange" — gap flagged below.

4. בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשֶׁךָ — head-then-list permissive idiom

  • Form: בְּ + כֹל (Noun.ms.Cst) + אֲשֶׁר + Piel.Impf.3fs + נַפְשְׁךָ (Subj). The construct noun כֹל heads a nomen-rectum-less construct whose rectum is the relative clause itself (GKC §130d; Joüon §129q). The opening בְּכֹל is then elaborated by an appositional list of four items, each prefixed by a separate בְּ + ה (בַּבָּקָר / וּבַצֹּאן / וּבַיַּיִן / וּבַשֵּׁכָר), then closed by a mirror-parallel בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תִּשְׁאָלְךָ נַפְשֶׁךָ.
  • Significance: The four explicit items are instantiations of the permissive category "whatsoever thy soul desireth." They are not independently commanded. They are grammatically exemplars under a בְּכֹל umbrella that opens and closes the list (inclusio). The sense is "for whatever your appetite dictates — some cattle, some sheep, some wine, some shekar, and anything else your appetite asks for." This is not a command to buy these things; it is a permission to buy them if the taxpayer so chooses.
  • Grammar reference: no dedicated entry yet for "בְּכֹל enumerative-permissive" — gap flagged below.

5. Casuistic כִּי Protasis (v. 24) vs. Weqatal Apodosis (v. 25)

  • Form: v. 24 stacks three כִּי clauses (all with impf. verbs) — "when the way is too long, when thou canst not carry it, when the place is too far, when YHWH has blessed thee." v. 25 resumes the weqatal chain with וְנָתַתָּה / וְצַרְתָּ / וְהָלַכְתָּ. There is no אָז or other particle marking the protasis-apodosis hinge.
  • Significance: This is the Deuteronomic casuistic sub-case: distance and abundance collectively license the produce-to-money conversion without breaking the central-sanctuary rule. The conversion itself is still a command, not a permission; the weqatal apodosis carries full imperatival force.

6. Chain-breaker לֹא + Yiqtol (v. 27)

  • Form: לֹא תַעַזְבֶנּוּ — negative particle לֹא + Qal Impf. 2ms with 3ms suffix.
  • Significance: Categorical, permanent prohibition (contrast אַל + jussive situational prohibition; GKC §107o, Joüon §160f — see deut-7-1-6 Feature 3). The switch from weqatal-chain to לֹא+yiqtol also terminates the main paragraph; the motive כִּי-clause explains why (the Levite has no landed inheritance).

The Central Question — Is Wine/Shekar a Direct Object of an Imperative?

Given the user's explicit framing: "Is wine/shekar a direct object of an imperative verb, or is it an item enumerated inside a permissive בְּכֹל clause?"

The Tool-Verified Answer

יַיִן (yayin) and שֵׁכָר (shekar) in Deut 14:26 are NOT direct objects of any imperative or imperatival verb. They are items enumerated inside the permissive בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשְׁךָ complement of the verb נתן.

The Six Lines of Tool Evidence

1. Morphology of יין and שכר (hebrew_parser.py --verse "Deu 14:26"): - בַּיַּ֨יִן֙ = ב (Prep) + ה (Art) + יַיִן (Noun.ms.Abs) — a prepositional phrase, not a bare object marker. - בַּשֵּׁכָ֔ר = ב (Prep) + ה (Art) + שֵׁכָר (Noun.ms.Abs) — a prepositional phrase, not a bare object marker. - No אֵת direct-object marker anywhere in the clause except upstream on הַכֶּסֶף (implicit — article-marked as definite direct object).

2. BHSA clause role of the entire wine-containing phrase (hebrew_parser.py --clause "Deu 14:26"): - Clause 1 slot assignments: - [Pred] = וְנָתַתָּ֣ה (the weqatal verb) - [Objc] = הַכֶּ֡סֶף (the silver / money — sole direct object) - [Cmpl] = בְּכֹל֩ ... בַּבָּקָ֣ר וּבַצֹּ֗אן וּבַיַּ֨יִן֙ וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔ר וּבְכֹ֛ל

The ETCBC BHSA tagger groups the entire בְּכֹל...וּבַשֵּׁכָר sequence as one [Cmpl] constituent, a prepositional complement of נתן. Wine and strong drink fall inside that single constituent alongside cattle and sheep and "whatsoever."

3. Contrast with v. 23, where a true direct object exists (hebrew_parser.py --clause "Deu 14:23"):

In v. 23 the main clause is: 

Type: WQt0
  [Conj] וְ
  [Pred] אָכַלְתָּ֞                              ← weqatal "thou shalt eat"
  [Adju] לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
  [Loca] בַּמָּקוֹם
  [Objc] מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וּבְכֹרֹת בְּקָרְךָ וְצֹאנֶךָ

Here the construct-chain מַעְשַׂר דְּגָנְךָ תִּירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ וּבְכֹרֹת... is tagged [Objc] — a direct object of אכל. The chain contains תִּירֹשׁ (tirosh, must/new-wine) — the raw agricultural tithe-product itself, brought in kind. Tirosh in v. 23 is a grammatical direct object of a command verb.

But in v. 26, the grammatical frame flips entirely. The weqatal-commanded verb is נָתַן ("give/spend money"), its direct object is הַכֶּסֶף, and yayin + shekar sit downstream inside a ב-PP describing what the money may be exchanged for if the purchaser's appetite so chooses. They are not direct objects; they are nominal heads under a preposition, inside a complement, inside a permissive list headed by בְּכֹל.

4. Contrast of vocabulary — tirosh (v. 23) vs. yayin + shekar (v. 26):

The two verses name different items altogether. v. 23's תירש (H8492 tirosh — agricultural must, vine-firstfruits, the raw tithe product) is a direct object of eat. v. 26's יין (H3196 yayin — fermented grape-wine) and שכר (H7941 shekar — fermented grain/date/honey-drink) are inside the permissive list. The text distinguishes lexically as well as syntactically between what the tithe is (tirosh, corn, oil, firstlings) and what the redemption-money may be spent on (yayin, shekar, cattle, sheep, anything).

5. LXX grammatical ratification:

The LXX (Rahlfs, Deut 14:26) preserves the Hebrew syntactic tree verbatim: - δώσεις ("thou shalt give") — future indicative active 2s, rendering weqatal - τὸ ἀργύριον — accusative direct object = הַכֶּסֶף - ἐπὶ παντός... ἐπὶ βουσίν... ἐπὶ οἴνῳ ἢ ἐπὶ σικερᾷ... — five ἐπί + dative phrases, each a prepositional complement, not an accusative object.

Both οἶνος (for יין) and σίκερα (for שכר) stand in the dative — the case required by ἐπί when it marks the domain on which the money is spent. They are not in the accusative. Even a translator who knew no Hebrew would read from the Greek that wine and strong drink are items-spent-upon, not items-commanded.

6. Whole-passage chain-logic:

Every weqatal command in the pericope names an action performed by the addressee: tithe, eat, convert, bind, go, spend, eat, rejoice. No weqatal takes wine or strong drink as its object. The only verb in the entire pericope that stands in any syntactic relation to יין / שכר at all is נתן, and its direct object is already filled by הַכֶּסֶף.

The Consequence

Grammatically, v. 26 licenses the possibility that a distant taxpayer's redeemed tithe money might be spent on wine or strong drink, along with cattle and sheep, in a joyful covenant meal. But the verse does not command such a purchase, and it does not place wine or shekar in any verbal argument-slot that an imperative or weqatal governs directly.

The whole category of "whatsoever thy soul desireth" is a permission within a command: the command is "spend the money at the central sanctuary"; the permission is "for whatever your appetite dictates, be that cattle, sheep, wine, shekar, or anything else." The items inside are enumerated exemplars under a בְּכֹל umbrella, not independently-commanded purchases.

This grammatical finding is context-neutral on broader hermeneutical and theological questions (Nazirite exceptions, priestly prohibitions, prophetic rebuke of drunkenness, Adventist temperance hermeneutics, two-wine theory, covenant-meal typology). Grammar tells us what the verse syntactically permits, not how that permission should be applied theologically. Those questions must be decided on other grounds.

Cross-References

Grammar library: - infinitive-absolute-intensification — עַשֵּׂר תְּעַשֵּׂר chain-trigger - weqatal-legal-imperatival — the seven-weqatal command chain (Deut 14:26 וְנָתַתָּ֣ה cited as canonical exemplar) - qal-imperfect — casuistic impf. in v. 24 - imperative-mood — relation of inf-abs-intensified yiqtol to imperative proper - syntax-waw-conjunction — chain-internal waw, enumerative waw in list

Word studies (direct anchors for this passage's vocabulary): - H3196-yayin — wine (fermented grape), v. 26 - H7941-shekar — strong drink (non-grape intoxicant), v. 26 - H8492-tiyrowsh — tirosh (must / new wine / first vine-produce), v. 23 - TR-yayin-oinos — cross-testament trace Heb. yayin → LXX/NT οἶνος - H5414-nathan — נתן "give/spend" (primary verb of vv. 25–26, if entry exists)

Related passage entries: - deut-6-4 — Shema in the same Deuteronomic covenant-code corpus - deut-7-1-6 — הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִים parallel inf-abs-intensified command-chain - mat-26-29-mrk-14-25-luk-22-18-fruit-of-the-vine — related cup/wine covenant-meal grammar - jhn-2-1-11 — Cana covenant-meal wine/oinos grammar

Library gaps flagged during this analysis (candidates for future grammar-reference entries): - ב-pretii / ב-of-exchange — the "price/exchange ב" in נתן+כסף+ב purchase idiom (Gen 23:9; Deut 2:6; 14:25–26; 1 Kgs 10:29); no current entry. - בְּכֹל + אֲשֶׁר-clause permissive-enumerative — the head-first permissive-list idiom with elaborative appositional ב-PPs closed by mirror-בְּכֹל inclusio; no current entry. (Cognate structure at Deut 12:15, 20–21; 23:25; 1 Kgs 3:5.) - Casuistic כִּי-protasis + weqatal apodosis without אָז hinge — a discourse pattern distinct from the אִם+weqatal apodosis documented at weqatal-apodosis-vow. - Piel InfAbs + Piel Impf paronomastic command — exists under infinitive-absolute-intensification.md but could be its own sub-entry specifically for the Piel-Piel subtype (cf. Qal-Qal at Gen 2:17, Hiphil-Hiphil at Deut 7:2 / 20:17).

Generated from: hebrew_parser.py --verse (vv. 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27), hebrew_parser.py --clause (vv. 22, 23, 25, 26); KJV from D:/bible/tools/data/kjv.txt; LXX text from Rahlfs as aligned in the canonical word-study LXX tables for H3196 and H7941.

Last updated: 2026-04-19