| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse sets up a parallel conditional structure with im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if’ and veʾim {וְאִם | wə-ʾim} ‘and if,’ framing two opposite outcomes. In the first protasis, the modal verb yukhal {יוּכַל | yū-kal} ‘he is able’ governs the Niphal infinitive lehilakhem {לְהִלָּחֵם | lə-ḥillâḥêm} ‘to fight’ with the suffix iti {אִתִּי | ʾit-tî} ‘with me,’ followed by the Hifil perfect vehikani {וְהִכָּנִי | wə-ḥī-ḵānî} ‘he struck me down.’ The apodosis vehayinu la-khem laʿăvadîm {וְהָיִינוּ לָכֶם לַעֲבָדִים | wə-hay-yî-nû lā-ḵem la-ʿă-vā-dîm} ‘we will be your servants’ uses Qal perfect to assert consequence. The second clause mirrors this with ani {אֲנִי | ʾā-nî} ‘I,’ ūḵal {אוּכַל | ū-ḵal} ‘I am able,’ lû {לוֹ | lû} ‘to him,’ and vehikitîv {וְהִכִּיתִ֔יו | wə-ḥik-kî-tî-vû} ‘I struck him down.’ The concluding vihyîtem lanû laʿăvadîm vaʿăvaḏtêm ôtânû {וִהְיִיתֶם לָנוּ לַעֲבָדִים וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתָנוּ | wi-hyî-tem lā-nû la-ʿă-vā-dîm va-ʿă-ḇaḏ-tem ô-tā-nû} ‘and you will be our servants and serve us’ completes the parallel challenge. The symmetrical use of vav-consecutive perfects emphasizes the decisive, outcome-based contest. |