| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-conjunctive distributive vechol-riv {וְכָל־רִיב | wə·ḵāl-rîḇ} ‘and every dispute,’ which is expanded by the relative clause asher-yāḇōʾ {אֲשֶׁר־יָב֨וֹא | ʾă·šer-yā·ḇōʾ} ‘that comes,’ pointing to the judges via ʿalêiḵem {עֲלֵיכֶ֜ם | ʿă·lêi·ḵem} ‘upon you.’ The participle hayōšəwîm {הַיֹּשְׁבִ֣ם | ha·yō·šə·wîm} ‘who dwell’ with bəʿārêhem {בְּעָרֵיהֶ֗ם | bə·ʿā·rê·hem} ‘in their cities’ frames the communal setting. A sequence of prepositions (bêin-dām {בֵּֽין־דָּ֣ם | bêin-dām} ‘between blood’; lə·dām {לְדָם֮ | lə·dām} ‘relating to blood’; bêin-tôrāh {בֵּין־תּוֹרָ֣ה | bêin-tôrāh} ‘between the law’; lə·miṣ·wāh {לְמִצְוָה֮ | lə·miṣ·wāh} ‘relating to a commandment’; lə·ḥuq·qîm {לְחֻקִּ֣ים | lə·ḥuq·qîm} ‘relating to statutes’; û·lə-miš·pā·ṭîm {וּלְמִשְׁפָּטִים֒ | û·lə·miš·pā·ṭîm} ‘and relating to judgments’) enumerates case types. The hiphil wəʿizhartem {וְהִזְהַרְתֶּ֣ם | wə·hiʿ·zār·tēm} ‘and you shall warn’ establishes judicial responsibility, while the prohibitive wə·lōʾ yēʾašmû la·Yahweh {וְלֹ֤א יֶאְשְׁמוּ לַיהוָ֔ה | wə·lōʾ yē·ʾaš·mû la·Yahweh} ‘and not incur guilt before the LORD’ stresses divine accountability. The perfect waw-consecutive wə·hā·yāh-qê·ṣeph {וְהָֽיָה־קֶ֥צֶף | wə·hā·yāh-qê·ṣeph} ‘and there will be wrath’ indicates the consequence, and the closing imperatives kôh taʿăśûn wə·lōʾ teʾašmû {כֹּ֥ה תַעֲשׂ֖וּן וְלֹ֥א תֶאְשָֽׁמוּ | kôh taʿăśûn wə·lōʾ teʾašmû} ‘thus you shall do and not incur guilt’ frame the directive with its negative corollary. |