| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with ve-lo {וְלֹא | və-lō} ‘and not’, a vav conjunction joined to a negative particle expressing deliberate refusal, linking to avah {אָבָה | ʾā-ḇāh} ‘he was willing’. The infinitive lišmōaʿ {לִשְׁמֹעַ | li-šmō-ʿa} ‘to listen’ is governed by avah and specified by be-qōlāh {בְּקוֹלָהּ | bə-qō-lāh} ‘in her voice’, highlighting the personal appeal. The narrative then shifts with va-ye-ḥe-zaq {וַיֶּחֱזַ֤ק | va-ye-ḥe-zaq} ‘and he overpowered’, a vav consecutive marking a new action, reinforced by mim-mē-nāh {מִמֶּנָּה | mim-mē-nāh} ‘than her’. The piel va-yyə-ʿan-nē-hā {וַיְעַנֶּ֔הָ | va-yyə-ʿan-nē-hā} ‘and he afflicted her’ intensifies the violence, culminating in the euphemism va-yyiš-kāv ʾō-tāh {וַיִּשְׁכַּ֖ב אֹתָהּ | va-yyiš-kāv ʾō-tāh} ‘and he lay with her’, denoting non-consensual intercourse. This progression from refusal to forceful act preserves the Hebrew word order to maintain narrative tension and thematic impact. |