| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The prohibitions are marked by the negative particle lo {לֹא | lō} ‘not’ prefixed to each imperfect verb. The Qal imperfect verbs toveh {תֹאבֶה | tō-ʾeh} ‘you will consent’, tishma {תִשְׁמַע | tiš-māʿ} ‘you will listen’, tachos {תָחֹוס | tā-ḥōs} ‘you will show pity’, tachmol {תַחְמֹל | taḥ-mōl} ‘you will spare’, along with the Piel imperfect tekhaseh {תְכַסֶּה | tə-ḥa-sěh} ‘you will conceal’, convey ongoing or anticipated refusal. The construct einekha alav {עֵינְךָ עָלָיו | ʿē-nā-ḵā ʿā-lāw} ‘your eye upon him’ functions as an idiom for emotional leniency. The progression from internal agreement to auditory obedience, emotional mercy, and protective action forms a rhetorical sequence that intensifies the prohibition. English renders these as imperatives to reflect the Hebrew imperfect’s force. |