| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the interrogative umi {וּמִי | ū-mî} to signal an exemption. The relative clause ha-ish asher eras ishah velo lekachah {הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר־אֵרַשׂ אִשָּׁה וְלֹא לְקָחָהּ | hā-ʾîš ʾă-šer-ʾê-raṣ ʾîš-šāh wə-lō lə-qā-ḥāh} ‘the man who has betrothed a woman and has not taken her’ specifies the exempt individual. The paired jussives yelekh {יֵלֵךְ | yê-leḵ} and yashov {יָשֹׁב | yā-šōv} form a twofold directive. The particle pen {פֶּן | pen} introduces a clause of potential negative outcome with yamut {יָמוּת | yā-mût} ‘he die’, located at bamilchamah {בַּמִּלְחָמָה | ba-mil-ḥā-māh} ‘in the battle’. The final clause veish acher yikkachennah {וְאִישׁ אַחֵר יִקָּחֶנָּה | wə-ʾîš ʾa-ḥêr yi-qā-ḥe-n-nāh} presents the adverse scenario of another man taking the woman. The construct leveito {לְבֵיתוֹ | lə-bêṯ-ô} preserves the pronominal suffix, emphasizing personal property. |