| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘if’, introducing a hypothetical legal case. This is followed by the verb yimmatse {יִמָּצֵא | yimmāṣē} ‘is found’ and the noun chalal {חָלָל | ḥālāl} ‘slain person’ to depict the discovery event. A relative clause introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾăšer} ‘which’ modifies ba'adamah {בָּאֲדָמָה | bāʾădāmāh} ‘land’, specifying it as the divinely granted territory. The clause with noten {נֹתֵן | nōṭēn} ‘gives’ and lerishtah {לְרִשְׁתָּהּ | lĕrištāh} ‘to possess’ emphasizes ongoing divine provision. The phrase nofel basadeh {נֹפֵל בַּשָּׂדֶה | nōp̄ēl bāsāḏeh} ‘fallen in the field’ uses a participial description and locative phrase to describe the victim’s condition and location. The final clause lo noda {לֹא נוֹדַע | lōʾ nôḏaʿ} ‘it is not known’ with mi hikkahu {מִי הִכָּהוּ | mî hikkāhû} ‘who struck him’ forms an impersonal negation with an interrogative pronoun to highlight the unknown perpetrator. This construction, combining a conditional protasis, relative clause, participial descriptions, and impersonal negation, exemplifies Deuteronomic casuistic legislation. |