בָּ֗הּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 בָּ֗הּ

   BAH

   in her
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 אִם־לֹ֧א חָפַ֣צְתָּ בָּ֗הּ

   IM-LO kha-fats-TA BAH

   if not you desire in her
3. clause🔊 וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א חָפַ֣צְתָּ בָּ֗הּ וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ֙ לְנַפְשָׁ֔הּ וּמָכֹ֥ר לֹא־תִמְכְּרֶ֖נָּה בַּכָּ֑סֶף

   ve-ha-YA IM-LO kha-fats-TA BAH ve-shi-lakh-TAH le-naf-SHAH u-ma-KHOR lo-tim-ke-RE-na ba-KA-sef

   and it shall be if not you desire in her then you shall let her go to herself and selling you shall not sell her for money
4. sentence🔊 וְהָיָ֞ה אִם־לֹ֧א חָפַ֣צְתָּ בָּ֗הּ וְשִׁלַּחְתָּהּ֙ לְנַפְשָׁ֔הּ וּמָכֹ֥ר לֹא־תִמְכְּרֶ֖נָּה בַּכָּ֑סֶף לֹא־תִתְעַמֵּ֣ר בָּ֔הּ תַּ֖חַת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עִנִּיתָֽהּ׃

   ve-ha-YA IM-LO kha-fats-TA BAH ve-shi-lakh-TAH le-naf-SHAH u-ma-KHOR lo-tim-ke-RE-na ba-KA-sef lo-tit-a-MER BAH TA-khat a-SHER in-ni-TAH

   and it shall be if not you desire in her then you shall let her go to herself and selling you shall not sell her for money you shall not treat her as a slave her because that you have humbled her

Exegesis

The verse opens with the vav-consecutive vehayah {וְהָיָ֞ה | wə-hā-yāh}, introducing a legal stipulation, followed by the conditional clause im lō ḥaphatzta bah {אִם־לֹא חָפַצְתָּ בָּהּ | ʾim lō ḥā-phaṣ-tā bāh} “if you do not desire her.”

The reflexive Hitpael lo-titammer bah {לֹא־תִתְעַמֵּר בָּהּ | lō-tit-ʿam-mēr bāh} forbids enslavement.

Root and etymology

h-v🔊 א־ה־בaleph–he–beth

“to love”