| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive verb veamar {וְאָמַ֛ר | wə-ʾā-mar} ‘and he will say’, which signals direct speech. The construct chain hannaarah {הַנַּעֲרָה | han-na-ʿă-rāh} ‘young woman’ identifies the bride, and the prepositional phrase elhazzekenim {אֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֑ים | ʾel-hazzə-qe-nîm} ‘to the elders’ marks the legal forum for the claim. The perfect verb natati {נָתַּ֥תִּי | nă-ta-tî} ‘I have given’ asserts the completed marital transfer, while the prepositions laish {לָאִ֛ישׁ | lā-’îš} and leishah {לְאִשָּׁ֖ה | lə-’iš-šāh} indicate recipient and status “as a wife.” The narrative then shifts to the vav-consecutive imperfect vayisnaehah {וַיִשְׂנָאֶֽהָ | va-yis-na-’ê-hā} ‘and he hates her’, serving as a result clause expressing the husband’s rejection. This sequence of vav-consecutive forms preserves legal register and emphasizes the father’s declaration before introducing the emotional outcome, reflecting the procedural context of marital disputes. |