| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional intent expressed by tîdôr {תִּדֹּר | tî-dôr} ‘you vow’ alongside the noun nē·ḏer {נֶדֶר | ne-der} ‘vow’, underscoring the formal act of vow-making. The prepositional phrase la-Yahweh ʾĕ-lō-hî-kha {לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ | la-Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hî-kha} ‘to the LORD your God’ situates the vow within a covenantal relationship. The prohibition lō teʾaḥēr {לֹא תְאַחֵר | lō teʾaḥēr} ‘do not delay’ employs the Piel imperfect to intensify the command, and the Piel infinitive construct lə-šal·lêmô {לְשַׁלְּמוֹ | lə-šal·lêmô} ‘to pay it’ highlights the purposeful fulfillment. In the emphatic causative clause kî-dārôš yidrǎšennu Yahweh ʾĕ-lō-hî-kha {כִּי־דָרֹשׁ יִדְרְשֶׁנּוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ | kî-dā-rôš yidrǎšennu Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hî-kha}, the infinitive absolute dārôš {דָרֹשׁ | dā-rôš} ‘to seek’ paired with the Qal imperfect yidrǎšennu ‘he will seek it’ underlines God’s assured demand. The result clause wə-hā-yâ bə-kha ḥē-ṭāʾ {וְהָיָה בְּךָ חֵטְא | wə-hā-yâ bə-kha ḥē-ṭāʾ} ‘and it will be sin in you’ uses the vav-consecutive perfect to signal consequence, attributing moral responsibility to the vow-maker. |