| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse follows a protasis–apodosis structure typical of casuistic law, beginning with the participle umakkeh {וּמַכֵּה | ūmakkēh} ‘one who strikes’ as the protasis, followed by the objects aviv {אָבִיו | ʾăvîv} ‘his father’ and veimmo {וְאִמּוֹ | wəʾimmô} ‘and his mother’, which specify the protected persons. The term mōt {מוֹת | mōt} ‘death’ functions as an intensifier, immediately preceding the Hophal imperfect yūmāt {יוּמָת | yūmāt} ‘shall be put to death’ in the apodosis to express the certainty of the penalty. The absence of a conjunction before the penalty clause underscores the immediacy of judgment. |