| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse’s protasis begins with the conditional particle veim {וְאִם | wə-ʾim} ‘and if’, establishing a casuistic law format. It then presents a parallel construction of shen {שֵׁן | šēn} ‘tooth’ paired with avdo {עַבְדּוֹ | ʿăḇ·də·ṯō} ‘servant’ and amato {אֲמָתוֹ | ʾă·mā·ṯō} ‘maidservant’, distinguishing male and female slaves. The causative verb yappil {יַפִּיל | yappîl} introduces the owner’s action, while the sequence lachafshi {לַחָפְשִׁי | la·ḥāp̄·šî} ‘to freedom’ followed by yeshhallehennu {יְשַׁלְּחֶנּוּ | yə·šal·le·ḥen·nū} ‘send him away’ forms the apodosis, highlighting the legal consequence. The final prepositional phrase tachat {תַּחַת | tā·ḥat} ‘in place of’ with sheno {שֵׁנוֹ | šē·nô} ‘his tooth’ underlines the substitution principle. The English renders the protasis–apodosis pattern with ‘If… must’, preserving the sequential legal logic and cause-and-effect structure of the Hebrew. |