| 32. Linguistic Exegesis The statute opens with the conditional protasis ve-im-ʿê-ḇeḏ {וְאִם־עֶבֶד | wə-ʾim-ʿê-ḇeḏ} ‘and if a slave’, followed by the Qal imperfect verb yi-ḡaḥ {יִגַּח | yi-ḡaḥ} ‘it gores’, framing the initiating action. The disjunctive ʾō-ʾāmah {אוֹ־אָמָה | ʾō-ʾā-māh} ‘or female slave’ coordinates with ʿê-ḇeḏ to include both genders. The construct numeral šə-lō-šîm šə-qā-lîm {שְׁלֹשִׁים שְׁקָלִים | šə-lō-šîm šə-qā-lîm} ‘thirty shekels’ specifies precise compensation. The prepositional phrase la-ʾă-ḏô-nāw {לַאדֹנָיו | la-ʾă-ḏô-nāw} ‘to his master’ assigns payment obligation. The statute concludes with the Niphal imperfect yis-sā-qēl {יִסָּקֵל | yi-sā-qēl} ‘it is to be stoned’, presenting the communal capital penalty. The ordered sequence of condition, compensation, and penalty creates a balanced legal prescription. |