| 33. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle vekhi {וְכִי | wə-ḵî} ‘and if’, introducing two parallel protases with the qal imperfect verbs yif-tach {יִפְתַּח | yif-tāḥ} ‘opens’ and yik-reh {יִכְרֶה | yiḵ-rĕ} ‘digs’, each taking ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘man’ as subject and bor {בּוֹר | bōr} ‘pit’ as direct object. The coordinate negative velo {וְלֹא | wə-lō} ‘and not’ negates the piel imperfect yekhasennu {יְכַסֶּנּוּ | yə-ḵas-sen-nû} ‘covers it’, forming a unified conditional clause. The apodosis begins with the vav-consecutive perfect venafal {וְנָפַל | wə-nā-pal} ‘and falls’, followed by the locative shamah {שָׁמָּה | šā-mā(h)} ‘there’ and the disjunctive list shor {שׁוֹר | šôr} ‘ox’ and chamor {חֲמוֹר | ḥa-môr} ‘donkey’. The balanced protasis–apodosis structure conveys a legal condition and its consequence. |