| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional protasis formed by vekhi {וְכִי | və-khî} “and if,” followed by the Qal imperfect verb yimkor {יִמְכֹּר | yim·kôr} indicating a potential act of sale. The subject ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} is explicit, and the compound et-bito {אֶת־בִּתּוֹ | ʾet-biṯṯô} functions as the direct object. The prepositional phrase le-amah {לְאָמָה | lə-ʾāmâh} specifies her status as a female servant. The prohibitive negation lo {לֹא | lōʾ} precedes the imperfect tetse {תֵצֵא | tēṣēʾ}, forbidding her departure. The comparative clause ke-tse-et ha-avadim {כְּצֵאת הָעֲבָדִים | kə-ṣēʾṯ hā-ʿă-ḇā-dîm} employs a prepositional construct chain to parallel male servant release, highlighting gender-based legal distinctions. |