| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾim} introducing a protasis. The adjective ra‘ah {רָעָה | rāʿā(h)} within the prepositional phrase be‘eynei adoneiha {בְּעֵינֵי אֲדֹנֶיהָ | bə-ʿê-ney ă-dō-nē-hā} ‘in her master’s eyes’ forms the predicate. The relative clause asher lo ye‘adah {אֲשֶׁר־לֹּא יְעָדָהּ | ʾă-šer-lō yə-ʿā-dā(h)} literally reads ‘who did not designate her’, but is traditionally understood as ‘who has designated her for himself’ reflecting the legal act of betrothal. The vav-Hiphil perfect vehepdehah {וְהֶפְדָּהּ | wə-hef-də-ḥā(h)} conveys the obligation to redeem. The prohibition lo-yimshol {לֹא־יִמְשֹׁל | lō-yim-šōl} governs the infinitive lemochrah {לְמָכְרָהּ | lə-mā-ḵrā(h)} ‘to sell her’ to le‘am nokhri {לְעַם נָכְרִי | lə-ʿam nā-ḵrî} ‘foreign people’. The causal phrase bevegdoba {בְּבִגְדוֹ־בָהּ | bə-viɡ-dō-bā(h)} ‘because he acted treacherously against her’ provides the rationale, completing the casuistic sequence of condition, obligation, prohibition, and justification. |