| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The casuistic clause begins with veim {וְאִם | vә-’im} ‘and if’, marking a conditional protasis. The phrase livno {לִבְנוֹ | lîb-nō} ‘for his son’ establishes the servant’s new relational status. The Hiphil imperfect yiadennah {יִיעָדֶנָּה | yiʿă-de-nnā(h)} ‘he appoints her’ conveys active designation via the direct object suffix. The comparative ke-mishpat habanot {כְּמִשְׁפַּט הַבָּנוֹת | kə-miš-pāṭ ha-bā-nōṯ} ‘according to the judgment of the daughters’ sets free-born daughters as the treatment standard. The apodosis yaaseh lah {יַעֲשֶׂה־לָּהּ | ya-ʿă-seh lā(h)} ‘he shall do for her’ obligates the master per that legal norm, underscoring the protective purpose of the legislation. |