| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾim}, introducing a protasis for a legal injunction. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} marks both kesef {כֶּסֶף | kə-sef} “silver” and heʿani {הֶעָנִי | hə-ʿā-nî} “the poor,” specifying what is lent and who receives it. The prepositional phrase immekha {עִמְּךָ | ʿim-ḵā} restricts the recipients to those within the community. The first prohibition employs the negated imperfect lotihyeh {לֹא־תִהְיֶה | lōʾ tîhyēh} with the predicate kanosheh {כַּנֹּשֶׁה | ka-nō-šeh} “creditor,” forming a nominal clause. The second prohibition, introduced by velo {וְלֹא־ | wə-lōʾ}, governs tishimun {תִשִּׂימוּן | tišimmûn} and its object neshekh {נֶשֶׁךְ | ne-šek}, creating a parallel structure that underscores ethical restraint in extending loans. |