| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if’, introducing a protasis. It employs the emphatic repetition of the Niphal form himmāṣēʾ {הִמָּצֵא | himmāṣēʾ} ‘to be found’ as an infinitive construct followed by timmāṣēʾ {תִמָּצֵא | timmāṣēʾ} ‘he is found’, intensifying the discovery motif. The locative-of-possession phrase bə-yā-ḏô {בְּיָדוֹ | bə-yā-ḏô} ‘in his hand’ confines the finding to the thief. The merism miš-šôr ʿād-ḥāmôr ʿād śêh {מִשּׁוֹר עַד־חֲמוֹר עַד־שֶׂה | miš-šôr ʿād-ḥāmôr ʿād śêh} ‘from ox to donkey to sheep’ encompasses primary livestock categories. The circumstantial qualifier ḥayīm {חַיִּים | ḥayīm} ‘alive’ specifies the condition for restitution. In the apodosis, the numeral šənayim {שְׁנַיִם | šənayim} ‘two’ precedes yəšallēm {יְשַׁלֵּם | yəšallēm} ‘he shall pay’, a word order that heightens the legal emphasis on double repayment. |