| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with hinneh-na {הִנֵּה־נָא | hin-nēh-nāʾ} ‘behold, please’, a compound particle signaling attention and appeal. The prepositional li shtei banot {לִי שְׁתֵּי בָּנוֹת | lī šə-tê bā-nôṯ} places Lot’s two daughters in his care. The relative clause asher lo-yad'u ish {אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדְעוּ אִישׁ | ʾă-šer lōʾ-yā-ḏə-ʿû ʾîš} employs the euphemistic idiom ‘not known a man’ for sexual inexperience. Otsi'ah-na {אוֹצִיאָה־נָּא | ʾô-ṣî-ʾāh-nāʾ}, a Hiphil cohortative with entreaty, expresses Lot’s urgent offer. The phrase va'asu lahen ka-tov be-eineikhem {וַעֲשׂוּ לָהֶן כַּטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם | wa-ʿă-śû lā-hen ka-ṭôḇ bə-ʿê-nê-ḵem} uses a waw-consecutive perfect for permissive authority and the idiom ‘as is good in your eyes’, granting broad discretion. The particle rak {רַק | raq} introduces the prohibition al-ta'asu davar {אַל־תַּעֲשׂוּ דָבָר | ʾal-ta-ʿă-śû dā-ḇār}, ‘do not do anything’, establishing a protective boundary around la-anashim ha-el {לָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵל | lā-ʾă-nā-šîm hā-ʾēl}. Finally, the causal clause ki al-ken bau be-tsel korati {כִּי עַל־כֵּן בָּאוּ בְּצֵל קֹרָתִי | kî ʿal-kēn bā-ʾû bə-ṣēl qō-rā-ṯî} explains that the men ‘have come under the shadow of my roof’, a metaphor for the host’s protective obligation. The progression from offer to restriction to rationale underscores the tension between hospitality duty and moral collapse. |