| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayomer {וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | wayyōmer} ‘and he said’, introducing direct speech. The prepositional phrase eileha {אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ | ʾelehāh} ‘to her’ marks the recipient. The conditional protasis is signaled by the particle im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if’, followed by the imperfect yasruni {יַואַ֗סְרֻנִי | yaʾaśrûnî} ‘they bind me’, which governs the modifier beshivah yetarim lachim {בְּשִׁבְעָ֛ה יְתָרִ֥ים לַחִ֖ים | bəšibhʿāh yəṭārı̂m laḥı̂ym} ‘with seven fresh bowstrings’. The relative clause asher lochoravu {אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־חֹרָ֑בוּ | ʾăšer lō·ḥōrāvû} ‘which have not been dried’ refines the condition. The apodosis contains two vav-consecutive perfects, vechaliti {וְחָלִ֥יתִי | wəḥālı̆tî} ‘then I will become weak’ and vehayiti {וְהָיִ֖יתִי | wəhāyîtî} ‘and I will be’, concluding with a simile introduced by keʾechad {כְּאַחַ֥ד | kěʾaḥâd} ‘like one’ and the definite noun haadam {הָאָדָֽם | hāʾādām} ‘the man’. This structure establishes a clear protasis-apodosis relationship that underscores the conditional nature of Samson’s loss of strength. |