| 6. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the temporal expression bayamim hahem {בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם | bə-yā-mîm hā-hêm} ‘in those days’, setting a historical context. The existential clause then uses the negator ein {אֵין | ’ên} ‘there was not’ to assert absence of a melekh {מֶלֶךְ | mê-leḵ} ‘king’ within Yisra’el {בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל | yī-srā-ʼêl}. This nominal construction emphasizes the lack of centralized authority. The second clause presents ish {אִישׁ | ’îš} ‘each man’ with the imperfect verb ya’aseh {יַעֲשֶׂה | ya-ʿă-sê} ‘he did’, denoting habitual action. The predicate adjective hayashar {הַיָּשָׁר | hā-yā-šār} ‘what is right’ is immediately followed by beEinav {בְּעֵינָיו | bə-ʿê-nā-yôw} ‘in his eyes’, highlighting subjective moral evaluation. Placing hayashar before its modifier beEinav mirrors the Hebrew emphasis on personal judgment, which we preserve in the English order. |