| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The prohibition is framed by lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ with tikach {תִקָּח | tiqqāḥ} ‘you shall take’ in the Qal imperfect, forming a negative command. The construct chain ishah el achotah {אִשָּׁה אֶל־אֲחֹתָהּ | ʾiššāh ʾel-ʾăḥōtāh} ‘a woman to her sister’ defines the kinship relationship. Two purpose infinitives, litsror {לִצְרֹר | liṣrōr} ‘to bind; to be a rival’ and legalot {לְגַלּוֹת | lə-ḡallōt} ‘to uncover’, specify intent and act, with ervatah {עֶרְוָתָהּ | ʿerwātāh} ‘her nakedness’ as the object of exposure. The parallel infinitives intensify the ban by addressing both rivalry and sexual dimensions. The temporal phrase bechayyeha {בְּחַיֵּיהָ | bəḥayyêhā} ‘in her lifetime’ sets the lifetime boundary for the prohibition. |