| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the paired prohibitions lo-ta‘asu {לֹא־תַעֲשׂ֥וּ | lō-ta‘ăšû} ‘you shall not do’ and lo-tisa {לֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א | lō-tišā’} ‘you shall not lift up’, both introduced by the negative particle lo {לֹא | lō}. A third prohibition appears in ve-lo-tehdar {וְלֹ֥א תֶהְדַּר | wə-lō-tehdār} ‘and you shall not honor’, contrasting the Hifil aspect. The phrases pənê dal {פְנֵי־דָ֔ל | pənê dāl} and pənê gadol {פְנֵ֣י־גָד֑וֹל | pənê gādôl} employ construct-state idioms for bias toward the poor and deference to the great. The manner clause be-tsedek {בְּצֶדֶק | bə-ṣedeq} ‘in righteousness’ qualifies the final Qal imperfect tishpot {תִּשְׁפֹּ֥ט | tīšpōṭ} ‘you shall judge’. The suffixed noun ʿamîṯekkā {עֲמִיתֶךָ | ʿămîṯekkā} ‘your neighbor’ ties the judicial mandate to individual relationships. Balanced vav-conjunctions and negations create a chiastic legal structure emphasizing impartial covenantal justice. |