| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with ve’ish {וְאִישׁ | wə-ʾîš} ‘and a man’, introducing a generic subject, followed by the relative particle asher {אֲשֶׁר | ă-šer} ‘who’, which introduces the protasis. The verb yinaf {יִנְאַף | yi-nap̄} ‘commits adultery’ appears twice in parallel clauses with et-eshet {אֶת־אֵשֶׁת | ʾet-ʾe-šet} marking the direct object, linking yinaf to eshet ʾîš {אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ | ʾe-šet ʾîš} ‘the wife of a man’ and eshet reʿeihu {אֵשֶׁת רֵעֵהוּ | ʾe-šet re-ʿe-hu} ‘the wife of his neighbor’. This repetition underscores the severity of the offense. The command mot-yu-mat {מוֹת־יוּמַ֥ת | mōt-yū-mat} combines an infinitive absolute with a Niphal imperfect to intensify the verdict. The participles hannoef {הַנֹּאֵ֖ף | han-nō-ʾef} and ve-hannoefet {וְהַנֹּאָֽפֶת | wə-han-nō-ʾā-p̄et} conclude the verse, identifying the guilty parties. English translation preserves the conditional protases and renders the final participles and legal judgment clearly to reflect the Hebrew’s formal legal style. |