| 17. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with veish {וְאִישׁ | wə-ʾîš} ‘and a man’, a vav-consecutive clause marking a legal statute. The relative clause asher-yiqqakh {אֲשֶׁר־יִקַּ֣ח | ʾăšer-yiqqāḥ} ‘who takes’ sets a conditional prohibition. The construct phrases bat-aviv {בַּת־אָבִ֣יו | baṯ-ʾāḇîw} and bat-imo {בַת־אִ֠מּוֹ | baṯ-immô}, linked by o {א֣וֹ | ʾōw}, specify sibling relationships. The paired verbs ve-ra-ah {וְרָאָ֨ה | wə-rāʾāh} ‘and he sees’ and ve-hi-tir-eh {וְהִֽיא־תִרְאֶ֤ה | wə-hîʾ-tirʾeh} ‘and she sees’ form a chiastic parallel emphasizing mutual exposure. The predicate nominal chesed {חֶ֣סֶד | ḥeseḏ} ‘disgrace’ conveys legal judgment. The clause ve-nikretu le-einei benei ammam {וְנִ֨כְרְת֔וּ לְעֵינֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י עַמָּ֑ם | wə-nikkəreṯû lə-ʿênêy bə-nê ʿammām} uses a prepositional phrase to underscore public sanction. Finally, the verbs gillah {גִּלָּ֖ה | gillāh} ‘he has uncovered’ and yissa {יִשָּֽׂא | yiśśāʾ} ‘he shall bear’ close the formula by stating the offense and its consequence. The English renderings maintain this order to preserve the verse’s legal precision and thematic emphasis on communal accountability. |