| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the conditional particle im {אִם | ʾim} ‘if’, introducing two parallel protases. In each, the participle raev {רָעֵב | rāʿêv} ‘hungry’ or tzame {צָמֵא | ṣāmeʼ} ‘thirsty’ predicates the state of sonakha {שֹׂנַאֲךָ | sōnʼăkha} ‘your enemy’. The Hiphil imperatives haakhilehu {הַאֲכִלֵההוּ | haʼăkhīlêhu} and hashkehu {הַשְׁקֵההוּ | haškēhu} convey causative commands to provide the direct objects lechem {לָחֶם | lāḥem} ‘bread’ and mayim {מָיִם | māyim} ‘water’. This mirror structure (if A, imperative B) forms a balanced parallelism that intensifies the ethical demand for radical kindness toward adversaries. |