| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with laaluqah {לֽ͏ַעֲלוּקָ֨ה | laʿalûqâ} ‘the leech’, a feminine noun in the absolute state, followed by the construct phrase shtei banot {שְׁתֵּ֥י בָּנוֹת֮ | šəṯê bānôṯ} ‘two daughters’ personifying ongoing need. The doubled imperative hav {הַ֤ב | hab} ‘Give’ employs repetition for emphatic insistence. The clauses shalosh hennâ lo tishba‘nâ {שָׁל֣וֹשׁ הֵ֭נָּה לֹ֣א תִשְׂבַּ֑עְנָה | šālôš hennâ lōʾ tišba‘nāh} ‘three are not satisfied’ and ’arbâ‘ lo-’āmerû hôn {אַרְבַּ֗ע לֹא־אָ֥מְרוּ הֽוֹן | ’arbā‘ lō-’āmerû hôn} ‘four have not said “Enough”’ illustrate Hebrew numerical parallelism that intensifies the theme of insatiability. The imperfect tišba‘nāh marks an ongoing state of unfulfilled craving, while the perfect ’āmerû with negation lo- conveys a definitive refusal to acknowledge sufficiency. |