| 23. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew tachat {תַּ֣חַת | ta-ḥaṯ} “in the case of” frames two parallel clauses, each introduced by kî {כִּ֣י | kî} functioning as “when.” The niphal imperfect tibbaʿêl {תִבָּעֵל | tib-bā-ʿêl} “she becomes a wife” and the qal imperfect kî-tîraš {כִּֽי־תִירַ֥שׁ | kî-ti-ráš} “when she inherits” mark two conditional scenarios. The construct phrase wə-šip̄ḥâ {וְ֝שִׁפְחָ֗ה | wə-šip̄-ḥâ} kî-tîraš gəḇirtāh {גְּבִרְתָּֽהּ | gə-ḇir-tāh} tightly binds “maidservant” and “mistress,” emphasizing transfer of authority. The parallel asyndeton is rendered in English by the repeated “when” to reflect the balanced structure. |