| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with a protasis introduced by veim {וְאִם־ | wə-’im} ‘and if’, presenting mishpachat mitzrayim {מִשְׁפַּ֨חַת מִצְרַ֧יִם | miš-pa-ḥat miṣ-rā-yim} ‘family of Egypt’. In the conditional clause, the verbs lo-ta‘aleh {לֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֛ה | lā-ta‘ă-lēh} ‘does not go up’ and vaah {בָאָ֖ה | vā-’āh} ‘comes’ combine with velo {וְלֹ֥א | wə-lō} ‘and does not’ to express refusal. The additional negation velo aleihem tihyeh {וְלֹ֣א עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם תִּֽהְיֶ֣ה | wə-lō ʿă-lê-hēm ti-hî-yêh} is rendered by withholding rain, intensifying judgment. The apodosis introduces hamagefah {הַמַּגֵּפָ֗ה | ham-ma-ḡē-p̄āh} ‘plague’, followed by a relative clause asher yiggof Yahweh et-haggoyim {אֲשֶׁר יִגֹּף יְהוָה֙ אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֔ם | ă-šer yĭg-gôf Yə-hō-wāh ʾet-haggō-yim} ‘which the LORD will strike the nations’. The final purpose clause asher lo yaalu la-chog et-chag ha-sukkot {אֲשֶׁר לֹא יַעֲלוּ לָחֹג אֶת־חַג הַסֻּכּֽוֹת | ă-šer lō ya-ʿă-lû lā-ḥôg ʾet-ḥăg ha-suk-kôtôt} ‘who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles’ uses the infinitive construct to express purpose. |