Relative Clauses and the Syntax of Sworn Declarations
Introduction to Judges 21:5 Judges 21:5 contains a judicial inquiry framed with a complex syntactic structure involving multiple relative clauses, particularly those introduced by אֲשֶׁר. The layering of relative clauses is critical for understanding Biblical Hebrew's method of formal legal expression. This verse also demonstrates how relative syntax, when compounded with legal oaths and performative…