Though the woman is almost completely invisible in also this verse, she is somewhere in the background. The first verb that the girl’s father uses, Strengthen,
is in the masculine singular and refers only to the Levite, but the following verb, wait,
is a masculine plural. This is striking, also since the verse begins by referring only to the Levite (he arose early
). This plural verb hints at her presence, though nothing more than that.1
8 And on the fifth day he arose early in the morning to depart. And the girl’s father said, “Strengthen your heart and wait until the day declines.” So they ate, both of them.