| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is framed as a rhetorical question introduced by mi-yitten {מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן | mî-yit·tēn} ‘who would give/bring?’, where the Hebrew yiqtol form functions idiomatically to express an unrealizable possibility rather than a simple future. The predicate tahor {טָ֭הוֹר | ṭāhôr} ‘pure’ stands before the source phrase mittame {מִטָּמֵ֗א | mit·ṭā-mēʾ} ‘from unclean’, highlighting the incongruity of deriving purity from an impure origin. The closing lo echad {לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד | lōʾ ʾeḥāḏ} compresses the answer into an absolute denial, meaning “not even one,” which functions as a terse verdict following the question. English renders the Hebrew idiom mi-yitten with “Who can” to communicate the rhetorical force and impossibility implied by the construction while preserving the sharp, climactic negation at the end. |