| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional ve’im {וְאִם | wə-ʾim}, establishing a diagnostic protocol. The subject ha-kohen {הַכֹּהֵן | ha-kō-hên} “the priest” performs the visual verb yir’enna {יִרְאֶנָּה | yir-ʾên-nā}, evaluating the feminine noun ba-beheret {בַּבֶּהֶרֶת | ba-be-he-ret} “lesion.” The particle ve-hinneh {וְהִנֵּה | wə-hin-nêh} foregrounds the inspection result. Ein-ba-beheret se’ar lavan {אֵין־בַּבֶּהֶרֶת שֵׂעָר לָבָן | ʾêyn ba-be-he-ret se-ʿār lā-vān} negates the presence of white hairs. U-shephalah einennah min-ha’or {וּשְׁפָלָה אֵינֶנָּה מִן־הָעוֹר | wə-še-phā-lāh ʾêy-nen-nāh min-hā-ʾôr} quantifies the lesion’s limitation to the epidermis. The adjective kehah {כֵהָה | kē-hāh} marks diminished coloration. Finally, the causative hifil ve-hisgiro {וְהִסְגִּירוֹ | wə-his-gî-rō} prescribes a seven-day quarantine, reflecting ritual purity regulations. |