| 27. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with vera’ahu {וְרָאָ֥הוּ | və-rā-’ā-hû} ‘and he will see him’ using a vav-consecutive Qal perfect to indicate a ritual inspection sequence. The subject, hakohen {הַכֹּהֵ֖ן | hak-kō-hên}, performs assessment at bayom hashvi’i {בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י | ba-yôm haš-šə-ḇī-‘î} ‘on the seventh day,’ setting a fixed temporal framework. The conditional particle im {אִם־ | ʼim} ‘if’ introduces the protasis, with pasoh {פָּשֹׂ֤ה | pā-ṣō-h} ‘it is spreading’ and tifseh {תִפְשֶׂה֙ | tīp-śə-hê} ‘it spreads’ describing symptom progression in ba’or {בָּע֔וֹר | bā-‘ôr} ‘in the skin.’ The apodosis begins with vetimme {וְטִמֵּ֤א | və-ṯim-mê} ‘and he will declare unclean,’ a Piel perfect denoting formal pronouncement. The clause nega‘ tsara‘at hi {נֶ֥גַע צָרַעַת הִֽוא׃ | nē-ḡa‘ ṣā-rā-‘āṯ hî} is a nominal sentence affirming the diagnostic result. This structure underscores judicial procedure in ritual impurity law. |