| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The clause follows a protasis–apodosis pattern introduced by ki {כִּֽי־ | kī-} marking a conditional. The coordinated subject ve-ʾîš ʾō iš-šā́h {וְאִישׁ֙ א֣וֹ אִשָּׁ֔ה | wə-ʾîš ʾō iš-šā́h} “a man or a woman” precedes the Qal imperfect yihyeh {יִהְיֶ֥ה | yih-yā́-hêh}, which introduces a hypothetical affliction. The locative bo {ב֖וֹ | bō} “in him or her” governs nega {נָ֑גַע | nā-gāʿ}, which is then specified by the parallel prepositional phrases berosh {בְּרֹ֖אשׁ | bə-rṓ-š} and bezakan {בְזָקָֽן | bə-zā-qān} linked by the disjunction ʾō {א֥וֹ | ʾō}. The Hebrew imperfect here allows both a stative condition (formal “has”) and the onset of a condition (dynamic “develops”), aligning with the law’s precision in location. |