| 45. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the continuative vav and the participle vehatsaru’a {וְהַצָּרוּעַ | wə·ḥaṣ·ṣā·rû·ʿā} ‘leprous one’, establishing an ongoing condition. This is followed by the relative clause asher-bō {אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ | ʾăšer-bō} ‘who is in him’, identifying the plague negâ {הַנֶּגַע | hannē·ḡāʿ} ‘infection’. A series of coordinate clauses then lays out ritual prescriptions: begadav {בְּגָדָיו | bə·ḡā·ḏā·w} ‘on his garment’ with the verb yihyu ‘become’ and the participle perumîm {פְּרֻמִים | pə·rû·mîm} ‘torn’, followed by verôsho {וְרֹאשׁוֹ | wə·rō·šō} ‘and his head’ with the verb yihyeh ‘become’ and the participle paru’a {פָּרוּעַ | pā·rû·ʿā} ‘unbound’. Another clause introduced by ve-al-sa-fam {וְעַל־שָׂפָם | wə·ʿal-śā·pām} ‘and on the upper lip’ with the verb ya’ṭeh {יַעְטֶה | ya·ʿaṭ·tēh} ‘cover’ prescribes covering the lip. The final phrase vetamei tamei yikra {וְטָמֵא טָמֵא יִקְרָא | wə·ṭā·mēʾ ṭā·mēʾ yiqq·rā} ‘and unclean, unclean he shall call’ employs repetition as a ritual proclamation. English rendering shifts from Hebrew VSO order and paratactic style to SVO and infinitival clauses for clarity in a legal context. |