| 43. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional protasis marker ve-im {וְאִם־ | wə-ʾim} ‘and if’, introducing a hypothetical recurrence. The imperfect yashuv {יָשׁוּב | yā-šûv} ‘returns’ frames potential action, followed by the perfect u-farach {וּפָרַח | û-pā-raḥ} ‘spreads’, establishing its expansion in the ba-bayit {בַּבַּיִת | bayyît} ‘house’. A sequence of temporal clauses unfolds through achar {אַחַר | ’aḥar} ‘after’ and ve-acharei {וְאַחֲרֵי | wə-’ă-ḥă-rê} ‘and after’, each paired with successive remediation verbs: chillets {חִלֵּץ | ḥil-lēṣ} ‘tore out’ (Piel perfect), hiqtsot {הִקְצוֹת | hiq-ṣōṯ} ‘scraped’ (Hiphil perfect), and hittoach {הִטּוֹחַ | hit-tō-aḥ} ‘plastering’ (Qal infinitive construct). The direct-object-marker et {אֶת | ’et} specifies the ha-avanim {הָאֲבָנִים | ’ăvānîm} ‘stones’ and ha-bayit {הַבַּיִת | bayyît} ‘house’, underscoring ritual precision. The interplay of imperfect and perfect verbal stems, together with repeated temporal particles, highlights both the conditional contingency and procedural sequence essential to the priestly examination. |