| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with vekhol {וְכָל־ | wə-ḵāl} establishing universal scope. The Qal participle hanôgēa {הַנֹּגֵעַ | hanôgēa} functions as the subject, modified by bekhol {בְּכֹל | bə-ḵōl} and the relative clause asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer}. The imperfect yihyeh {יִהְיֶה | yi-hyēh}, combined with tahtavay {תַחְתָּיו | taḥtāyw}, signals a resultant conditional state. The imperfect yitma {יִטְמָא | yit·tāʾ} “become unclean” denotes ritual impurity lasting until ad-ha-arev {עַד־הָעָרֶב | ʿad-hā-ʿā-rev}. The second clause mirrors this pattern: vehanose {וְהַנּוֹשֵׂא | wə-hanōśēʾ} parallels hanôgēa, followed by the Piel yechabes {יְכַבֵּס | yĕ-ḥabbēs} “shall wash” with begadav {בְּגָדָיו | bə-ɡā·dāyw}, and the Qal perfect verakhats {וְרָחַץ | wə-rāḥaṣ} “bathe” with bamayim {בַּמַּיִם | ba-mayyim}. The concluding vetame {וְטָמֵא | wə-ṭāmēʾ} with ad-ha-arev reinstates the temporal limit. The parallel verb forms and vav conjunctions highlight both the cause of impurity and the cleansing requirements. |