| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew law employs the participial phrase hanogea {הַנֹּגֵ֔עַ | hān-nô-‘ēa‘} “the one touching” with bekhol keli {בְּכָל־כְּלִ֖י | bə-ḵōl kə-lî} “in any vessel” to express a general prohibition. The relative clause asher-te-SHEV ‘alav {אֲשֶׁר־תֵּשֵׁ֣ב עָלָ֑יו | ’ă-šer tē-šêḇ ‘ā-lāw} “on which she sits” identifies contamination by contact with a woman’s discharge. The sequence yekhabbes…verachats {יְכַבֵּ֧ס … וְרָחַ֥ץ | yə-ḵabbēḏ … wə-raš-ḥaṣ} places washing garments before bathing, reflecting ritual order. The adjective vetamei {וְטָמֵ֥א | wə-ṭā-mê} “unclean” marks a state of ritual impurity lasting ‘ad-ha-arev {עַד־הָעָֽרֶב | ‘ad-hā-‘ā-rêḇ} “until the evening.” This construction balances legal precision with temporal limitation in priestly discourse. |