| 3. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the demonstrative vezot {וְזֹ֛את | wə-zō-ṯ} ‘now this’, functioning as an introductory legal statement. The Qal imperfect tihyeh {תִּהְיֶ֥ה | tih-yēh} ‘will be’ marks a general prescription. The construct phrase tum’ato bezovo {טֻמְאָת֖וֹ בְּזוֹב֑וֹ | ṯum-ʾā-tô bə-zō-vô} specifies the basis of ritual status. A coordinated alternative is introduced by o {אֽוֹ־ | ʾō-}, linking the verb rar {רָ֣ר | rā-r} ‘drips’ and the Hiphil perfect hechtim {הֶחְתִּ֤ים | hech-tîm} ‘is blocked’, each with its own prepositional phrase besaro {בְּשָׂר֞וֹ | bə-śā-rô} ‘in his flesh’ and respective discharge phrase. The final tum’ato hi {טֻמְאָת֖וֹ הִֽוא׃ | ṯum-ʾā-tô hîʾ} ‘his impurity it is’ serves as an emphatic copula, underscoring that any discharge, whether flowing or stopped, renders the person impure. The translation preserves the Hebrew parallelism (“whether… or…”) and the emphatic conclusion. |