| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The clause begins with ve’ish {וְאִישׁ | və-ʾîš} ‘and a man’, signaling a general subject. The relative particle asher {אֲשֶׁר | ă-šer} introduces a qualifying clause. In yigga‘ {יִגַּע | yig-gā‘} ‘touches’, the Qal imperfect conveys a habitual or potential action. The prepositional phrase bemishkavo {בְּמִשְׁכָּבוֹ | bə-miškā-vō} ‘in his bed’ specifies the location of impurity. The Piel imperfect yechabes {יְכַבֵּס | yĕ-ḥăb-bēs} ‘he shall wash’ requires intensive cleansing of garments, followed by the Qal perfect verachats {וְרָחַץ | wə-rā-ḥaṣ} ‘and he shall bathe’ for the body. The medium bamayim {בַּמַּיִם | ba-ma-yīm} ‘in water’ marks the ritual substance. The result clause vetame {וְטָמֵא | wə-ṭā-mēʾ} ‘and he shall be unclean’ uses a Qal perfect predicate of state. The temporal adverbial ad-ha’arev {עַד־הָעָרֶב | ʿad-hā-ʿā-reḇ} ‘until the evening’ sets the duration of uncleanness. Sequential vav conjunctions link the actions, and maintaining Hebrew word order in English preserves the procedural emphasis of the law. |