| 8. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conditional marker vekhi {וְכִֽי | və-ḵî} ‘and when/if’, introducing a protasis in a casuistic law. The action yā-rōq {יָרֹק | yā-rōq} ‘he spits’ occurs with the subject ha-zāv {הַזָּב | ha-zāv} ‘the man with a discharge’ and the object phrase ba-ṭā-hôr {בַּטָּהוֹר | ba-ṭā-hôr} ‘on a clean person’. Sequential vav-consecutive forms in və-ḵi-bes {וְכִבֶּס | və-ḵi-bes} ‘and he washes’ and və-rā-ḥaṭs {וְרָחַץ | və-rā-ḥaṭs} ‘and he bathes’ outline the purification steps. The connective vetamei {וְטָמֵא | və-ṭā-me} ‘and he is unclean’ coupled with ʿad-hā-ʿā-rev {עַד־הָעָרֶב | ʿad-hā-ʿā-rev} ‘until the evening’ defines the duration of impurity. This protasis–apodosis structure with vav-consecutive verbs provides a clear legal sequence for ritual purity. |