| 19. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with ve'el {וְאֶל | wə-ʾel} ‘and to’, linking this instruction to preceding laws. The noun ishah {אִשָּׁה | ʾiš-šāh} ‘woman’ is governed by b’niddat {בְּנִדַּת | bə-nid-dat} ‘in the menstrual impurity of’, establishing a genitive construct for ritual status. The negation lo {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ precedes the imperfect tikrav {תִקְרַב | tiq-rav} ‘you shall approach’, forming a direct prohibition. The infinitive legalot {לְגַלּוֹת | lə-gal-lôt} ‘to uncover’ with ervatah {עֶרְוָתָהּ | ʿer-wa-tāh} ‘her nakedness’ conveys an idiom for sexual intercourse. Hebrew word order emphasizes the prohibition through the fronted conjunctive vav, while the infinitive clause introduces the specific act being prohibited. |