| 7. Linguistic Exegesis The clause opens with the protasis we-im {וְאִם | wə-ʾim} ‘and if’, introducing a conditional legal scenario. The infinitive absolute heʾakhol {הֵאָכֹל | hê-ʾă-kôl} functions as a substantivized object, reinforced by the Nifal imperfect yeʾakhel {יֵאָכֵל | yē-ʾā-qēl}, intensifying the act of consumption. The temporal phrase ba-yom ha-shelishi {בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי | ba-yôm ha-šĕ-lī-šī} fixes the third-day limit. The nominal predicate piggul hu {פִּגּוּל הוּא | pi-ggûl hū} assigns ritual status, and the negative imperfect lo yeratseh {לֹא יֵרָצֶה | lōʾ yē-rā-ṣēh} conveys refusal, completing the protasis–apodosis legal structure. |