| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive conjunction in ve-’ish {וְאִישׁ | wə-ʾîš} introducing a conditional protasis. The relative clause asher-yishkav {אֲשֶׁר־יִשְׁכַּב | ʾăšer yiškav} qualifies “a man,” framing the sexual act as a conditional action. The direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} consistently marks each object, including ishah {אִשָּׁה | ʾîššāh} “woman” modified by the participle davah {דָּוָה | dāwāh} to denote ritual impurity. A chiastic parallelism structures the uncovering verbs ve-gillah {וְגִלָּה | wə-gil-lāh} and gilletah {גִּלְּתָה | gil-lə-tāh}, centering on ervatah {עֶרְוָה | ʿerwāh} “nakedness” and mekor {מְקוֹר | məqôr} “source.” The construct chain mekor dameha {מְקוֹר דָּמֶיהָ | məqôr dā-me-hā} links the “source” to “her blood,” emphasizing the flow imagery. The niphal perfect ve-nikhrētu {וְנִכְרְתּוּ | wə-nikh-rē-tū} conveys a passive, judicial exclusion applied to shenehem {שְׁנֵיהֶם | šenêhem} “both of them” from mi-kerev ammam {מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּם | miqqēreḇ ʿammām}, aligning legal prescript with communal boundaries. |