| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for; because’ introducing the basis for the prohibition. The phrase kol-ish {כָל־אִישׁ | qōl-ʾîš} ‘every man’ is specified by the relative clause asher-bo {אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ | ʾă-šer-bō} ‘who has in him’ plus the noun mum {מוּם | mūm} ‘defect’. The negative particle lo {לֹא | lōʾ} negates the verb yikrav {יִקְרָב | yiq-rāv} ‘shall come near’, forming a prohibitive statement. The following clause mirrors this with ish {אִישׁ | ʾîš} ‘man’ and a syndetic list of physical conditions—ivver {עִוֵּר | ʿiv-ver} ‘blind’, pisseach {פִסֵּחַ | pî-sê-āḥ} ‘lame’, charum {חָרֻם | ḥă-rûm} ‘disfigured’, sarua {שָׂרוּעַ | să-rû-aʿ} ‘stretched-out’—each joined by o {אוֹ | ʾō} ‘or’. This general prohibition followed by enumerated examples underscores the priestly requirement for ritual purity by explicitly excluding all with physical blemishes. |