| 18. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew text unfolds as a sequence of ritual commands marked by the vav-consecutive: velaqqach {וְלָקַ֨ח | wə-lā-qā-ḥ} ‘and he shall take’, vetaval {וְטָבַ֣ל | wə-ṭā-val} ‘and he shall dip’, vehizzah {וְהִזָּ֤ה | wə-hi-zzāh} ‘and he shall sprinkle’. The phrase ish tahor {אִ֣ישׁ טָהוֹר | ʾīš ṭā-hôr} ‘man clean’ identifies the eligible agent. Prepositional phrases al-ha-ohel {עַל־הָאֹ֙הֶל֙ | ʿal-hā-ʾō-hel} ‘on the tent’, veʿal-kol-ha-keilim {וְעַל־כָּל־הַכֵּלִ֔ים | wə-ʿal-kol-ha-qê-lîm} ‘and on all the utensils’, veʿal-ha-nefashot {וְעַל־הַנְּפָשׁ֖וֹת | wə-ʿal-han-nefā-šôṯ} ‘and on the persons’, and veʿal-ha-noge’a {וְעַל־הַנֹּגֵ֗עַ | wə-ʿal-han-nō-gē-‘ā} ‘and on the one who touched’ expand the scope of purification. The relative clause asher hayu sham {אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָֽיוּ־שָׁ֑ם | ’ă-šer hā-yû šām} ‘who were there’ specifies location. The list of impurity sources (bone, slain, dead, grave) is tied by o {אוֹ | ’ō} ‘or’, creating a cumulative legal catalog. The English rendition preserves the rhythmic progression and formal structure of the Hebrew. |