Mesorat%20hashas for Sotah 38:6

במאי קמיפלגי תלתא קראי כתיבי והשקה קמא ואחר ישקה והשקה בתרא

unnecessarily. On what, then, do they differ? — There are three verses: first 'he shall make the woman drink', second 'and afterward shall make drink', and third 'and when he hath made her drink'. The Rabbis hold that the first phrase is required for the subject-matter, i.e., he gives her to drink and then sacrifices her meal-offering; the phrase 'and afterward shall make drink' is necessary [to cover the case where] a trace of the inscription is recognisable; and the third phrase indicates that if [the writing on] the scroll has been obliterated and she says 'I refuse to drink', they exert influence upon her and make her drink by force. R. Simeon, on the other hand, holds that 'and afterward shall make drink' is required for the subject-matter. i.e., he sacrifices her meal-offering and then gives her to drink. The first phrase is to indicate that if he first gave her to drink and afterward sacrificed her meal-offering it is valid; and the third phrase denotes that if [the writing on] the scroll has been obliterated and she says 'I refuse to drink', they exert influence upon her and make her drink by force. The Rabbis, however, do not hold that the text opens with [a commandment which is only valid as] an accomplished fact.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' A Biblical precept states what is or is not to be done, not that something should not be done but, if accomplished, it is allowed to stand. For this reason they reject R. Simeon's explanation of the first phrase. ');">⁶</span>

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