| 26. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’, establishing the reason clause. The construct chain kol-elohei ha-ʿammîm {כָּל־אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים | kol-ʾĕ-lō-hê hā-ʿammîm} ‘all the gods of the nations’ links kol as modifier to the construct noun elohei, with ha-ʿammîm as its genitive complement. This collective category is immediately negated by the predicate elilim {אֱלִילִים | ʾĕ-lî-lîm} ‘idols’. The adversative vav consecutive in vavyehovah {וַיהוָה | wə-yə-hō-wāh} ‘but the LORD’ contrasts false gods with the true divine subject. The verb phrase shamayim ʿā-sāh {שָׁמַיִם עָשָׂה | šā-mā-yim ʿā-sāh} ‘made the heavens’ inverts object–verb order for emphasis on the cosmic creation. In English, “For… but…” preserves the causal–adversative flow, and fronting “the heavens” retains the original focus on divine creative action. |