| 14. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive verb vayaʿas {וַיַּעַשׂ | wa-ya-ʿāś} ‘and he did’, marking narrative sequence. The noun hāraʿ {הָרָע | hā-rāʿ} ‘the evil’ specifies the moral action. The conjunction kî {כִּי | kî} ‘because’ introduces a causal clause, with the negation lōʾ {לֹא | lōʾ} ‘not’ negating the Hiphil perfect hēkîn {הֵכִין | hē-kîn} ‘he prepared’, which conveys deliberate setting. Libbô {לִבּוֹ | lib-bō} ‘his heart’ functions as the volitional subject of the Qal infinitive lidrôš {לִדְרֹשׁ | li-drôš} ‘to seek’, forming a purpose/result clause. The particle ʾetYHWH {אֶת־יְהוָה | ʾet yə-hō-wāh} marks the divine name as the direct object. This structure connects inner disposition directly to moral outcome, and the English maintains the causal linkage and volitional emphasis. |