| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The clause is introduced by the conjunction ki {כִּי | kī} ‘for/because’, establishing a causal relationship. The prepositional construct le-Elohei aviv {לֽ͏ֵאלֹהֵי אָבִיו | lē-ʾĕlō-hē ʾā-vîv} ‘to the God of his father’ functions as the direct object, signifying devoted worship of the covenant deity. The perfect verb darash {דָּרָשׁ | dā-rāš} ‘he sought’ indicates deliberate and completed action. The idiomatic phrase u-ve-mitzvotav halakh {וּבְמִצְוֺתָיו הָלָךְ | ū-wə-mîṣ-wō-ṯāw hā-lāḵ} ‘and in his commandments he walked’ uses motion imagery to portray ongoing obedience. The negative comparison ke-ma’aseh Yisrael {כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יִשְׂרָאֵל | kə-mā-ʿā-sê yiś-rā-ʾēl} ‘like the practice of Israel’ contrasts his faithfulness with the prevailing behavior of the Northern kingdom. |