וְלֹ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְלֹ֥א

   ve-LO

   and not
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְלֹ֥א הִשְׁמִידֽוּם׃

   ve-LO hish-mi-DUM

   and not they destroyed them
3. clause🔊 כִּ֛י סָ֥רוּ מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א הִשְׁמִידֽוּם׃

   KI sa-RU me-a-le-HEM ve-LO hish-mi-DUM

   for they turned aside from upon them and not they destroyed them
4. sentence🔊 וְעַתָּ֡ה הִנֵּה֩ בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֨וֹן וּמוֹאָ֜ב וְהַר־שֵׂעִ֗יר אֲ֠שֶׁר לֹֽא־נָתַ֤תָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לָב֣וֹא בָהֶ֔ם בְּבֹאָ֖ם מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם כִּ֛י סָ֥רוּ מֵעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א הִשְׁמִידֽוּם׃

   ve-a-TA hi-NE ve-NE-A-mon u-mo-AV ve-har-se-IR a-SHER lo-na-TAT-ta le-yis-ra-EL la-VO va-HEM be-vo-AM me-E-rets mits-ra-YIM KI sa-RU me-a-le-HEM ve-LO hish-mi-DUM

   and now behold sons of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir whom or which you did not allow to Israel to come against them or into them when they came from {the} land of Egypt for they turned aside from upon them and not they destroyed them

Exegesis

Finally, the adversative clause ki saru mealeihem velo hishmidum {כִּי סָרוּ מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וְלֹא הִשְּׁמִידוּם | kî śārû mē-‘ălê-hēm wə-lō hiš-mî-dûm} ‘for they turned aside … and did not destroy them’ contrasts Israel’s diversion with unexecuted destruction, underscoring mercy. The formal translation retains Hebrew word order; the dynamic rendition clarifies causal and adversative relationships for contemporary readers.