| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew VSO order begins with gam hu {גַּם־ה֥וּא | gam hûʾ} “he also,” marking narrative continuity. The compound asah-bamot {עָשָֽׂה־בָמ֖וֹת | ʿāśāh-bāmōṯ} denotes completed construction of illicit worship sites. The prepositional phrase be-harei Yehudah {בְּהָרֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֑ה | bə-harē Yəhūdāh} specifies the mountainous region of Judah. The sequential hiphil imperfect verbs vayyezen {וַיֶּ֙זֶן֙ | wayyēzen} and wayyadach {וַיַּדַּ֖ח | wayyaḏaḥ}, each with their direct objects et-yoshevei {אֶת־יֹשְׁבֵ֣י | ʾet-yōšĕḇê} “inhabitants” and et-Yehudah {אֶת־יְהוּדָֽה | ʾet-Yəhūdāh} “Judah,” create a causal sequence from cultic practices to moral corruption, rendered in English as an SVO series to preserve the progressive force. |