| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The sentence opens with the restrictor raq {רַק | raq} ‘only’, marking an exception to what precedes: the focus falls on ha-bamot {הַבָּמוֹת | habbāmôt} ‘the high places’. The negated predicate lo-saru {לֹא־סָרוּ | lō-sārû} ‘they did not turn aside’ functions idiomatically as “they were not removed,” presenting the continued existence of these sites as a settled fact. The adverb od {עוֹד | ʿôḏ} ‘still’ shifts from the status of the sites to the ongoing behavior of ha-am {הָעָם | hāʿām} ‘the people’. The coordinated participles mezabbechim {מְזַבְּחִים | məzabbəḥîm} ‘sacrificing’ and u-meqatterim {וּמְקַטְּרִים | ûməqaṭṭərîm} ‘and burning incense’ portray repeated, habitual actions rather than a single event. The closing prepositional phrase ba-bamot {בַּבָּמוֹת | babbāmôt} ‘on the high places’ resumes the key noun, creating a tight frame that emphasizes the persistence of worship at these locations. |