| 21. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} signaling a causal clause. It employs successive wayyiqtol Hiphil verbs: qara‘ {קָרַע | qāra‘} ‘tore,’ where Israel is subject; wayyamlîkû {וַיַּמְלִיכוּ | wayyamlîkû} ‘they made king,’ with ’ēt {אֵת־ | ’ēt} marking Jeroboam as object; and wayyadaḥ {וַיַּדַּח | wayyadaḥ} ‘caused to stray,’ where Jeroboam is subject and mē’aḥərê {מֵאַחֲרֵי | mē’aḥərê} ‘from following’ governs Yahweh as object. The final Hiphil perfect wəheḥteyā’ām {וְהֶחֱטֵיאָם | wəheḥteyā’ām} ‘caused them to sin’ is followed by the noun-adjective pair ḥaṭā’āh gedōlāh {חֲטָאָה גְּדוֹלָה | ḥaṭā’āh gedōlāh} ‘a great sin,’ underscoring the severity of covenant infidelity. The vav-consecutive sequence highlights Jeroboam’s decisive political and spiritual rupture. |