| 22. Linguistic Exegesis The Hebrew opens with the vav-consecutive prefix vayyel’khu {וַיֵּֽלְכוּ | wayyēlēkû} ‘and they walked’, linking this action to prior narrative. The construct phrase bnei yisra’el {בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל | bə-nê yiśrāʾēl} ‘sons of Israel’ refers corporately to the nation. The expression b’khol chattot {בְּכָל־חַטֹּ֥אות | bə-khōl ḥaṭ-ṭō-’ōt} ‘in all sins’ employs a construct chain to denote comprehensive participation in offenses. The relative clause asher asah {אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה | ’ă-šer ‘ā-sāh} ‘that he did’ specifies Jeroboam’s actions as paradigmatic, while the negative Qal perfect lo-saru {לֹא־סָרוּ | lō’-sārû} ‘they did not turn aside’ with the pronominal suffix mimmenah {מִמֶּנָּה | mim-mē-nāh} ‘from them’ underscores Israel’s continuous adherence. English retains “walked in” to reflect the moral path metaphor and mirrors the emphatic negation of lo-saru in “did not turn aside.” |