| 29. Linguistic Exegesis The verse unfolds in two coordinated vav-consecutive clauses. The first clause opens with vayyiḥû {וַיִּהְי֣וּ | vayyiḥû} ‘and they became’, linking sequentially to the preceding narrative. The participle ʿōṣîm {עֹשִׂם | ʿōṣîm} ‘making’ conveys ongoing action, while the distributive duplication gôy gôy {גּוֹי גּוֹי | gôy gôy} ‘each nation’ highlights individual agency. The suffix in ʾĕlōhāyw {אֱלֹהָיו | ʾĕlōhāyw} ‘its gods’ marks proprietary possession. In the second clause, the hiphil vayyanîḥû {וַיַּנִּ֣יחוּ | vayyanîḥû} ‘and they set’ introduces the installation of idols. The locative construct in bəḇêt habāmōṯ {בְּבֵ֣ית הַבָּמ֗וֹת | bəḇêṯ habāmōṯ} ‘in the house of the high places’ specifies worship sites, further defined by a restrictive relative clause with ʾăšer {אֲשֶׁ֛ר | ʾăšer} ‘which’. The second gôy gôy with its own asher-clause reinforces the notion of separate installations, culminating in the participle yōšĕvîm {יֹשְׁבִ֖ם | yōšĕvîm} ‘dwelling’, which marks their settled presence. The dual relative clauses are rendered in English through integrated descriptive phrases to preserve clarity and the Hebrew distributive emphasis. |