| 30. Linguistic Exegesis The verse is built from three coordinated, parallel clauses linked by vav, creating a rhythmic catalogue of foreign worship. Each clause begins with the construct phrase anshei {אַנְשֵׁי | ʾanšê} ‘men of’ plus a place name, which functions as the subject (“the men of Babylon,” “the men of Cuth,” “the men of Hamath”). The repeated finite verb asu {עָשׂוּ | ʿāśû} ‘they made’ presents each action as a completed establishment of cultic objects. The direct object marker et {אֶת | ʾeṯ} (with maqqef to the following name) tightly binds the action to a specific deity-name, foregrounding the objects of worship. English can preserve the Hebrew’s emphatic repetition by keeping the recurring subject-verb pattern; the dynamic rendering uses semicolons to reflect the list-like coordination while maintaining the same threefold structure. |