הָי֤וּ

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הָי֤וּ

   ha-YU

   they were
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 הָי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙

   ha-YU ve-NE-Yis-ra-EL

   they were sons of Israel
3. clause🔊 וְכִתַּת֩ נְחַ֨שׁ הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֣ה מֹשֶׁ֗ה כִּ֣י עַד־הַיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵ֙מָּה֙ הָי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מְקַטְּרִ֣ים ל֔וֹ וַיִּקְרָא־ל֖וֹ נְחֻשְׁתָּֽן׃

   ve-khi-TAT ne-KHASH han-ne-KHO-shet a-sher-a-SA mo-SHE KI ad-ha-ya-MIM ha-HE-ma ha-YU ve-NE-Yis-ra-EL me-kat-te-RIM LO va-yik-RA-LO ne-khush-TAN

   and crushed a serpent the bronze which he made Moses for until the days those they were sons of Israel making smoke or burning incense to it and he called it Nehushtan
4. sentence🔊 ה֣וּא הֵסִ֣יר אֶת־הַבָּמ֗וֹת וְשִׁבַּר֙ אֶת־הַמַּצֵּבֹ֔ת וְכָרַ֖ת אֶת־הָֽאֲשֵׁרָ֑ה וְכִתַּת֩ נְחַ֨שׁ הַנְּחֹ֜שֶׁת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֣ה מֹשֶׁ֗ה כִּ֣י עַד־הַיָּמִ֤ים הָהֵ֙מָּה֙ הָי֤וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ מְקַטְּרִ֣ים ל֔וֹ וַיִּקְרָא־ל֖וֹ נְחֻשְׁתָּֽן׃

   HU he-SIR et-ha-ba-MOT ve-shi-BAR et-ha-mat-tse-VOT ve-kha-RAT et-ha-a-she-RA ve-khi-TAT ne-KHASH han-ne-KHO-shet a-sher-a-SA mo-SHE KI ad-ha-ya-MIM ha-HE-ma ha-YU ve-NE-Yis-ra-EL me-kat-te-RIM LO va-yik-RA-LO ne-khush-TAN

   he removed {direct object} the high places and broke {direct object} the pillars and cut down {direct object} the Asherah and crushed a serpent the bronze which he made Moses for until the days those they were sons of Israel making smoke or burning incense to it and he called it Nehushtan

Exegesis

The causal clause כִּי עַד־הַיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה hayu bnei-yisrael meqattērîm lo {כִּי עַד־הַיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה הָיוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַטְּרִים לֹו | kî ʿad-ha-yāmîm hā-hēmmah hā-yû bnê-yisrāʾēl məqattērîm lōw} “for until those days the Israelites were offering incense to it” explains the motivation for destruction.