| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse employs a series of Waw-consecutive verbs (הֵסִיר hesir {הֵסִיר | hēsîr} “he removed,” שִׁבַּר shibbar {שִׁבַּר | šibbār} “he broke,” כָּרַת karat {כָּרַת | kārat} “he cut down,” כִּתַּת kittat {כִּתַּת | kiṭṭat} “he shattered”) to present a tightly linked sequence of iconoclastic reforms. Each verb is followed by the direct object marker אֶת־ {אֶת־ | ʾet-} introducing its noun: הַבָּמוֹת habamot {הַבָּמוֹת | ha-bāmōṯ} “high places,” הַמַּצֵּבוֹת matzevot {הַמַּצֵּבֹת | ha-maṣṣēḇōṯ} “sacred pillars,” and הָאֲשֵׁרָה asherah {הָאֲשֵׁרָה | hā-ʾăšērāh} “Asherah pole.” The construct נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת neḥaš hanĕḥōšeṯ {נְחַשׁ הַנְּחֹשֶׁת | neḥaš-ha-neḥōšeṯ} “the bronze serpent” is modified by the relative clause אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה asher-asah moshe {אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה | ʾăšer-ʿāśāh mōšē} “that Moses made.” 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. Finally, the nomenclature verb וַיִּקְרָא־לוֹ va-yikkera-lo {וַיִּקְרָא־לוֹ | wayyik·rāʾ-lōw} “and he called it” assigns the name נְחֻשְׁתָּן nekhushtan {נְחֻשְׁתָּן | nǝḥušṯān}. |