| 15. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the causal particle ya'an {יַ֗עַן | yaʿǎn} ‘because’, linking divine rationale to disobedience. The relative pronoun asher¹ {אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ăšer} introduces the clause with the perfect verb asu {עָשׂ֤וּ | ʿāśû} ‘they did’, where the direct object marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} marks hara {הָרַע֙ | hāraʿ} ‘evil’. The locative expression be'einai {בְּעֵינַ֔י | bəʿêynāy} denotes God’s perspective. A vav-consecutive imperfect vayihyu {וַיִּהְי֥וּ | wayyihyū} ‘and they became’ leads into the hifil participle mach'isim {מַכְעִסִ֖ים | makkʿîsîm} ‘provoking’, emphasizing continuous provocation. A temporal frame from the exodus to the present is expressed by min hayom¹ asher yatz'u avotam mimitzrayim ve'ad hayom² hazeh, combining prepositional and relative clauses to underscore covenantal continuity and divine patience. |