| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the causal particle ya-an {יַעַן | ya-ʿan} ‘because’, establishing the rationale for the sequence. The prepositional phrase be-mishpatay {בְּמִשְׁפָּטַי | bə-miš-pa-ṭai} ‘in my judgments’ with the verb ma-os {מָאוֹס | mā-ʾōs} ‘they despised’ parallels the direct-object construction et-chukotai {אֶת־חֻקּוֹתַי | ḥuq-qō-ṯai} ‘my statutes’ and the negated verb lo-halkhu {לֹא־הָלְכוּ | lōʾ-hā-lə-ḵu} ‘they did not walk’, framing a model of rejection. The Piel verb chil-le-lu {חִלְּלוּ | ḥil-lə-lū} ‘they profaned’ intensifies the offense by moving from passive disregard to active desecration. The conjunction ki…acharei {כִּי…אַחֲרֵי | kî…ʾa-ḥă-rē} introduces a causal clause in which libam {לִבָּם | li-bām} ‘their heart’ and the participle ho-lekh {הֹלֵךְ | hō-lēḵ} ‘walking’ signal internal motivation culminating in gilluleihem {גִּלּוּלֵיהֶם | gil-lu-lei-hem} ‘their idols’. This syntax foregrounds the heart’s trajectory as the source of Israel’s comprehensive rebellion, preserved through parallel clauses and causal connectors in English. |