הִקְשׁוּ֙

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 הִקְשׁוּ֙

   hik-SHU

   they stiffened
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּ֤י הִקְשׁוּ֙

   KI hik-SHU

   because they stiffened
3. clause🔊 כִּ֤י הִקְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־עָרְפָּ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י שְׁמ֥וֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי׃

   KI hik-SHU et-ar-PAHM le-vil-TI she-MO-a et-de-va-RAI

   because they stiffened their neck so as not to to hear my words
4. sentence🔊 כֹּֽה־אָמַ֞ר יְהוָ֤ה צְבָאוֹת֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִ֨י מבי מֵבִ֜יא אֶל־הָעִ֤יר הַזֹּאת֙ וְעַל־כָּל־עָרֶ֔יהָ אֵ֚ת כָּל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֤י הִקְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־עָרְפָּ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֖י שְׁמ֥וֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרָֽי׃

   ko-A-MAR ye-ho-VAH tse-va-OT e-lo-HE yis-ra-EL hin-NE me-VI me-VI el-ha-IR ha-ZOT ve-al-kol-a-RE-ha ET kol-ha-ra-A a-SHER di-BAR-ti a-LE-ha KI hik-SHU et-ar-PAHM le-vil-TI she-MO-a et-de-va-RAI

   thus said the LORD of hosts God of Israel behold, I bringing I am bringing to the city this and upon all its towns all the disaster that I spoke against it because they stiffened their neck so as not to to hear my words

Exegesis

The causal clause ki hikshu et-orpam levilti shemoa et-devarai {כִּי הִקְשׁוּ אֶת־עָרְפָם לְבִלְתִּי שְׁמֹעַ אֶת־דְּבָרָי | kî hiqšū ʾêṯ ʿorpām ləbiltî šəmōaʿ ʾêṯ dəvarāy} employs a purpose-negative infinitive to express their refusal: they have hardened their neck—idiom for obstinate resistance—so as not to hear God’s words. The English rendition preserves Hebrew structure while conveying divine authority and imminent judgment.