| 9. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with veʾomru {וְאָ֣מְרוּ | wə-ʾā-mə-rū} “and they said,” an introductory formula for reported speech. The causal compound al asher {עַל אֲשֶׁר | ʿal ʾă-šer} “because of that” links the declaration to Israel’s prior disloyalty. Azvu {עָֽזְב֔וּ | ʿā-zə-ḇū} “they abandoned” in Qal perfect conveys a completed breach of the direct-object-marker et {אֶת־ | ʾet} and berit {בְּרִ֥ית | bə-rît} “covenant.” The construct chain Yahweh Eloheihem {יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֑ם | Yə-hō-wāh ʾĕ-lō-hê-hem} identifies “the LORD their God” as covenant partner. Two consecutive wayyiqtol verbs, vayishtachavu {וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲווּ | way-yish-ta-ḥă-vū} “they bowed down” and vayaavdum {וַיַּעַבְדֽוּם | way-ya-ʿă-ḇə-ḏūm} “they served them,” frame the idolatrous worship action. The prepositional phrase lelohim acherim {לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים | lə-ʾĕ-lō-hîm ʾă-ḥê-rîm} “to other gods” functions as the object of both verbs, highlighting the shift in devotion. Parallelism between covenant abandonment and idolatrous service underscores cause-and-effect in divine judgment. |