וְלֹ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְלֹ֥א

   ve-LO

   nor
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְלֹ֥א תִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ

   ve-LO tish-ta-KHA-vu

   nor bow down to them
3. clause🔊 וּבְשֵׁ֨ם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֤ם לֹא־תַזְכִּ֙ירוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תַשְׁבִּ֔יעוּ וְלֹ֣א תַעַבְד֔וּם וְלֹ֥א תִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לָהֶֽם׃

   u-VE-shem e-lo-HEI-hem lo-taz-KI-ru ve-LO tash-BI-u ve-LO ta-av-DUM ve-LO tish-ta-KHA-vu la-HEM

   and by the name of their gods you shall not mention nor swear by nor serve them nor bow down to them to them
4. sentence🔊 לְבִלְתִּי־בוֹא֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם הָאֵ֔לֶּה הַנִּשְׁאָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה אִתְּכֶ֑ם וּבְשֵׁ֨ם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֤ם לֹא־תַזְכִּ֙ירוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תַשְׁבִּ֔יעוּ וְלֹ֣א תַעַבְד֔וּם וְלֹ֥א תִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ לָהֶֽם׃

   le-vil-TI-VO bag-GO-yim ha-E-leh ha-nish-a-RIM ha-E-leh it-KHEM u-VE-shem e-lo-HEI-hem lo-taz-KI-ru ve-LO tash-BI-u ve-LO ta-av-DUM ve-LO tish-ta-KHA-vu la-HEM

   so that you will not come among the nations these who remain these with you and by the name of their gods you shall not mention nor swear by nor serve them nor bow down to them to them

Exegesis

The repeated velo {וְלֹא | wə·lōʾ} ‘and not’ outlines a cumulative series of prohibitions, concluding with the Hithpael imperfect tishtachavu {תִּשְׁתַּחֲו֖וּ | tîš·ta·ḥa·vû} ‘bow down’. This syntactic structure and parallel negatives are preserved in the English translations to convey escalating prohibition.