אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה הָי֣וּ יְרֵאִ֑ים וְאֶת־אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ הָי֣וּ עֹֽבְדִ֔ים כְּמִשְׁפַּט֙ הַגֹּויִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־הִגְל֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִשָּֽׁם׃
YHWH they were fearing, and their own gods they were serving, according to the custom of the nations from which they had been exiled.
Morphology
- אֶת־יְהוָה (et-YHWH) – Root: יהוה (YHWH); Form: Direct object marker + proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: Object of reverence.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they were”; Notes: Describes their state or condition.
- יְרֵאִים (yereʾim) – Root: ירא (y-r-ʾ); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “fearing”; Notes: Often denotes reverential worship, though possibly superficial in this context.
- וְאֶת־אֱלֹהֵיהֶם (ve-et-Eloheihem) – Root: אלוה (ʾeloah); Form: Conjunction + direct object marker + construct plural noun + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and their gods”; Notes: Refers to the pagan deities of their homelands.
- הָיוּ (hayu) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural (repeated); Translation: “they were”; Notes: Shows simultaneous worship practices.
- עֹבְדִים (ʿovdim) – Root: עבד (ʿavad); Form: Qal participle masculine plural; Translation: “serving”; Notes: Denotes religious service or worship.
- כְּמִשְׁפַּט (ke-mishpat) – Root: שׁפט (shafat); Form: Preposition + noun masculine singular; Translation: “according to the custom of”; Notes: Indicates imitation of foreign religious law or practice.
- הַגֹּויִם (ha-goyim) – Root: גוי (goy); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the nations”; Notes: Refers to the pagan peoples from which they originated.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause modifying “nations.”
- הִגְלוּ (higlu) – Root: גלה (galah); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they exiled”; Notes: Refers to Assyrian resettlement policies.
- אֹתָם (otam) – Root: את (ʾet); Form: Direct object marker + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the current settlers in the land of Shomeron.
- מִשָּׁם (mi-sham) – Root: שם (sham); Form: Preposition + adverb of place; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Refers to their place of origin before exile.