וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ בְּחֻקֹּ֣ות הַגֹּויִ֔ם אֲשֶׁר֙ הֹורִ֣ישׁ יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמַלְכֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשֽׂוּ׃
And they walked in the statutes of the nations whom YHWH had dispossessed from before the sons of Yisraʾel, and of the kings of Yisraʾel whom they had done.
Morphology
- וַיֵּלְכוּ (va-yeleḵu) – Root: הלך (halakh); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they walked”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to following a way of life or conduct.
- בְּחֻקֹּות (be-ḥuqqot) – Root: חקק (ḥaqaq); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine plural construct; Translation: “in the statutes of”; Notes: Refers to prescribed customs or ordinances.
- הַגֹּויִם (ha-goyim) – Root: גוי (goy); Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the nations”; Notes: Refers to the foreign Gentile nations.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the nations.
- הֹורִישׁ (horish) – Root: ירשׁ (yarash); Form: Hiphil perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “had dispossessed”; Notes: Causative form indicating driving out or disinheriting.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: היה (h-y-h); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The personal name of the God of Yisraʾel.
- מִפְּנֵי (mi-penei) – Root: פנים (panim); Form: Preposition מִן + construct form; Translation: “from before”; Notes: Indicates removal or displacement from presence.
- בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (benei Yisraʾel) – Root: בן (ben) + ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Construct noun plural + proper noun; Translation: “sons of Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the Israelite people.
- וּמַלְכֵי (u-malkhei) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “and the kings of”; Notes: Introduces the second group imitated by Yisraʾel.
- יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel) – Root: ישראל (Yisraʾel); Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Yisraʾel”; Notes: Refers to the northern kingdom.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר (ʾasher); Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause referring to the kings’ actions.
- עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשׂה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they had done”; Notes: Refers to the kings’ establishment or imitation of foreign practices.