וַיְצַ֣ו הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ אֶת־חִלְקִיָּהוּ֩ הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּדֹ֜ול וְאֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֣י הַמִּשְׁנֶה֮ וְאֶת־שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּף֒ לְהֹוצִיא֙ מֵהֵיכַ֣ל יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַכֵּלִ֗ים הָֽעֲשׂוּיִם֙ לַבַּ֣עַל וְלָֽאֲשֵׁרָ֔ה וּלְכֹ֖ל צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַֽיִּשְׂרְפֵ֞ם מִח֤וּץ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בְּשַׁדְמֹ֣ות קִדְרֹ֔ון וְנָשָׂ֥א אֶת־עֲפָרָ֖ם בֵּֽית־אֵֽל׃
And the king commanded Ḥilqiyyahu the Chief Priest, and the second-order priests, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring out from the temple of YHWH all the vessels that were made for the Baʿal and for the Ashera and for all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Yerushalayim in the fields of Qidron, and he carried their ashes to Beit-ʾel.
Morphology
- וַיְצַ֣ו (va-yetsav) – Root: צוה; Form: Piel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And he commanded”; Notes: Strong directive from the king.
- הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך; Form: Definite masculine singular noun; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Refers to King Yoshiyahu.
- אֶת־חִלְקִיָּהוּ֩ (et-Ḥilqiyyahu) – Root: Proper name; Form: Direct object marker + proper noun; Translation: “Ḥilqiyyahu”; Notes: The High Priest at the time.
- הַכֹּהֵ֨ן הַגָּדֹ֜ול (ha-kohen ha-gadol) – Root: כהן, גדל; Form: Definite noun + adjective; Translation: “the Chief Priest”; Notes: Highest-ranking priest.
- וְאֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֣י הַמִּשְׁנֶה (ve-et-kohanei ha-mishneh) – Root: כהן, שנה; Form: Direct object + construct noun + definite noun; Translation: “and the second-order priests”; Notes: Priests subordinate to the High Priest.
- וְאֶת־שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַסַּף (ve-et-shomerei ha-saf) – Root: שמר, סף; Form: Construct noun + definite noun; Translation: “and the keepers of the threshold”; Notes: Temple gatekeepers.
- לְהֹוצִיא֙ (le-hotsi) – Root: יצא; Form: Hifil infinitive construct; Translation: “to bring out”; Notes: Indicates the action commanded.
- מֵהֵיכַ֣ל יְהוָ֔ה (me-heikhal YHWH) – Root: היכל; Form: Preposition + construct noun + proper noun; Translation: “from the temple of YHWH”; Notes: Refers to the inner sanctuary.
- אֵ֣ת כָּל־הַכֵּלִ֗ים (et-kol-ha-kelim) – Root: כלי; Form: Direct object + noun construct phrase; Translation: “all the vessels”; Notes: Items used in forbidden worship.
- הָֽעֲשׂוּיִם֙ (ha-ʿasuyim) – Root: עשה; Form: Pual participle masculine plural; Translation: “that were made”; Notes: Passive form indicating construction.
- לַבַּ֣עַל (la-Baʿal) – Root: בעל; Form: Preposition + proper noun; Translation: “for the Baʿal”; Notes: Canaanite storm deity.
- וְלָֽאֲשֵׁרָ֔ה (ve-la-Asherah) – Root: אשרה; Form: Conjunction + preposition + proper noun; Translation: “and for the Asherah”; Notes: Female deity or cultic object.
- וּלְכֹ֖ל צְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם (u-le-khol tseva ha-shamayim) – Root: צבא; Form: Conjunction + preposition + construct noun + definite noun; Translation: “and for all the host of heaven”; Notes: Astral worship condemned in Torah.
- וַיִּשְׂרְפֵ֞ם (va-yisrefem) – Root: שׂרף; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “and he burned them”; Notes: Destruction of idolatrous objects.
- מִח֤וּץ לִירוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ (mi-ḥuts li-Yerushalayim) – Root: חוץ; Form: Preposition + construct + proper noun; Translation: “outside Yerushalayim”; Notes: Removal from sacred space.
- בְּשַׁדְמֹ֣ות קִדְרֹ֔ון (be-shadmot Qidron) – Root: שׂדה; Form: Preposition + plural noun + proper noun; Translation: “in the fields of Qidron”; Notes: Valley east of the city used for defilement and burning.
- וְנָשָׂ֥א (ve-nasa) – Root: נשׂא; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and he carried”; Notes: Physical removal of defiled ashes.
- אֶת־עֲפָרָ֖ם (et-ʿafaram) – Root: עפר; Form: Direct object + masculine singular noun + 3rd person plural suffix; Translation: “their ashes”; Notes: Remnants of burned idols.
- בֵּֽית־אֵֽל (Beit-ʾEl) – Form: Proper noun; Translation: “Beit-ʾEl”; Notes: Former center of northern worship, symbolically defiled now by depositing the idol ashes there.