וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם אֱלֹהִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־יְדָע֔וּם וְלֹ֥א חָלַ֖ק לָהֶֽם׃
And they went and served other gods and bowed down to them, gods that they did not know and that He did not assign to them.
Morphology
- וַיֵּלְכ֗וּ (vayyélkhu) – Root: הלך (h-l-kh); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (consecutive imperfect) 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “And they went”; Notes: Sequential action indicating departure from YHWH’s ways.
- וַיַּֽעַבְדוּ֙ (vayyaʿavdu) – Root: עבד (ʿ-v-d); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they served”; Notes: Refers to the act of worshiping foreign gods.
- אֱלֹהִ֣ים (ʾelohim) – Root: אֱלֹהִים (ʾ-l-h); Form: Masculine plural noun; Translation: “gods”; Notes: Plural form often used to refer to deities.
- אֲחֵרִ֔ים (akherim) – Root: אחר (ʾ-kh-r); Form: Masculine plural adjective; Translation: “other”; Notes: Specifies these are foreign gods.
- וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֖וּ (vayyishtakhuvu) – Root: שׁחה (sh-kh-h); Form: Hishtaphel wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “and they bowed down”; Notes: Gesture of submission or worship.
- לָהֶ֑ם (lahem) – Root: Preposition + pronoun; Form: Preposition “to” + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the foreign gods.
- אֱלֹהִים֙ (ʾelohim) – Root: אֱלֹהִים (ʾ-l-h); Form: Masculine plural noun; Translation: “gods”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes the false deities.
- אֲשֶׁ֣ר (ʾasher) – Root: Relative pronoun; Form: Pronoun; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the clause explaining the gods’ nature.
- לֹֽא־יְדָע֔וּם (lo-yedaʿum) – Root: ידע (y-d-ʿ); Form: Negative particle + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural with suffix; Translation: “they did not know them”; Notes: Indicates these gods were foreign and unfamiliar.
- וְלֹ֥א (velo) – Root: Negative particle; Form: Conjunction “and” + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Connects to the following clause about YHWH’s role.
- חָלַ֖ק (ḥalaq) – Root: חלק (ḥ-l-q); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “assigned”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s lack of allotment of these gods to Israel.
- לָהֶֽם (lahem) – Root: Preposition + pronoun; Form: Preposition “to” + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to Israel, indicating these gods were not their portion.