וִֽידַעְתֶּם֙ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר בְּחֻקַּי֙ לֹ֣א הֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֖י לֹ֣א עֲשִׂיתֶ֑ם וּֽכְמִשְׁפְּטֵ֧י הַגֹּויִ֛ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְבִיבֹותֵיכֶ֖ם עֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃
And you shall know that I am YHWH, whose statutes you have not walked in, and my judgments you have not done, but according to the judgments of the nations that are around you, you have done.”
Morphology
- וִידַעְתֶּם (vi-yedaʿtem) – Root: ידע; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural with vav-consecutive; Translation: “and you shall know”; Notes: Knowledge gained through divine judgment and experience.
- כִּי (ki) – Root: —; Form: Conjunction; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces the content clause.
- אֲנִי (ʾani) – Root: —; Form: Independent pronoun 1st person singular; Translation: “I”; Notes: Strong divine self-identification.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה; Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “whose/that”; Notes: Connects YHWH’s laws with the people’s failure.
- בְּחֻקַּי (be-ḥuqai) – Root: חקק; Form: Preposition + noun masculine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “in my statutes”; Notes: Refers to divine decrees and ordinances.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: —; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces negation of obedience.
- הֲלַכְתֶּם (halakhtem) – Root: הלך; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you have walked”; Notes: Walking is a metaphor for living in obedience.
- וּמִשְׁפָּטַי (u-mishpatai) – Root: שׁפט; Form: Conjunction + noun masculine plural with 1st person singular suffix; Translation: “and my judgments”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s judicial rulings.
- לֹא (lo) – Root: —; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Repeated negation for emphasis.
- עֲשִׂיתֶם (ʿasitem) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Expresses disobedience by neglect of divine rulings.
- וּכְמִשְׁפְּטֵי (u-kemishpetei) – Root: שׁפט; Form: Conjunction + preposition כ + noun masculine plural construct; Translation: “but according to the judgments of”; Notes: Marks contrast between YHWH’s laws and foreign practices.
- הַגֹּויִם (ha-goyim) – Root: גוי; Form: Definite noun masculine plural; Translation: “the nations”; Notes: Refers to surrounding peoples around Yisraʾel.
- אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher) – Root: —; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause specifying which nations.
- סְבִיבֹותֵיכֶם (sevivotekhem) – Root: סבב; Form: Noun masculine plural with 2nd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “around you”; Notes: Geographic and cultural environment of Israel.
- עֲשִׂיתֶם (ʿasitem) – Root: עשה; Form: Qal perfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Ironic conclusion: instead of following YHWH, they followed the nations.