הֵ֤ם הִמְלִיכוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א מִמֶּ֔נִּי הֵשִׂ֖ירוּ וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑עְתִּי כַּסְפָּ֣ם וּזְהָבָ֗ם עָשׂ֤וּ לָהֶם֙ עֲצַבִּ֔ים לְמַ֖עַן יִכָּרֵֽת׃
They have set up kings, but not from Me; they have appointed princes, but I did not know it. With their silver and their gold they made idols for themselves, that they may be cut off.
Morphology
- הֵם (hem) – Root: הם (hem); Form: Independent pronoun masculine plural; Translation: “they”; Notes: Emphatic subject, contrasting human initiative with divine will.
- הִמְלִיכוּ (himlikhu) – Root: מלך (malakh); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have made king” or “they set up kings”; Notes: The causative form emphasizes human action — appointing rulers without YHWH’s sanction.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “but not”; Notes: Denotes contrast — what they did was outside divine approval.
- מִמֶּנִּי (mimmenni) – Root: מן (min); Form: Preposition מִן + suffix 1cs; Translation: “from Me”; Notes: Indicates origin or authorization — YHWH disowns their political actions.
- הֵשִׂירוּ (hesiru) – Root: שׂור (sur); Form: Hifil perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they have appointed” or “removed”; Notes: Contextually “they have made princes,” expressing autonomous governance apart from YHWH.
- וְלֹא (ve-lo) – Root: לא (lo); Form: Conjunction + negative particle; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Continues the negation — YHWH had no part in their decisions.
- יָדָעְתִּי (yadaʿti) – Root: ידע (yadaʿ); Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I knew”; Notes: Used idiomatically for acknowledgment or approval — “I did not acknowledge.”
- כַּסְפָּם (kaspam) – Root: כסף (kesef); Form: Noun masculine singular + suffix 3mp; Translation: “their silver”; Notes: Denotes wealth used corruptly in idolatry.
- וּזְהָבָם (u-zehavam) – Root: זהב (zahav); Form: Conjunction + noun masculine singular + suffix 3mp; Translation: “and their gold”; Notes: Paired with silver, symbolizing material abundance turned toward sin.
- עָשׂוּ (ʿasu) – Root: עשה (ʿasah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they made”; Notes: Denotes human crafting or creation — idols made by human hands.
- לָהֶם (lahem) – Root: הם (hem); Form: Preposition לְ + pronoun 3mp; Translation: “for themselves”; Notes: Expresses self-serving religious practices — idolatry for their own desire.
- עֲצַבִּים (ʿatsabbim) – Root: עצב (ʿetsev); Form: Noun masculine plural; Translation: “idols”; Notes: Refers to man-made images, often with a nuance of sorrow or futility (same root as “pain”).
- לְמַעַן (le-maʿan) – Root: מען (maʿan); Form: Preposition; Translation: “in order that”; Notes: Introduces purpose — the consequence of their idolatry.
- יִכָּרֵת (yikkaret) – Root: כרת (karat); Form: Nifal imperfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “he may be cut off”; Notes: Passive stem implies divine judgment — annihilation as the result of their sin.