| 4. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive narrative marker vayehi {וַיְהִי֩ | wayhî} ‘and it happened’, a formula introducing sequential events in Hebrew historiography. It is followed by the infinitive construct clause kishmoa {כִשְׁמֹעַ | kišmôa} ‘as hearing’, indicating the king’s immediate reaction. The construct chain et devar ish-ha-Elohim {אֵת־דְּבַר אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִים | ʾet deḇar ʾîš hāʾĕlōhîm} forms the direct object “the word of the man of God.” The relative particle asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾăšer} ‘that’ binds the prophecy to the verb kara {קָרָא | qārāʾ} ‘he cried out’, emphasizing its performative force. The main verb vayishlach {וַיִּשְׁלַח | wayyišlāḥ} ‘and he stretched out’ governs the object yado {יָדוֹ | yādô} ‘his hand’, an expression of royal authority. The immediate divine response is conveyed by vatibash {וַתִּיבַשׁ | wattiḇašš} ‘and it dried up’, followed by the negative velo yachol {וְלֹא יָכֹל | wə-lōʾ yākōl} ‘and was not able’ plus the infinitive lahashivah {לַהֲשִׁיבָהּ | lahašīwāh} ‘to return it’, completing a symmetric narrative where human action is checked by divine intervention. |