| 16. Linguistic Exegesis The verse opens with the vav-consecutive in vayyomer {וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | wā-yō-mér} ‘and he said,’ advancing the narrative. The proper name Yeshayahu {יְשַׁעְיָ֖הוּ | yᵊ-ša-ʿə-yā-hū́} functions as subject, followed by the locative phrase el-Chizkiyahu {אֶל־חִזְקִיָּ֑הוּ | ʾel-ḥiz-qî-yā-hū́} ‘to Hezekiah’ marking the addressee. The Qal imperative shema {שְׁמַע | šə-maʿ} ‘hear’ issues a direct summons, governing the construct devar-Yahweh {דְּבַר־יְהוָֽה | dᵊ-ḇāŕ yᵊ-hō-wā́h} ‘word of Yahweh,’ which establishes possession and divine authority. In English, the imperative is rendered as a command to preserve urgency, and the construct chain is expressed as a possessive phrase to convey the message’s authoritative source. |