| 10. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive marker vayedabber {וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר | wayyədabber} ‘and He spoke’, situating the statement within the ongoing narrative. The construct be-yad-avadav {בְּיַד־עֲבָדָ֥יו | bə-yā-ḏ-ʿă-wā-ḏāyw} employs the idiom “by the hand of” to denote divine agency through human intermediaries. The definite article in han-nəḇîʾîm {הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים | han-nəḇîʾîm} specifies this group of prophets. The infinitive construct lēʾmôr {לֵאמֹֽר | lēʾmôr} ‘saying’ introduces the upcoming oracle. The translation mirrors the Hebrew order of subject, verb, agency, and speaker marker to emphasize the LORD’s spoken word through appointed prophets. |