| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative marker vayehi {וַיְהִי | wa-yə-hî} ‘and it was,’ which serves as a formulaic introduction to prophetic oracles. This is followed by the construct devar-Yahweh {דְבַר־יְהוָה | də-var Yə-hō-wāh} ‘word of the LORD,’ denoting divine origin and authority. The phrase elai {אֵלַי | ʾê-lay} ‘to me’ identifies Ezekiel as the recipient, and the infinitive construct lemor {לֵאמֹר | lē-mōr} ‘saying’ introduces the forthcoming direct discourse. In English, the Hebrew VSO order is rendered in SVO, and a quotation marker is supplied to preserve clarity while maintaining the prophetic speech framework. |