| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the vav-consecutive wayyiqtol vayehi {וַיְהִי | wa-yə-hî} ‘and it came to pass’, a prophetic narrative marker. The construct chain devar-Yahweh {דְבַר־יְהוָה | də-var Yə-hō-wāh} ‘word of Yahweh’ emphasizes divine ownership of the utterance. The prepositional phrase elai {אֵלַי | ʾê-lay} ‘to me’ foregrounds Ezekiel as the direct recipient. The infinitive construct leʾemor {לֵאמֹר | lē-ʾe-môr} ‘saying’ introduces the LORD’s direct speech. English shifts to subject–verb–object order for clarity while retaining the solemn prophetic tone. |