| 11. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the narrative formula vayehi {וַיְהִי | wa-ye-hî} ‘and it came to pass’, where the consecutive vav with a Qal wayyiqtol continues the prophetic narration. This is followed by the construct phrase devar-Yahweh {דְבַר־יְהוָה | də-var-yə-hō-wāh} ‘word of the LORD’, linked by a maqqef to signal the close connection between ‘word’ and the divine name. The prepositional phrase elai {אֵלַי | ʾē-lây} ‘to me’ identifies the prophet as the receiver. The infinitive leimor {לֵאמֹר | lē-mōr} ‘to say’ functions as an infinitive of purpose, introducing the direct speech that follows. In English, the structure is rendered in subject-verb-object order, moving ‘came to me’ before ‘saying/declaring’ to preserve the flow of the prophetic message. |