| 5. Linguistic Exegesis The narrative particle vayehi {וַיְהִי | wa-yə-hî} ‘and it came to be’ signals a shift into direct prophetic discourse. The construct devar Yahweh {דְבַר־יְהוָה | də-var Yə-hō-wāh} ‘word of the LORD’ serves as the subject, emphasizing divine authority. The prepositional phrase elai {אֵלַי | ʾê-lay} ‘to me’ personalizes the reception. The infinitive le’emor {לֵאמֹר | lē-mōr} ‘saying’ marks the introduction of spoken content. This sequence underscores the LORD’s initiative prior to the prophecy’s content. |