Ezekiel 32:1

וַֽיְהִי֙ בִּשְׁתֵּ֣י עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה בִּשְׁנֵי־עָשָׂ֥ר חֹ֖דֶשׁ בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ הָיָ֥ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃

And it came to pass in the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of YHWH came to me, saying,

Morphology

1. וַיְהִי (vayhi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “and it came to pass”; Notes: The narrative formula marking a new divine revelation — standard prophetic introduction.
2. בִּשְׁתֵּי (bishtei) – Root: שׁתים (shetayim); Form: Preposition בְ + dual form construct; Translation: “in two”; Notes: Used here as part of the compound number “twelve.”
3. עֶשְׂרֵה (esreh) – Root: עשר (ʿasar); Form: Cardinal feminine form; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Combines with שׁתֵּי to form “twelve.”
4. שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year”; Notes: Indicates the twelfth year of the prophet’s exile or of a reign, depending on context.
5. בִּשְׁנֵי־עָשָׂר (bishnei-asar) – Root: שׁנים (shenaim) / עשר (ʿasar); Form: Preposition בְ + dual construct numeral + masculine numeral; Translation: “in the twelfth”; Notes: Refers to the twelfth month of the year.
6. חֹדֶשׁ (ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥadash); Form: Noun masculine singular; Translation: “month”; Notes: The twelfth month corresponds to Adar in the Hebrew calendar.
7. בְּאֶחָד (be-eḥad) – Root: אחד (eḥad); Form: Preposition בְ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “on the first”; Notes: Specifies the first day of the month — a common dating formula in prophetic texts.
8. לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥadash); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular with definite article assimilated; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Completes the temporal clause — “on the first of the month.”
9. הָיָה (hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was” or “came”; Notes: Marks the onset of prophetic revelation — “the word of YHWH was.”
10. דְבַר־יְהוָה (devar-YHWH) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + Tetragrammaton; Translation: “the word of YHWH”; Notes: A key prophetic formula emphasizing divine origin and authority of the message.
11. אֵלַי (elay) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Personal address to the prophet Ezekiel, indicating direct divine communication.
12. לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Infinitive construct with preposition לְ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of the divine speech — a fixed formula throughout prophetic literature.