וַֽיְהִי֙ בִּשְׁתֵּ֣י עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֔ה בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֥ה עָשָׂ֖ר לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ הָיָ֥ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
And it came to pass in the twelfth year, on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to pass”; Notes: Common narrative opening formula in prophetic and historical texts marking a new revelation or event.
- בִּשְׁתֵּי (bishtei) – Root: שׁנים (shanim); Form: Preposition בְ + construct form of numeral “two” (feminine); Translation: “in the two of”; Notes: Construct numeral modifying “ten” to form “twelve.”
- עֶשְׂרֵה (esreh) – Root: עשר (ʿeser); Form: Numeral feminine construct; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Combined with “two” to form “twelve.”
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year”; Notes: Marks the time reference of the prophetic message—“in the twelfth year.”
- בַּחֲמִשָּׁה (ba-ḥamishah) – Root: חמשׁ (ḥamesh); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “on the fifteenth (part)”; Notes: Beginning of the date specification, paired with the following word to denote “on the fifteenth day.”
- עָשָׂר (asar) – Root: עשר (ʿeser); Form: Numeral masculine singular; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Combined with the previous numeral to complete “fifteen.”
- לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥodesh); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular with article; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Specifies the time reference of the event within the monthly calendar cycle.
- הָיָה (hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was” or “came”; Notes: Indicates the occurrence of divine communication; often used with “the word of YHWH.”
- דְבַר־ (devar) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “word of”; Notes: In construct with “YHWH,” signifying divine revelation or message.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hwh); Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenantal name of the God of Yisraʾel, source of the prophetic word.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 1st person common singular; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the prophet as the recipient of divine communication.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Common narrative formula introducing direct divine speech or command.