וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
And 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 be”; Notes: A narrative formula often used to introduce prophetic speech or events.
- דְבַר־ (devar) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “word of”; Notes: The construct links directly with the following noun, indicating possession or relation.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: הוה (hvh); Form: Proper noun, Tetragrammaton; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God, always preserved as “YHWH.”
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition + 1st person common singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of YHWH’s message, here the prophet himself.
- לֵאמֹר (leʾemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Qal infinitive construct with preposition ל; Translation: “saying”; Notes: A standard infinitive marker introducing the divine speech that follows.