וַיְהִ֥י דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
And the word of YHWH came to me, saying,
Morphology
- וַיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה; Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it came to be”; Notes: Typical prophetic introduction formula marking divine communication.
- דְבַר (devar) – Root: דבר; Form: Noun masculine singular construct; Translation: “word of”; Notes: Bound construct linking directly to YHWH as the source of the speech.
- יְהוָה (YHWH) – Root: יהוה; Form: Proper divine name; Translation: “YHWH”; Notes: The covenant name of Israel’s God.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 1st person common singular suffix; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the prophet as the direct recipient of YHWH’s message.
- לֵאמֹר (lemor) – Root: אמר; Form: Infinitive construct with prefixed לְ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the content of the divine speech, common in biblical narrative and prophecy.