וַיְהִ֗י בְּאַחַ֤ת עֶשְׂרֵה֙ שָׁנָ֔ה בַּשְּׁלִישִׁ֖י בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ הָיָ֥ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלַ֥י לֵאמֹֽר׃
And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first of the month, that 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: A narrative formula introducing a new prophetic message or event.
- בְּאַחַת (be-aḥat) – Root: אחד (ʾeḥad); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral feminine singular; Translation: “in the eleventh”; Notes: The feminine form corresponds to the feminine noun “year.”
- עֶשְׂרֵה (ʿesreh) – Root: עשר (ʿeser); Form: Numeral feminine construct; Translation: “eleven”; Notes: Completes the number phrase “in the eleventh year.”
- שָׁנָה (shanah) – Root: שנה (shanah); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “year”; Notes: Marks the prophetic dating formula, often linked to exile chronology.
- בַּשְּׁלִישִׁי (ba-shelishi) – Root: שלש (shalosh); Form: Preposition בְּ + ordinal adjective masculine singular definite; Translation: “in the third”; Notes: Refers to the third month of the eleventh year.
- בְּאֶחָד (be-eḥad) – Root: אחד (ʾeḥad); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “on the first”; Notes: Indicates the first day of the month.
- לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥodesh) – Root: חדשׁ (ḥodesh); Form: Preposition לְ + noun masculine singular definite; Translation: “of the month”; Notes: Completes the dating expression—“on the first of the month.”
- הָיָה (hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was”; Notes: Introduces the arrival of divine speech or revelation.
- דְבַר־יְהוָה (devar-YHWH) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + divine name; Translation: “the word of YHWH”; Notes: Standard prophetic formula marking the initiation of divine communication.
- אֵלַי (elai) – Root: אל (ʾel); Form: Preposition אֶל + suffix 1st person singular; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates the personal reception of the divine message by the prophet.
- לֵאמֹר (lemor) – Root: אמר (ʾamar); Form: Preposition לְ + infinitive construct; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces direct divine speech that follows, a common biblical phrase in prophetic contexts.