וַֽיְהִי֙ בִּשְׁנַ֣ת אַרְבַּ֔ע לְדָרְיָ֖וֶשׁ הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ הָיָ֨ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־זְכַרְיָ֗ה בְּאַרְבָּעָ֛ה לַחֹ֥דֶשׁ הַתְּשִׁעִ֖י בְּכִסְלֵֽו׃
And it was in the fourth year of Daryavesh the king, the word of YHWH was to Zekarya in the fourth to the ninth month in Kislev.
Morphology
- וַֽיְהִי (va-yehi) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal wayyiqtol (narrative past) 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “And it was”; Notes: Introduces a narrative time marker.
- בִּשְׁנַת (bishnat) – Root: שׁנה (shanah); Form: Preposition בְּ + noun feminine singular construct; Translation: “in the year of”; Notes: Sets the chronological context.
- אַרְבַּע (arbaʿ) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Noun feminine singular; Translation: “four”; Notes: Cardinal number modifying the construct phrase.
- לְדָרְיָוֶשׁ (le-Daryavesh) – Root: דָּרְיָוֶשׁ (Daryavesh); Form: Preposition לְ + proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “to Daryavesh”; Notes: Indicates whose regnal year is referenced.
- הַמֶּלֶךְ (ha-melekh) – Root: מלך (melekh); Form: Definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “the king”; Notes: Apposition to Daryavesh.
- הָיָה (hayah) – Root: היה (hayah); Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine singular; Translation: “was”; Notes: Begins the prophetic formula.
- דְבַר־יְהוָה (devar-YHWH) – Root: דבר (davar); Form: Noun masculine singular construct + proper name; Translation: “the word of YHWH”; Notes: Standard prophetic expression.
- אֶל־זְכַרְיָה (el-Zekaryah) – Root: זכריה (Zekaryah); Form: Preposition אֶל + proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “to Zekaryah”; Notes: Identifies the prophetic recipient.
- בְּאַרְבָּעָה (be-arbaʿah) – Root: ארבע (arbaʿ); Form: Preposition בְּ + numeral masculine singular; Translation: “in the fourth”; Notes: Marks a second time indicator.
- לַחֹדֶשׁ (la-ḥodesh) – Root: חדש (ḥodesh); Form: Preposition לְ + definite noun masculine singular; Translation: “to the month”; Notes: Specifies the relationship of the numeral to the month.
- הַתְּשִׁעִי (ha-teshiʿi) – Root: תשע (teshaʿ); Form: Definite ordinal masculine singular; Translation: “the ninth”; Notes: Refers to the ninth month.
- בְּכִסְלֵו (be-Kislev) – Root: כִּסְלֵו (Kislev); Form: Preposition בְּ + proper noun masculine singular; Translation: “in Kislev”; Notes: Kislev corresponds to the ninth month.