tnHeb “The word of the Lord.” The genitive noun in the construction דְּבַר־יְהוָה (dévar-yéhvah, “word of the Lord”) could function as a possessive genitive (“the Lord’s word”; see IBHS145§9.5.1g), but more likely it functions as a subjective genitive (“the Lord said”; see IBHS143§9.5.1a). The Aramaic translation of Jonah 1:1 (Aramaic translations of the Hebrew Bible are known as Targums) interprets the Hebrew as “There was a word of prophecy from the Lord” (cf. Tg. Hos 1:1).
2
tnHeb “The word of the Lord was to Jonah … saying.…” The infinitive לֵאמֹר (le’mor, “saying”) introduces direct discourse and is untranslated in English.