| 25. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the perfect verb shamati {שָׁמַ֗עְתִּי | šā-maʿ-tî} ‘I have heard,’ indicating divine awareness. The particle et {אֵ֤ת | ʾēṯ} marks the nominal clause introduced by the relative asher-amru {אֲשֶׁר־אָֽמְרוּ֙ | ʾă-šer-ʾā-mə-rū} ‘that they are saying.’ The definite noun hanəviʾim {הַנְּבִאִ֔ים | han-nə-ḇî-ʾîm} ‘the prophets’ together with the Nifal participle hanibbeʾim {הַֽנִּבְּאִ֥ים | han-nib-bə-ʾîm} ‘prophesying ones’ forms a hendiadys emphasizing identity and activity. The phrase bishmi {בִּשְׁמִ֛י | biš-mî} ‘in my name’ and the noun sheqer {שֶׁ֖קֶר | še-qer} ‘falsehood’ specify the deceptive content, while the infinitive lemor {לֵאמֹ֑ר | lē-ʾmōr} ‘to say’ leads into the direct quotation. The perfect verb khalamti {חָלַמְתִּי | ḥā-lam-tî} repeats for rhetorical emphasis, underscoring the prophets’ false proclamations under claimed divine authority. |