אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמְר֤וּ לָֽרֹאִים֙ לֹ֣א תִרְא֔וּ וְלַ֣חֹזִ֔ים לֹ֥א תֶחֱזוּ־לָ֖נוּ נְכֹחֹ֑ות דַּבְּרוּ־לָ֣נוּ חֲלָקֹ֔ות חֲז֖וּ מַהֲתַלֹּֽות׃
Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the visionaries, “Do not behold for us what is right; speak to us smooth things, see delusions.
Morphology
- אֲשֶׁ֨ר (ʾasher) – Root: אשר; Form: Relative pronoun; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a relative clause describing the people.
- אָמְר֤וּ (ʾamru) – Root: אמר; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Main verb of the relative clause.
- לָֽרֹאִים֙ (la-roʾim) – Root: ראה; Form: Preposition + participle masculine plural; Translation: “to the seers”; Notes: Refers to prophetic figures who see visions.
- לֹ֣א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces negation of the following verb.
- תִרְא֔וּ (tirʾu) – Root: ראה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “you shall see”; Notes: Refers to the seers’ visions being rejected.
- וְלַ֣חֹזִ֔ים (ve-laḥozim) – Root: חזה; Form: Conjunction + preposition + participle masculine plural; Translation: “and to the visionaries”; Notes: Parallel to “seers.”
- לֹ֥א (lo) – Root: לא; Form: Negative particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Continues the negation.
- תֶחֱזוּ־לָ֖נוּ (teḥezu-lanu) – Root: חזה; Form: Qal imperfect 2nd person masculine plural + preposition with pronominal suffix 1st person plural; Translation: “do not behold for us”; Notes: Expresses their desire not to hear truth.
- נְכֹחֹ֑ות (neḥoḥot) – Root: נכח; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “what is right”; Notes: Refers to what is straightforward or morally upright.
- דַּבְּרוּ־לָ֣נוּ (dabberu-lanu) – Root: דבר; Form: Piel imperative 2nd person masculine plural + preposition with suffix; Translation: “speak to us”; Notes: Imperative expressing demand.
- חֲלָקֹ֔ות (ḥalaqot) – Root: חלק; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “smooth things”; Notes: Euphemisms or flattering speech.
- חֲז֖וּ (ḥazu) – Root: חזה; Form: Qal imperative 2nd person masculine plural; Translation: “see!”; Notes: Parallel to “speak”; ironic tone possible.
- מַהֲתַלֹּֽות (mahatallot) – Root: תהלה or התל; Form: Noun feminine plural; Translation: “delusions,” “deceits,” or “illusions”; Notes: The people prefer comforting lies to truth.