Jeremiah 23:21

לֹא־שָׁלַ֥חְתִּי אֶת־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים וְהֵ֣ם רָ֑צוּ לֹא־דִבַּ֥רְתִּי אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם וְהֵ֥ם נִבָּֽאוּ׃

I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied.

 

Morphology

  1. לֹא־שָׁלַ֥חְתִּי (lo-shālaḥtī) – Root: שלח; Form: Qal perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I did not send”; Notes: Denies the act of sending—YHWH disclaims responsibility for the prophets’ mission.
  2. אֶת־הַנְּבִאִ֖ים (ʾet-hanneviʾim) – Root: נבא; Form: Direct object marker + noun, masculine plural definite; Translation: “the prophets”; Notes: ʾet marks the definite direct object.
  3. וְהֵ֣ם (ve-hem) – Root: הם; Form: Independent pronoun, 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “but they”; Notes: Used emphatically with contrastive conjunction.
  4. רָ֑צוּ (rātsu) – Root: רץ; Form: Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they ran”; Notes: Likely metaphorical—indicates eagerness or self-appointment.
  5. לֹא־דִבַּ֥רְתִּי (lo-dibbartī) – Root: דבר; Form: Piel perfect 1st person common singular; Translation: “I did not speak”; Notes: Piel intensifies—YHWH did not commission them through speech.
  6. אֲלֵיהֶ֖ם (ʾalehem) – Root: אל; Form: Preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the unauthorized prophets.
  7. וְהֵ֥ם (ve-hem) – Root: הם; Form: Independent pronoun, 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “but they”; Notes: Repetition reinforces contrast with YHWH’s disavowal.
  8. נִבָּֽאוּ (nibbāʾu) – Root: נבא; Form: Nifal perfect 3rd person masculine plural; Translation: “they prophesied”; Notes: Reflexive/passive stem implies presumptive prophetic behavior without divine initiation.

 

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