Behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord: who use their tongues, and say: The Lord saith it.
הִנְנִ֥י עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה הַלֹּקְחִ֣ים לְשׁוֹנָ֔ם וַֽיִּנְאֲמ֖וּ נְאֻֽם׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
He addresses the prophets and identifies the utterances of the tongue as misleading, yet the declarations of the tongue hold truth. Those who are in slumber will continue in their sleep. Numerous individuals have delivered prophecies through visions and divination; however, they will find consolation in the current moment.
A falsehood consistently mirrors the truth, and without some degree of credibility, it would not be able to mislead the unsuspecting. Just as the ancient prophets deceived with proclamations like “Thus saith the Lord,” and “I have seen the Lord,” as well as “The word of the Lord which came to this or that,” so too do heretics misappropriate the testimonies found in both the Old and New Testaments, pilfering the words of the Savior from their neighbors among the prophets, apostles, and evangelists.
They utilize their speech to spread the toxic beliefs born from their hearts, and they remain oblivious, those about whom it is accurately said, “They have fallen asleep in their sleep, and have found nothing” (Psalm 70:6) or as rendered in Hebrew: they say, “He saith,” referring to “the Lord,” or at least, “the word of God.” Thus, the Lord warns that He Himself will oppose such teachers who lead His people astray with their deceptions, fears, and falsehoods. To ensnare the unfortunate, they promise remarkable and astonishing things. They provide no benefit to the people of God, embodying the apostolic assertion: “teaching what is not fitting, for the sake of profits” (Titus 1:11), as they generally affirm what pleases the wicked while delivering unfavorable messages to the righteous.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS