Behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord: who use their tongues, and say: The Lord saith it.

Lo, I am against the prophets, An affirmation of Jehovah, Who are making smooth their tongue, And they affirm, an affirmation.

See, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who let their tongues say, He has said.

Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who take up their tongues and say: 'The Lord says it.'

Ecce ego ad (vel, super, vel, contra) prophetas, dicit Jehova, qui mollificant (vel, tollunt) linguam suam, et dicunt, sermo (vel, dictio:)

That use their tongues - literally, that take their tongues. Their second characteristic. They have no message from God, but they take their tongues, their only implement, and say, He saith, using the solemn formula by which Yahweh affirms the truth of His words. Solemn asseverations seemed to give reality to their emptiness.

Behold, I [am] against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, (a) He saith.
(a) That is, the Lord.

Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the Lord,.... Not another sort of prophets distinct from the former, or those that follow; but the same under another character, and against whom he was, and set his face on another occasion;
that use their tongues; at their pleasure, their lips being their own. So the Targum,
"who prophesy according to the will of their own hearts;''
talk in a haughty and insolent manner, speaking bold and daring things of the divine Being; or in a boasting bragging manner, extolling themselves, and speaking highly in their own commendations; or rather in a flattering way to the people: so some read it, by a transposition of a radical letter (r), "that smooth their tongues", as Kimchi; or speak smooth things with their tongues, to please the people:
and say, he saith; that is, "the Lord", as the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions express it; that so they, night be the more easily believed by the people; but this was highly provoking to God, to father their lies and falsehoods upon him.
(r) "hic pro" "qui lenificant linguam suam", Pagninus, Gataker; "sumentes blandam linguan suam", Schmidt.

use--rather, "take" their tongue: a second class (compare Jeremiah 23:30) require, in order to bring forth a revelation, nothing more than their tongues, wherewith they say, He (Jehovah) saith: they bungle in the very formula instead of the usual "Jehovah saith," being only able to say "(He) saith."

He - That is, the Lord saith.