Then he explained their punishment by saying, emphasizing a warning that the accountability is so clear that everyone would affirm it. It is hardly believable that anyone would deny it, so he said: "Indeed, they were" meaning by what is for them like a nature that does not accept anything else. They corrupt the faculties of knowledge by saying that they "do not hope" meaning in any state whatsoever, even if they saw every sign. They do not act except according to their desires. This aligns with their eternity in the Fire. He expressed their denial by negating hope because it is more eloquent. This is because a person hopes for good with the slightest possibility.