Isaiah 6:10
Verse
Context
Isaiah’s Commission
9And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. ”
Sermons
Carl ArmerdingTom Orr
John Vissers
David Wilkerson
Charles Finney
W.R. IngeSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Make the heart of this people fat "Gross" - The prophet speaks of the event, the fact as it would actually happen, not of God's purpose and act by his ministry. The prophets are in other places said to perform the thing which they only foretell: - "Lo! I have given thee a charge this day Over the nations, and over the kingdoms; To pluck up, and to pull down; To destroy, and to demolish; To build, and to plant." Jer 1:10. And Ezekiel says, "When I came to destroy the city," that is, as it is rendered in the margin of our version, "when I came to prophesy that the city should be destroyed;" Eze 43:3. To hear, and not understand; to see, and not perceive; is a common saying in many languages. Demosthenes uses it, and expressly calls it a proverb: ὡστε το της παροιμιας ὁρωντας μη ὁρᾳν, και ακουοντας μη ακουειν; Conttra Aristogit. I., sub fin. The prophet, by the bold figure in the sentiment above mentioned, and the elegant form and construction of the sentence, has raised it from a common proverb into a beautiful mashal, and given it the sublime air of poetry. Or the words may be understood thus, according to the Hebrew idiom: "Ye certainly hear, but do not understand; ye certainly see, but do not acknowledge." Seeing this is the case, make the heart of this people fat - declare it to be stupid and senseless; and remove from them the means of salvation, which they have so long abused. There is a saying precisely like this in Aeschylus: - - - - βλεποντες εβλεπον ματην, Κλυοντες ουκ ηκουον. Aesch. Prom. Vinct. 456. "Seeing, they saw in vain; and hearing, they did not understand." And shut "Close up" - השע hasha. This word Sal. ben Melec explains to this sense, in which it is hardly used elsewhere, on the authority of Onkelos. He says it means closing up the eyes, so that one cannot see; that the root is שוע shava, by which word the Targum has rendered the word טח tach, Lev 14:42, וטח את בית vetach eth beith, "and shall plaster the house." And the word טח tach is used in the same sense, Isa 44:18. So that it signifies to close up the eyes by some matter spread upon the lids. Mr. Harmer very ingeniously applies to this passage a practice of sealing up the eyes as a ceremony, or as a kind of punishment used in the East, from which the image may possibly be taken. Observ. 2:278. With their heart "With their hearts" - ובלבבו ubilebabo, fifteen MSS. of Kennicott's and fourteen of De Rossi's, and two editions, with the Septuagint, Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate. And be healed "And I should heal" - ואר פא veer pa, Septuagint, Vulgate. So likewise Mat 13:14; Joh 12:40; Act 28:27.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Make . . . fat-- (Psa 119:17). "Render them the more hardened by thy warnings" [MAURER]. This effect is the fruit, not of the truth in itself, but of the corrupt state of their hearts, to which God here judicially gives them over (Isa 63:17). GESENIUS takes the imperatives as futures. "Proclaim truths, the result of which proclamation will be their becoming the more hardened" (Rom 1:28; Eph 4:18); but this does not so well as the former set forth God as designedly giving up sinners to judicial hardening (Rom 11:8; Th2 2:11). In the first member of the sentence, the order is, the heart, ears, eyes; in the latter, the reverse order, the eyes, ears, heart. It is from the heart that corruption flows into the ears and eyes (Mar 7:21-22); but through the eyes and ears healing reaches the heart (Rom 10:17), [BENGEL]. (Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2; Zac 7:11; Act 7:57; Ti2 4:4). In Mat 13:15, the words are quoted in the indicative, "is waxed gross" (so the Septuagint), not the imperative, "make fat"; God's word as to the future is as certain as if it were already fulfilled. To see with one's eyes will not convince a will that is opposed to the truth (compare Joh 11:45-46; Joh 12:10-11). "One must love divine things in order to understand them" [PASCAL]. be healed--of their spiritual malady, sin (Isa 1:6; Psa 103:3; Jer 17:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Make the heart of this people fat,.... Gross and heavy, stupid and unteachable, hard and obdurate; which is sometimes done by the preaching of the Gospel, through the wickedness of man's heart, that being the savour of death unto death to some, just as the sun hardens the clay; or declare that their hearts are thus gross and stupid; or that I will give them up to a judicial hardness of heart: and make their ears heavy: that they cannot hear the word, so as to understand it; they having stopped the ear, and plucked away the shoulder, it is in righteous judgment that they are given up to such an insensibility as not to be capable of hearing and understanding what is delivered in the ministry of the word: and shut their eyes; they having wilfully shut their own eyes against all evidence of the Messiah, and the truth of his doctrines, they are given up to a judicial blindness; which still continues upon them, and will until the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understated with their heart; though only in a notional way, the things relating to the Messiah, the truths of the Gospel, and the ordinances thereof, and what may belong to their outward peace: and convert; or turn themselves by external repentance and reformation: and be healed: or forgiven in such sense as to be preserved from national ruin; which God willed not; for seeing they went such great lengths in sin, in rejecting the Messiah, and his Gospel, they were given up to a reprobate mind, to do things that were not convenient, that they might be destroyed; which destruction is after prophesied of.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
6:10 Isaiah was God’s agent to stimulate blindness and deafness in the wicked and sight and hearing in the godly (see also 29:9-10, 18; 35:5; 42:7, 16-19; 43:8; 56:10; 59:10). • turn to me for healing: The Lord was ready to heal those who truly repented, but not those who merely wanted to avoid judgment while holding on to their sinful ways.
Isaiah 6:10
Isaiah’s Commission
9And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ 10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. ”
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Prepared Instrument
By Carl Armerding1.3K39:58VesselECC 10:19ISA 6:10ISA 53:1MAT 6:33JHN 12:40ACT 8:35In this sermon, the speaker discusses the theme of being a prepared soul and instrument for God's message. He emphasizes the importance of reading and understanding the Word of God. The speaker also reflects on the stories of individuals who have hit rock bottom and found redemption through the gospel. Additionally, the sermon touches on the extension of Pentecost to Samaria and the sending of the gospel into Africa.
(Christ in Isaiah) Part 4
By Tom Orr77251:17ISA 1:6ISA 6:10ISA 53:1ISA 53:5ISA 63:1ISA 64:6JHN 12:37In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the concept of the servant in the book of Isaiah, specifically in chapters 52 and 53. The preacher emphasizes the importance of spreading the message of the good news and asks who has believed their report. The preacher highlights the significance of Jesus as the servant who startled many nations and the test of faith that he faced. The sermon concludes with a discussion of Isaiah 53, where the speaker explores the question of who has believed the report of the servant and the revelation of the arm of the Lord.
John's Gospel - Understanding Unbelief
By John Vissers64434:38UnbeliefISA 6:10ISA 53:1MRK 4:12JHN 12:37ROM 10:16In this sermon, the preacher discusses the purpose of parables in the Bible, specifically in Mark chapter 4 and verse 12. He explains that parables are not meant to make things clear, but rather to hide the depth of the revelation and harden hearts. The preacher also references Isaiah 53-1 and Romans 10:16 to highlight the reality of unbelief among the Jews. He emphasizes that God's purpose in election will stand and that faith is a gift that some people have not received. The sermon concludes with a prayer for God to prepare the hearts of the listeners to receive His Word.
Hardness of Heart
By David Wilkerson0Hardness of HeartSpiritual ReceptivityPSA 95:8PRO 29:1ISA 6:10EZK 36:26MAT 13:15ROM 2:52CO 6:2HEB 3:15JAS 1:22REV 3:20David Wilkerson addresses the peril of a hardened heart, emphasizing that repeated rejection of God's warnings leads to an incurable state. He explains that hardness of heart is characterized by a refusal to obey God's Word and an immunity to the Holy Spirit's convictions. Wilkerson contrasts this with the transformative power of the gospel, illustrating how even the hardest of hearts can be softened when exposed to the truth. He warns that those who frequently hear reproof yet remain unresponsive are at the greatest risk of spiritual destruction. Ultimately, he highlights the importance of heeding God's messages to avoid the tragic fate of being beyond remedy.
Hardness of Heart
By Charles Finney0Hardness of HeartSpiritual BlindnessPSA 95:8PRO 28:14ISA 6:10JER 17:9MAT 13:15MRK 6:52MRK 8:17MRK 16:14EPH 4:18HEB 3:13Charles Finney addresses the 'Hardness of Heart' in his sermon, emphasizing how the disciples, despite witnessing miracles, failed to understand due to their hardened hearts. He explains that hardness of heart is a voluntary state of mind, influenced by selfishness, which blinds individuals to truth and affects their feelings and judgments. Finney illustrates this with examples from scripture and personal observations, showing that a hard heart leads to misunderstanding, delusion, and a lack of genuine faith. He urges listeners to self-examine and recognize the state of their hearts, as true revival and understanding come from a softened heart open to God's truth.
Consequences of the Fall
By W.R. Inge0GEN 3:17ISA 6:10MAT 13:15JHN 12:40W.R. Inge delves into the concept of mankind being deaf and blind to the loving utterances of the eternal Word since the first man listened to the enemy. He explores how humanity's ears and eyes have been obstructed, preventing them from understanding the truth and their inner selves. Inge reflects on the shame of reason being blinded and the thick skin of worldly love and opinions that cover man, making him unable to see the light or hear God's voice, leading to spiritual deafness and blindness.
- Adam Clarke
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
Make the heart of this people fat "Gross" - The prophet speaks of the event, the fact as it would actually happen, not of God's purpose and act by his ministry. The prophets are in other places said to perform the thing which they only foretell: - "Lo! I have given thee a charge this day Over the nations, and over the kingdoms; To pluck up, and to pull down; To destroy, and to demolish; To build, and to plant." Jer 1:10. And Ezekiel says, "When I came to destroy the city," that is, as it is rendered in the margin of our version, "when I came to prophesy that the city should be destroyed;" Eze 43:3. To hear, and not understand; to see, and not perceive; is a common saying in many languages. Demosthenes uses it, and expressly calls it a proverb: ὡστε το της παροιμιας ὁρωντας μη ὁρᾳν, και ακουοντας μη ακουειν; Conttra Aristogit. I., sub fin. The prophet, by the bold figure in the sentiment above mentioned, and the elegant form and construction of the sentence, has raised it from a common proverb into a beautiful mashal, and given it the sublime air of poetry. Or the words may be understood thus, according to the Hebrew idiom: "Ye certainly hear, but do not understand; ye certainly see, but do not acknowledge." Seeing this is the case, make the heart of this people fat - declare it to be stupid and senseless; and remove from them the means of salvation, which they have so long abused. There is a saying precisely like this in Aeschylus: - - - - βλεποντες εβλεπον ματην, Κλυοντες ουκ ηκουον. Aesch. Prom. Vinct. 456. "Seeing, they saw in vain; and hearing, they did not understand." And shut "Close up" - השע hasha. This word Sal. ben Melec explains to this sense, in which it is hardly used elsewhere, on the authority of Onkelos. He says it means closing up the eyes, so that one cannot see; that the root is שוע shava, by which word the Targum has rendered the word טח tach, Lev 14:42, וטח את בית vetach eth beith, "and shall plaster the house." And the word טח tach is used in the same sense, Isa 44:18. So that it signifies to close up the eyes by some matter spread upon the lids. Mr. Harmer very ingeniously applies to this passage a practice of sealing up the eyes as a ceremony, or as a kind of punishment used in the East, from which the image may possibly be taken. Observ. 2:278. With their heart "With their hearts" - ובלבבו ubilebabo, fifteen MSS. of Kennicott's and fourteen of De Rossi's, and two editions, with the Septuagint, Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate. And be healed "And I should heal" - ואר פא veer pa, Septuagint, Vulgate. So likewise Mat 13:14; Joh 12:40; Act 28:27.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Make . . . fat-- (Psa 119:17). "Render them the more hardened by thy warnings" [MAURER]. This effect is the fruit, not of the truth in itself, but of the corrupt state of their hearts, to which God here judicially gives them over (Isa 63:17). GESENIUS takes the imperatives as futures. "Proclaim truths, the result of which proclamation will be their becoming the more hardened" (Rom 1:28; Eph 4:18); but this does not so well as the former set forth God as designedly giving up sinners to judicial hardening (Rom 11:8; Th2 2:11). In the first member of the sentence, the order is, the heart, ears, eyes; in the latter, the reverse order, the eyes, ears, heart. It is from the heart that corruption flows into the ears and eyes (Mar 7:21-22); but through the eyes and ears healing reaches the heart (Rom 10:17), [BENGEL]. (Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2; Zac 7:11; Act 7:57; Ti2 4:4). In Mat 13:15, the words are quoted in the indicative, "is waxed gross" (so the Septuagint), not the imperative, "make fat"; God's word as to the future is as certain as if it were already fulfilled. To see with one's eyes will not convince a will that is opposed to the truth (compare Joh 11:45-46; Joh 12:10-11). "One must love divine things in order to understand them" [PASCAL]. be healed--of their spiritual malady, sin (Isa 1:6; Psa 103:3; Jer 17:14).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Make the heart of this people fat,.... Gross and heavy, stupid and unteachable, hard and obdurate; which is sometimes done by the preaching of the Gospel, through the wickedness of man's heart, that being the savour of death unto death to some, just as the sun hardens the clay; or declare that their hearts are thus gross and stupid; or that I will give them up to a judicial hardness of heart: and make their ears heavy: that they cannot hear the word, so as to understand it; they having stopped the ear, and plucked away the shoulder, it is in righteous judgment that they are given up to such an insensibility as not to be capable of hearing and understanding what is delivered in the ministry of the word: and shut their eyes; they having wilfully shut their own eyes against all evidence of the Messiah, and the truth of his doctrines, they are given up to a judicial blindness; which still continues upon them, and will until the fulness of the Gentiles is brought in: lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understated with their heart; though only in a notional way, the things relating to the Messiah, the truths of the Gospel, and the ordinances thereof, and what may belong to their outward peace: and convert; or turn themselves by external repentance and reformation: and be healed: or forgiven in such sense as to be preserved from national ruin; which God willed not; for seeing they went such great lengths in sin, in rejecting the Messiah, and his Gospel, they were given up to a reprobate mind, to do things that were not convenient, that they might be destroyed; which destruction is after prophesied of.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
6:10 Isaiah was God’s agent to stimulate blindness and deafness in the wicked and sight and hearing in the godly (see also 29:9-10, 18; 35:5; 42:7, 16-19; 43:8; 56:10; 59:10). • turn to me for healing: The Lord was ready to heal those who truly repented, but not those who merely wanted to avoid judgment while holding on to their sinful ways.