Acts 28:27
For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This passage isn't just describing a hardened people; it reveals that their closing their eyes, dulling their ears, and hardening their hearts is a preventative measure. They are actively choosing this spiritual blindness lest they might see, understand, and be healed, highlighting a profound resistance to God's offer of salvation.
Paul has been reasoning with the Jewish leaders in Rome about Jesus, quoting from Moses and the prophets. While some were convinced, others remained hardened, leading Paul to declare that God's salvation would now go to the Gentiles. This passage quotes Isaiah to explain this widespread spiritual blindness and deafness among the Jewish people, a hardening that prevents them from turning to God for healing.
Have you ever heard something so many times you just tune it out? This verse describes a spiritual condition that goes far beyond simple inattention.
Paul quotes Isaiah to describe the spiritual state of many of the Jews he encounters. It’s not just that they can’t hear or see; the passage emphasizes that they have chosen not to.
Deliberate Darkness
Why would anyone not want to see and understand? This verse reveals the profound reason God desires us to have spiritual perception.
The verse explains why this people have closed their eyes and ears: 'lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.' This reveals a beautiful, restorative purpose behind God's desire for us to perceive truth.
From Seeing to Healing
Understand the original words
kardia · Greek Noun
In biblical usage, the heart is considered the control center of human existence, encompassing the intellect, the will, and the emotions, and is the seat of moral and spiritual decision-making.
pachynō · Greek Verb
A state of being thick, fat, or unresponsive; metaphorically it describes a spiritual state of insensitivity, hardness, or inability to grasp divine truth.
Paul's declaration in Acts 28:27 is not a new judgment but a solemn application of a prophecy given by Isaiah centuries earlier and later echoed by Jesus. It highlights a pattern of willful spiritual blindness and deafness that Paul encountered among some Jewish leaders and people in Rome, just as he had throughout his ministry.
c. 740 BC
Isaiah Prophesies blindness and deafness
Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted in Acts 28:26-27. In this prophecy, God commands Isaiah to preach a message that will cause the people's hearts to grow hard, their ears to become deaf, and their eyes to close, preventing them from understanding and turning to God for healing.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian exile, following the destruction of Jerusalem, represented a period of severe judgment and spiritual decline for many in Judah. This event underscored themes of disobedience and God's judgment, which resonated with later generations.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Rejection
Jesus himself quoted from Isaiah 6:9-10 (in Matthew 13:14-15) to describe the hardened hearts of many who witnessed his miracles but refused to believe. His ministry was met with widespread rejection by many Jewish leaders and people.
c. AD 40-50
Early Spread of the Gospel to Gentiles
This is the original prophecy that Paul quotes, highlighting the consistent theme of willful spiritual blindness and deafness among God's people throughout history.
Matthew 13:14-15Jesus quotes this same passage to explain why he teaches in parables, showing that this hardened heart response to God's word is a recurring issue that predates Paul's ministry.
John 12:39-40John also references Isaiah 6, emphasizing God's sovereign judgment in allowing this blindness to persist because of the people's persistent resistance.
Romans 11:7-10Paul further unpacks the implications of this spiritual blindness, explaining how Israel's rejection of God's offer of salvation led to a covering over their hearts and minds.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4This passage speaks to how the Gospel itself can be hidden from those who are perishing, with Satan blinding the minds of unbelievers, which echoes the deliberate closing of eyes and ears mentioned in Acts.
henryActs 28:23-31: "And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening."
28:23-31 Paul persuaded the Jews concerning Jesus. Some were wrought upon by the word, and others hardened; some received the light, and others shut their eyes against it. And the same has always been the effect of the gospel. Paul…
cambridgeActs 28:27: "For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them."
27 . and should be converted ] [ R. V. “and should turn again”] The new rendering is to be preferred on account of the restricted meaning which in modern speech has become attached to the word “convert.” In the older language…
This passage isn't just describing a hardened people; it reveals that their closing their eyes, dulling their ears, and hardening their hearts is a preventative measure. They are actively choosing this spiritual blindness lest they might see, understand, and be healed, highlighting a profound resistance to God's offer of salvation.
Paul has been reasoning with the Jewish leaders in Rome about Jesus, quoting from Moses and the prophets. While some were convinced, others remained hardened, leading Paul to declare that God's salvation would now go to the Gentiles. This passage quotes Isaiah to explain this widespread spiritual blindness and deafness among the Jewish people, a hardening that prevents them from turning to God for healing.
Paul has been reasoning with the Jewish leaders in Rome about Jesus, quoting from Moses and the prophets. While some were convinced, others remained hardened, leading Paul to declare that God's salvation would now go to the Gentiles. This passage quotes Isaiah to explain this widespread spiritual blindness and deafness among the Jewish people, a hardening that prevents them from turning to God for healing.
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Following the initial ministry in Jerusalem, the gospel message began to spread rapidly to Gentiles, particularly through the missionary journeys of Paul. This expansion was met with both acceptance and fierce opposition, especially from Jewish communities.
c. AD 57— this verse
Paul's Imprisonment in Rome
Paul was imprisoned in Rome, where he was allowed to receive visitors and preach the gospel freely for two years. This period of 'house arrest' allowed him to minister extensively, even as some Jewish leaders continued to reject his message.
c. AD 60-62
Paul's Ministry Continues in Rome
During his house arrest in Rome, Paul continued to expound and testify about the Kingdom of God. While some Jews were persuaded, others remained hardened, leading Paul to declare the prophecy of Isaiah, indicating a shift of focus toward the Gentiles.
"For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hear…" — This passage isn't just describing a hardened people; it reveals that their closing their eyes, dulling their ears, and hardening their hearts is a preventative measure. They are actively choosing…
