Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss here is that God isn't causing their sin, but rather, Isaiah's message will reveal the depth of their existing spiritual dullness. The command to "make them fat, heavy, and blind" describes the inevitable outcome for a people already unwilling to see and hear, so that their hearts would become even more hardened and resistant to healing.
Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
God has just commissioned Isaiah to be a prophet, but the message he's to deliver is one of judgment, not comfort. Isaiah has seen a vision of God's glory and knows the people are rebellious; the Lord tells him to make their hearts unresponsive and their senses dull, not so they can't hear or see, but so they won't turn and be healed from their sin. This harsh command is God's judgment on their persistent hardness of heart, an effect that will be accomplished through Isaiah's very preaching.
Isaiah receives a shocking commission: to preach a message that will make people less likely to turn to God. How can God's word lead to more stubbornness?
In Isaiah 6:10, God tells Isaiah to preach a message that will make "the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes." This isn't about God causing people to sin, but about revealing their existing sin and stubbornness.
A Judicial Blindness
This is a judicial consequence of prolonged rebellion. God gives them over to the hardness they themselves have cultivated.
Ask a follow-up
When the Bible talks about the 'heart,' it means so much more than just our feelings. What does it encompass in this verse, and why is it central to God's judgment?
The Hebrew concept of 'heart' (lev) in Scripture isn't just the seat of emotions; it's the core of a person – encompassing their mind, understanding, will, and intentions.
A Holistic Understanding
Isaiah's mission seems cruel – to confirm people's blindness. Yet, the ultimate goal is healing. How can judgment lead to restoration?
The commission given to Isaiah is a profound illustration of divine justice and mercy operating in tandem. The judgment described is not an end in itself, but a necessary step toward potential healing.
The Purpose of the Prophecy
God's judgment, even when it hardens the unrepentant, serves to reveal the truth about sin and the necessity of turning to Him for healing.
Understand the original words
lebab · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the inner person, including the mind, will, emotions, and conscience. It is the seat of moral choices and the center from which one relates to or rejects God.
shub · Hebrew Verb
The act of repentance; turning away from sin and toward God. It signifies a fundamental change of direction in one's life and allegiance.
rapha · Hebrew Verb
The state of being restored to wholeness or health, specifically referring to spiritual and covenantal restoration. It implies the reversal of the consequences of sin.
This prophetic command to Isaiah wasn't about God causing people to sin, but about revealing the hardened hearts of a people already choosing darkness. The pronouncement highlighted that continued rejection of God's truth would lead to a deeper spiritual blindness and judgment, a pattern tragically fulfilled in subsequent historical crises.
c. 740 BC— this verse
Isaiah's Vision and Commission
Isaiah receives a divine commission in the Jerusalem Temple to prophesy to a people resistant to God's word, facing imminent Assyrian threat.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, marking a significant judgment and scattering of the people, serving as a warning to Judah.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
King Sennacherib of Assyria invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieking Jerusalem, a pivotal moment of crisis for Isaiah's people.
This passage directly quotes Isaiah 6:10 and applies it to Jesus' ministry, highlighting the people's refusal to believe despite witnessing His miracles. It emphasizes how divine revelation can, paradoxically, lead to greater hardening when met with persistent unbelief.
Romans 11:7-8Paul echoes Isaiah's prophecy, explaining that Israel, as a nation, experienced a spiritual dullness and blindness because they pursued righteousness through law instead of faith. This shows the principle of God allowing people to become set in their ways when they reject His truth.
Matthew 13:14-15Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:10 when explaining His parables, stating that the people's dullness of heart and heaviness of ear is a fulfillment of this prophecy. It connects the prophet's message to Jesus' own experience of rejection and reveals a pattern of spiritual resistance.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4This passage speaks of a veil covering the minds of those who are perishing, preventing them from seeing the light of the gospel. It resonates with Isaiah's command to make hearts dull and eyes blind, illustrating how spiritual darkness can obscure truth from those who are unwilling to see.
Jeremiah 5:21Similar to Isaiah's message, Jeremiah confronts a disobedient people, calling them foolish and blind even though they have eyes and ears. This highlights a consistent biblical theme of God's judgment upon those who possess the capacity to understand but refuse to turn to Him.
clarkeIsaiah 6:10: "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."
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 thi…
barnesIsaiah 6:10: "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed."
Make the heart - The word "heart" here is used in the sense of the "mind" - to denote all their mental powers. It is commonly used in this sense in the Scriptures. Fat - Gross, heavy, dull, stupid. That is, go and proclaim such "truth" to them as shall have this effect - as shall ir…
What's easy to miss here is that God isn't causing their sin, but rather, Isaiah's message will reveal the depth of their existing spiritual dullness. The command to "make them fat, heavy, and blind" describes the inevitable outcome for a people already unwilling to see and hear, so that their hearts would become even more hardened and resistant to healing.
God has just commissioned Isaiah to be a prophet, but the message he's to deliver is one of judgment, not comfort. Isaiah has seen a vision of God's glory and knows the people are rebellious; the Lord tells him to make their hearts unresponsive and their senses dull, not so they can't hear or see, but so they won't turn and be healed from their sin. This harsh command is God's judgment on their persistent hardness of heart, an effect that will be accomplished through Isaiah's very preaching.
God has just commissioned Isaiah to be a prophet, but the message he's to deliver is one of judgment, not comfort. Isaiah has seen a vision of God's glory and knows the people are rebellious; the Lord tells him to make their hearts unresponsive and their senses dull, not so they can't hear or see, but so they won't turn and be healed from their sin. This harsh command is God's judgment on their persistent hardness of heart, an effect that will be accomplished through Isaiah's very preaching.
"Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”" — What's easy to miss here is that God isn't causing their sin, but rather, Isaiah's message will reveal the depth of their existing spiritual dullness. The command to "make them fat, heavy, and bl…
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Last reviewed October 2026