Isaiah 6:10
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)
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This isn't a command for Isaiah to cause spiritual blindness, but a foretelling that his message, to this hardened people, will have that effect. The "lest they turn and be healed" shows it's a dire warning: their spiritual dullness will be so profound that even God's truth, delivered through Isaiah, will seal their fate rather than save them.
God has just commissioned Isaiah as a prophet, revealing a vision of His glory and a mission to a rebellious people. Isaiah is told that his message, while true, will actually harden hearts and make people spiritually blind and deaf, not out of malice, but because their hearts are already resistant to God. This judgment is meant to continue until the land is utterly desolate, though a remnant will eventually survive.
The prophet Isaiah receives a shocking command: to make people's hearts dull and blind their eyes. How can God, who is good, command such a thing?
A Divine Judgment
This command from God to Isaiah isn't about making people sinful, but about confirming their existing rebellion. The people had already grown dull in their hearts, heavy in their ears, and blind in their eyes to God's truth. Isaiah's prophecy, delivered with divine authority, would therefore reveal and intensify this chosen state.
A Glimpse of Willful Rebellion
The commentary highlights that the 'fatness' of the heart means it's become insensitive and dull. This is a state people actively cultivate by choosing not to listen or see. The prophecy's effect is to make this rebellion undeniable, a stark exposure of their hearts' true condition.
While the command sounds like pure judgment, there's a glimmer of hope embedded within it. What is this ultimate purpose for Israel?
A Hidden Hope
Even in this prophecy of judgment, the ultimate goal is restoration. The command to Isaiah isn't an endpoint, but a means to an end: eventual 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 commission for Isaiah is set against a backdrop of growing national apostasy and political turmoil, culminating in exile. God's message, delivered through Isaiah, was meant to reveal the people's hardened hearts, thus sealing their judgment rather than immediately bringing them to repentance.
c. 740 BC— this verse
Isaiah's Call to Prophecy
Isaiah receives his commissioning vision in the Temple, where God tasks him with prophesying to a people who will not listen, foretelling their eventual exile.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) and Syria attack Judah. King Ahaz of Judah calls on Assyria for help, marking the beginning of Assyrian dominance.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, Samaria, falls to the Assyrian Empire. This event leads to the exile of the northern tribes.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah and captures many cities, but Jerusalem is miraculously spared after Isaiah's prophecy to King Hezekiah.
This passage directly quotes Isaiah 6:10, explaining that God has 'blinded their eyes and hardened their heart' because they did not believe, showing the New Testament understanding of this prophetic judgment.
Matthew 13:14-15Jesus quotes Isaiah's prophecy in this passage, applying it to the people of His day who heard His teachings but did not understand or turn, highlighting the spiritual deafness that can come from persistent unbelief.
Romans 11:8Paul echoes Isaiah's message, stating that Scripture itself prophesied their spiritual blindness, connecting the Old Testament prophecy to the rejection of Jesus by many in Israel.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4This passage speaks of a veil over the minds of those who are perishing, likening it to blindness that prevents the light of the gospel from shining through, a concept that resonates deeply with Isaiah's commission.
Jeremiah 17:14The prophet Jeremiah cries out for healing from spiritual wounds, which mirrors the 'lest they...be healed' in Isaiah, underscoring sin as a deep sickness that requires divine intervention.
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…
This isn't a command for Isaiah to cause spiritual blindness, but a foretelling that his message, to this hardened people, will have that effect. The "lest they turn and be healed" shows it's a dire warning: their spiritual dullness will be so profound that even God's truth, delivered through Isaiah, will seal their fate rather than save them.
God has just commissioned Isaiah as a prophet, revealing a vision of His glory and a mission to a rebellious people. Isaiah is told that his message, while true, will actually harden hearts and make people spiritually blind and deaf, not out of malice, but because their hearts are already resistant to God. This judgment is meant to continue until the land is utterly desolate, though a remnant will eventually survive.
God has just commissioned Isaiah as a prophet, revealing a vision of His glory and a mission to a rebellious people. Isaiah is told that his message, while true, will actually harden hearts and make people spiritually blind and deaf, not out of malice, but because their hearts are already resistant to God. This judgment is meant to continue until the land is utterly desolate, though a remnant will eventually survive.
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The Tragedy of Rejection
The harshness of the command underscores the tragedy of Israel's spiritual state. Their chosen deafness and blindness mean that even God's direct word, delivered through His prophet, will serve to deepen their separation from Him, delaying their healing. Yet, the potential for healing remains the underlying divine desire.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Jerusalem, destroys the Temple, and exiles the remaining population of Judah, fulfilling many of Isaiah's prophecies.
"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.”" — This isn't a command for Isaiah to cause spiritual blindness, but a foretelling that his message, to this hardened people, will have that effect. The "lest they turn and be healed" shows it's a dir…
