Acts 28:27 kjv
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.
Acts 28:27 nkjv
For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." '
Acts 28:27 niv
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'
Acts 28:27 esv
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.'
Acts 28:27 nlt
For the hearts of these people are hardened,
and their ears cannot hear,
and they have closed their eyes ?
so their eyes cannot see,
and their ears cannot hear,
and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
and let me heal them.'
Acts 28 27 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference Note |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 6:9-10 | And he said, “Go, and say to this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand...lest they see...and hear...and understand...and turn and be healed.’” | The direct Old Testament prophecy quoted by Paul in Acts 28:27, showing its fulfillment. |
| Mt 13:14-15 | Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ...‘lest they should understand with their hearts...and I should heal them.’ | Jesus's explanation of why He taught in parables – fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of spiritual dullness. |
| Mk 4:12 | ...so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. | Jesus's use of Isaiah's prophecy to explain the spiritual condition of those outside the kingdom. |
| Lk 8:10 | He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom...but for the rest, in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’ ” | Similar to Mark and Matthew, highlighting the contrast between those given understanding and those blinded. |
| Jn 12:40 | “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes...and turn, and I would heal them.” | John attributes the blindness to God, echoing Isaiah and highlighting a judicial hardening for unbelief. |
| Rom 11:8 | as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” | Paul uses an Isaiah allusion (similar to Dt 29:4) to explain Israel's partial hardening in response to the gospel. |
| Dt 29:4 | But to this day the LORD has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. | Mosaic prophecy describing a long-standing spiritual inability in Israel, predating Isaiah. |
| Ps 115:4-8 | Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands...They have ears, but hear not; eyes, but see not... | Describes the spiritual deadness associated with idolatry, linking it to the inability to perceive God's truth. |
| Jer 5:21 | Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but do not see; who have ears, but do not hear! | Jeremiah condemns Israel's persistent spiritual blindness and deafness despite receiving God's word. |
| Isa 44:18 | They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. | Emphasizes God's sovereign role in judicial blinding of those who persist in rebellion. |
| Ez 12:2 | “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.” | Ezekiel's contemporary observation of Israel's spiritual unresponsiveness, paralleling Isaiah. |
| Zec 7:11-12 | But they refused to pay attention and turned a stubborn shoulder and stopped their ears that they might not hear. They made their hearts diamond-hard lest they should hear the law... | Explains Israel's historical stubbornness and active resistance to God's word through His prophets. |
| Mt 13:13 | This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. | Jesus explains His parables are partly due to the existing spiritual blindness of His audience. |
| Jn 3:19-20 | And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil... | Explains the underlying moral choice behind spiritual blindness: preferring darkness to light. |
| Rom 1:21 | For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. | General human rejection of God leading to darkened understanding and spiritual dullness. |
| Rom 2:5 | But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath... | Direct linkage between a hardened heart and judgment, emphasizing human responsibility. |
| 2 Cor 3:14-16 | But their minds were hardened...Indeed, to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts...But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. | Paul connects the present Jewish spiritual blindness to the veil over their hearts when reading the Law. |
| Heb 3:7-8 | Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion...” | Exhortation against hardening hearts in the wilderness, applied to contemporary spiritual resistance. |
| Prov 28:13 | Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. | Implies the alternative to hardening the heart: confession and turning lead to mercy. |
| Isa 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD...for he will abundantly pardon. | Call to repentance ("turn") which promises healing and forgiveness from God. |
| Acts 3:19 | Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. | An invitation to turn and be healed/refreshed, highlighting the positive inverse of Acts 28:27. |
| Rev 3:17-18 | You say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing’...I counsel you to buy from me gold...and eye salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. | Jesus rebukes the spiritually blind church of Laodicea, offering spiritual healing to their sight. |
Acts 28 verses
Acts 28 27 Meaning
Acts 28:27 states that the hearts of the people, specifically the Jews encountered by Paul in Rome, had become dull or unresponsive to God's truth. Their ears barely heard the divine message, and their eyes they had deliberately closed. This willful rejection of light was done so that they would not truly see, hear, or understand with their heart, thereby preventing them from turning to God and experiencing His healing and salvation. It emphasizes a tragic spiritual condition of chosen insensitivity towards the gospel.
Acts 28 27 Context
Acts chapter 28 recounts Paul's final journey to Rome, under house arrest. Upon arrival, he calls for the leading men of the local Jewish community. He explains his circumstances, denying any wrongdoing against Jewish custom or the temple. Paul then presents the gospel, specifically arguing from the Law of Moses and the Prophets concerning Jesus. Some believed, but others disbelieved. Verse 27, Paul's direct quotation from Isaiah 6:9-10, serves as his final, climactic indictment and explanation for their unbelief, setting the stage for his subsequent declaration in Acts 28:28 that salvation would now go to the Gentiles. Historically, this scene marks a significant turning point in the book of Acts, signaling the extensive outreach to the Gentile world as Israel's corporate rejection of the Messiah's message culminates in the very heart of the Roman Empire.
Acts 28 27 Word analysis
- For the heart: The Greek word for "heart" is kardia (καρδία). In biblical terms, kardia represents the center of a person's being—not just emotions, but intellect, will, and conscience. It's the seat of understanding and spiritual perception.
- of this people: Refers specifically to the Jewish people, as distinct from the Gentiles, in the context of Paul's mission. The phrase emphasizes the national-historical dimension of their spiritual condition.
- has become dull: The Greek term used is epachunthē (ἐπαχύνθη), from pachunō, which literally means "to make thick, to fatten." Metaphorically, it implies becoming insensible, calloused, or dull, much like an animal that becomes slow and unresponsive from being overfed. It denotes a state of insensitivity or obtuseness, a mind rendered incapable of receiving spiritual truth. Though passive in voice ("has become"), the biblical context often implies a culpability on the part of the one becoming dull.
- and with their ears: Ears here signify the capacity to hear and process information.
- they scarcely hear: The Greek is bareōs ēkousan (βαρέως ἤκουσαν), literally "they heard heavily" or "with difficulty." This implies that even when sound reaches their ears, it doesn't penetrate to true understanding; they are hard of hearing in a spiritual sense, indicating unwillingness or an acquired inability.
- and their eyes: Eyes represent the capacity for sight, perception, and spiritual discernment.
- they have closed: The Greek ekammysan (ἐκάμμυσαν), from kamyō, means "to shut (the eyes) firmly," often by blinking or narrowing them. This verb is in the active voice, strongly indicating a deliberate, voluntary act of refusal to see the truth. This choice is critical as it highlights human responsibility.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and their eyes they have closed": This entire clause depicts a progression of spiritual hardening. It starts with the inner "heart" being made dull (possibly due to repeated rejection), moves to the physical sensory organs ("ears," "eyes"), and shows a conscious refusal to perceive truth. This spiritual state is a significant theme throughout both Testaments, especially in prophetic literature and the Gospels, explaining resistance to God's revelation. The parallel structure highlights a comprehensive rejection—not just hearing but truly internalizing and acting on divine truth.
- "lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart": This section, a negative purpose clause (introduced by "lest"), clarifies why they performed the actions described earlier. It's a deliberate act of avoidance. They actively prevent themselves from achieving a holistic understanding—from superficial sight/hearing to profound inner comprehension. This intentionality shifts the blame squarely onto the people's choices.
- "and turn, and I should heal them": This concluding phrase reveals the ultimate desired outcome from God's perspective: genuine spiritual conversion ("turn" - epistrepsōsi, from epistrephō, meaning to repent and return to God) and restoration ("heal them" - iasomai, from iaomai, meaning to heal physically or spiritually). The entire spiritual dullness and willful blindness prevent them from experiencing God's restorative grace, underscoring the tragic consequence of their actions.
Acts 28 27 Bonus section
This verse carries significant theological implications regarding human responsibility and divine judgment. While the text attributes their condition to themselves ("they have closed"), the original prophecy in Isaiah 6 can be understood as God giving them over to the consequences of their pre-existing rejection. God, in His justice, allows and confirms the hardening of hearts that have stubbornly resisted His grace. This is not arbitrary divine causation of blindness, but rather a judicial consequence that ratifies human rejection. The spiritual healing offered by God, which they resist, is the restoration from the very spiritual sickness described. This passage in Acts serves as a pivotal point for understanding the unfolding of God's redemptive plan in history, moving from an emphasis on Israel to a full and direct Gentile mission, as the Light continues to seek those who will respond.
Acts 28 27 Commentary
Acts 28:27 is a poignant quotation by Paul, echoing Isaiah's ancient prophecy to Israel concerning spiritual recalcitrance. It elucidates why a significant portion of the Jewish people repeatedly rejected the gospel message presented through the prophets, Jesus, and then the apostles. The verse underscores a profound truth: humanity, when confronted with divine light, often chooses to embrace spiritual darkness. The phrase "heart...has become dull" (passive, but implying culpability) combined with "eyes they have closed" (active, intentional act) presents a nuanced understanding of their state. It is not merely an inability to perceive, but a conscious, hardened decision to resist the Holy Spirit and the truth. This resistance prevents true repentance and turning to God, thus precluding divine healing and salvation. It justifies the turning of salvation towards the Gentiles, demonstrating God's consistent plan for all humanity and lamenting the specific nation's failure to accept its Messiah.