Isaiah 42:18 kjv
Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
Isaiah 42:18 nkjv
"Hear, you deaf; And look, you blind, that you may see.
Isaiah 42:18 niv
"Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see!
Isaiah 42:18 esv
Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see!
Isaiah 42:18 nlt
"Listen, you who are deaf!
Look and see, you blind!
Isaiah 42 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 6:9-10 | "Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not..." | Emphasizes spiritual blindness |
| Matthew 13:14-15 | "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith..." | Fulfillment of Isaiah's words |
| Jeremiah 5:21 | "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding..." | Similar charge to Israel |
| Ezekiel 12:2 | "Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house..." | Israel's rebellious nature |
| Psalm 115:5-6 | "They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not..." | Idols' inability to perceive |
| John 9:39-41 | "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world..." | Spiritual sight vs. blindness |
| Acts 28:26-27 | "Saying, Go unto this people, and say, A hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand..." | Repetition of Isaiah's prophecy |
| Isaiah 29:10 | "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep..." | God inflicting spiritual slumber |
| Deuteronomy 29:4 | "And the LORD hath not given you an heart to perceive..." | God withholding understanding |
| Hosea 4:6 | "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." | Consequence of spiritual lack |
| Mark 8:17-18 | "And when Jesus knew it himself, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread..." | Jesus rebukes disciples' dullness |
| Isaiah 43:8 | "Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears." | God's description of Israel |
| Psalm 49:20 | "Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish." | Perishing due to lack of understanding |
| Jeremiah 17:9 | "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" | Inherent human corruption |
| 2 Corinthians 3:14 | "But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away..." | Continuing blindness |
| Isaiah 6:10 | "...and ears shall ye hear, and not understand." | God's sovereign decree |
| John 12:40 | "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart..." | God's foreknowledge and hardening |
| Deuteronomy 32:29 | "O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!" | God's desire for understanding |
| Romans 1:21 | "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful..." | Suppressing the truth |
| 1 Corinthians 2:14 | "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him..." | Natural man's inability |
| Isaiah 48:16 | "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning..." | God's direct communication |
| Isaiah 44:18 | "They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand." | Similar charge to Israel |
Isaiah 42 verses
Isaiah 42 18 Meaning
Hear, you deaf! And you blind, look! This verse directly addresses those who are spiritually or physically deaf and blind, calling them to attention. It highlights God's judgment and reprimand upon His chosen people, Israel, for their disobedience and spiritual insensitivity. The emphasis is on their failure to heed God's commands and perceive His will, despite being His covenant people.
Isaiah 42 18 Context
This verse appears in Isaiah chapter 42, a section often referred to as the "Suffering Servant" songs. The prophet Isaiah is addressing Israel, God's people, highlighting their spiritual failings. They are called deaf and blind not necessarily due to physical inability, but because they are unresponsive to God's voice and His work in history. God has revealed Himself and His purposes, yet Israel, as a nation, has repeatedly turned away from Him, becoming insubordinate and spiritually apathetic. This judgment and reprimand serve as a prelude to God's promises of future redemption and the coming Servant, who will fulfill His mission precisely because Israel has failed. The contemporary audience would have understood this as a critique of their current state of spiritual decline and a call to recognize God's active, albeit severe, discipline.
Isaiah 42 18 Word Analysis
- Hear (shema): This Hebrew word is not just about auditory perception; it carries the imperative of obedience and attentiveness. It signifies listening with the intent to understand and act.
- O (hey): An interjection used to call attention, expressing strong emotion like sorrow, lament, or forceful address.
- deaf (cheresh): Refers to someone who is unable to hear. Here, it's used metaphorically for spiritual deafness—an inability or unwillingness to listen to God's word or perceive His will.
- and (vav): A conjunction connecting phrases or ideas, often adding emphasis or continuity.
- you (atem): The plural pronoun, addressing the nation of Israel collectively.
- blind (iver): Refers to someone who cannot see. Metaphorically, it represents spiritual blindness—an inability to perceive God's truth, recognize His actions, or understand His ways.
- look (re'eh): From the verb ra'ah, meaning "to see," "to perceive," or "to behold." It's a call to open one's eyes and to observe carefully.
- that ( Asher ): A relative pronoun, indicating a consequential or explanatory relationship.
- you (atem): Again, the plural pronoun.
- may (yimkhelu): A future verb form, expressing a potential or purpose. It indicates what should happen or what God desires to result from their hearing and seeing.
- see (re'eh): The same verb ra'ah, emphasizing perception and understanding through sight.
Words-group analysis:
- Hear, you deaf! And you blind, look! (Shema, ha-cheresh! U'veru, ha-iverim!): This is a powerful rhetorical device. God confronts His people with their own spiritual insensitivity. It's a stark assessment of their condition—they are as deaf as if they had no hearing, and as blind as if they had no sight. The juxtaposition of the imperative ("Hear," "Look") with their purported condition ("deaf," "blind") underscores the severity of their spiritual recalcitrance. It's a forceful call to awaken them to their spiritual state and the reality of God's presence and judgment.
Isaiah 42 18 Bonus Section
This verse and its prophetic message, particularly regarding spiritual blindness, are significantly quoted and alluded to in the New Testament, especially by Jesus and the Apostle Paul. Jesus uses Isaiah's words to describe the hardened hearts of many during His ministry, explaining that the fulfillment of prophecy required this seeming contradiction: proclaiming truth while some refused to understand. Paul also refers to this spiritual blindness when discussing God's dealings with both Israel and the Gentiles. The profound theological implication is that while God calls for response, He also sovereignly allows or decrees a spiritual hardening when a people persistently rejects Him. This calls into question the nature of free will versus divine sovereignty in human response to God.
Isaiah 42 18 Commentary
Isaiah 42:18 confronts Israel with a damning spiritual diagnosis. God addresses them directly, using the stark imagery of deafness and blindness to condemn their unresponsiveness to His truth and His will. Despite having the covenant and the Law, they have failed to truly "hear" God's word with obedient hearts and to "see" His hand at work in their history. This condition is not a passive affliction but an active spiritual paralysis, a consequence of their repeated disobedience and idolatry. The verse foreshadows the spiritual dullness that would also characterize many in the New Testament era, leading Jesus to quote passages from Isaiah (see Matthew 13:14-15) to explain why some did not believe in Him. The ultimate hope within this diagnostic indictment is the promise of a future servant who would open the eyes of the blind and bring light to those in darkness.