Isaiah 42:23 kjv
Who among you will give ear to this? who will hearken and hear for the time to come?
Isaiah 42:23 nkjv
Who among you will give ear to this? Who will listen and hear for the time to come?
Isaiah 42:23 niv
Which of you will listen to this or pay close attention in time to come?
Isaiah 42:23 esv
Who among you will give ear to this, will attend and listen for the time to come?
Isaiah 42:23 nlt
Who will hear these lessons from the past
and see the ruin that awaits you in the future?
Isaiah 42 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 42:23 | Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. | Connects to spiritual blindness |
| Jeremiah 5:21 | Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: | Parallels lack of spiritual perception |
| Jeremiah 6:19 | Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, as they have refused it. | Identifies the cause of judgment |
| Jeremiah 7:23-24 | But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. Yet they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked every one in the imagination of their evil heart, and turned their backs unto me, and not their faces. | Emphasizes disobedience |
| Ezekiel 12:2 | Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of the rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. | Highlights spiritual deadness |
| Matthew 11:4-5 | Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. | Fulfills prophecies of spiritual awakening |
| Matthew 13:13-15 | Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. | Explains the reason for divine veiling |
| John 9:39-41 | And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see might be blind, and that which see might be blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. | Connects physical sight with spiritual insight |
| Acts 28:26-27 | Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: 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. | Repeats prophecy concerning persistent unbelief |
| Romans 2:14-15 | For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; | Contrasts obedience of Gentiles with disobedience of Israel |
| Romans 11:7-8 | What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded: (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day. | Links blindness to election and reprobation |
| 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 | But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. | Identifies the agent of blinding |
| Deuteronomy 28:49-50 | The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand: A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: | Foreshadows Babylonian captivity |
| Leviticus 26:16-17 | I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you. | Describes curses for disobedience |
| Hosea 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest unto me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. | Blames rejection of knowledge |
| Isaiah 5:12 | And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither consider the operation of his hands. | Criticizes their superficial worship |
| Isaiah 30:9 | That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: | Direct accusation of rebellion |
| Isaiah 1:2-3 | Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken, and I have given his words. I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. | Emphasizes Israel's ignorance |
| Psalm 50:7 | Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, thy God. | God's summons to hear His judgment |
| Micah 3:11 | The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. | Denounces corrupt leadership |
Isaiah 42 verses
Isaiah 42 23 Meaning
This verse speaks of God's unwavering judgment and consequence upon His people for their persistent disobedience and rejection of His commands. It highlights the certainty of their coming destruction and exile as a direct result of their persistent sinfulness, particularly their failure to listen to and obey the prophets.
Isaiah 42 23 Context
Chapter 42 of Isaiah continues the prophecy of the suffering servant, and this verse serves as a sharp transition, addressing the people of Israel directly. The immediate context is a critique of their spiritual blindness and deafness. Despite God's actions and pronouncements through His prophets, Israel has persistently failed to hear or understand, leading them into exile. This verse encapsulates the divine disappointment with their lack of response to His ongoing communication and judgments. Historically, this message would have resonated with the exilic period or the prelude to it, emphasizing the consequences of their national sin.
Isaiah 42 23 Word Analysis
Hear (shǝma): "Sh'ma" is a crucial Hebrew verb meaning "to hear" but also implying "to listen," "to obey," and "to understand." Its use here is a direct call to attention, urging a receptive hearing.
ye deaf (cheresh): This Hebrew word signifies physical deafness, but here it is used metaphorically to describe a spiritual inability or unwillingness to perceive and obey divine truth.
and look (re'eh): Another imperative verb, "re'eh" means "to see," but also "to perceive," "to consider," or "to understand." It calls for active visual engagement and comprehension.
ye blind (iver): Similar to "cheresh," "iver" denotes physical blindness, used metaphorically for those who are spiritually unable or refuse to see the truth, God's signs, or His judgments.
that ye may see (lema'an tir'eh): This phrase expresses purpose or result. The "that" (lema'an) indicates the intended outcome of their hearing and looking: for the purpose of seeing and understanding.
Words Group Analysis: The paired imperatives "Hear... and look" and "deaf... blind" establish a stark dichotomy. God calls them to two sensory functions (hearing and sight), highlighting the complete spectrum of their spiritual failure. They are so profoundly unresponsive that both ears and eyes are described as non-functional concerning divine revelation. The purpose clause "that ye may see" underscores that this inability is not a hopeless curse but a consequence of their deliberate spiritual inaction. It's a plea for a change in posture leading to spiritual sight and understanding.
Isaiah 42 23 Bonus Section
The language used—"deaf" and "blind"—echoes passages where God declares He will send blindness and deafness upon a rebellious people as a form of judgment (Deut 28:28). It is also fulfilled in the New Testament where Jesus and Paul refer to the people’s inability to grasp spiritual truths due to hardened hearts, a state that can be reversed by God's grace and the receptiveness of the individual to the Gospel. The passage can also be understood as foreshadowing the future restoration where God promises to give spiritual sight and hearing (Isa 35:5-6).
Isaiah 42 23 Commentary
This verse is a profound indictment of Israel's spiritual apathy and willful ignorance. God, through Isaiah, directly confronts the people, employing a sharp rhetorical question that exposes their profound spiritual condition: they are metaphorically deaf and blind. The message is not one of physical inability, but a deliberate hardening of heart and mind that prevents them from comprehending God's word and His dealings. This rejection of divine insight leads to inescapable judgment, a theme woven throughout Isaiah. The imperative calls are a last-ditch effort to awaken them before consequences fully manifest.