Isaiah 6 9

Isaiah 6:9 kjv

And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Isaiah 6:9 nkjv

And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'

Isaiah 6:9 niv

He said, "Go and tell this people: "?'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.'

Isaiah 6:9 esv

And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'

Isaiah 6:9 nlt

And he said, "Yes, go, and say to this people, 'Listen carefully, but do not understand.
Watch closely, but learn nothing.'

Isaiah 6 verses

Isaiah 6 9 Meaning

Isaiah 6:9 declares a sobering and paradoxical divine commission to the prophet Isaiah. The verse is a prophecy of judgment, indicating that the prophet's ministry, rather than leading to widespread national repentance, will confirm and deepen the spiritual insensitivity of the people of Judah. Despite hearing divine truth and seeing God's works, they will fail to grasp their true meaning, resulting in their continued spiritual blindness and lack of discernment, a consequence of their persistent rebellion and unbelief. This is a divine sealing of their hardened state, leading to their eventual destruction.

Isaiah 6 9 Context

Isaiah 6 describes the pivotal moment of Isaiah's prophetic call. The chapter opens with Isaiah's awe-inspiring vision of the Lord enthroned in glory, surrounded by seraphim crying, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts!" Overwhelmed by God's holiness and his own unworthiness, Isaiah confesses his sin. After a seraph purifies his lips, he hears the divine question, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah responds with eager willingness, "Here am I! Send me."

Verse 9 immediately follows this enthusiastic self-offering. God's response to Isaiah's commission is profoundly sobering. Instead of promising widespread revival or repentance, the Lord describes the primary nature of Isaiah's ministry: it will encounter hardened hearts. This divine directive reveals the severe state of Judah's spiritual condition in the 8th century BC. The nation had turned away from the Lord through idolatry, social injustice, and reliance on human alliances rather than God (as depicted in chapters 1-5). Despite God's past mercies and repeated warnings through earlier prophets, they remained unrepentant. Thus, Isaiah's prophetic task is not solely one of calling to repentance, but one of proclaiming a message that will, paradoxically, confirm and seal their existing spiritual blindness and prepare them for impending judgment, culminating in exile (mentioned in v. 11-12).

Isaiah 6 9 Word analysis

• "Go and tell this people" (לֵךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לָעָם הַזֶּה - lekh ve'amarta la'am hazzeh):

  • לֵךְ (lekh): "Go." A direct, authoritative imperative, indicating God's sending.
  • וְאָמַרְתָּ (ve'amarta): "and tell" or "you shall tell." The conjunction "and" links it to "go," making it a joint command. It highlights the prophet's vocal delivery of God's message.
  • לָעָם הַזֶּה (la'am hazzeh): "to this people." This phrase can carry a sense of distance or alienation, implying a lack of identification from God's perspective with the people of Judah, who had persistently rebelled against Him, in contrast to referring to them simply as "My people."

• "Be ever hearing, but never understanding;" (שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ וְאַל־תָּבִינוּ - shim'u shamo'a ve'al-tavinu):

  • שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ (shim'u shamo'a): "Hear ye, hearing." This uses the imperative form (שִׁמְעוּ - shim'u) followed by the infinitive absolute (שָׁמוֹעַ - shamo'a). This Hebrew construction functions as an intensifier, emphasizing the certainty and persistence of the action. It means "you shall indeed hear" or "you shall surely hear," conveying the reality that they will receive the message.
  • וְאַל־תָּבִינוּ (ve'al-tavinu): "and do not understand/perceive." The particle al (אַל) is a prohibitive, used with the imperfect tense to issue a negative command ("do not"). This phrasing means they are commanded not to understand. The verb בִּין (bin) means to discern, comprehend, understand, or distinguish. The divine command "do not understand" reflects a judicial hardening where God confirms their existing chosen path of stubbornness. It is not that God wills innocent people not to understand, but rather that because they have not understood or obeyed, God now ensures their inability to do so. Their continued reception of the message will only solidify their lack of comprehension.

• "be ever seeing, but never perceiving." (וּרְאוּ רָאוֹ וְאַל־תֵּדָעוּ - u're'u ra'o ve'al-teda'u):

  • וּרְאוּ רָאוֹ (u're'u ra'o): "And see ye, seeing." Similar to the previous phrase, this uses the imperative (וּרְאוּ - u're'u) and the infinitive absolute (רָאוֹ - ra'o). It means "you shall indeed see" or "seeing, you shall see," indicating that divine acts and prophetic signs will be visible to them.
  • וְאַל־תֵּדָעוּ (ve'al-teda'u): "and do not know/perceive." Again, al with the imperfect. The verb יָדַע (yada) implies knowing through experience, recognizing, being familiar with, or intimately discerning. Just as with "understanding," the command "do not know/perceive" signifies that despite physical sight of God's actions and truth, they will not gain true insight or recognize the hand of God in events. This indicates a profound spiritual blindness where factual awareness does not translate into meaningful apprehension or changed behavior.

Isaiah 6 9 Bonus section

The seemingly harsh nature of this command often leads to questions about divine responsibility versus human free will. The consensus among scholars is that this is not God actively creating a new hardness in an innocent people, but rather an active divine confirmation of their existing, self-imposed spiritual resistance. God's instruction to Isaiah effectively declares, "Because they have persistently refused to hear and see with understanding, your ministry will now solidify their spiritual inability to do so, demonstrating the severity of their condition and their coming judgment." It illustrates the terrifying consequences of protracted unbelief: what begins as human choice becomes a divine judgment, leaving a people increasingly incapable of grasping divine truth even when directly confronted by it. The purpose is not ultimately to redeem Judah in this specific ministry phase, but to execute judgment and preserve a righteous remnant (as mentioned in the subsequent verses of Isa 6:13).

Isaiah 6 9 Commentary

Isaiah 6:9 reveals a central aspect of prophetic ministry, particularly in times of deep national apostasy. It is a divine paradox: God commissions Isaiah to speak truth, but with the specific outcome of solidifying the spiritual insensitivity that already exists within "this people." The intensified Hebrew verbal constructions ("be ever hearing," "be ever seeing") underscore that the problem is not a lack of exposure to God's word or deeds, but an inherent, stubborn resistance to the truth.

The verse describes a judicial hardening by God. This is not arbitrary divine cruelty; rather, it is the divine response to prolonged, willful unbelief and spiritual dullness (as depicted in Isa 1-5). Because the people consistently shut their eyes and ears to God, He then pronounces a state where their exposure to further truth will only deepen their rejection and prepare them for judgment. The very message that could bring life becomes a stone around their neck.

This verse has profound theological significance, echoed multiple times in the New Testament (Matt 13:14-15; John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27; Rom 11:8). Jesus applies this prophecy to the generation that rejected His ministry, explaining why He spoke in parables – so that those who had eyes would see the truth, but those already hardened would only have their blindness confirmed. Paul applies it to the partial hardening of Israel, indicating God's sovereign hand in revealing truth and allowing unbelief as a prelude to further redemptive purposes (like bringing salvation to the Gentiles).

Ultimately, Isaiah 6:9 stands as a stark warning: repeated rejection of God's revealed truth hardens the heart, leading to a state where genuine repentance becomes exceedingly difficult, if not divinely sealed, illustrating that continued defiance of God leads to a righteous divine judgment that seals a people in their chosen path of spiritual darkness.