Matthew 13:14 kjv
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:
Matthew 13:14 nkjv
And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive;
Matthew 13:14 niv
In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "?'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Matthew 13:14 esv
Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: "'"You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive."
Matthew 13:14 nlt
This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says, 'When you hear what I say,
you will not understand.
When you see what I do,
you will not comprehend.
Matthew 13 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 6:9-10 | He said, "Go and tell this people: ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ Make the heart of this people calloused..." | The original prophecy quoted by Jesus. |
| Mk 4:11-12 | He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything is in parables... so that ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding...’" | Parallel account explaining parable's purpose. |
| Lk 8:9-10 | His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’" | Another parallel, highlighting spiritual blindness. |
| Jn 12:40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them." | John explicitly attributes the blindness to God, quoting Isaiah. |
| Acts 28:26-27 | "...as the Holy Spirit said through Isaiah the prophet to your ancestors: ‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” For this people’s heart has become calloused..." | Paul quotes Isaiah's prophecy concerning the Jewish rejection of the Gospel. |
| Mt 13:10-13 | The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them... though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand." | Immediate context of why Jesus speaks in parables. |
| Deut 29:4 | But to this day the Lord has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. | God's sovereign role in granting perception. |
| Ps 69:23 | May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. | A prophetic curse related to spiritual blindness. |
| Jer 5:21 | Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. | Lament about spiritual dullness among God's people. |
| Ez 12:2 | “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people." | God's word to Ezekiel about Israel's stubbornness. |
| Zech 7:11-12 | "But they refused to pay attention... They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law..." | Resistance to God's word leading to hardening. |
| Rom 11:8 | as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” | Paul reiterates the Isaiah prophecy concerning Israel's hardening. |
| 2 Cor 3:14 | But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. | Explains the spiritual blindness concerning the Old Covenant. |
| 2 Cor 4:4 | The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. | Explains the cause of blindness in some as Satan's work. |
| Mt 15:10 | Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand." | Jesus' invitation to understanding, contrasted with those who don't. |
| Mt 15:16-17 | “Are you still without understanding?” Jesus asked them. “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?" | Jesus chastises disciples for their slow understanding. |
| Isa 42:18-20 | "Hear, you deaf; look, you blind, and see! Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send? Who is blind like the one in covenant with me, blind like the servant of the Lord? You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.” | Israel's chosen status does not prevent spiritual blindness. |
| Jer 24:7 | I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. | Promise of a new heart to understand God. |
| Ez 36:26-27 | I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees... | God's act of changing hearts for understanding and obedience. |
| Heb 3:7-13 | "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion..." | Warning against hardening one's own heart, connecting to the wilderness generation. |
| Rom 9:18 | Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. | Divine sovereignty in hardening hearts. |
| Jn 9:39-41 | Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." ... "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” | Jesus' ministry brings spiritual sight to some and judicial blindness to others. |
| Prov 28:5 | Evildoers do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it fully. | Connection between seeking God and understanding. |
| Jn 3:19 | This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. | People's preference for darkness over truth. |
Matthew 13 verses
Matthew 13 14 Meaning
This verse states that the spiritual incomprehension and insensitivity of the crowds listening to Jesus fulfill an ancient prophecy from the book of Isaiah. Despite physically hearing His words and seeing His deeds, they are unable to truly understand or perceive the spiritual realities of the Kingdom of God that Jesus is revealing. It describes a judicial hardening where a portion of the people, due to their existing unbelief and resistance, become further confirmed in their inability to grasp divine truth, demonstrating God's sovereign work of both revealing and concealing.
Matthew 13 14 Context
Matthew 13 is a pivotal chapter, often referred to as the "Parable Chapter," marking a shift in Jesus' public ministry. Up until this point, Jesus had often taught directly, but here He begins to use parables extensively when addressing the general crowds. This shift is intentional and strategic. The immediate context of verse 14 is Mt 13:10-13, where the disciples directly ask Jesus why He speaks in parables. Jesus explains that the "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" are given to the disciples, but not to others, "because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." Matthew 13:14 then explicitly states that this situation fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah. Historically, the audience for Jesus included large numbers of Jewish people, many of whom were spiritually dull despite their religious heritage. This prophecy addresses the persistent unbelief and rejection of God's messengers throughout Israel's history, from Isaiah's time to Jesus' day. The use of parables serves to reveal truth to those with receptive hearts and to obscure truth from those whose hearts are hardened by unbelief.
Matthew 13 14 Word analysis
- And in them is fulfilled (Καὶ ἀναπληροῦται ἐν αὐτοῖς, Kai anaplēroutai en autois):
- Καὶ (Kai): "And" - Connects this explanation directly to the disciples' question and Jesus' preceding statements.
- ἀναπληροῦται (anaplēroutai): "is fulfilled," "is being fulfilled," "is realized." This is a present passive indicative verb. It indicates that the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy is not just a past event, but an ongoing reality, presently manifesting in the unbelief of the people hearing Jesus. It speaks to divine purpose and action.
- ἐν αὐτοῖς (en autois): "in them," "in their case." "Them" refers to the unresponsive crowds. This indicates that the prophecy's realization is demonstrated in the very lives and spiritual condition of these individuals.
- the prophecy of Isaiah (ἡ προφητεία Ἠσαΐου, hē prophēteia Hēsaiou):
- προφητεία (prophēteia): "prophecy," a divinely inspired utterance or revelation.
- Ἠσαΐου (Hēsaiou): "Isaiah" - Explicitly names the prophet, linking Jesus' ministry directly to Old Testament scripture and God's consistent historical dealings with His people.
- which saith (ἡ λέγουσα, hē legousa):
- λέγουσα (legousa): "saying," "which says." Standard introductory phrase for a scriptural quotation.
- By hearing ye shall hear (Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε, Akoē akousete):
- Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε (Akoē akousete): This is a literal Greek rendering of a common Hebrew idiomatic construction (infinitive absolute followed by a finite verb, as in Isa 6:9-10). It signifies intensity: "You shall truly hear," "You will certainly hear," "Hear and hear." It emphasizes the physical act of hearing the sound of Jesus' words. They are literally exposed to the message.
- ἀκοῇ (akoē): "by hearing," "with the ear."
- ἀκούσετε (akousete): "you shall hear" (future active indicative).
- and shall not understand (καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, kai ou mē synētē):
- καὶ (kai): "and," "yet."
- οὐ μὴ (ou mē): A strong double negative in Greek, conveying emphatic denial: "by no means," "never," "absolutely not." This underscores the complete and absolute lack of understanding.
- συνῆτε (synētē): "you shall understand," "you shall comprehend," "you shall grasp together." This word implies not just intellectual apprehension but a deeper, spiritual insight—putting things together to form a coherent understanding.
- and seeing ye shall see (καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε, kai blepontes blepsete):
- Βλέποντες βλέψετε (Blepontes blepsete): Similar Hebrew idiom. "Seeing, you shall truly see," "You will certainly see." Emphasizes the physical act of seeing the miracles, deeds, and person of Jesus.
- βλέποντες (blepontes): "by seeing," "while seeing."
- βλέψετε (blepsete): "you shall see" (future active indicative).
- and shall not perceive (καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε, kai ou mē idētē):
- καὶ (kai): "and," "yet."
- οὐ μὴ (ou mē): Again, the emphatic double negative: "absolutely not," "never."
- ἴδητε (idētē): "you shall perceive," "you shall discern," "you shall comprehend spiritually." This refers to deeper spiritual insight, not just visual recognition. It is related to the idea of recognizing the significance and truth behind what is seen.
- "in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah": This phrase highlights the sovereign work of God in history, where human responses, even negative ones, align with His foretold plans. It's not a prediction that might happen, but a definite fulfillment, emphasizing Jesus' place in God's redemptive timeline.
- "By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive": This is a powerful paradox. It depicts individuals who are physically present and actively exposed to divine revelation (Jesus' teachings and miracles), yet they are spiritually impervious. Their senses function, but their spiritual comprehension is completely absent. This points to a deeper spiritual issue: not merely intellectual difficulty, but a willful hardening of the heart and mind, leading to judicial blindness and deafness from God. The intense double negative ("ou mē") for "shall not understand/perceive" emphasizes the finality of this spiritual insensitivity.
Matthew 13 14 Bonus section
The original commission to Isaiah in chapter 6 was a somber one, instructing him to preach a message that would ironically lead to the further spiritual hardening of his listeners. This prophetic pattern continues with Jesus' ministry: His words act as both a lamp guiding those who genuinely seek light and a stumbling block for those who prefer spiritual darkness. The spiritual "sight" and "hearing" spoken of here refer to discernment and understanding that transcend mere intellectual assent; it is a recognition of God's truth and sovereignty. While this verse highlights the spiritual blindness of some, it implicitly praises the "blessed" state of the disciples who are granted to see and hear (Mt 13:16-17). This divine distinction underscores that true spiritual comprehension is a gift of God, granted to those whom He calls and prepares.
Matthew 13 14 Commentary
Matthew 13:14 explains that the perplexing behavior of the crowds, who physically heard Jesus' powerful words and witnessed His astounding miracles but failed to grasp their profound meaning, was no accident. It was the unfolding of Isaiah's ancient prophecy (Isa 6:9-10). This passage illustrates a critical theological concept: divine hardening. The people's prior resistance to God's truth led to a state where, even in the presence of ultimate truth in Christ, their spiritual perception was sealed. The parables, therefore, served not only to reveal truth to receptive hearts but also to veil it from the unresponsive, solidifying their existing spiritual dullness. This judicial blinding and deafening is a severe consequence of persistent unbelief and rejection of God's Word, a condition chosen by individuals that God permits and uses for His larger redemptive plan, ultimately showcasing both His sovereignty and His justice.