Isaiah 6:10

“Make fat the heart of this people, and make heavy its ears, and blind its eyes, lest it see with its eyes, and hear with its ears, and its heart understand, and it turn back and be healed.””
Isaiah 6:10 · direct translation from the Hebrew

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With the Hebrew beneath

Make fatהַשְׁמֵןthe heartלֵבof this people,הָעָם הַזֶּהand make heavyהַכְבֵּדits ears,וְאָזְנָיוand blindהָשַׁעits eyes,וְעֵינָיוlestפֶּןit seeיִרְאֶהwith its eyes,בְעֵינָיוand hearוּ יִשְׁמָעwith its ears,בְאָזְנָיוand its heartוּלְבָבוֹunderstand,יָבִיןand it turn backוָשָׁבand be healed.”וְרָפָא לוֹ

Quotation · John 12:40

Go to John 12:40

John quotes Isaiah 6:10 in the third person: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart.” In the Hebrew they are commands to the prophet.

Formula: πάλιν εἶπεν Ἠσαΐας “again Isaiah said” (John 12:39)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Τετύφλωκεν αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ἐπώρωσεν αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν ἵνα μὴ ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ νοήσωσιν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ στραφῶσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς

Hebrew (Masoretic text): הַשְׁמֵן לֵב הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאָזְנָיו הַכְבֵּד וְעֵינָיו הָשַׁע פֶּן יִרְאֶה בְעֵינָיו וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע וּלְבָבוֹ יָבִין וָשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ

Septuagint (Isaiah 6:10 in the Septuagint numbering): ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν αὐτῶν βαρέως ἥκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν, μή ποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 4 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Isaiah 6:10, word by word

Make fatהַשְׁמֵןhashmen

grow fat

Grow fat, become thick.

Where else “hashmen” appears

the heartלֵבlev

heart

The deepest part of a person: where they think, feel and decide.

Where else “lev” appears

of this peopleעָםam

crowd

The people gathered in a place: the crowd, or the troops that go out to war.

Where else “am” appears

and make heavyהַכְבֵּדhachbed

be heavy

To weigh much, like a burden.

Where else “hachbed” appears

its earsאָזְנָיaznay

hearing

The ear that listens: "incline your ear".

Where else “aznay” appears

and blindהָשַׁעhasha

blind

To lose sight, or take another's sight.

Where else “hasha” appears

its eyesעֵינָיenay

eye

The organ with which one sees; so "lift the eyes" means to look.

Where else “enay” appears

it seeיִרְאֶהyire

see

To see with one's eyes.

Where else “yire” appears

and hearיִשְׁמָעyishma

hear

To hear a sound, or learn of something.

Where else “yishma” appears

and its heartלְבָבlevav

heart

The deepest part of a person: where they think, desire and decide.

Where else “levav” appears

understandיָבִיןyavin

understand

To understand, realize.

Where else “yavin” appears

and it turn backשָׁבshav

return

To go back to a place.

Where else “shav” appears

and be healedרָפָאrafa

heal

To heal a sick person, a wound or a people.

Where else “rafa” appears

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · John 12:40

John quotes Isaiah 6:10 in the third person: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart.” In the Hebrew they are commands to the prophet.

See them side by side

Isaiah 6:10

¹⁰Make fat the heart of this people, and make heavy its ears, and blind its eyes, lest it see with its eyes, and hear with its ears, and its heart understand, and it turn back and be healed.”

John 12:40

⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they may not see with their eyes and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them.”

The context

9And he said, “Go, and say to this people, ‘Keep hearing, but do not understand; keep seeing, but do not know.’

10 · This verse (above)

11And I said, “How long, Adonai?” And he said, “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without a human being, and the ground lies waste, a desolation;

Read all of Isaiah 6

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