Mark 4:12

“so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’””
Mark 4:12 · direct translation from the Greek

Study it in the app

With the Greek beneath

so thatἵνα‘seeingβλέποντεςthey may seeβλέπωσιandκαὶnotμὴperceive,ἴδωσινandκαὶhearingἀκούοντεςthey may hearἀκούωσιandκαὶnotμὴunderstand,συνιῶσινlestμήποτεthey turnἐπιστρέψωσινandκαὶit be forgivenἀφεθῇthem.’”αὐτοῖς

Quotation · Isaiah 6:9-10

Go to Isaiah 6:9-10

Mark uses Isaiah 6:9-10 without a formula, shortened. It ends with “and it be forgiven them,” where the Hebrew says “and he be healed.”

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ἵνα βλέποντες βλέπωσι καὶ μὴ ἴδωσιν καὶ ἀκούοντες ἀκούωσι καὶ μὴ συνιῶσιν μήποτε ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἀφεθῇ αὐτοῖς

Hebrew (Masoretic text): וַיֹּאמֶר לֵךְ וְאָמַרְתָּ לָעָם הַזֶּה שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ וְאַל תָּבִינוּ וּרְאוּ רָאוֹ וְאַל תֵּדָעוּ הַשְׁמֵן לֵב הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאָזְנָיו הַכְבֵּד וְעֵינָיו הָשַׁע פֶּן יִרְאֶה בְעֵינָיו וּבְאָזְנָיו יִשְׁמָע וּלְבָבוֹ יָבִין וָשָׁב וְרָפָא לוֹ

Septuagint (Isaiah 6:9-10 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ εἶπεν Πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὸν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε. 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 2 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

Mark 4:12, word by word

‘seeingβλέποντεςblepontes

see

To use the eyes to perceive something; also to look with intent.

Where else “blepontes” appears

perceiveἴδωσινidōsin

perceive

To realize, understand.

Where else “idōsin” appears

hearingἀκούοντεςakouontes

hear

To perceive a sound, a voice or words with the ears.

Where else “akouontes” appears

understandσυνιῶσινsyniōsin

understand

Understand, grasp.

Where else “syniōsin” appears

lestμήποτεmēpote

lest

Expresses fear that something bad may happen, so as to avoid it.

Where else “mēpote” appears

they turnἐπιστρέψωσινepistrepsōsin

turn to God

To come back to God, or bring others back to him.

Where else “epistrepsōsin” appears

it be forgivenἀφεθῇaphethēi

forgive

To wipe away sins or debts, not exact them.

Where else “aphethēi” appears

Translation note

A free quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10 (compare Matthew 13:14-15).

Parallel passages

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

Why Jesus speaks in parables

Matthew 13:10-17 Luke 8:9-10

See them side by side

Mark 4:10-12

¹⁰And when he was alone, those around him with the Twelve were asking him about the parables. ¹¹And he was saying to them, “To you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given; but for those outside, everything comes in parables, ¹²so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’”

Matthew 13:10-17

¹⁰And the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ¹¹But he answered and said to them, “Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹²For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will indeed hear and never understand, and you will indeed see and never perceive. ¹⁵For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they have heard with difficulty, and they have closed their eyes, so that they do not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them.’ ¹⁶But happy are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. ¹⁷For truly I tell you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Luke 8:9-10

⁹And his disciples were asking him what this parable might mean. ¹⁰And he said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

Quotation · Isaiah 6:9-10

Mark uses Isaiah 6:9-10 without a formula, shortened. It ends with “and it be forgiven them,” where the Hebrew says “and he be healed.”

See them side by side

Mark 4:12

¹²so that ‘seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they turn and it be forgiven them.’”

Isaiah 6:9-10

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

The context

11And he was saying to them, “To you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given; but for those outside, everything comes in parables,

12 · This verse (above)

13And he says to them, “Do you not understand this parable? And how will you understand all the parables?

Read all of Mark 4

To study Mark 4 in a group

1. What it says
What happened in the boat when the storm came, and what did Jesus do (vv. 37–39)?
2. What it means
What did Jesus mean by “whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” when telling the parable of the sower (vv. 3–9)?
3. How I live it
Jesus asked his disciples, “Why are you cowards?” (v. 40). What fear of today could you bring before him?

How to use it