John 12:40
Read John 12:40 Using Other Translations
What does John 12:40 mean?
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their
heart
It is of no great moment, whether the he, who is said to blind
and harden, be God or Christ, or whether the words be rendered,
"it hath blinded" that is, malice or wickedness; or whether they
be read impersonally, "their eyes are blinded" since God or
Christ blind and harden not by any positive act, but by leaving
and giving men up to the blindness and hardness of their hearts,
and denying them the grace which could only cure them, and which
they are not obliged to give; and which was the case of these
Jews, so as never to be converted, or be turned even by external
repentance and reformation, that they might be healed in a
national way, and be preserved from national ruin, as it follows,
that they should not see with their eyes
(See Gill on Matthew
13:14), (See Gill on Matthew
13:15). The Syriac and Persic versions read, "they have
blinded their eyes"
