John 12:40

40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with [their] eyes and understand with [their] hearts and turn, and I heal them."

John 12:40 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:40

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"

John 12:40 In-Context

38 in order that the word of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, who said, "Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?"

39 For this [reason] they were not able to believe, because again Isaiah said,

40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they see with [their] eyes and understand with [their] hearts and turn, and I heal them."

41 Isaiah said these [things] because he saw his glory, and he spoke about him.

42 Yet despite that, even many of the rulers believed in him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess [it], so that they would not be expelled from the synagogue.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [b]. *Literally "the"; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
• [c]. A quotation from Isa 6:10