John 12:41

41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.

John 12:41 in Other Translations

KJV
41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
ESV
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
NLT
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory.
MSG
41 Isaiah said these things after he got a glimpse of God's cascading brightness that would pour through the Messiah.
CSB
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him.

John 12:41 Meaning and Commentary

John 12:41

These things said Esaias
Concerning the blinding and hardening of the Jews:

when he saw his glory, and spake of him;
when he saw, in a visionary way, the glory of the Messiah in the temple, and the angels covering their faces with their wings at the sight of him; and when he spake of him as the King, the Lord of hosts, whom he had seen, ( Isaiah 6:1-10 ) , from whence it is clear that he had respect to the Jews in the times of the Messiah. The prophet says in ( Isaiah 6:1 ) that he "saw the Lord": the Targumist renders it, "I saw", (yyd arqy ta) , "the glory of Jehovah"; and in ( Isaiah 6:5 ) he says, "mine eyes have seen the King", Jehovah, Zebaot, the Lord of hosts; which the Chaldee paraphrase renders, "mine eyes have seen", (rqy ta) , "the glory" of the Shekinah, the King of the world, the Lord of hosts. Agreeably to which our Lord says here, that he saw his glory, the glory of his majesty, the glory of his divine nature, the train of his divine perfections, filling the temple of the human nature; and he spoke of him as the true Jehovah, the Lord of hosts; and which therefore is a very clear and strong proof of the proper divinity of Christ. And it may be observed from hence, that such persons who have a true, spiritual, and saving sight of Christ, of the glory of his person, and the fulness of his grace, cannot but be speaking of him to others, either in private, or in public, as Isaiah here did, and as the church in ( Song of Solomon 5:10-16 ) ; and as the apostles of Christ, ( John 1:1 John 1:4 ) ( 1 John 1:1 1 John 1:2 ) ; and indeed, should they hold their peace, the stones would cry out; such must, and will speak of his glory in his temple, ( Psalms 29:9 ) ( Psalms 145:4-7 Psalms 145:11 Psalms 145:12 ) .

John 12:41 In-Context

39 For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:
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.”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

Cross References 2

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