18 They have not known, nor do they understand, For He hath daubed their eyes from seeing, Their heart from acting wisely.
and if also our good news is vailed, in those perishing it is vailed, in whom the god of this age did blind the minds of the unbelieving, that there doth not shine forth to them the enlightening of the good news of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God;
And He saith, `Go, and thou hast said to this people, Hear ye -- to hear, and ye do not understand, And see ye -- to see, and ye do not know. Declare fat the heart of this people, And its ears declare heavy, And its eyes declare dazzled, Lest it see with its eyes, And with its ears hear, and its heart consider, And it hath turned back, and hath health.'
according as it hath been written, `God gave to them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear,' -- unto this very day, and David saith, `Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a recompense to them; let their eyes be darkened -- not to behold, and their back do Thou always bow down.'
Because of this they were not able to believe, that again Isaiah said, `He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they might not see with the eyes, and understand with the heart, and turn back, and I might heal them;'
Hear ye, I pray you, this, O people, foolish and without heart, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not.
For poured out on you hath Jehovah a spirit of deep sleep, And He closeth your eyes -- the prophets, And your heads -- the seers -- He covered.
having eyes full of adultery, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having an heart exercised in covetousnesses, children of a curse,
`him,' whose presence is according to the working of the Adversary, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders, and in all deceitfulness of the unrighteousness in those perishing, because the love of the truth they did not receive for their being saved, and because of this shall God send to them a working of delusion, for their believing the lie, that they may be judged -- all who did not believe the truth, but were well pleased in the unrighteousness.
because, having known God they did not glorify `Him' as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened, professing to be wise, they were made fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of fowls, and of quadrupeds, and of reptiles.
who in the past generations did suffer all the nations to go on in their ways,
wherefore do ye not know my speech? because ye are not able to hear my word.
and fulfilled on them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that saith, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive, for made gross was the heart of this people, and with the ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they did close, lest they might see with the eyes, and with the ears might hear, and with the heart understand, and turn back, and I might heal them.
And the dogs `are' strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they `are' shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter:
They lift him up on the shoulder, They carry him, and cause him to rest in his place, And he standeth, from his place he moveth not, Yea, one crieth unto him, and he answereth not, From his adversity he saveth him not. Remember this, and shew yourselves men, Turn `it' back, O transgressors, to the heart.
Framers of a graven image `are' all of them emptiness, And their desirable things do not profit, And their own witnesses they `are', They see not, nor know, that they may be ashamed.
Evil men understand not judgment, And those seeking Jehovah understand all.
Then understandest thou fear of Jehovah, And knowledge of God thou findest. For Jehovah giveth wisdom, From His mouth knowledge and understanding. Even to lay up for the upright substance, A shield for those walking uprightly. To keep the paths of judgment, And the way of His saints He preserveth. Then understandest thou righteousness, And judgment, and uprightness -- every good path.
A brutish man doth not know, And a fool understandeth not this; --
An ox hath known its owner, And an ass the crib of its master, Israel hath not known, My people hath not understood.
how are ye able -- ye -- to believe, glory from one another receiving, and the glory that `is' from God alone ye seek not?
`Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things -- being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak.
Purify themselves, yea, make themselves white, yea, refined are many: and the wicked have done wickedly, and none of the wicked understand, and those acting wisely do understand;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 44
Commentary on Isaiah 44 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 44
God, by the prophet, goes on in this chapter, as before,
Isa 44:1-8
Two great truths are abundantly made out in these verses:-
Isa 44:9-20
Often before, God, by the prophet, had mentioned the folly and strange sottishness of idolaters; but here he enlarges upon that head, and very fully and particularly exposes them to contempt and ridicule. This discourse is intended,
Now here, for the conviction of idolaters, we have,
Isa 44:21-28
In these verses we have,