Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Parallel translations
- WEB Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
- BSB Bring out a people who have eyes but are blind, and who have ears but are deaf.
- NKJV Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears.
- NASB ¶Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
- NLT Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God calls forth a people who have eyes yet are blind and ears yet are deaf. It summons spiritually dull Israel to serve as witnesses despite their weakness.
Overview
The blind and deaf are God's own people, called to testify to what He has done. Their inability is no obstacle, for the truth rests on God's acts, not their perception. The scene sets up the courtroom of the nations where God will prove He alone is God, a truth ultimately confirmed in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Isa 6:9And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
- Ezek 12:2Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
- 2 Cor 4:4–6In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
- Isa 42:18–20Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.
- Deut 29:2–4And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;
- Jer 5:21Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
- Isa 44:18–20They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 43:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.