John 12:40

John 12:40 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
• New International Version (NIV)“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.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them."
• New King James Version (NKJV)“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.”

Context of John 12:40

38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him. 42Nevertheless, many of the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.

John 12:40 word by word

τετύφλωκεν αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ἐπώρωσεν αὐτῶν τὴν καρδίαν, ἵνα μὴ ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ νοήσωσιν τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ στραφῶσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς.¶Read the interlinear

• He has blindedτυφλόωtuphloō · to blindG5186
• theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• eyesὀφθαλμόςophthalmos · eyeG3788
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• hardenedπωρόωpōroō · to hardenG4456
• heartsκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• so thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• they cannot seeμήmē · notG3361
• they cannot seeὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
• understandνοέωnoieō · to understandG3539
• turnστρέφωstrephō · to turnG4762
• I would healἰάομαιiaomai · to healG2390

Cross-references for John 12:40

• John 9:39Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”
• 1 Kings 22:20And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that.
• Isaiah 29:10For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.
• Ezekiel 14:9But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
• Matthew 13:13This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
• Matthew 15:14Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
• Mark 4:12so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
• Luke 8:10He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
• Acts 28:26‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
• Romans 11:8as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”
• Exodus 4:21The LORD instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
• Exodus 7:3But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
• Exodus 14:4And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will pursue them. But I will gain honor by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So this is what the Israelites did.
• Joshua 11:20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
• Romans 9:18Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants to harden.
• Romans 11:7What then? What Israel was seeking, it failed to obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened,

Commentaries on John 12:40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40And I should heal them - This verse is taken from Isaiah 6:9, and, perhaps, refers more to the judgments that should fall upon them as a nation, which God was determined should not be averted, than it does to their eternal state. To suppose that the text meant that God was unwilling that they should turn unto him, lest he should be obliged to save them, is an insupportable blasphemy.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 40He hath blinded their eyes - The expression in Isaiah is, “Go, make the heart of this people fat, and shut their eyes.” That is, go and proclaim truth to them truth that will result in blinding their eyes. Go and proclaim the law and the will of God, and the effect will be, owing to the hardness of their heart, that their eyes will be blinded and their hearts hardened. As God knew that this would be the result - as it was to be the effect of the message…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 37-43Verses 37-43 Observe the method of conversion implied here. Sinners are brought to see the reality of Divine things, and to have some knowledge of them. To be converted, and truly turned from sin to Christ, as their Happiness and Portion. God will heal them, will justify and sanctify them; will pardon their sins, which are as bleeding wounds, and mortify their corruptions, which are as lurking diseases. See the power of the world in smothering…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 39-40they were unable to believe: John quotes Isaiah 6:10 to explain Israel's lack of belief (see Matthew 13:13–15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26–27). When God's revelation comes, we must believe. If we refuse, the light disappears (John 12:35–36). When God’s light departs, the darkness closes over unbelieving hearts. This means that continued rejection leads to deeper spiritual blindness.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 37-4137-41. It is the manner of this Evangelist alone to record his own reflections on the scenes he describes; but here, having arrived at what was virtually the close of our Lord's public ministry, he casts an affecting glance over the fruitlessness of His whole ministry on the bulk of the now doomed people. though he had done so many miracles--The word used suggests their nature as well as number.Read the comment

Topics related to John 12:40

• Blindness
• Deafness
• Heart
• Jesus, the Christ
• Quotations and Allusions
• Unbelief
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Chief
• Consult
• Costly
• Prince
• Blindness
• Conversion
• Harden
• Heal
• Jesus Christ
• John, Gospel of

Commentaries on John 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings