Darby Bible
Isaiah 42:20
20— seeing many things, and thou observest not? With opened ears, he heareth not.
Isaiah 42:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.
- New International Version (NIV)You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)He sees many things, but does not observe them; his ears are open, but he does not hear.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Seeing many things, but you do not observe; Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”
Context of Isaiah 42:20
18— Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see. 19Who is blind, but my servant? and deaf, as my messenger whom I sent? Who is blind as he in whom I have trusted, and blind as Jehovah's servant, — seeing many things, and thou observest not? With opened ears, he heareth not. 21Jehovah had delight [in him] for his righteousness' sake: he hath magnified the law, and made it honourable. 22But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and hidden in prison-houses; they are become a prey, and none delivereth, — a spoil, and none saith, Restore.
Read all of Isaiah 42Isaiah 42:20 word by word
רָא֥וֹת רַבּ֖וֹת וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמֹ֑ר פָּק֥וֹחַ אָזְנַ֖יִם וְלֹ֥א יִשְׁמָֽע׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Isaiah 42:20
- Isaiah 1:3The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; Israel doth not know, my people hath no intelligence.
- Isaiah 48:6Thou heardest, see all this; — and ye, will not ye declare [it]? I have caused thee to hear new things from this time, and things hidden, and that thou knewest not:
- Numbers 14:22for all those men who have seen my glory, and my signs, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice,
- Deuteronomy 4:9Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen (and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but thou shalt make them known to thy sons and to thy sons' sons),
- Deuteronomy 29:2And Moses called to all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that Jehovah did before your eyes in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his bondmen, and to all his land:
- Nehemiah 9:10and didst shew signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants, and upon all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and thou didst make thee a name, as it is this day.
- Psalms 106:7Our fathers in Egypt considered not thy wondrous works; they remembered not the multitude of thy loving-kindnesses; but they rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea.
- Psalms 107:43Whoso is wise, let him observe these things, and let them understand the loving-kindnesses of Jehovah.
- John 9:37And Jesus said to him, Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he.
- John 11:37And some of them said, Could not this [man], who has opened the eyes of the blind [man], have caused that this [man] also should not have died?
- Isaiah 58:2Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that doeth righteousness, and hath not forsaken the ordinance of their God; they ask of me the ordinances of righteousness, they take delight in approaching to God:
- Jeremiah 42:2came near and said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication come before thee, and pray for us unto Jehovah thy God, for all this remnant (for we are left a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us);
- Ezekiel 33:31And they come unto thee as a people cometh, and they sit before thee [as] my people, and they hear thy words, but they do them not; for with their mouth they shew much love, [but] their heart goeth after their dishonest gain.
- Mark 6:19But Herodias kept it [in her mind] against him, and wished to kill him, and could not:
- Acts 28:22But we beg to hear of thee what thou thinkest, for as concerning this sect it is known to us that it is everywhere spoken against.
Commentaries on Isaiah 42:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Seeing many things "Thou hast seen indeed" - The text has רבית ראית raith rabith, which the Masoretes in the marginal Keri have corrected to רבות ראות reoth rabboth ; as indeed one hundred and seven MSS., and five editions, now have it in the text. This was probably the reading of most of the MSS. of their time; which, though they approved of it, out of some superstition they would not admit into their standard text. But these wretched critics, though…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Seeing many things - That is, the people, the Jews, spoken of here as the servants of God. They had had an opportunity of observing many things pertaining to the law, the government, and the dealing of Yahweh. They had often witnessed his interposition in the days of calamity, and he often rescued them from peril. These things they could not but have observed, much as they had chosen to disregard the lessons which they were calculated to convey. But thou…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 Observe the call given to this people, and the character given of them. Multitudes are ruined for want of observing that which they cannot but see; they perish, not through ignorance, but carelessness. The Lord is well-pleased in the making known his own righteousness. For their sins they were spoiled of all their possessions. This fully came to pass in the destruction of the Jewish nation. There is no resisting, nor escaping God's anger. See…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-20The Israelites who ignored God's words and actions became spiritually blind and deaf (see Isaiah 6:9–10). They knew the truth from God's word and the prophets, but their closed minds refused to respond.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. observest--Thou dost not keep them. The "many things" are the many proofs which all along from the first God had given Israel of His goodness and His power (De 4:32-38; 29:2-4; Psa 78:1-72; 105:1-45). he--transition from the second to the third person. "Opening ... ears," that is, though he (Israel) hath his ears open (see on Is 6:10). This language, too (see on Is 42:19), applies to Messiah as Jehovah's servant (Is 50:5; Psa 40:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 42:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 42
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
Darby Bible — 1889 — Public Domain
Commentaries