New King James Version
John 12:40
40“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.”
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 Living Translation (NLT)“The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.”
Context of John 12:40
38that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “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.” 41These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. 42Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;
Read all of John 12John 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- He hath blindedτυφλόωtuphloō · to blindG5186
- theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- eyesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- eyesὀφθαλμόςophthalmos · eyeG3788
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- hardenedπωρόωpōroō · to hardenG4456
- heartκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- they shouldὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- notμήmē · notG3361
- understandνοέωnoieō · to understandG3539
- be convertedἐπιστρέφωepistrephō · to turnG1994
- I should healἰάομαιiaomai · to healG2390
Cross-references for John 12:40
- John 9:39And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
- 1 Kings 22:20And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.
- Isaiah 29:10For the Lord has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
- Ezekiel 14:9“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel.
- Matthew 13:13Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
- Matthew 15:14Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
- Mark 4:12so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
- Luke 8:10And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’
- Acts 28:26saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
- Romans 11:8Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”
- Exodus 4:21And the Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.
- Exodus 7:3And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
- Exodus 14:4Then I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
- Joshua 11:20For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
- Romans 9:18Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.
- Romans 11:7What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries