John 12:40

John 12:40

38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:
^a“Lord, who has believed our report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

39 Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again:

40 “He^a has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
^bLest they should see with their eyes,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.”

41 ^aThese things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.

Walk in the Light

42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but ^abecause of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;

43 ^afor they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

44 Then Jesus cried out and said, ^a“He who believes in Me, ^bbelieves not in Me ^cbut in Him who sent Me.

45 And ^ahe who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< John 12:39

John 12:41 >>

He 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, his commanding Isaiah to go and proclaim it was the same in effect, or in the result, as if he had commanded him to blind their eyes and harden their hearts. It is this effect or result to which the evangelist refers in this place. He states that God did it, that is, he did it in the manner mentioned in Isaiah, for we are limited to that in our interpretation of the passage. In that case it is clear that the mode specified is not a direct agency on the part of God in blinding the mind - which we cannot reconcile with any just notions of the divine character - but "in suffering the truth to produce a regular effect on sinful minds, without putting forth any positive supernatural influence to prevent it." The effect of truth on such minds is to irritate, to enrage, and to harden, unless counteracted by the grace of God. See Romans 7:8-9, Romans 7:11; II Corinthians 2:15-16. And as God knew this, and, knowing it, still sent the message, and suffered it to produce the regular effect, the Evangelist says "he hath blinded their minds," thus retaining the substance of the passage in Isaiah without quoting the precise language; but in proclaiming the truth there was nothing wrong on the part of God or of Isaiah, nor is there any indication that God was unwilling that they should believe and be saved.

That they should not see ... - This does not mean that it was the design of God that they should not be converted, but that it was the effect of their rejecting the message. See the notes at Matthew 13:14-15.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing John 12:40:**

Isaiah 6:10
Mark 4:10-13
Acts 28:26-27
Romans 9:18
Romans 11:7
2 Corinthians 4:4
2 Thessalonians 2:11
1 Peter 2:8

<< John 12:39

John 12:41 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.