Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 28:27
For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
27. and should be converted ] [ R. V. “and should turn again”] The new rendering is to be preferred on account of the restricted meaning which in modern speech has become attached to the word “convert.” In the older language it signified “to turn round and go back again.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Though God did forsake this people, (being first forsaken of them), and withdraw his gratuitous assistance from them, yet it is all justly charged upon them, they having by their sins said unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways, Job 21:14.
Their eyes have they closed; they winked, as those that were loth to see, though they could not but see, the truths Paul preached concerning the Messiah; prejudicate opinions and self-conceit hindering them from coming unto the acknowledgment of them.
I should heal them, or pardon them; for by guilt the soul is wounded.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25-29. when theythe Jews.
agreed not amongthemselvesthe discussion having passed into one between thetwo parties into which the visitors were now divided, respecting thearguments and conclusions of the apostle.
they departedthematerial of discussion being felt by both parties to be exhausted.
after Paul had spoken onewordone solemn parting testimony, from those Scripturesregarded by both alike as “the Holy Ghost speaking” toIsrael.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For the heart of this people is waxed gross,…. Or fat; stupefied with notions of carnal and temporal things, and become hardened against, and unsusceptible of, divine and spiritual things:
and their ears are dull of hearing; the Gospel, and its joyful sound; to which they stop their cars, as the deaf adder to the voice of the charmer:
and their eyes have they closed; and wilfully shut, against all evidence from facts, miracles, prophecies, and preaching:
lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears,
and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted; that is, see the evidence of miracles, take in the truth of doctrine, understand the meaning of prophecy, and so be turned from darkness, ignorance, and unbelief, to light, knowledge, and faith:
and I should heal them; or “have mercy on them”, as the Ethiopic version renders it; that is, forgive their sins: hearing the Gospel preached, is the ordinary means of understanding spiritual things; and the understanding being enlightened through the ministry of the word, by the Spirit of God, whereby the sinner sees his lost state by nature, his impurity and impotency, the danger he is in, and the destruction that is imminent on him, and he is liable to, and also his need of Christ, and salvation by him; this issues in conversion, in the turning of a man from the evil of his ways, to believe in Christ, walk on in him, and worthy of him; when he is healed of the diseases of his soul, which are many, are natural, and hereditary, mortal and incurable, but by Christ the great physician; by whose stripes, wounds, and blood, there is healing, that is, pardon; for healing diseases, and pardoning iniquities, are one and the same; see Ps 103:3; and at conversion, when a soul is enlightened, and made sensible of the evil of sin, and that there is no cure of this disease, by anything that he or any creature can do, or prescribe for him, but only by the blood of Christ; a discovery of pardoning grace is made unto him; and he is made whole, and cured of every disease that attended him; from whence spring joy, peace, and comfort to him:, but when through hearing the word, the understanding is not enlightened, and conversion does not follow upon it, there is no healing of the disease of sin, no pardon applied; and consequently such must be in a most deplorable and miserable condition, as all ignorant hearers and despisers of the Gospel are; <scripRef version="Gill" content="[See comments on Mt 13:14;
See Gill on ]” passage=”Mt 13:14;
See Gill on “>Mt 13:15;
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Waxed gross. See on Mt 13:15.
Their ears are dull of hearing. Lit., with their ears they heard heavily. Closed. See on Mt 13:15.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “For the heart of this people is waxed gross,” (epachunthe gar he kardia tou laou toutou) “For the heart (affections) of this people (Jewish race), is or has become thickened, enlarged, puffed up or swelled up like a blowfish,” with pride, with selfish obstinacy, resisting the Holy Spirit, Act 7:51.
2) “And their ears are full of hearing,” (kai tois osin bareos ekousan) “And with their ears they hear heartily,” hear with ample sound, but they did not understand, or do not clearly grasp what the gravity of the message they hear really is. All is incited by the carnal nature of sin, blinded by the god of this world, 2Co 4:3-4.
3) “And their eyes have they closed; (lao tous ophthalmous auton ekammusan) “And their eyes they closed, clamped together,” willfully closed in contempt toward the revelation of Jesus Christ, as their Redeemer, Pro 1:22-30; Pro 29:1.
4) “Lest they should see with their eyes,” (mepote idosin tois) “Lest they should at any moment see (perceive) with the eyes of their understanding,” as the Holy Spirit was poured out, to make known to them their ways, Pro 1:23.
5) “And hear with their ears,” (kai tois osin akousosin) “And they should clearly hear or grasp the words of the Law and the Prophets,” Rom 10:14; Rom 10:17. If men hear not the word of God, they can not have its offered salvation, Joh 8:24; Act 3:23.
6) “And understand with their heart,” (kai te kardia sunosin) “And in affinity with the ears, eyes, and heart, they should understand,” have it all together concerning who Jesus was and is, Eph 4:18.
7) “And should be converted, and I should heal them.” (kai epistrepsosin kai iasomai autous) “And turn (in repentance and faith), and I shall cure them,” make them well or whole, from their malady of sin. Paul sorrowed for them, Rom 9:2; Rom 10:1.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
27. Waxed gross From their own spiritual carelessness and hardness.
Lest Depends upon closed. They have closed their eyes to evidence lest they should be converted and healed.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Ver. 27. Is waxed gross ] “Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law,” saith David, Psa 119:70 . Naturalists tell us that fat-hearted men are dull-witted. . It is a heavy case when men have got a kind of hoof over their hearts, callum obductum, corneas fibras, brawny breasts, horny heart strings.
Their eyes have they closed ] Gr. . They have winked, they shut the windows, lest the light should come in. Ut liberius peccent, libenter ignorant, saith Bernard. Sponte quidem reluctantur veritati, non tamen fortuito, saith Beza.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 28:27 . , see critical note; the indicative future as in R.V. adds to the force and vigour of the passage; after it represents the action of the verb as more vividly realised as possible and probable than is the case when the subjunctive is used (Page), see also Winer-Moulton, lvi., 2 a ; Bethge, p. 331; cf. Luk 12:58 , Act 21:24 (Blass). It is significant that Luke the physician should thus cite as almost the last words of his record a prophecy ending with (Plummer, St. Luke , Introd., p. lxvi.).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
is waxed gross = has become fat. Greek. pachunomai. Only here and Mat 13:15.
their ears, &c. = with their ears they hear heavily.
closed. Greek. kammuo. Only here and Mat 13:15.
lest = lest at any time. Greek. mepote.
be converted = turn again. Greek. epistrepho. See Act 3:19.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Act 28:27. , and I shall [should] heal them) The indicative after the subjunctive; concerning which com? the note on Mar 3:27, -, . And the former (the indicative) is the better established here, because in Isaiah the Hebrew accent makes the fullest stop of the hemistich after , should be converted [and so becomes distinguished from the contingent relation of the previous verbs, and is made a positive assertion].
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Reciprocal: Exo 8:32 – General Lev 7:23 – fat Deu 29:4 – General Deu 32:15 – waxen fat Psa 17:10 – They are Psa 69:23 – Their eyes Psa 119:70 – heart is as fat Pro 17:16 – seeing Isa 6:9 – Hear ye Isa 6:10 – lest Isa 19:22 – they shall Isa 26:11 – will Isa 29:10 – the Lord Isa 29:14 – for the wisdom Jer 36:3 – that I Eze 12:2 – which Zec 7:12 – lest Mat 18:3 – Except Mar 8:18 – see Luk 8:10 – that seeing Act 3:19 – be 2Co 3:14 – their Heb 5:11 – dull
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7
Act 28:27. Waxed gross denotes they had become stupid through their own prejudice. Their motive for such an attitude was to reject the reformation of life that the teaching of the Gospel might work in them.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
See notes on verse 25
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
28:27 For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they {h} closed; lest they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
(h) They made as though they did not see that which they saw against their desires: yea, they did see, but they would not see.