Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 32:3
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
3. shall not be dim ] shall not be closed (R.V. marg.). The verb, although disguised in the pointing, is no doubt the same as that used in ch. Isa 6:10, Isa 29:10 (lit. “smear”). The curse there pronounced shall be removed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
3, 4. The quickening of the moral perceptions of the people. Comp. ch. Isa 29:18; Isa 29:24, Isa 30:20 f.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And the eyes of them that see … – The sense of this verse is, that there shall be, under the reign of this wise and pious prince, on the part of the prophets and teachers, a clear view of divine truth, and on the part of the people who hear, a disposition to hearken and to attend to it. The phrase of them that see, refers probably to the prophets, as those who were called seers (see the notes at Isa 29:10; Isa 30:10; compare 1Sa 9:9), or those who had visions (see the note at Isa 1:1) of the things that God would communicate to people. The word rendered be dim ( tisheeynah), is derived from shaah, which usually signifies to see, to look, but it also has a meaning similar to shaa, to spread over, to close, to make blind. Of this fact Lowth seems not to have been aware when he proposed, without the authority of any MS., to change the text. The sense is, that those who were prophets and religious teachers should no more see obscurely, but should have clear and just views of divine truth.
And the ears of them that hear – Of the people who were instructed by their religious teachers.
Shall hearken – It shall be a characteristic of those times that they shall be disposed to attend to the truth of God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 32:3-4
The eyes of them that see shall not be dim
Four tests of character
The whole of this chapter refers to the state of the world during the time of the millennium.
The happiness which shall be the lot of Gods children in that period will be only an increase of our present state of happiness and holiness. Therefore this passage may be fairly taken as furnishing tests of our conversion at the present time.
I. There are to be hereafter CLEAR VIEWS. If we are converted, we have clearer views than we once had.
II. The second test is, THE HEARING EAR There is a great difference in the manner in which persons listen to the Word of God.
III. There will be INCREASED KNOWLEDGE. It forms part of the promise of God that His people shall be taught of Him. And what is it they are taught? They are taught to see the excellence of the person of Christ Jesus their Saviour.
IV. There shall be BOLD CONFESSION OF JESUS, for the tongue of the stammerers, &c. Can you say your character will bear these tests? (M. Villiers, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim – “And him the eyes of those that see shall regard”] For velo, and not, Le Clerc reads velo, and to him, of which mistake the Masoretes acknowledge there are fifteen instances; and many more are reckoned by others. The removal of the negative restores to the verb its true and usual sense.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This is meant either,
1. Of the princes or magistrates, who are instead of eyes and ears, both to the king and to the people, who, by their office, are to see and observe all things, and to hear all causes. These, saith he, shall not shut their eyes, nor suffer them to be blinded with gifts, to favour a rich man in an unjust cause; they shall not shut their ears against the complaints of the poor oppressed ones, as wicked princes commonly do. Or,
2. Of the people; they shall not shut their eyes and ears against the good counsels and examples of their religious king and rulers, as they have done formerly: both princes and people shall be reformed. This was done in some poor measure in Hezekiahs time; but far more fully and eminently in the days of the Messiah, who, by his grace, changeth mens hearts, and cureth them of that wilful and obstinate blindness whereof they had been guilty before; which clearly showeth that this prophecy looks through Hezekiah unto Christ. And the like may be said of the following verse.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. them that seethe seers orprophets.
them that hearthepeople under instruction (Isa 35:5;Isa 35:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim,…. Not of the seers and prophets, or ministers of the word only, but of the righteous in general, as the Targum; even all such as are illuminated by the Spirit of God, who shall have a clear discerning of Gospel truths, behold with open face, with eyes unveiled, the glory of them, and of Christ in them, and not have their eyes covered, or such a dim obscure knowledge of them as under the law; and not only the watchmen shall see, eye to eye, all truths clearly and distinctly, but even all, from the least to the greatest, shall know the Lord, and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of him, as the waters cover the sea. It is a prophecy of the great increase of spiritual light in the times of the Messiah:
and the ears of them that hear shall hearken: very diligently and attentively to the word preached, and receive and embrace the doctrines of the Gospel, and submit to, and obey, the ordinances of it.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The second is an opened understanding, following upon the ban of hardening. “And the eyes of the seeing no more are closed, and the ears of the hearing attend. And the heart of the hurried understands to know, and the tongue of stammerers speaks clear things with readiness.” It is not physical miracles that are predicted here, but a spiritual change. The present judgment of hardening will be repealed: this is what Isa 32:3 affirms. The spiritual defects, from which many suffer who do not belong to the worst, will be healed: this is the statement in Isa 32:4. The form is not the future of here, as in Isa 31:1; Isa 22:4; Isa 17:7-8 (in the sense of, they will no longer stare about restlessly and without aim), but of = , a metaplastic future of the latter, in the sense of, to be smeared over to closed (see Isa 29:9; Isa 6:10; cf., tach in Isa 44:18). On qashabh (the kal of which is only met with here), see at Isa 21:7. The times succeeding the hardening, of which Isaiah is speaking here, are “the last times,” as Isa 6:1-13 clearly shows; though it does not therefore follow that the king mentioned in Isa 32:1 (as in Isa 11:1.) is the Messiah Himself. In Isa 32:1 the prophet merely affirms, that Israel as a national commonwealth will then be governed in a manner well pleasing to God; here he predicts that Israel as a national congregation will be delivered from the judgment of not seeing with seeing eyes, and not hearing with hearing ears, and that it will be delivered from defects of weakness also. The nimharm are those that fall headlong, the precipitate, hurrying, or rash; and the , stammerers, are not scoffers (Isa 28:7., Isa 19:20), as Knobel and Drechsler maintain, but such as are unable to think and speak with distinctness and certainty, more especially concerning the exalted things of God. The former would now have the gifts of discernment ( yabhn ), to perceive things in their true nature, and to distinguish under all circumstances that which is truly profitable ( ladaath ); the latter would be able to express themselves suitably, with refinement, clearness, and worthiness. Tsachoth (old ed. tsachoth ) signifies that which is light, transparent; not merely intelligible, but refined and elegant. gives the adverbial idea to l e dabber (Ewald, 285, a).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. and 4. Then the eyes of them that see. Hence we see more clearly that, while the Prophet describes the reign of Hezekiah, he intends to lead us farther; for here he discourses concerning the restoration of the Church, which indeed was shadowed out by Hezekiah, but has been actually fulfilled in Christ. We know that the Church is never in a healthy condition, unless she be internally ruled by righteous and wise governors. Now, this cannot be, unless Christ reign; and here, therefore, Christ and his reign are specially recommended to us. This promise is contrasted with the dreadful threatening which he had uttered in a former chapter, (Isa 29:10,) that he would blind the Jews; for here, on the other hand, he promises the true light, that they who were formerly blind may be enlightened, that “the deaf may begin to hear, that fools may understand, and that stammerers may speak.”
He calls them seeing and hearing who ought to have seen and heard when the word of God was exhibited to them; but they chose to be blind and deaf, and turned away their thoughts and hearts from doctrine. The Lord promises that he will restore to these persons eyes, ears, a tongue, and understanding. Now, it is certain that nothing is here promised which does not proceed from the grace of God; for he does not merely declare what men will do, but what God himself will do in men. These are extraordinary gifts of God; as, on the contrary, when he blinds, when he takes away understanding and the right use of speech, when he suffers ignorance and barbarism to prevail, these are dreadful punishments by which he takes vengeance on men for their ingratitude and for their contempt of the word. He promises that, at length, in compassion towards his people, the Lord will restore what he had justly taken away from them; and it must have been through the kindness of Christ that a tongue to speak, a mind to understand, and ears to hear, are restored to us; for formerly we were dull of apprehension, and were struck with frightful stupidity.
Let us therefore know that out of Christ there is no spiritual life in the world, because here they are declared to be destitute of sight, hearing, sound understanding, and the proper use of speech,
“
till they be united in one body, of which he is the head.” (330) (Eph 4:15.)
Hence it follows that, when the kingdom of Christ is overthrown, these blessings are also taken away. It ought also to be observed, that the blessings which are here recommended are above all others excellent and desirable; for riches, and possessions, and everything else in which men commonly judge the happiness of life to consist, ought to be reckoned of no value in comparison of these blessings. Amidst the abundance of all things we shall be miserable, unless the Lord restore those spiritual blessings of which the Prophet speaks in this passage; and therefore, when they are taken away, let us know that Christ also is at a distance from us, and that we are strangers to him, seeing that it is from him alone, as Paul informs us, that all spiritual blessings flow. (Eph 1:3.) When we see that those blessings which had been taken away for a long period are now restored to us, let us be ashamed of our ingratitude in not rendering to Christ that glory which was due to him, and in not employing the understanding which he gave to us in spreading his kingdom and promoting his worship; for we plainly shew that he has no dominion over us.
And the heart of fools. (331) As fools are commonly hasty and rash, so the Hebrew writers take the word haste (332) as denoting folly; for wise men are usually cautious.
(330) Bogus footnote
(331) Bogus footnote
(332) Bogus footnote
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) The eyes of them that see . . .Another reversal, like that of Isa. 29:18, of the sentence of judicial blindness with which Isaiahs work as a prophet had begun (Isa. 6:10).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3, 4. Eyes not be dim ears hearken Under which Messiah the process of heart-hardening will not be the rule, as in the prophet’s time, but the exception. He is speaking of times when the present moral order shall be reversed in a large degree: when conscience shall be normally educated, and false views and tendencies will not prevail.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 32:3. And the eyes, &c. The prophet here goes on to set forth the prerogatives of this time and kingdom; which, however primarily they may refer to the reign of Hezekiah, must, in their full and complete sense, be referred to the reign of Christ. He says, that the demonstration of the divine glory, justice, and grace, should be so brightly displayed in this strange event of the Assyrian overthrow, and in other similar signs discovered at this time, (see chap. 38:) that they who before hung in doubt respecting the care and providence of God to his people, as if dimness was before their eyes, should now be plainly convinced of his divine presence with his people, and of the certainty and efficacy of his aid. Their eyes should be opened, and their ears should, with reverent attention hear those truths concerning the divine interposition, which they had too little regarded from God’s prophets heretofore.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
It would enlarge this Commentary to an extent indeed, were I to analyze the several verses here brought together, and say the half of what might be said in the paraphrase upon them. But all the blessed effects here spoken of, may be well supposed to result from the Redeemer’s kingdom in the hearts of his people, when:
Jesus reigns and rules there, the Lord over every passion. Reader! what I would particularly desire you to do while reading these verses, is the same conduct as I pray for grace to observe in my own instance, I mean, to ask and inquire whether our eyes be no longer dim; if our ears be hearkening; and if, with heart and tongue, we are blessing him who reigneth in righteousness? For if we truly belong to his kingdom, then hath he opened our eyes, and unstopped our ears, and formed both our hearts and tongues to speak to his praise. See what the prophet said was to mark the era of his reign, Isa 35:4-6 ; then turn to the gospel in proof of it, Mat 11:5 ; and then once more look within, and mark well if there be a suitable correspondence there!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 32:3 And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
Ver. 3. And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim. ] Or, Shall not be closed; they shall not wink or be wilfully ignorant, shutting the windows lest the light should come in, or seeking straws to put out their eyes with, as Bernard expresseth it, Festucam quaerunt unde oculos sibi eruant.
And the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 29:18, Isa 29:24, Isa 30:26, Isa 35:5, Isa 35:6, Isa 54:13, Isa 60:1, Isa 60:2, Jer 31:34, Mat 13:11, Mar 7:37, Mar 8:22-25, Act 26:18, 2Co 4:6, 1Jo 2:20, 1Jo 2:21
Reciprocal: Psa 72:7 – In his days Psa 119:18 – Open Isa 42:16 – I will bring Dan 11:33 – understand Dan 12:4 – many Mat 12:22 – blind Mar 7:35 – General Mar 8:24 – I see Luk 4:18 – and Luk 7:22 – how Joh 9:7 – and came Eph 1:18 – eyes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
32:3 And the eyes of {d} them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
(d) He promises to give the true light which is the pure doctrine of God’s word, and understanding, and zeal of the same, are contrary to the threatenings against the wicked, Isa 6:9; Isa 29:10 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God will transform all the shortcomings of humanity. Physical, but mainly spiritual, transformation is in view. People will perceive, receive, understand, and communicate the truth as they would not and could not before (cf. Isa 6:9-10).