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NASB | Isaiah 6:9 He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 6:9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not understand; Keep on looking, but do not comprehend.' |
Bible Question:
Got this from a friend, looking for some assistance on the answer, especially the first part about why the translation differs in the NT... The Hebrew form of the text in NIV says: " 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed." But then the translation done from the Septuagint to English says: "You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' This people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed eyes" In the Hebrew, it looks like God is commanding His people not to understand. I mean, they've been denying Him so long, it makes sense that, like Pharaoh in Exodus, they're out of opportunities. The second version looks more like a prophesy..."you will...never [understand]." Here's the issue: when this passage is quoted in the NT, different versions are used. John 12:40 makes it seem like God deafens people, and Luke 8:10 shows that He accomplishes this through parables. They quote the first form; however, Matthew 13:14-15 and Acts 28:27 quote the Septuagint version and make God seem more passive and less like He forced them into a lack of understanding. Why wouldn't the NT authors quote the same version? I realize that they didn't speak to one another to coordinate, but since the Bible can't be wrong, I don't know how to explain the differences. Looking at the first translation, why would God prevent people from understanding? I could see why He would deafen people if He knew they wouldn't listen completely and then go and start a cult or corrupt the message. However, how does this fit with 2 Peter 3:9? What's the purpose in living anymore if God is done with you and you have no chance at hearing or understanding? |
Bible Answer: continuation, Tamara You noted; But then the translation done from the Septuagint to English says: "You will be ever hearing, but never understanding; you will be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' This people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed eyes" The focus is not on whether or not God makes them dull, it is on that they have choosen this. You noted; In the Hebrew, it looks like God is commanding His people not to understand. I mean, they've been denying Him so long, it makes sense that, like Pharaoh in Exodus, they're out of opportunities. The second version looks more like a prophesy..."you will...never [understand]." Here's the issue: when this passage is quoted in the NT, different versions are used. John 12:40 makes it seem like God deafens people, and Luke 8:10 shows that He accomplishes this through parables. They quote the first form; however, Matthew 13:14-15 and Acts 28:27 quote the Septuagint version and make God seem more passive and less like He forced them into a lack of understanding. When we come across these verses that seem like commands and then prophetic and then passive we should look for the pervasive guiding principles that drive what the authors were saying and what Jesus also was saying about it. The issue accroding to Isaiah was that someone had to be sent to tell the people their spiritual state - that they were not listening and because they were not listening they would keep on not preceiving, and that because of this God would make sure that they would not be saved. That was Isaiah's intent to his audience. Jesus did not change that intent, He upheld it in Mathew and used to parables according to what He said in both Mathew and Luke, to seal their fate according to what they had already choosen to do, not to listen and not to see. Isaiah by the way was prophesying about this according to John's account. Why wouldn't the NT authors quote the same version? I realize that they didn't speak to one another to coordinate, but since the Bible can't be wrong, I don't know how to explain the differences. The NT authors all had the same intent in mind, that in choosing not to listen or see, then God rendered them unable to understand and be saved. The differences are minor in detail, and not contradictory, but the substance remains intact. However, how does this fit with 2 Peter 3:9? Before we come to Mathew 13 Jesus has already preached many times to the crowds about the kingdom and shown them by miraculous wonders and forgiveness of sins that He is God and He knows also who will come and who will not to salvation at this point in time. So how this fits in the picture of II Peter 3:9 is that you have used II Peter 3:9 out of context. II Peter 3:9 is about that the whole earth and the whole heavens are going to pass away and be burned up, and that the Day of the Lord to judge the wicked is coming in the future, so then Peter says two things about this - with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day - and that this is refering to that the Lord is not slow about coming back to judge the wicked, but that He is patient toward those who still need to be repent and be saved before He comes back. So this is not talking about what happened to the wicked whom Jesus was addressing in the gospels while He was walking around alive, it is talking about why the Lord is taking so very long to come back before judgment day. What's the purpose in living anymore if God is done with you and you have no chance at hearing or understanding? Jesus gave them a chance to hear Him and come to an understanding but He knew they were rejecting Him and closed them off from the chance they threw away. We now have to hear and make our descision and not turn our backs on Him, Jesus says whoever will deny Me, I will deny him to the Father. Hope this clears it up, God Bless You, Tamara |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Is 6:9 | Author | ||
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live4jc316 | ||
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Val | ||
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Val | ||
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Tamara Brewington | ||
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Tamara Brewington |