Reference: Blindness
American
This distressing malady is very prevalent in the East. Many physical causes in those countries unite to injure the organs of vision. The sun is hot, and in the atmosphere floats a very fine dust, which enters and frets the eye. The armies of France and England, which were so long in Egypt during the French was, suffered severely from ophthalmic disease. In the cities of Egypt, blindness is perpetuated as a contagious disease by the filthy habits of the natives. It is of frequent occurrence also on the coast of Syria. In ancient times the eyes of person hated or feared were often torn out, Jg 16:21; 1Sa 11:2; 2Ki 25:7. Blindness was sometimes inflicted as a punishment, Ge 19:11; Ac 13:6; and it was often threatened as a penalty, De 28:28. The Jews were enjoined by the humane laws of Moses to show all kindness and consideration to the blind, Le 19:14; De 27:18. No one affected with this infirmity could officiate as priest, /#Le 21:18.
Our Savior miraculously cured many cases of blindness, both that which was caused by disease and that which had existed from birth. In these cases there was a double miracle; for not only was the organ of sight restored, but also the faculty of using it which is usually gained only by long experience, Mr 8:22-25. The touching of the eyes of the blind, and anointing them with clay, Mt 9:29; Joh 9:6, can not have had any medicinal or healing effect. The healing was miraculous, by the power of God.
Blindness is often used for ignorance and error, especially our sinful want of discernment as to spiritual things, Mt 15:14; 2Co 4:4. The abuse of God's mercy increases this blindness, Joh 12:40. Blessed are the eyes that fix their adoring gaze first of all on the Redeemer.
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and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway.
"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD.
Indeed, any person who has a defect is not to approach the Tent of Meeting the blind, the lame, one who is mutilated in the face or who has a very long limb,
""Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'
The LORD will afflict you with insanity, blindness, and mental confusion.
Then the Philistines grabbed him, gouged out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza, tied him up in bronze chains, and made him grind grain in their prison.
Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith, let it be done for you!"
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch."
As they came to Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch him. Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, "Do you see anything?" read more. The man looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking around." Then Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes again, and he saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he saw everything perfectly, even from a distance.
After saying this, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he spread the mud on the man's eyes
"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not perceive with their eyes, and understand with their mind and turn, and I would heal them."
They went through the whole island as far as Paphos, where they found a Jewish occult practitioner and false prophet named Bar-jesus.
Fausets
Its cure is one of our Lord's most frequent miracles (Lu 7:21; Mt 9:27; Mr 8:23; Joh 5:3; 9:1), as had been foretold (Isa 29:18; 35:5). In coincidence with this is the commonness of it in the E. In Ludd (Lydda) the saying is, every one is either blind or has but one eye. Jaffa has 500 blind out of 5,000 of a population. The dust and sand pulverized by the intense heat, the constant glare, and in the sandy districts the absence of the refreshing "green grass," (the presence of which Mark notices as noteworthy in the miracle of the feeding the multitudes,) the cold sea air on the coasts, the night dews affecting those sleeping on the roofs, all tend to produce blindness.
It is a constant image used of spiritual darkness, and Jesus' restoration of sight to the blind pointed to the analogous spiritual bestowal of sight on the soul. Paul, who had passed through both the physical and the spiritual transition from darkness to light (Ac 9:8-9), instinctively, by an obviously undesigned coincidence confirming authenticity, often uses the expressive image (Ac 26:18; 2Co 4:4; Eph 1:18; 4:18; Col 1:13). Elymas was smitten with blindness at Paul's word (Ac 13:11, compare Ge 19:11; 2Ki 6:18). The blind were to be treated kindly (Le 19:14; De 27:18). The pagan conquerors sometimes blinded captives (2Ki 25:7; 1Sa 11:2).
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and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway.
and blinded the men who were at the entrance of the house, from the least important to the greatest, so they were unable to find the doorway.
"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD.
"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD.
""Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'
""Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'
They executed Zedekiah's sons in his presence, blinded Zedekiah, bound him with bronze chains, and transported him to Babylon.
They executed Zedekiah's sons in his presence, blinded Zedekiah, bound him with bronze chains, and transported him to Babylon.
On that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
On that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
"Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unblocked;
"Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unblocked;
As Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
As Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, "Do you see anything?"
Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spit into his eyes, placed his hands on him, and asked him, "Do you see anything?"
At that time Jesus had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.
At that time Jesus had healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind.
and under these a large number of sick people were lying blind, lame, or paralyzed waiting for the movement of the water.
and under these a large number of sick people were lying blind, lame, or paralyzed waiting for the movement of the water.
As he was walking along, he observed a man who had been blind from birth.
As he was walking along, he observed a man who had been blind from birth.
When Saul got up off the ground, he couldn't see anything, even though his eyes were open. So his companions took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.
When Saul got up off the ground, he couldn't see anything, even though his eyes were open. So his companions took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. For three days he couldn't see, and he didn't eat or drink anything.
For three days he couldn't see, and he didn't eat or drink anything.
The Lord is against you now, and you'll be blind and unable to see the sun for a while!" At that moment a dark mist came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand.
The Lord is against you now, and you'll be blind and unable to see the sun for a while!" At that moment a dark mist came over him, and he went around looking for someone to lead him by the hand.
You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence that is produced by God having called you, the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints,
Then, with the eyes of your hearts enlightened, you will know the confidence that is produced by God having called you, the rich glory that is his inheritance among the saints,
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves,
God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves,
Hastings
Morish
Used metaphorically to describe the state of man by nature under the influence of Satan, 2Co 4:4; also a professing Christian who hates his brother, 1Jo 2:11; also the state of Israel in their heartless profession, Mt 23:16-26; and the judicial blindness on Israel. Joh 12:40. In Ro 11:7,25; 2Co 3:14; Eph 4:18, it is rather 'obdurateness or hardness,' from ?????,'to harden.'
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"How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, "Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused, but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.' You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the sanctuary that made the gold holy? read more. Again you say, "Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.' You blind men! Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. The one who swears an oath by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who lives there. And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it. "How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel! "How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that its outside may also be clean.
"He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not perceive with their eyes, and understand with their mind and turn, and I would heal them."
What, then, does this mean? It means that Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking, but the selected group obtained it while the rest were hardened.
For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.
In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which ties everything together in unity.
But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Smith
is extremely common in the East from many causes. Blind beggars figure repeatedly in the New Testament
and "opening the eyes of the blind" is mentioned in prophecy as a peculiar attribute of the Messiah.
etc. The Jews were specially charged to treat the blind with compassion and care.
Le 19:14; De 27:18
Blindness willfully inflicted for political or other purposes is alluded to in Scripture.
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"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD.
""Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'
Nahash the Ammonite told them, "I'll make a covenant with you on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel."
On that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
to open blind eyes and to bring out those who are bound from their cells, and those sitting in darkness from prison.
Then he put out Zedekiah's eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to take him to Babylon.
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to talk was brought to him. Jesus healed him so that the man could speak and see.
Watsons
BLINDNESS is often used in Scripture to express ignorance or want of discernment in divine things, as well as the being destitute of natural sight. See Isa 42:18-19; 6:10; Mt 15:14. "Blindness of heart" is the want of understanding arising from the influence of vicious passions. "Hardness of heart" is stubbornness of will, and destitution of moral feeling. Moses says, "Thou shalt not put a stumbling block before the blind," Le 19:14, which may be understood literally; or figuratively, as if Moses recommended that charity and instruction should be shown to them who want light and counsel, or to those who are in danger of going wrong through their ignorance. Moses says also, "Cursed be he who maketh the blind to wander out of his way," De 27:18, which may also be taken in the same manner. An ignorant or erring teacher is compared by our Lord to a blind man leading a blind man;
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"You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind. "You are to fear God. I am the LORD.
""Cursed is the one who misleads a blind person on the road.' "Then all the people are to respond by saying, "Amen!'
Dull the mind of this people, deafen their ears, and blind their eyes. By doing so, they won't see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed."
"Listen, you deaf people, and look up, you blind people, so you may see! Who is blind except my servant, or deaf like my messenger I am sending? Who is blind like the one committed to me, or blind like the LORD's servant?
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch."