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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Thou shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but thou shall fear thy God. I am LORD.
For whatever man he is who has a blemish, he shall not approach: [not] a blind man, or a lame [man], or he who has a flat nose, or anything superfluous,
Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
LORD will smite thee with madness, and with blindness, and with confusion of mind,
And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grinding in the prison-house.
Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith may it happen to you.
Leave them. They are blind leaders of blind men, and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch.
And he comes to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man to him, and call for him so that he might touch him. And having taken the hand of the blind man, he led him outside of the village. And having spat on his eyes, having laid his hands upon him, he questioned him if he sees anything? read more. And having looked up, he said, The men that I see, I see as trees walking. Then again he put his hands upon his eyes, and made him look up. And he was restored, and saw all men clearly.
Having said these things, he spat toward the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and rubbed the clay on the eyes of the blind man.
He has blinded their eyes, and has hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be turned, and I would heal them.
And after going through the island as far as Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a Jewish FALSE prophet, whose name was 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).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
And they smote the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
Thou shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but thou shall fear thy God. I am LORD.
Thou shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but thou shall fear thy God. I am LORD.
Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
And they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.
And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Be merciful to us, thou son of David.
And when Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Be merciful to us, thou son of David.
And having taken the hand of the blind man, he led him outside of the village. And having spat on his eyes, having laid his hands upon him, he questioned him if he sees anything?
And having taken the hand of the blind man, he led him outside of the village. And having spat on his eyes, having laid his hands upon him, he questioned him if he sees anything?
And in the same hour he healed many from diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And he granted sight to many blind men.
And in the same hour he healed many from diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And he granted sight to many blind men.
In these lay a great multitude of those who are feeble, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the movement of the water.
In these lay a great multitude of those who are feeble, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the movement of the water.
And as he passed on, he saw a man blind from birth.
And as he passed on, he saw a man blind from birth.
And Saul arose from the ground. And when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they brought him into Damascus, leading him by the hand.
And Saul arose from the ground. And when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they brought him into Damascus, leading him by the hand. And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink.
And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink.
And now, behold, a hand of Lord is upon thee, and thou will be blind, not seeing the sun until a time. And immediately there fell on him gloom and darkness, and going around he sought hand-guides.
And now, behold, a hand of Lord is upon thee, and thou will be blind, not seeing the sun until a time. And immediately there fell on him gloom and darkness, and going around he sought hand-guides.
to open their eyes to turn about from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, for them to receive remission of sins and a lot among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.
to open their eyes to turn about from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, for them to receive remission of sins and a lot among those who have been sanctified by faith in me.
having the eyes of your heart enlightened. For you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the sanctified.
having the eyes of your heart enlightened. For you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what is the wealth of the glory of his inheritance in the sanctified.
darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the callousness of their heart.
darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the callousness of their heart.
Who rescued us out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
Who rescued us out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
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.'
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Woe to you, ye blind guides, who say, Whoever may swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the temple, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? read more. And, Whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gift upon it, he is obligated. Ye foolish and blind men, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it. And he who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it. And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits upon it. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye tithe the mint and the anise and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law--justice and mercy and faith. These things must be done, and not neglecting t Ye blind guides, who strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel. Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but inside they are full of plunder and unrighteousness. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, so that the outside of them may also become clean.
He has blinded their eyes, and has hardened their heart, so that they would not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be turned, and I would heal them.
What then? What Israel seeks, this it did not obtain. But the chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened,
For I do not want you, brothers, to be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise according to yourselves, that a callousness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in.
in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, in order for the light of the good-news of the glory of the Christ (who is a likeness of God) not to shine forth to them.
darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the callousness of their heart.
and above all these things, love, which is the bond of perfection.
But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and he goes about in the darkness, and knows not where he goes, 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Thou shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but thou shall fear thy God. I am LORD.
Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out, and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.
And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
Then a blind and mute man being demon possessed, was brought to him. And he healed him, so as for the blind and mute man both to speak and to 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;
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Thou shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but thou shall fear thy God. I am LORD.
Cursed be he who makes the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn, and be healed.
Hear, ye deaf, and look, ye blind, that ye may see. Who is blind, but my servant, or deaf, as my messenger that I send? Who is blind as he who is at peace [with me], and blind as LORD's servant?
Leave them. They are blind leaders of blind men, and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a ditch.