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 the men which were at the door of the house, they struck with blindness, from small to great: and they will be wearied to find the door.
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, and before the blind thou shalt not give a stumbling block, and thou shalt fear thy God: I Jehovah.
For every man to whom in him a blemish shall not come near: a man blind, or lame, or flat-nosed, or stretched out,
Cursed he causing the blind to wander in the way: and all the people said, Amen.
Jehovah will strike thee with madness and with blindness and with astonishment of heart;
And Philisteim will seize him, and they will bore out his eyes, and will bring him down to Gaza and bind him with fetters of brass, and he will be grinding in the house of bonds.
Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it to you.
Let them go: they are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
And he comes to Bethsaida; and they bring to him one blind, and beseech him that he would touch him. And having taken the hand of the blind, he led him forth without the town; and having spit into his eyes, having put hands upon him, he asked him if he saw any thing. read more. And having looked up, he said, I see men that I see as trees, walking. Then again he put hands upon his eyes, and made him look up; and he was restored, and he saw all clearly.
Having said these, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and rubbed the clay upon the eyes of the blind,
He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart: lest they see with the eyes, and understand with the heart, and should turn back, and I should heal them.
And having passed through the island to Paphos, they found a certain magician, a false prophet, a Jew, the name to him Barjesus:
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 the men which were at the door of the house, they struck with blindness, from small to great: and they will be wearied to find the door.
And the men which were at the door of the house, they struck with blindness, from small to great: and they will be wearied to find the door.
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, and before the blind thou shalt not give a stumbling block, and thou shalt fear thy God: I Jehovah.
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, and before the blind thou shalt not give a stumbling block, and thou shalt fear thy God: I Jehovah.
Cursed he causing the blind to wander in the way: and all the people said, Amen.
Cursed he causing the blind to wander in the way: and all the people said, Amen.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and he will bind him with fetters, and bring him to Babel.
And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and he will bind him with fetters, and bring him to Babel.
In that day the deaf heard the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness, and darkness.
In that day the deaf heard the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness, and darkness.
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened.
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened.
And Jesus passing from thence, two blind ones followed him, crying out and saying, Commiserate us, O son of David.
And Jesus passing from thence, two blind ones followed him, crying out and saying, Commiserate us, O son of David.
And having taken the hand of the blind, he led him forth without the town; and having spit into his eyes, having put hands upon him, he asked him if he saw any thing.
And having taken the hand of the blind, he led him forth without the town; and having spit into his eyes, having put hands upon him, he asked him if he saw any thing.
And in that same hour he cured many of diseases, and scourges, and evil spirits, and to many blind he conferred the favor to see.
And in that same hour he cured many of diseases, and scourges, and evil spirits, and to many blind he conferred the favor to see.
In these lay a great multitude of weak, blind, lame, withered, expecting the moving of the water.
In these lay a great multitude of weak, blind, lame, withered, expecting the moving of the water.
And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth.
And passing by, he saw a man blind from birth.
And Saul was raised up from the earth; and his eyes being opened, he saw no one: and leading him by the hand, they brought him to Damascus.
And Saul was raised up from the earth; and his eyes being opened, he saw no one: and leading him by the hand, they brought him to Damascus. And he was three days not seeing, and he ate not, nor drank.
And he was three days not seeing, and he ate not, nor drank.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun till the time. And immediately fell upon him mist and darkness; and going about he sought leading by hand.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun till the time. And immediately fell upon him mist and darkness; and going about he sought leading by hand.
To open their eyes, to turn them back from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, fur them to receive remission of sins, and inheritance with the consecrated by faith in me.
To open their eyes, to turn them back from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, fur them to receive remission of sins, and inheritance with the consecrated by faith in me.
The eyes of your understanding enlightened; for you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the holy ones,
The eyes of your understanding enlightened; for you to know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the holy ones,
Being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God by ignorance being in them, by the hardness of their heart;
Being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God by ignorance being in them, by the hardness of their heart;
Who saved us from the power of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of his love:
Who saved us from the power of darkness, and transferred 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.'
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Woe to you blind guides, saying, Whoever should swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever should swear by the gold of the temple, he is indebted! Foolish and blind; for which is the greater, the gold, or the temple consecrating the gold? read more. And, Whoever should swear by the altar, it is nothing; and whoever should swear by the gift above it, he is indebted. Foolish and blind: for which is the greater, the gift, or the altar, consecrating the gifts? Therefore, he having sworn by the altar, swears by it, and by all above it. And he having sworn by the temple, swears by it, and by him dwelling in it. And he having sworn by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him sitting above it. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye exact tenths and dill and cummin, and ye have left the weightier things of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith: these it was necessary to do, and not to let go those. Blind guides, straining a gnat, and swallowing down a camel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup, and the side dish of sweet-meats, and within they are full of pillage and bad mixture. O blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, and side dish of sweetmeats, that also their outside might be clean.
He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart: lest they see with the eyes, and understand with the heart, and should turn back, and I should heal them.
What then What Israel seeks for, this be attained not; but the selection attained, and the rest were hardened.
For I will not ye should not know, brethren, this mystery, lest ye be wise with yourselves; for hardness from part has been to Israel, till the filling up of the nations come in.
In whom the God of this world blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the enlightening of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, does not enlighten them.
Being darkened in understanding, alienated from the life of God by ignorance being in them, by the hardness of their heart;
And over all these, love, which is the bond of completion.
And he hating his brother is in darkness, and walks about in darkness, and knows not where he goes forward, for 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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Thou shalt not curse the deaf, and before the blind thou shalt not give a stumbling block, and thou shalt fear thy God: I Jehovah.
Cursed he causing the blind to wander in the way: and all the people said, Amen.
And Nahash the Ammonite will say to them, Upon this I will cut out to you in boring out for you every right eye, and I put it a reproach upon all Israel.
In that day the deaf heard the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of thick darkness, and darkness.
To open the eyes of the blind, to bring forth the bound out of prison, those sitting in darkness out of the house of the prison.
And he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah, and he will bind him with fetters of brass to bring him to Babel.
Then he possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb, was brought to him; and he cured him, so that the blind and dumb spake and saw also.
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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Thou shalt not curse the deaf, and before the blind thou shalt not give a stumbling block, and thou shalt fear thy God: I Jehovah.
Cursed he causing the blind to wander in the way: and all the people said, Amen.
Make the heart of this people fat and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes, lest they shall see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and their heart shall understand and turn back and be healed to them.
Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, to see. Who blind but my servant? and deaf as my messenger I shall send? who blind he being perfect? and blind as the servant of Jehovah?
Let them go: they are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.