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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Then he touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done to you.
Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch.
And they come to Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind man, and beseech him to touch him. And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the village; and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything. read more. And he looked up, and said, I can see men, for I see them as trees, walking. Then he again put his hands on his eyes, and he saw clearly, and was restored, and saw all things distinctly.
Having thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay with the spittle, and anointed his eyes with the clay,
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn from their ways, and I should heal them."
And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain magian, a Jewish false prophet, whose name was Barjesus,
that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
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 as Jesus passed on from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, Have pity on us, Son of David!
And as Jesus passed on from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out and saying, Have pity on us, Son of David!
And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the village; and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything.
And taking the blind man by the hand, he led him out of the village; and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything.
In that hour he cured many of diseases, and plagues, and evil spirits, and to many who were blind he gave sight.
In that hour he cured many of diseases, and plagues, and evil spirits, and to many who were blind he gave sight.
In these were lying a multitude of diseased persons, blind, lame, withered.
In these were lying a multitude of diseased persons, blind, lame, withered.
And as he was passing along, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth.
And as he was passing along, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth.
And Saul arose from the earth; but when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
And Saul arose from the earth; but when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou wilt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness; and going about he sought to find some who would lead him by the hand.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou wilt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and darkness; and going about he sought to find some who would lead him by the hand.
to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among the sanctified, by faith in me.
to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among the sanctified, by faith in me.
the eyes of your mind being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope belonging to his call of you, and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance which he hath given among the saints,
the eyes of your mind being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope belonging to his call of you, and what the riches of the glory of the inheritance which he hath given among the saints,
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance that is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts;
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance that is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts;
who rescued us from the empire of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son;
who rescued us from the empire of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son;
that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
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, that say, Whoever sweareth by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gold of the temple, is bound. Fools and blind I for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? read more. And, Whoever sweareth by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, is bound. Blind men! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar flint sanctifieth the gift? He then who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it; and he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him who dwelleth in it; and he who sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him who sitteth thereon. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithes of the mint, and the dill, and the cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law, justice, and mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides! who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but within they are full of robbery and licentiousness. Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup, that its outside side also may become clean.
"He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; lest they should see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn from their ways, and I should heal them."
What Israel seeketh after, that Israel did not obtain; but the elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened;
For I would not have you ignorant, brethren, of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness hath to some extent come upon Israel, until the fullness of the gentiles shall have come in.
in whom the God of this world blinded the understandings of the unbelieving, so that they cannot behold the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance that is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts;
and over all these things put on the robe of love, which is the bond of perfectness;
but he that hateth his brother is in the darkness, and walketh in the darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath 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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Then was brought to him one possessed by a demon, blind and dumb; and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.
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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Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch.