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 to you;
Let them go; they are blind guides of the blind. But if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the pit.
And they came to Bethsaida; and they brought him a blind man, and besought him to touch him. And taking the hand of the blind man, he brought him out of the village, and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him, Do you see any thing? read more. And looking up he said, I see men, as trees walking. Then he put his hands on his eyes again, and he looked, and was restored, and saw all things clearly.
Saying these things he spit on the ground, and made a paste of the spittle, and put the paste on his eyes,
He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should cure them.
And having gone through the whole island to Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus,
that I may declare it plainly, 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 was departing thence two blind men followed him, crying and saying, Have mercy on us, Son of David!
And as Jesus was departing thence two blind men followed him, crying and saying, Have mercy on us, Son of David!
And taking the hand of the blind man, he brought him out of the village, and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him, Do you see any thing?
And taking the hand of the blind man, he brought him out of the village, and spitting on his eyes, and putting his hands on him, he asked him, Do you see any thing?
And in that hour he cured many of diseases, and plagues, and of evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind.
And in that hour he cured many of diseases, and plagues, and of evil spirits, and gave sight to many blind.
In these lay a multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered.
In these lay a multitude of sick, blind, lame, withered.
AND passing by he saw a man that was blind from birth;
AND passing by he saw a man that was blind from birth;
And Saul arose from the earth, and his eyes being opened he saw nothing; and leading him by the hand they conducted him to Damascus.
And Saul arose from the earth, and his eyes being opened he saw nothing; and leading him by the hand they conducted him to Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither eat nor drank.
And he was three days without sight, and neither eat nor drank.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and going about he sought guides.
And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and going about he sought guides.
to open their eyes, to turn them 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, to turn them 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 minds being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his call, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
the eyes of your minds being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his call, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
with their understandings darkened, alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts,
with their understandings darkened, alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts,
who delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
who delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
that I may declare it plainly, as I ought to speak.
that I may declare it plainly, 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, who say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound. Fools and blind! for which is greater, the gold, or the temple which sanctifies the gold? read more. If a man swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if be swears by the gift which is on it, he is bound. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift? He then that swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things on it; and he that swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that inhabits it; and he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sits on it. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith. These you ought to do, and not neglect the others. Blind guides! who strain out a gnat and swallow down a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of plunder and excess. Blind Pharisee! cleanse first that which is in the cup and platter, that its outside may be clean also.
He has blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, that they should not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I should cure them.
What then? What Israel seeks, this it did not obtain, but the election obtained; and the rest were hardened,??8 as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear??o this day.
For I wish you not to be ignorant, brothers, of this mystery; that you may not be wise in your own conceit. For hardness in part has come upon Israel, till the fullness of the gentiles shall come in,
in whom the god of this life has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God, may not shine.
with their understandings darkened, alienated from the life of God on account of the ignorance which is in them, on account of the hardness of their hearts,
and in addition to all these [put on] love, which is the bond of perfection.
but he that hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in 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.
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THEN a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he cured him, so that the blind and dumb 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 go; they are blind guides of the blind. But if the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the pit.