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 unto you: and their eyes were opened.
Regard them not; for they are blind guides of the blind: and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.
Then He cometh to Bethsaida, where they brought to Him a blind man, and begged of Him that He would touch him. And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and having spit on his eyes, He laid his hands upon him, and asked him, If he saw any thing. read more. And he looked up, and said, I see men (as it were trees) walking. Then He put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored to sight, and saw them all plainly.
And when He had said these things, He spit on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they might not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
And going quite through the island even to Paphos, they found there a certain magician, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus.
Behave yourselves wisely towards them that are without,
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 going from thence, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, Have compassion on us, O Son of David.
And as Jesus was going from thence, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, Have compassion on us, O Son of David.
And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and having spit on his eyes, He laid his hands upon him, and asked him, If he saw any thing.
And He took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and having spit on his eyes, He laid his hands upon him, and asked him, If he saw any thing.
(Now at that very time He cured many of their diseases and plagues, and of evil spirits, and gave sight to many that were blind.)
(Now at that very time He cured many of their diseases and plagues, and of evil spirits, and gave sight to many that were blind.)
In these lay a great number of people that were infirm, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
In these lay a great number of people that were infirm, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
And as Jesus was passing along, He saw a man, who had been blind from his birth.
And as Jesus was passing along, He saw a man, who had been blind from his birth.
And Saul rose from the earth, but when he opened his eyes he could not see: so they led him by the hand, and brought him to Damascus.
And Saul rose from the earth, but when he opened his eyes he could not see: so they led him by the hand, and brought him to Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.
And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.
And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing even the sun for a time. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and groping about he sought for somebody to lead him by the hand.
And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing even the sun for a time. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and groping about he sought for somebody to lead him by the hand.
to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
and enlighten the eyes of your understanding; that ye may know, what is the hope of his calling, and how rich the glory of his inheritance in the saints;
and enlighten the eyes of your understanding; that ye may know, what is the hope of his calling, and how rich the glory of his inheritance in the saints;
in the vanity of their mind, darkened in their understanding, and alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, by reason of the hardness of their heart:
in the vanity of their mind, darkened in their understanding, and alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, by reason of the hardness of their heart:
who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son:
who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son:
Behave yourselves wisely towards them that are without,
Behave yourselves wisely towards them that are without,
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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Wo unto you, ye blind guides, who say, If any one swear by the temple, it is nothing; but if any man swear by the gold of the temple, the oath is binding. Foolish and blind creatures! for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? read more. And, If any one swear by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swear by the gift upon it, he is bound. O foolish and blind! for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifieth the gift? He then, that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things upon it: and he, that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by Him that dwelleth in it: and he, that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth upon it. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance: thou blind pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside of them may be also clean.
He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they might not see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he sought: but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded,
For I would not have you, brethren, to be ignorant of this mystery, (least ye should be wise in your own eyes) that blindness in part is befallen Israel, till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.
among whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, doth not shine unto them:
in the vanity of their mind, darkened in their understanding, and alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them, by reason of the hardness of their heart:
And above all these put on love, which is the band of perfection.
But he, that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not where 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 a demoniac, who was blind and dumb; and he healed Him, so that the blind and dumb man both spake 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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Regard them not; for they are blind guides of the blind: and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch.