'Blind' in the Bible

When Israel [who was almost blind] saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”

The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

You shall not curse a deaf man nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God [with profound reverence]; I am the Lord.

For no man who has a defect shall approach [God’s altar as a priest]: no man who is blind or lame, or who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb,

Animals that are blind or fractured or mutilated, or have a sore or a running wound or an itch or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord nor make an offering of them by fire on the altar to the Lord.

But if it has any defect or injury, such as lameness or blindness, or any serious defect, you shall not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.

‘Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

and you will be groping at noon [in broad daylight], just as the blind grope in the darkness, and nothing you do will prosper; but you will only be oppressed and exploited and robbed continually, with no one to save you.

Now when they were in high spirits, they said, “Call for Samson, so that he may amuse us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.

Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and [Saul] His anointed [if I have done someone wrong]. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes [to the truth]? [Tell me and] I will restore it to you.”

Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You shall not enter here, for the blind and the lame [even the weakest among us] will turn you away”; they thought, “David cannot come in here [because the walls are impenetrable].”

Then David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites, let him go up through the [underground] water shaft to strike the lame and the blind, who are detested by David’s soul [because of their arrogance].” So [for that reason] they say, “The blind or the lame (Jebusites) shall not come into the [royal] house [of Israel].”

“Who among all these does not recognize [in all these things that good and evil are randomly scattered throughout nature and human life]That the hand of the Lord has done this,

“I was eyes to the blindAnd I was feet to the lame.

The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;The Lord loves the righteous [the upright in heart].

Stop and take some time and wonder [at this prophecy],Blind yourselves and be blinded [at its fulfillment by your spiritual incompetence].They are drunk, but not from wine;They stagger, but not from strong drink.

On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book,And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see [the words of the book].

Then the eyes of the blind will be openedAnd the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.

To open the eyes of the blind,To bring out prisoners from the dungeonAnd those who sit in darkness from the prison.

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;I will guide them in paths that they do not know.I will make darkness into light before themAnd rugged places into plains.These things I will do [for them],And I will not leave them abandoned or undone.”

Hear, you deaf!And look, you blind, that you may see.

Who is blind but My servant [Israel],Or deaf like My messenger whom I send?Who is blind like the one who is at peace with Me [in a covenant relationship],Or so blind as the servant of the Lord?

Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,And the deaf, even though they have ears.

Israel’s watchmen are blind,They are all without knowledge.They are all mute dogs, they cannot bark;Panting, lying down, they love to slumber.

We grope for a wall like the blind,We grope like those who have no eyes.We stumble at midday as in the twilight;Among those who are healthy we are like dead men.

“Behold, I am bringing them from the north country,And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth,Among them [will be] the blind and the lame,The woman with child and she who labors in childbirth, together;A great company, they will return here [to Jerusalem].

They wandered, blind, in the streets;They were defiled with bloodSo that no one could touch their garments.

I will bring distress on menSo that they will walk like the blind [unable to find a way of escape],Because they have sinned against the Lord;Their blood will be poured out like dust [and trampled underfoot],And their flesh like dung.

When you [priests] present the blind [animals] for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Offer such a thing [as a blind or lame or sick animal] to your governor [as a gift or as payment for your taxes]. Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you graciously?” says the Lord of hosts.

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, screaming loudly, “Have mercy and compassion on us, Son of David (Messiah)!”

When He went into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

the blind receive [their] sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed [by healing] and the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man both spoke and saw.

Leave them alone; they are blind guides [leading blind followers]. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

And great crowds came to Him, bringing with them the lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they put them down at His feet; and He healed them.

So the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they praised and glorified the God of Israel.

And two blind men were sitting by the road, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David (Messiah)!”

And the blind and the lame came to Him in [the porticoes and courts of] the temple area, and He healed them.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears [an oath] by the sanctuary of the temple, that is nothing (non-binding); but whoever swears [an oath] by the gold of the temple is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].’

You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the sanctuary of the temple that sanctified the gold?

You [spiritually] blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?

You [spiritually] blind guides, who strain out a gnat [consuming yourselves with miniscule matters] and swallow a camel [ignoring and violating God’s precepts]!

You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.

Then they came to Bethsaida; and some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged Him to touch him.

Taking the blind man by the hand, He led him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”

Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting beside the road [as was his custom].

Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, telling him, “Take courage, get up! He is calling for you.”

And Jesus said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni (my Master), let me regain my sight.”

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (the Messiah),Because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor.He has sent Me to announce release (pardon, forgiveness) to the captives,And recovery of sight to the blind,To set free those who are oppressed (downtrodden, bruised, crushed by tragedy),

He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man guide [another] blind man? Will they not both fall into a hole in the ground?

At that very hour Jesus healed many people of sicknesses and infirmities and evil spirits; and He gave [the gracious gift of] sight to many who were blind.

So He replied to them, “Go and tell John about everything you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news (gospel) preached to them.

But when you give a banquet or a reception, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind,

So the servant came back and reported this to his master. Then [his master,] the head of the household, became angry [at the rejections of his invitation] and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and the lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.’

As He was approaching Jericho [on His way to Jerusalem], it happened that a blind man was sitting beside the road begging.

In these porticoes lay a great number of people who were sick, blind, lame, withered, [waiting for the stirring of the water;

And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form [His majesty and greatness—what He is like].

While He was passing by, He noticed a man [who had been] blind from birth.

His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi (Teacher), who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?”

Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed and illustrated in him.

Then they brought the man who was formerly blind to the Pharisees.

Accordingly they said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “[It must be that] He is a prophet!”

However, the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the man’s parents.

They asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?”

His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;

So a second time they called the man who had been [born] blind, and said to him, “Give God glory and praise [for your sight]! We know this Man [Jesus] is a sinner [separated from God].”

Then he answered, “I do not know whether He is a sinner [separated from God]; but one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.

Then Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment [to separate those who believe in Me from those who reject Me—to declare judgment on those who choose to be separated from God], so that the sightless would see, and those who see would become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “Are we also blind?”

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind [to spiritual things], you would have no sin [and would not be blamed for your unbelief]; but since you claim to have [spiritual] sight, [you have no excuse so] your sin and guilt remain.

Others were saying, “These are not the words and thoughts of one possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

But some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the blind man’s eyes, have kept this man from dying?”

Now, watch! The hand of the Lord is on you, and you will be blind, [so blind that you will be] unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell upon him, and he groped around, seeking people to lead him by the hand.

Or do you have no regard for the wealth of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]?

and [if you] are confident that you are a [qualified] guide to the blind [those untaught in theology], a light to those who are in darkness,

For whoever lacks these qualities is blind—shortsighted [closing his spiritual eyes to the truth], having become oblivious to the fact that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],