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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Isaiah 43:8

Get the blind and deaf out here and ready— the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes) and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears). Then get the other nations out here and ready. Let's see what they have to say about this, how they account for what's happened. Let them present their expert witnesses and make their case; let them try to convince us what they say is true. "But you are my witnesses." God 's Decree. "You're my handpicked servant So that you'll come to know and trust me, understand both that I am and who I am. Previous to me there was no such thing as a god, nor will there be after me. I, yes I, am God . I'm the only Savior there is. I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene. And you know it, you're my witnesses, you're the evidence." God 's Decree. "Yes, I am God. I've always been God and I always will be God. No one can take anything from me. I make; who can unmake it?"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Condescension of God;   Depravity of Man;   Isaiah;   The Topic Concordance - Choosing/chosen;   Israel/jews;   Servants;   Witness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ear, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Testimony;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Deafness;   Isaiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Election;   Messiah;   Micah, Book of;   Righteousness;   Seba;   Servant of the Lord;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Blind;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Deaf;   Messiah;   Omniscience;   Servant of Yahweh (the Lord);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Bring out a people who are blind, yet have eyes,and are deaf, yet have ears.
Hebrew Names Version
Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
King James Version
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
English Standard Version
Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
New American Standard Bible
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And those who are deaf, even though they have ears.
New Century Version
Bring out the people who have eyes but don't see and those who have ears but don't hear.
Amplified Bible
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears.
World English Bible
Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I will bring foorth the blinde people, and they shall haue eyes, and the deafe, and they shall haue eares.
Legacy Standard Bible
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes,And the deaf, even though they have ears.
Berean Standard Bible
Bring out a people who have eyes but are blind, and who have ears but are deaf.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord said: Bring my people together. They have eyes and ears, but they can't see or hear.
Complete Jewish Bible
Bring forward the people who are blind but have eyes, also the deaf who have ears.
Darby Translation
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Easy-to-Read Version
"Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind. Bring out the people who have ears but are deaf.
George Lamsa Translation
Bring forth the blind people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears.
Good News Translation
God says, "Summon my people to court. They have eyes, but they are blind; they have ears, but they are deaf!
Lexham English Bible
Bring out the people blind yet with eyes, and deaf, though they have ears.
Literal Translation
Bring out the blind people, yet there are eyes; and the deaf, yet there are ears to him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Bringe forth that people, whether they haue eyes or be blynde, deaf or haue eares.
American Standard Version
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Bible in Basic English
Send out the blind people who have eyes, and those who have ears, but they are shut.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The blind people that have eyes shall be brought forth, and the deaf that have ears.
King James Version (1611)
Bring foorth the blinde people, that haue eyes; and the deafe that haue eares.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Bring foorth that people whiche is blinde and yet hath eyes, whiche are deafe although they haue eares.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and I have brought forth the blind people; for their eyes are alike blind, and they that have ears are deaf.
English Revised Version
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lede thou forth the blynde puple, and hauynge iyen; the deef puple, and eeris ben to it.
Update Bible Version
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
Webster's Bible Translation
Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
New English Translation
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, those who are deaf, even though they have ears!
New King James Version
Bring out the blind people who have eyes, And the deaf who have ears.
New Living Translation
Bring out the people who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf.
New Life Bible
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, and those who cannot hear, even though they have ears.
New Revised Standard
Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Bring forth A blind people that have, eyes, and A deaf, that have, ears.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Bring forth the people that are blind, and have eyes: that are deaf, and have ears.
Revised Standard Version
Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears!
Young's Literal Translation
He brought out a blind people who have eyes, And deaf ones who have ears.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears.

Contextual Overview

8Get the blind and deaf out here and ready— the blind (though there's nothing wrong with their eyes) and the deaf (though there's nothing wrong with their ears). Then get the other nations out here and ready. Let's see what they have to say about this, how they account for what's happened. Let them present their expert witnesses and make their case; let them try to convince us what they say is true. "But you are my witnesses." God 's Decree. "You're my handpicked servant So that you'll come to know and trust me, understand both that I am and who I am. Previous to me there was no such thing as a god, nor will there be after me. I, yes I, am God . I'm the only Savior there is. I spoke, I saved, I told you what existed long before these upstart gods appeared on the scene. And you know it, you're my witnesses, you're the evidence." God 's Decree. "Yes, I am God. I've always been God and I always will be God. No one can take anything from me. I make; who can unmake it?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 6:9, Isaiah 42:18-20, Isaiah 44:18-20, Deuteronomy 29:2-4, Jeremiah 5:21, Ezekiel 12:2, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

Reciprocal: Isaiah 35:5 - the eyes Isaiah 44:9 - their own Isaiah 48:6 - and will Daniel 10:21 - I will Matthew 11:5 - the deaf Luke 7:22 - the deaf Luke 18:43 - he John 9:7 - and came Acts 26:18 - open

Cross-References

Genesis 42:38
But Jacob refused. "My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he is all I have left. If something bad happens to him on the road, you'll put my gray, sorrowing head in the grave."
Genesis 45:19
"Also tell them this: ‘Here's what I want you to do: Take wagons from Egypt to carry your little ones and your wives and load up your father and come back. Don't worry about having to leave things behind; the best in all of Egypt will be yours.'"
Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother so that you'll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
Numbers 14:31
"Your children, the very ones that you said would be taken for plunder, I'll bring in to enjoy the land you rejected while your corpses will be rotting in the wilderness. These children of yours will live as shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, living with the fallout of your whoring unfaithfulness until the last of your generation lies a corpse in the wilderness. You scouted out the land for forty days; your punishment will be a year for each day, a forty-year sentence to serve for your sins—a long schooling in my displeasure.
Deuteronomy 33:6
Reuben: "Let Reuben live and not die, but just barely, in diminishing numbers."
2 Kings 7:13
One of his advisors answered, "Let some men go and take five of the horses left behind. The worst that can happen is no worse than what could happen to the whole city. Let's send them and find out what's happened."
Ezra 8:21
I proclaimed a fast there beside the Ahava Canal, a fast to humble ourselves before our God and pray for wise guidance for our journey—all our people and possessions. I was embarrassed to ask the king for a cavalry bodyguard to protect us from bandits on the road. We had just told the king, "Our God lovingly looks after all those who seek him, but turns away in disgust from those who leave him."
Psalms 118:17
I didn't die. I lived! And now I'm telling the world what God did. God tested me, he pushed me hard, but he didn't hand me over to Death. Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates! I'll walk right through and thank God ! This Temple Gate belongs to God , so the victors can enter and praise.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears,.... The Targum applies this to the bringing of the people of Israel out of Egypt; and others understand it of their deliverance from the Babylonish captivity; and some of the exclusion of them from the kingdom of heaven, and casting them into outward darkness, according to Matthew 8:12, but it is rather to be understood of the conviction of them; though better of the Gentiles, and of the enlightening of them, who before were blind; and causing them to hear, who before were deaf to spiritual things, agreeably to what goes before. It seems best to consider the words as a summons to the Heathens uncalled, to the Roman Pagan empire, to come forth and appear, who were as blind and deaf as the idols they worshipped, and plead their cause, agreeably to what follows.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bring forth the blind people - Many have understood this of the Jews. So Vitringa, Rosenmuller, Grotius, and others understand it. But Lowth, more correctly, regards it as referring to the Gentiles. It is designed as an argument to show the superiority of God over all idols, and to demonstrate that he was able to deliver his people from captivity and exile. He appeals, therefore Isaiah 43:9, to his own people in proof of his divinity and power. None of the pagan Isaiah 43:8 had been able to predict future events, none of the pagan gods, therefore, could save; but Yahweh, who had so often foretold events that were fulfilled, was able to deliver, and of that fact his own people had had abundant evidence.

That have eyes - They had natural faculties to see and know God (compare Romans 1:20), but they had not improved them, and they had, therefore, run into the sin and folly of idolatry. The phrase ‘bring forth,’ implies a solemn appeal made by God to them to enter into an argument on the subject (compare the note at Isaiah 41:1).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 43:8. Bring forth the blind people that have eyes - "Bring forth the people, blind, although they have eyes"] I understand this of the Gentiles, as the verse following, not of the Jews. Their natural faculties, if they had made a proper use of them, must have led them to the knowledge of the being and attributes of the one true God; "for his eternal power and Godhead," if well attended to, are clearly seen in his works, (Romans 1:20,) and would have preserved them from running into the folly and absurdity of worshipping idols. They are here challenged to produce the evidence of the power and foreknowledge of their idol gods; and the Jews are just afterwards, Isaiah 43:10, appealed to as witnesses for God in this cause, therefore these latter cannot here be meant by the people blind with eyes and deaf with ears.


 
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