'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."' - Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9, the prophecy of hardened hearing and seeing. The formula 'you will be ever hearing but never understanding' (akoe akousete kai ou mē synēte, akoe akousete kai ou mē synēte-'hearing you will hear and in no way understand') reflects the Aramaic wordplay in Isaiah's original. The 'seeing but never perceiving' (blepō blepse te kai ou mē eidēte, blepō blepse te kai ou mē eidēte-'seeing you will see and in no way perceive') describes a condition of spiritual blindness despite physical sight. The quote marks a turning point: Israel's corporate refusal to receive the gospel leads to its proclamation to the Gentiles.

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