ACTS 28:26 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:”
'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.
Church Fathers on Acts 28:26
both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the Prophets. And some believed, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spoke the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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