“O Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.”
God's attempted correction: 'LORD, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.' This verse presents God's perspective: He has afflicted the people with hardships ('struck them,' 'crushed them') intending to prompt repentance, yet the people have become hardened, resistant to correction. The phrase 'They made their faces harder than stone' suggests deliberate stubbornness: the people have consciously decided not to respond to God's discipline. The refusal to 'repent' (shuv, return) indicates that despite punishment, the people will not turn back to covenant faithfulness. Theologically, this verse articulates the tragedy of unrequited discipline: God's punishments, which should produce repentance, instead produce hardness; the people's hearts become increasingly impervious to God's voice.
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