Deuteronomy 29:4

29:4 But to this very day the Lord has not given you an understanding mind, perceptive eyes, or discerning ears! ¹ 

Psalms 135:10-18

135:10 He defeated many nations,

and killed mighty kings –

135:11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,

and Og, king of Bashan,

and all the kingdoms of Canaan.

135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance,

as an inheritance to Israel his people.

135:13 O Lord, your name endures, ² 

your reputation, O Lord, lasts. ³ 

135:14 For the Lord vindicates ⁴  his people,

and has compassion on his servants. ⁵ 

135:15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold,

they are man-made. ⁶ 

135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,

eyes, but cannot see,

135:17 and ears, but cannot hear.

Indeed, they cannot breathe. ⁷ 

135:18 Those who make them will end up ⁸  like them,

as will everyone who trusts in them.

Isaiah 26:11

26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, ⁹ 

but they don’t even notice.

They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, ¹⁰ 

yes, fire will consume your enemies. ¹¹ 

Isaiah 42:19-20

42:19 My servant is truly blind,

my messenger is truly deaf.

My covenant partner, ¹²  the servant of the Lord, is truly blind. ¹³ 

42:20 You see ¹⁴  many things, but don’t comprehend; ¹⁵ 

their ears are open, but do not hear.”

Jeremiah 5:21

5:21 Tell them: ‘Hear this,

you foolish people who have no understanding,

who have eyes but do not discern,

who have ears but do not perceive: ¹⁶ 

Ezekiel 12:2

12:2 “Son of man, you are living in the midst of a rebellious house. ¹⁷  They have eyes to see, but do not see, and ears to hear, but do not hear, ¹⁸  because they are a rebellious house.

Mark 8:17-18

8:17 When he learned of this, ¹⁹  Jesus said to them, “Why are you arguing ²⁰  about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Have your hearts been hardened? 8:18 Though you have eyes, don’t you see? And though you have ears, can’t you hear? ²¹  Don’t you remember?

[29:4]  ¹ tn Heb “a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear” (NASB similar); NAB, NRSV “a mind to understand, or eyes to see, or ears to hear.”

[135:13]  ² tn Or “is forever.”

[135:13]  ³ tn Heb “O Lord, your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.” See Ps 102:12.

[135:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the Lord “judges on behalf of” his people. The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to the Lord’s characteristic actions.

[135:14]  ⁵ sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.

[135:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”

[135:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation אַף אֵין (’af ’en, “indeed, there is not”) see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take אַף as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, [but] they have no breath in their mouths.”

[135:18]  ⁸ tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”

[26:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”

[26:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”

[26:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”

[42:19]  ¹² tc The precise meaning of מְשֻׁלָּם (mÿshullam) in this context is uncertain. In later biblical Hebrew the form (which appears to be a Pual participle from the root שָׁלַם, shalam) occurs as a proper name, Meshullam. The Pual of שָׁלַם (“be complete”) is attested with the meaning “repaid, requited,” but that makes little sense here. BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלַם relates the form to the denominative verb שָׁלַם (“be at peace”) and paraphrases “one in a covenant of peace” (J. N. Oswalt suggests “the covenanted one”; Isaiah [NICOT], 2:128, n. 59) Some emend the form to מֹשְׁלָם (moshÿlam, “their ruler”) or to מְשֻׁלָּחִי (mÿshullakhi, “my sent [or “commissioned”] one”), which fits nicely in the parallelism (note “my messenger” in the previous line). The translation above assumes an emendation to כְּמוֹ שֹׁלְמִי (kÿmo sholÿmi, “like my ally”). Isaiah uses כְּמוֹ in 30:22 and perhaps 51:5; for שֹׁלְמי (“my ally”) see Ps 7:5 HT (7:4 ET).

[42:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “Who is blind but my servant, and deaf like my messenger I send? Who is blind like my commissioned one, blind like the servant of the Lord?” The point of the rhetorical questions is that no one is as blind/deaf as this servant. In this context the Lord’s “servant” is exiled Israel (cf. 41:8-9), which is spiritually blind and deaf and has failed to fulfill God’s purpose for it. This servant stands in contrast to the ideal “Israel” of the servant songs.

[42:20]  ¹⁴ tn The consonantal text (Kethib) has a perfect, 2nd person masculine singular; the marginal reading (Qere) has an infinitive absolute, which functions here as a finite verb.

[42:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “but you do not guard [i.e., retain in your memory]”; NIV “but have paid no attention.”

[5:21]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “they have eyes but they do not see, they have ears but they do not hear.”

[12:2]  ¹⁷ sn The book of Ezekiel frequently refers to the Israelites as a rebellious house (Ezek 2:5, 6, 8; 3:9, 26-27; 12:2-3, 9, 25; 17:12; 24:3).

[12:2]  ¹⁸ sn This verse is very similar to Isa 6:9-10.

[8:17]  ¹⁹ tn Or “becoming aware of it.”

[8:17]  ²⁰ tn Or “discussing.”

[8:18]  ²¹ tn Grk “do you not hear?”