Isaiah 35:5

35:5 Then blind eyes will open,

deaf ears will hear.

Isaiah 42:16

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; ¹ 

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. ² 

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground. ³ 

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

Isaiah 42:18

The Lord Reasons with His People

42:18 “Listen, you deaf ones!

Take notice, ⁴  you blind ones!

Matthew 9:30

9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.”

Matthew 11:5

11:5 The blind see, the ⁵  lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them.

Luke 18:41-42

18:41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, ⁶  “Lord, let me see again.” ⁷  18:42 Jesus ⁸  said to him, “Receive ⁹  your sight; your faith has healed you.” ¹⁰ 

John 9:7-33

9:7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” ¹¹  (which is translated “sent”). ¹²  So the blind man ¹³  went away and washed, and came back seeing.

9:8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously ¹⁴  as a beggar began saying, ¹⁵  “Is this not the man ¹⁶  who used to sit and beg?” 9:9 Some people said, ¹⁷  “This is the man!” ¹⁸  while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” ¹⁹  The man himself ²⁰  kept insisting, “I am the one!” ²¹  9:10 So they asked him, ²²  “How then were you made to see?” ²³  9:11 He replied, ²⁴  “The man called Jesus made mud, ²⁵  smeared it ²⁶  on my eyes and told me, ²⁷  ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and was able to see.” ²⁸  9:12 They said ²⁹  to him, “Where is that man?” ³⁰  He replied, ³¹  “I don’t know.”

The Pharisees’ Reaction to the Healing

9:13 They brought the man who used to be blind ³²  to the Pharisees. ³³  9:14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud ³⁴  and caused him to see ³⁵  was a Sabbath.) ³⁶  9:15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. ³⁷  He replied, ³⁸  “He put mud ³⁹  on my eyes and I washed, and now ⁴⁰  I am able to see.”

9:16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, ⁴¹  “This man is not from God, because he does not observe ⁴²  the Sabbath.” ⁴³  But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform ⁴⁴  such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division ⁴⁵  among them. 9:17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, ⁴⁶  “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” ⁴⁷  “He is a prophet,” the man replied. ⁴⁸ 

9:18 Now the Jewish religious leaders ⁴⁹  refused to believe ⁵⁰  that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned ⁵¹  the parents of the man who had become able to see. ⁵²  9:19 They asked the parents, ⁵³  “Is this your son, whom you say ⁵⁴  was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 9:20 So his parents replied, ⁵⁵  “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 9:21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. ⁵⁶  Ask him, he is a mature adult. ⁵⁷  He will speak for himself.” 9:22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. ⁵⁸  For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus ⁵⁹  to be the Christ ⁶⁰  would be put out ⁶¹  of the synagogue. ⁶²  9:23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, ⁶³  ask him.”) ⁶⁴ 

9:24 Then they summoned ⁶⁵  the man who used to be blind ⁶⁶  a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. ⁶⁷  We know that this man ⁶⁸  is a sinner.” 9:25 He replied, ⁶⁹  “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing – that although I was blind, now I can see.” 9:26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” ⁷⁰  9:27 He answered, ⁷¹  “I told you already and you didn’t listen. ⁷²  Why do you want to hear it ⁷³  again? You people ⁷⁴  don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?”

9:28 They ⁷⁵  heaped insults ⁷⁶  on him, saying, ⁷⁷  “You are his disciple! ⁷⁸  We are disciples of Moses! 9:29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man ⁷⁹  comes from!” 9:30 The man replied, ⁸⁰  “This is a remarkable thing, ⁸¹  that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! ⁸²  9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to ⁸³  sinners, but if anyone is devout ⁸⁴  and does his will, God ⁸⁵  listens to ⁸⁶  him. ⁸⁷  9:32 Never before ⁸⁸  has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. ⁸⁹  9:33 If this man ⁹⁰  were not from God, he could do nothing.”

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ⁹¹  from darkness to light and from the power ⁹²  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ⁹³  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Ephesians 1:18

1:18 – since the eyes of your ⁹⁴  heart have been enlightened ⁹⁵  – so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, ⁹⁶  what is the wealth of his glorious ⁹⁷  inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul, ⁹⁸  an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], ⁹⁹  the faithful ¹⁰⁰  in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:9

2:9 it is not from ¹⁰¹  works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰² 

[42:16]  ¹ tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”

[42:16]  ² tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”

[42:16]  ³ tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”

[42:18]  ⁴ tn Heb “look to see”; NAB, NCV “look and see”; NRSV “look up and see.”

[11:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. Two other conjunctions are omitted in this series.

[18:41]  ⁶ tn Grk “said.”

[18:41]  ⁷ tn Grk “Lord, that I may see [again].” The phrase can be rendered as an imperative of request, “Please, give me sight.” Since the man is not noted as having been blind from birth (as the man in John 9 was) it is likely the request is to receive back the sight he once had.

[18:42]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:42]  ⁹ tn Or “Regain” (see the note on the phrase “let me see again” in the previous verse).

[18:42]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “has saved you,” but in a nonsoteriological sense; the man has been delivered from his disability.

[9:7]  ¹¹ tn The pool’s name in Hebrew is shiloah from the Hebrew verb “to send.” In Gen 49:10 the somewhat obscure shiloh was interpreted messianically by later Jewish tradition, and some have seen a lexical connection between the two names (although this is somewhat dubious). It is known, however, that it was from the pool of Siloam that the water which was poured out at the altar during the feast of Tabernacles was drawn.

[9:7]  ¹² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Why does he comment on the meaning of the name of the pool? Here, the significance is that the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the man born blind. The name of the pool is applicable to the man, but also to Jesus himself, who was sent from heaven.

[9:7]  ¹³ tn Grk “So he”; the referent (the blind man) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:8]  ¹⁴ tn Or “formerly.”

[9:8]  ¹⁵ tn An ingressive force (“began saying”) is present here because the change in status of the blind person provokes this new response from those who knew him.

[9:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “the one.”

[9:9]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Others were saying.”

[9:9]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “This is the one.”

[9:9]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “No, but he is like him.”

[9:9]  ²⁰ tn Grk “That one”; the referent (the man himself) is specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “I am he.”

[9:10]  ²² tn Grk “So they were saying to him.”

[9:10]  ²³ tn Grk “How then were your eyes opened” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:11]  ²⁴ tn Grk “That one answered.”

[9:11]  ²⁵ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:11]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and smeared.” Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when obvious from the context.

[9:11]  ²⁷ tn Grk “said to me.”

[9:11]  ²⁸ tn Or “and I gained my sight.”

[9:12]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And they said.”

[9:12]  ³⁰ tn Grk “that one.” “Man” is more normal English style for the referent.

[9:12]  ³¹ tn Grk “He said.”

[9:13]  ³² tn Grk “who was formerly blind.”

[9:13]  ³³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[9:14]  ³⁴ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:14]  ³⁵ tn Grk “and opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:14]  ³⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[9:15]  ³⁷ tn Or “how he had become able to see.”

[9:15]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And he said to them.”

[9:15]  ³⁹ tn Or “clay” (moistened earth of a clay-like consistency).

[9:15]  ⁴⁰ tn The word “now” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate the contrast between the man’s former state (blind) and his present state (able to see).

[9:16]  ⁴¹ tn As a response to the answers of the man who used to be blind, the use of the imperfect tense in the reply of the Pharisees is best translated as an ingressive imperfect (“began to say” or “started saying”).

[9:16]  ⁴² tn Grk “he does not keep.”

[9:16]  ⁴³ sn The Jewish religious leaders considered the work involved in making the mud to be a violation of the Sabbath.

[9:16]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “do.”

[9:16]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “So there was discord.”

[9:17]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “the blind man.”

[9:17]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “since he opened your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:17]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “And he said, ‘He is a prophet.’”

[9:18]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.) Here the phrase refers mainly to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. References in this context to Pharisees and to the synagogue (v. 22) suggest an emphasis on the religious nature of the debate which is brought out by the translation “the Jewish religious leaders.”

[9:18]  ⁵⁰ tn The Greek text contains the words “about him” at this point: “the Jewish authorities did not believe about him…”

[9:18]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:18]  ⁵² tn Or “the man who had gained his sight.”

[9:19]  ⁵³ tn Grk “and they asked them, saying”; the referent (the parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:19]  ⁵⁴ tn The Greek pronoun and verb are both plural (both parents are addressed).

[9:20]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “So his parents answered and said.”

[9:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “who opened his eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “he is of age.”

[9:22]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “the Jewish religious authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Twice in this verse the phrase refers to the Pharisees, mentioned by name in John 9:13, 15, 16. The second occurrence is shortened to “the Jewish leaders” for stylistic reasons. See the note on the phrase “the Jewish religious leaders” in v. 18.

[9:22]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “confessed him.”

[9:22]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “the Messiah” (Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”).

[9:22]  ⁶¹ tn Or “would be expelled from.”

[9:22]  ⁶² sn This reference to excommunication from the Jewish synagogue for those who had made some sort of confession about Jesus being the Messiah is dismissed as anachronistic by some (e.g., Barrett) and nonhistorical by others. In later Jewish practice there were at least two forms of excommunication: a temporary ban for thirty days, and a permanent ban. But whether these applied in NT times is far from certain. There is no substantial evidence for a formal ban on Christians until later than this Gospel could possibly have been written. This may be a reference to some form of excommunication adopted as a contingency to deal with those who were proclaiming Jesus to be the Messiah. If so, there is no other record of the procedure than here. It was probably local, limited to the area around Jerusalem. See also the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[9:23]  ⁶³ tn Or “he is of age.”

[9:23]  ⁶⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author explaining the parents’ response.

[9:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “they called.”

[9:24]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “who was blind.”

[9:24]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “Give glory to God” (an idiomatic formula used in placing someone under oath to tell the truth).

[9:24]  ⁶⁸ tn The phrase “this man” is a reference to Jesus.

[9:25]  ⁶⁹ tn Grk “Then that one answered.”

[9:26]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “open your eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:27]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “He answered them.” The indirect object αὐτοῖς (autois) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.

[9:27]  ⁷² tn Grk “you did not hear.”

[9:27]  ⁷³ tn “It” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when they were clearly implied in the context.

[9:27]  ⁷⁴ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.

[9:28]  ⁷⁵ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[9:28]  ⁷⁶ tn The Greek word means “to insult strongly” or “slander.”

[9:28]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “and said.”

[9:28]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “You are that one’s disciple.”

[9:29]  ⁷⁹ tn Grk “where this one.”

[9:30]  ⁸⁰ tn Grk “The man answered and said to them.” This has been simplified in the translation to “The man replied.”

[9:30]  ⁸¹ tn Grk “For in this is a remarkable thing.”

[9:30]  ⁸² tn Grk “and he opened my eyes” (an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:31]  ⁸³ tn Grk “God does not hear.”

[9:31]  ⁸⁴ tn Or “godly.”

[9:31]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:31]  ⁸⁶ tn Or “hears.”

[9:31]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “this one.”

[9:32]  ⁸⁸ tn Or “Never from the beginning of time,” Grk “From eternity.”

[9:32]  ⁸⁹ tn Grk “someone opening the eyes of a man born blind” (“opening the eyes” is an idiom referring to restoration of sight).

[9:33]  ⁹⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[26:18]  ⁹¹ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ⁹² tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ⁹³ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[1:18]  ⁹⁴ tc ‡ Most witnesses, especially of the Byzantine and Western texttypes, though with a few important Alexandrian witnesses (א A D F G Ψ 0278 Ï latt sy), add ὑμῶν (Jumwn, “your”) after καρδίας (kardias, “heart”), though it is clearly implied in the shorter (Alexandrian) reading (found in Ì⁴⁶ B 6 33 1175 1739 1881 pc). The longer reading thus looks to be a clarifying gloss, as is frequently found in the Byzantine and Western traditions. The translation above also uses “your” because of English requirements, not because of textual basis.

[1:18]  ⁹⁵ tn The perfect participle πεφωτισμένους (pefwtismenou") may either be part of the prayer (“that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened”) or part of the basis of the prayer (“since the eyes of your heart have been enlightened”). Although the participle follows the ἵνα (Jina) of v. 17, it is awkward grammatically in the clause. Further, perfect adverbial participles are usually causal in NT Greek. Finally, the context both here and throughout Ephesians seems to emphasize the motif of light as a property belonging to believers. Thus, it seems that the author is saying, “I know that you are saved, that you have had the blinders of the devil removed; because of this, I can now pray that you will fully understand and see the light of God’s glorious revelation.” Hence, the translation takes the participle to form a part of the basis for the prayer.

[1:18]  ⁹⁶ tn Or “the hope to which he has called you.”

[1:18]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “of the glory of his inheritance.” Here “inheritance” is taken as an attributed genitive and the head noun, “glory,” is thus translated as an adjective, “glorious inheritance.”

[1:1]  ⁹⁸ tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.

[1:1]  ⁹⁹ tc The earliest and most important mss omit “in Ephesus” (Ì⁴⁶ א* B* 6 1739 [Mcion^T,E]), yet the opening line of this epistle makes little sense without the phrase (“to the saints who are and are faithful…”? or perhaps “to the saints who are also faithful,” though with this sense the οὖσιν [ousin] is redundant and the καί [kai] is treated somewhat unnaturally). What is interesting is Marcion’s canon list which speaks of the letter to the Laodiceans among Paul’s authentic epistles. This, coupled with some internal evidence that the writer did not know his audience personally (cf. 1:15; 3:2; absence of personal names throughout), suggests that Ephesians was an encyclical letter, intended for more than one audience. Does this mean that the shorter reading is to be preferred? Yes and no. A plausible scenario is as follows, assuming Pauline authorship (though this is strongly contested today; for arguments on behalf of Pauline authorship, see M. Barth, Ephesians [AB 34], 1:36-50; P. T. O’Brien, Ephesians, 4-47; and H. W. Hoehner, Ephesians, 2-61): Paul sent the letter from Rome, intending it first to go to Ephesus. At the same time, Colossians was dispatched. Going counterclockwise through Asia Minor, this letter would first come to Ephesus, the port of entry, then to Laodicea, then Colossae. Tychicus’ instructions may well have been for each church to “fill in the blank” on the address line. The church at Ephesus would have certainly made the most copies, being Paul’s home base for nearly three years. Hence, most of the surviving copies have “in Ephesus” in v. 1 (so א² A B² D F G Ψ 0278 33 1881 Ï latt sy co). But one might expect a hint of evidence that Laodicea also made a few copies: Both Marcion’s list and Col 4:16 may well imply this. What is to account for the early Alexandrian evidence, then? These mss were perhaps made from a very early copy, one reflecting the blank line before each church filled it in. Although it is of course only speculation (as is necessary in a historical investigation lacking some of the pieces to the puzzle), this scenario accounts for all of the data: (1) “in Ephesus” in most mss; (2) Laodicea in Marcion’s list and Col 4:16; (3) the lack of an addressee in the earliest witnesses; (4) why the earliest witnesses’ reading must be rejected as too hard; and (5) why the author seems not to know the readership. In sum, is “in Ephesus” original? Yes and no. Some address belongs there; ἐν ᾿Εφέσῳ (en Efesw) is the predominant address, but several other churches also received this circular letter as their own. For this reason the phrase has been placed in single brackets in the translation. NA²⁷ also lists the words in brackets, indicating doubt as to their authenticity.

[1:1]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style [and even if this letter is not by Paul it follows the general style of Paul’s letters, with some modifications]) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated. See M. Barth, Ephesians (AB 34), 1:68 and ExSyn 282.

[2:9]  ¹⁰¹ tn Or “not as a result of.”

[2:9]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “lest anyone should boast.”