Isaiah 29:18
in Isaiah 29On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness.
KJV
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
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This verse in Isaiah 29
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Shall the deaf hear the words of the book - They who now have the law and do not understand it, the people who seem to be deaf to all that God says, shall hear and understand it. Shall see out of obscurity ... - That is, the darkness being removed, they shall see clearly the truth of God, and discern and love its beauty. Their eyes are now blinded, but then they shall see clearly.
This site's exposition
will not Lebanon become an orchard
on Isaiah 29:17-19
In a very short time the order of things is reversed, and "Lebanon become an orchard". Then "the deaf will hear the words of the scroll", the scroll sealed in verse 11, and "the eyes of the blind will see". "The humble will increase their joy in the LORD".
This site's exposition
the deaf will hear the words
Albert Barnes reads the deaf and the blind as the people who held the law of God and could make nothing of it. On that day the words of the scroll reach them. The deep darkness lifts, and their eyes see the truth clearly.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 18). On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
The Medieval Church2 voices
To sacred knowledge: the deaf, namely, the gentiles, who had not heard the words of the law before: the blind see (Matt 11:5); for judgment I am come into this world: that they who see not may see; and they who see may become blind …
Neither was heaven created in any six-day period and the stars illuminated and the dry land separated from the water and the trees and vegetation planted. Rather, Scripture customarily uses "day" to denote an unspecified period of time, as the apostle did when he said, …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
deaf . . . blind--(Compare Mt 11:5). The spiritually blind, &c., are chiefly meant; "the book," as Revelation is called pre-eminently, shall be no longer "sealed," as is described (Isa 29:11), but the most unintelligent shall hear and see (Isa 35:5).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְשָׁמְע֧וּ | veshameu | and they will hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| בַיּוֹם־ | vaiyom- | in the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֛וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| הַחֵרְשִׁ֖ים | hachereshim | the deaf [people] | H2795 → | 9 times |
| דִּבְרֵי־ | divrei- | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| סֵ֑פֶר | sefer | a scroll | H5612 → | 186 times |
| וּמֵאֹ֣פֶל | umeofel | and from gloom | H652 → | |
| וּמֵחֹ֔שֶׁךְ | umechoshekh | and from darkness | H2822 → | 80 times |
| עֵינֵ֥י | ʾeinei | [the] eyes of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| עִוְרִ֖ים | ʾivrim | blind [people] | H5787 → | 26 times |
| תִּרְאֶֽינָה׃ | tireinah | they will see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
וְשָׁמְע֧וּand they will hear
veshameuH8085 →1159 times
בַיּוֹם־in the day
vaiyom-H3117 →2304 times
הַה֛וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
הַחֵרְשִׁ֖יםthe deaf [people]
hachereshimH2795 →9 times
דִּבְרֵי־[the] words of
divrei-H1697 →1440 times
סֵ֑פֶרa scroll
seferH5612 →186 times
וּמֵאֹ֣פֶלand from gloom
umeofelH652 →
וּמֵחֹ֔שֶׁךְand from darkness
umechoshekhH2822 →80 times
עֵינֵ֥י[the] eyes of
ʾeineiH5869 →887 times
עִוְרִ֖יםblind [people]
ʾivrimH5787 →26 times
תִּרְאֶֽינָה׃they will see
tireinahH7200 →1300 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 35:5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
it leads to
- Isaiah 42:6–7
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 7:20–23
When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?’”
- Matthew 11:3–5
to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
- Isaiah 32:3–4
Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen.
- Psalms 146:8
the LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous.
- Isaiah 42:6–7
Through
Matthew 11:5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
it leads to
- Isaiah 35:4–6
Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
- Isaiah 61:1–3
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty…
- Isaiah 35:4–6
Through
Psalms 119:18Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
it leads to
- Ephesians 1:17–18
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ephesians 1:17–18
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Genesis 1:2.4-5; George Adam Smith, The Book of Isaiah, Expositor's Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.