Isaiah 59:10
in Isaiah 59Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
We grope for the wall like the blind; yea, we grope as they that have no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the twilight; among them that are lusty we are as dead men.
KJV
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
⋯
This verse in Isaiah 59
Commentary
13 notes on this verseWe have groped like the blind against a wall: and we have touched as if without eyes: we have stumbled at noonday, as if in darkness: we are in dusky places as dead. LXX: They shall grope in the dark and feel their way like blind men; they shall stumble at noonday as in the twilight; they shall be like those who die in the midst of their groaning. Thus they handle the holy Scriptures, like blind people feeling the wall, seeking only words and leaves, not understanding the meaning and fruit that is held within the letters.
This site's exposition
Therefore justice is far from us
on Isaiah 59:9-11
The charge becomes confession: “We hope for light, but there is darkness”. The pictures turn to bodily helplessness: “Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall”. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown mark the shift from you to we as the point where the oracle becomes a shared confession.
This site's exposition
among the vigorous we are like the dead
Barnes and Jamieson, Fausset & Brown hear the curse of Deuteronomy 28:29 fulfilled here, where the disobedient grope at midday like the blind. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read the Hebrew behind the vigorous as fat or fertile places, a match for midday. Relief should come at midday, and darkness remains.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
This is to be understood that just as there are eyes where there is no light or there is light but not eyes to see it with, they are unable to see the matter at hand; so it is necessary that the one who wants …
At times even we, when we were in error, mired in the pride of our mind as if our feet were stuck in the mud, did not perceive our error of the divine gospel each day. We would "grope around in the dark like blind …
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the difficulty of deliberations: we have groped, as though not knowing what to do, above: who is blind, but my servant? (Isa 42:19); and injury from dangers: we have stumbled at noonday, on these things where there was a clear way for us to …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Salvation only of God, ver. 16-19. The covenant of the redeemer, ver. 20, 21 Commentary on Chapter LIX 3. Perverseness - Perverse words are such as are contrary to God's word.
quarantine:anchor (2026-07-29) — cites-ver-20-anchored-9-15
): " We grope for the wall like the blind; we see no way open for our relief, nor know which way to expect it, or what to do in order to it." If we shut our eyes against the light of divine truth, it is just with God to hide from our eyes the things that belong to our peace; and, if we use not our eyes as we should, it is just with him to let us be as if we had no eyes.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They were in distress, trampled upon and oppressed by their enemies, unjustly dealt with, and ruled with rigour; and God did not appear for them, to plead their just and injured cause: " Judgment is far from us, neither does justice overtake us,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
We grope for the wall like the blind,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
We stumble at noon day as in the night “We stumble at mid-day, as in the twilight” - I adopt here an emendation of Houbigant, נשגגה nishgegah, instead of the second, נגששה negasheshah, the repetition of which has a poverty and inelegance extremely unworthy of the prophet, and unlike his manner. The mistake is of long standing, being prior to all the ancient versions. It was a very easy and obvious mistake, and I have little doubt of our having recovered the true reading in this ingenious correction.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
grope--fulfilling Moses' threat (De 28:29). stumble at noon . . . as . . . night--There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity. in desolate places--rather, to suit the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile (literally, "fat";
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
We grope for the wall like the blind - A blind man, not being able to see his way, feels along by a wall, a fence, or any other object that will guide him. They were like the blind. They had no distinct views of truth, and they were endeavoring to feel their way along as well as they could. Probably the prophet here alludes to the threatening made by Moses in Deu 28:28-29, ‘And the Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.’ We stumble at noon-day as in the night - The idea here is, that they were in a state of utter disorder and confusion. Obstacles were in their way on all hands, and they could no more walk than people could who at noon-day found their path filled with obstructions. There was no remission, no relaxation of their evils. They were continued at all times, and they had no intervals of day. Travelers, though at night they wander and fall, may look for approaching day, and be relieved by the returning light. But not so with them. It was all night. There were no returning intervals of light, repose and peace. It was as if the sun was blotted out, and all was one long, uninterrupted, and gloomy night. We are in desolate places - There has been great variety in the interpretation of this phrase. Noyes, after Gesenius. […]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| נְגַֽשְׁשָׁ֤ה | negashah | we grope for | H1659 → | |
| כַֽעִוְרִים֙ | khaivrim | like <the> blind [people] | H5787 → | 26 times |
| קִ֔יר | kir | a wall | H7023 → | 75 times |
| וּכְאֵ֥ין | ukheein | and like there not | H369 → | 789 times |
| עֵינַ֖יִם | ʾeinayim | [are] eyes | H5869 → | 887 times |
| נְגַשֵּׁ֑שָׁה | negasheshah | we grope | H1659 → | |
| כָּשַׁ֤לְנוּ | kashalnu | we have stumbled | H3782 → | 62 times |
| בַֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙ | vatzohorayim | at <the> noon<s> | H6672 → | 24 times |
| כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁף | kaneshef | like the twilight | H5399 → | 12 times |
| בָּאַשְׁמַנִּ֖ים | baashmanim | among the fat people | H820 → | |
| כַּמֵּתִֽים׃ | kametim | like <the> dead [people] | H4191 → | 839 times |
נְגַֽשְׁשָׁ֤הwe grope for
negashahH1659 →
כַֽעִוְרִים֙like <the> blind [people]
khaivrimH5787 →26 times
קִ֔ירa wall
kirH7023 →75 times
וּכְאֵ֥יןand like there not
ukheeinH369 →789 times
עֵינַ֖יִם[are] eyes
ʾeinayimH5869 →887 times
נְגַשֵּׁ֑שָׁהwe grope
negasheshahH1659 →
כָּשַׁ֤לְנוּwe have stumbled
kashalnuH3782 →62 times
בַֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙at <the> noon<s>
vatzohorayimH6672 →24 times
כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁףlike the twilight
kaneshefH5399 →12 times
בָּאַשְׁמַנִּ֖יםamong the fat people
baashmanimH820 →
כַּמֵּתִֽים׃like <the> dead [people]
kametimH4191 →839 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
John 12:40“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 6:10
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
- Matthew 13:13–15
This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
- Luke 8:10
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing,…
- Mark 4:12
so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
- Isaiah 57:18–19
I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,
- Isaiah 6:10
Through
Jeremiah 13:16Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
it leads to
- Proverbs 4:19
But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 59:9
Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
- Isaiah 8:22
Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.
- Proverbs 4:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Isaiah
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, LETTER TO PUBLIUS 11; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodore of Heraclea, FRAGMENTS ON ISAIAH and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.