Acts 28:27 Meaning and Explanation
“For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Isaiah's words describe hearts grown dull and eyes shut, lest the people turn and be healed.
What Does Acts 28:27 Mean?
Paul completes the prophecy. The people's heart has grown calloused, their ears heavy, their eyes shut, so that they will not see, hear, understand, turn, and be healed by God.
The tragedy here is self-imposed: the eyes 'they have closed.' God's desire is plainly stated, that they would turn and He would heal them. The closing of the heart is not His wish but their resistance. Yet the verse ends on mercy, for the very purpose toward which God reaches is healing. The door to conversion stands open to any who will only see and hear. This sobering word is also a tender one, revealing a God who waits to restore all who will turn to Him. Today, if we hear His voice, we must not harden our hearts.
Acts 28:27 in the Original Language
epistrepho (ἐπιστρέφω), 'be converted' -- to turn back or return, the turning of the whole self toward God.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 28:27
What does Acts 28:27 mean?
Isaiah's words describe hearts grown dull and eyes shut, lest the people turn and be healed.