Mark 4:12 Meaning and Explanation
“That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus explains the parables with words from Isaiah: seeing without perceiving, hearing without understanding, lest they should turn and be forgiven.
What Does Mark 4:12 Mean?
Jesus is quoting the commission of Isaiah, sent long ago to a people whose generations of refusal had settled into deafness, so that the preaching of the prophet itself became part of their judgment. Jesus stands in that prophetic line. To hearts already closed, His parables remain mere stories; truth passes before such eyes without entering.
The saying is sobering, yet mercy stands inside it: turning and forgiveness still belong together at the end of the sentence, the very door that generation would not use. A parable does not create hardness; it brings to light the hardness or the hunger already there. The warning presses each listener toward the safer prayer: Lord, let me not merely watch and listen, let me perceive, understand, and turn.
Mark 4:12 in the Original Language
epistrepho (ἐπιστρέφω), 'be converted' -- to turn around and return; the plainest biblical picture of repentance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 4:12
What does Mark 4:12 mean?
Jesus explains the parables with words from Isaiah: seeing without perceiving, hearing without understanding, lest they should turn and be forgiven.