Matthew 13:15 Meaning and Explanation
“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should 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 →The prophecy describes hearts grown calloused and eyes deliberately closed, keeping people from turning and being healed.
What Does Matthew 13:15 Mean?
Continuing Isaiah's words, Jesus describes a heart grown gross, thickened and unfeeling, ears too dull to listen, and eyes that the people themselves have closed. The tragedy is partly self-chosen; they shut their own eyes lest they see and be changed.
Yet the verse glows with mercy even as it warns. God's desire is named plainly: that they should turn and be healed. The closing of the eyes stands between the people and a Healer who longs to restore them. The reader is gently urged not to harden against the very truth that would save, but to open heart and eyes to the One who still says, I would heal them.
Matthew 13:15 in the Original Language
iaomai (ἰάομαι), 'heal' -- to cure or make whole, used of bodily healing and the deeper restoring of the soul.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 13:15
What does Matthew 13:15 mean?
The prophecy describes hearts grown calloused and eyes deliberately closed, keeping people from turning and being healed.