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Selected Verse: Isaiah 42:20 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 42:20	Strong Concordance	Seeing [07200] [07200] many things [07227], but thou observest [08104] not; opening [06491] the ears [0241], but he heareth [08085] not.
	King James	Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
observest--Thou dost not keep them. The "many things" are the many proofs which all along from the first God had given Israel of His goodness and His power (Deu 4:32-38; Deu 29:2-4; Psa. 78:1-72; Psa. 105:1-45). he--transition from the second to the third person. "Opening . . . ears," that is, though he (Israel) hath his ears open (see on Isa 6:10). This language, too (see on Isa 42:19), applies to Messiah as Jehovah's servant (Isa 50:5; Psa 40:6).

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

observest--Thou dost not keep them. The "many things" are the many proofs which all along from the first God had given Israel of His goodness and His power (Deu 4:32-38; Deu 29:2-4; Psa. 78:1-72; Psa. 105:1-45).

he--transition from the second to the third person. "Opening . . . ears," that is, though he (Israel) hath his ears open (see on Isa 6:10). This language, too (see on Isa 42:19), applies to Messiah as Jehovah's servant (Isa 50:5; Psa 40:6).

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Seeing many things - That is, the people, the Jews, spoken of here as the servants of God. They had had an opportunity of observing many things pertaining to the law, the government, and the dealing of Yahweh. They had often witnessed his interposition in the days of calamity, and he often rescued them from peril. These things they could not but have observed, much as they had chosen to disregard the lessons which they were calculated to convey. But thou observest not - Thou dost not keep them (תשׁמר tı̂shmor); thou dost not regard them. Opening the ears - Thou hast thine ears open. They heard the words of the law, and the instructions conveyed by tradition from their fathers, but they did not lay them to heart, or give heed to them (see the note at Isa 6:10).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The reproof, which affects Israel a potiori, now proceeds still further, as follows. "Thou hast seen much, and yet keepest not; opening the ears, he yet doth not hear. Jehovah was pleased for His righteousness' sake: He gave a thorah great and glorious. And yet it is a people robbed and plundered; fastened in holes all of them, and they are hidden in prison-houses: they have become booty, without deliverers; a spoil, without any one saying, Give it up again!" In Isa 42:20 "thou" and "he" alternate, like "they" and "ye" in Isa 1:29, and "I" and "he" in Isa 14:30. ראית, which points back to the past, is to be preserved. The reading of the keri is ראות (inf. abs. like שׁתות, Isa 22:13, and ערות, Hab 3:13), which makes the two half-verses uniform. Israel has had many and great things to see, but without keeping the admonitions they contained; opening its ears, namely to the earnestness of the preaching, it hears, and yet does not hear, i.e., it only hears outwardly, but without taking it into itself. Isa 42:21 shows us to what Isa 42:20 chiefly refers. חפץ is followed here by the future instead of by Lamed with an infinitive, just as in Isa 53:10 it is followed by the perfect (Ges. 142, 3, b). Jehovah was pleased for His righteousness' sake (which is mentioned here, not as that which recompenses for works of the law, but as that which bestows mercy according to His purpose, His promise, and the plan of salvation) to make thorâh, i.e., the direction, instruction, revelation which He gave to His people, great and glorious. The reference is primarily and chiefly to the Sinaitic law, and the verbs relate not to the solemnity of the promulgation, but to the riches and exalted character of the contents. But what a glaring contrast did the existing condition of Israel present to these manifestations and purposes of mercy on the part of its God! The intervening thought expressed by Hosea (Hos 8:12), viz., that this condition was the punishment of unfaithfulness, may easily be supplied. The inf. abs. הפח is introduced to give life to the picture, as in Isa 22:13. Hahn renders it, "They pant (hiphil of puuach) in the holes all of them," but kullâm (all of them) must be the accusative of the object; so that the true meaning is, "They have fastened (hiphil of pâchach) all of them," etc. (Ges. 131, 4, b). Schegg adopts the rendering, "All his youths fall into traps," which is wrong in two respects; for bachūrı̄m is the plural of chūr (Isa 11:8), and it is parallel to the double plural כלאים בּתּי, houses of custodies. The whole nation in all its members is, as it were, put into bonds, and confined in prisons of all kinds (an allegorizing picture of the homelessness and servitude of exile), without any one thinking of demanding it back (השׁב = השׁב, as in Eze 21:32; a pausal form here: vid., Ges. 29, 4 Anm.).

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The reproof, which affects Israel a potiori, now proceeds still further, as follows. "Thou hast seen much, and yet keepest not; opening the ears, he yet doth not hear. Jehovah was pleased for His righteousness' sake: He gave a thorah great and glorious. And yet it is a people robbed and plundered; fastened in holes all of them, and they are hidden in prison-houses: they have become booty, without deliverers; a spoil, without any one saying, Give it up again!" In Isa 42:20 "thou" and "he" alternate, like "they" and "ye" in Isa 1:29, and "I" and "he" in Isa 14:30. ראית, which points back to the past, is to be preserved. The reading of the keri is ראות (inf. abs. like שׁתות, Isa 22:13, and ערות, Hab 3:13), which makes the two half-verses uniform. Israel has had many and great things to see, but without keeping the admonitions they contained; opening its ears, namely to the earnestness of the preaching, it hears, and yet does not hear, i.e., it only hears outwardly, but without taking it into itself. Isa 42:21 shows us to what Isa 42:20 chiefly refers. חפץ is followed here by the future instead of by Lamed with an infinitive, just as in Isa 53:10 it is followed by the perfect (Ges. 142, 3, b). Jehovah was pleased for His righteousness' sake (which is mentioned here, not as that which recompenses for works of the law, but as that which bestows mercy according to His purpose, His promise, and the plan of salvation) to make thorâh, i.e., the direction, instruction, revelation which He gave to His people, great and glorious. The reference is primarily and chiefly to the Sinaitic law, and the verbs relate not to the solemnity of the promulgation, but to the riches and exalted character of the contents. But what a glaring contrast did the existing condition of Israel present to these manifestations and purposes of mercy on the part of its God! The intervening thought expressed by Hosea (Hos 8:12), viz., that this condition was the punishment of unfaithfulness, may easily be supplied. The inf. abs. הפח is introduced to give life to the picture, as in Isa 22:13. Hahn renders it, "They pant (hiphil of puuach) in the holes all of them," but kullâm (all of them) must be the accusative of the object; so that the true meaning is, "They have fastened (hiphil of pâchach) all of them," etc. (Ges. 131, 4, b). Schegg adopts the rendering, "All his youths fall into traps," which is wrong in two respects; for bachūrı̄m is the plural of chūr (Isa 11:8), and it is parallel to the double plural כלאים בּתּי, houses of custodies. The whole nation in all its members is, as it were, put into bonds, and confined in prisons of all kinds (an allegorizing picture of the homelessness and servitude of exile), without any one thinking of demanding it back (השׁב = השׁב, as in Eze 21:32; a pausal form here: vid., Ges. 29, 4 Anm.).

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Heareth not - Thou dost not seriously consider the plain word, and the wonderful works of God.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Seeing many things "Thou hast seen indeed" - The text has ראית רבית raith rabith, which the Masoretes in the marginal Keri have corrected to ראות רבות reoth rabboth; as indeed one hundred and seven MSS., and five editions, now have it in the text. This was probably the reading of most of the MSS. of their time; which, though they approved of it, out of some superstition they would not admit into their standard text. But these wretched critics, though they perceived there was some fault, yet did not know where the fault lay, nor consequently how to amend it; and yet it was open enough to a judicious eye: רבות rabboth, sic veteres; et tamen forte legendum, ראות reoth, vide cap. Isa 6:9." - Secker. That is, ראית ראות raith, reoth, seeing, thou shalt see. I believe no one will doubt of admitting this as the true reading. But he heareth not "Yet thou wilt not hear" - For ישמע yishma, read תשמע tishma, in the second person; so all the ancient Versions and forty MSS. of Kennicott's, (four of them ancient), and seventeen of De Rossi's, and perhaps five more. Two others have תשמעו tishmeu, second person plural.

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⁶ Sacrifice [02077] and offering [04503] thou didst not desire [02654]; mine ears [0241] hast thou opened [03738]: burnt offering [05930] and sin offering [02401] hast thou not required [07592].

⁵ The Lord [0136] GOD [03069] hath opened [06605] mine ear [0241], and I was not rebellious [04784], neither turned away [05472] back [0268].

¹⁹ Who is blind [05787], but my servant [05650]? or deaf [02795], as my messenger [04397] that I sent [07971]? who is blind [05787] as he that is perfect [07999], and blind [05787] as the LORD'S [03068] servant [05650]?

¹⁰ Make the heart [03820] of this people [05971] fat [08080], and make their ears [0241] heavy [03513], and shut [08173] their eyes [05869]; lest they see [07200] with their eyes [05869], and hear [08085] with their ears [0241], and understand [0995] with their heart [03824], and convert [07725], and be healed [07495].

² And Moses [04872] called [07121] unto all Israel [03478], and said [0559] unto them, Ye have seen [07200] all that the LORD [03068] did [06213] before your eyes [05869] in the land [0776] of Egypt [04714] unto Pharaoh [06547], and unto all his servants [05650], and unto all his land [0776];
³ The great [01419] temptations [04531] which thine eyes [05869] have seen [07200], the signs [0226], and those great [01419] miracles [04159]:
⁴ Yet the LORD [03068] hath not given [05414] you an heart [03820] to perceive [03045], and eyes [05869] to see [07200], and ears [0241] to hear [08085], unto this day [03117].

³² For ask [07592] now of the days [03117] that are past [07223], which were [01961] before [06440] thee, since the day [03117] that God [0430] created [01254] man [0120] upon the earth [0776], and ask from the one side [07097] of heaven [08064] unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great [01419] thing [01697] is, or hath been heard [08085] like it?
³³ Did ever people [05971] hear [08085] the voice [06963] of God [0430] speaking out [01696] of the midst [08432] of the fire [0784], as thou hast heard [08085], and live [02421]?
³⁴ Or hath God [0430] assayed [05254] to go [0935] and take [03947] him a nation [01471] from the midst [07130] of another nation [01471], by temptations [04531], by signs [0226], and by wonders [04159], and by war [04421], and by a mighty [02389] hand [03027], and by a stretched out [05186] arm [02220], and by great [01419] terrors [04172], according to all that the LORD [03068] your God [0430] did [06213] for you in Egypt [04714] before your eyes [05869]?
³⁵ Unto thee it was shewed [07200], that thou mightest know [03045] that the LORD [03068] he is God [0430]; there is none else [05750] beside him [0905].
³⁶ Out of heaven [08064] he made thee to hear [08085] his voice [06963], that he might instruct [03256] thee: and upon earth [0776] he shewed [07200] thee his great [01419] fire [0784]; and thou heardest [08085] his words [01697] out of the midst [08432] of the fire [0784].
³⁷ And because he loved [0157] thy fathers [01], therefore he chose [0977] their seed [02233] after [0310] them, and brought thee out [03318] in his sight [06440] with his mighty [01419] power [03581] out of Egypt [04714];
³⁸ To drive out [03423] nations [01471] from before [06440] thee greater [01419] and mightier [06099] than thou art, to bring [0935] thee in, to give [05414] thee their land [0776] for an inheritance [05159], as it is this day [03117].

³² Thou shalt be for fuel [0402] to the fire [0784]; thy blood [01818] shall be in the midst [08432] of the land [0776]; thou shalt be no more remembered [02142]: for I the LORD [03068] have spoken [01696] it.

⁸ And the sucking child [03243] shall play [08173] on the hole [02352] of the asp [06620], and the weaned child [01580] shall put [01911] his hand [03027] on the cockatrice [06848]' den [03975].

¹³ And behold joy [08342] and gladness [08057], slaying [02026] oxen [01241], and killing [07819] sheep [06629], eating [0398] flesh [01320], and drinking [08354] wine [03196]: let us eat [0398] and drink [08354]; for to morrow [04279] we shall die [04191].

¹² I have written [03789] to him the great things [07230] [07239] of my law [08451], but they were counted [02803] as a strange thing [02114].

¹⁰ Yet it pleased [02654] the LORD [03068] to bruise [01792] him; he hath put him to grief [02470]: when thou shalt make [07760] his soul [05315] an offering for sin [0817], he shall see [07200] his seed [02233], he shall prolong [0748] his days [03117], and the pleasure [02656] of the LORD [03068] shall prosper [06743] in his hand [03027].

²⁰ Seeing [07200] [07200] many things [07227], but thou observest [08104] not; opening [06491] the ears [0241], but he heareth [08085] not.

²¹ The LORD [03068] is well pleased [02654] for his righteousness [06664]' sake; he will magnify [01431] the law [08451], and make it honourable [0142].

¹³ Thou wentest forth [03318] for the salvation [03468] of thy people [05971], even for salvation [03468] with thine anointed [04899]; thou woundedst [04272] the head [07218] out of the house [01004] of the wicked [07563], by discovering [06168] the foundation [03247] unto the neck [06677]. Selah [05542].

³⁰ And the firstborn [01060] of the poor [01800] shall feed [07462], and the needy [034] shall lie down [07257] in safety [0983]: and I will kill [04191] thy root [08328] with famine [07458], and he shall slay [02026] thy remnant [07611].

²⁹ For they shall be ashamed [0954] of the oaks [0352] which ye have desired [02530], and ye shall be confounded [02659] for the gardens [01593] that ye have chosen [0977].

²⁰ Seeing [07200] [07200] many things [07227], but thou observest [08104] not; opening [06491] the ears [0241], but he heareth [08085] not.

⁹ And he said [0559], Go [03212], and tell [0559] this people [05971], Hear [08085] ye indeed [08085], but understand [0995] not; and see [07200] ye indeed [07200], but perceive [03045] not.