Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken." — Isaiah 32:3 (ASV)
And the eyes of them that see ... - The sense of this verse is that, under the reign of this wise and pious prince, there will be from the prophets and teachers a clear view of divine truth, and from the people who hear a willingness to listen and to pay attention to it. The phrase ‘of them that see,’ probably refers to the prophets, as those who were called seers (see the notes at Isaiah 29:10; Isaiah 30:10; compare to 1 Samuel 9:9), or those who had visions (see the note at Isaiah 1:1) of the things that God would communicate to people.
The word translated ‘be dim’ (תשׁעינה tishe‛eynâh) is derived from שׁעה shâ‛âh — which usually means “to see, to look,” but it also has a meaning similar to שׁעע shâ‛a‛ — “to spread over, to close, to make blind.” Lowth seems not to have been aware of this fact when he proposed, without the authority of any manuscript, to change the text. The meaning is that those who were prophets and religious teachers would no longer see obscurely, but would have clear and just views of divine truth.
And the ears of them that hear - Of the people who were instructed by their religious teachers.
Shall hearken - It will be a characteristic of those times that they will be inclined to pay attention to the truth of God.