Blinded (5186) tuphloo/typhloo by Greek Word Studies

Blinded (5186) (tuphloo/typhloo from tuphlos/typhlos = blind from a root tuph/typh- = to burn, smoke, cp tuphos = smoke) to envelop with smoke and in the active sense means to make blind, to rob of sight. The passive sense means to go blind, to be blinded, to be unable to see clearly. The figurative sense means to be unable to "see" (understand, comprehend) some truth, especially spiritual truth. Ralph Enlow writes that... Scripture often employs the imagery of blindness to describe the spiritual condition of persons who are either unable or unwilling to perceive divine revelation. The things of God are perceived not by observation and inquiry, but by revelation and illumination (Mt 11:25, 26, 27; 1Co 1:21; 2Pe 1:19, 20, 21-note). It is the Lord who "gives sight to the blind" (Ps146:8-note; Is 42:16). The New Testament reveals that believers are subject to spiritual blindness. Peter deems those who fail increasingly to exhibit diligence in pursuit of spiritual virtue as blind or nearsighted (2Pe 1:9-note). And the exalted Lord of the church views the lukewarm but haughty Laodicean church as wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked (Re 3:17-note). Spiritual blindness, then, refers in some instances to the inability of unbelievers to comprehend spiritual truth, specifically failure to recognize the true identity of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ (Jn 1:1, 14) It is vital, therefore, to conduct all Christian witness in dependence on the Holy Spirit (Ac1:8 2:4 4:8 4:31 6:5 8 10 7:55 9:17 10:38 11:24 13:52) Who works to counteract the cataracts of Satan and to reveal the truth of God (cp Lk 24:45 Ac16:14, 26:18). But spiritual blindness can also afflict believers who fail to perceive their true spiritual condition. To avoid the plague of spiritual blindness and escape the condemnation of leading others into spiritual ruin, believers must be quick to appropriate and obey the Word of God. (Read the entire article - Blindness - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology) (Bolding and color added for emphasis) Paul uses the figurative sense meaning to cause someone not to be able to understand or comprehend the Good News of Jesus. NIDNTT comments that the root noun tuphlos... may even be applied to dark, obscure things, and also to rivers and harbours choked with mud. The barbaric custom of blinding for revenge or punishment is well attested. There are only 3 uses (2Co 4:4, Jn 12:40, 1Jn 2:11) of tuphloo in the NT and all are used with the figurative meaning referring to blinding of one's ability to understand something. (One occurrence in the non-apocryphal Lxx = Is 42:19)... John 12:40 "HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM." (Quoting Is 6:10) Comment: The context is important in understanding this passage (see Jn 12:37, 38, 39) In Jn 12:37 John records that the Jews were not believing in Jesus and explains that this fulfills the prophecy in Is 53:1. Then John quoted Is 6:9,10 to explain that Israel as a whole was unable to believe (Jn 12:39 = "They could not believe"!). Jn 12:39 teaches that it is possible to harden one's heart to the point that he cannot believe. The corollary caution is because of this danger, we must believe while there is still light. Israel as a nation (excepting the believing remnant) had repeatedly rejected God’s righteous revelation and the result was that God had punished them with judicial blindness. John MacArthur adds that "Although God predestined such judgment, it was not apart from human responsibility and culpability (see Jn 8:24)." Guzik comments: There comes a place where God will strengthen us in our decision, whether for Jesus or against Jesus. Ultimately, before God, we get what we want, and those who push Jesus away will not have to endure eternity with Him. (2 Corinthians 4 Commentary) William MacDonald comments on Jn 12:40: This quotation was from Isaiah 6:9, 10. God blinded the eyes of the people of Israel and hardened their hearts. He did not do this at first, but only after they had closed their eyes and hardened their own hearts. As a result of Israel’s stubborn and willful rejection of the Messiah, they cut themselves off from sight, understanding, conversion, and healing. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos) I love Warren Wiersbe summarization of Jn 12:37-41: The key word in this section is believe; it is used eight times (in Jn 12:37-49). First, John explained the unbelief of the people. They would not believe (John 12:37–38, with a quotation from Isa. 53:1); they could not believe (John 12:39); and they should not believe (John 12:40–41, with a quotation from Isa 6:9, 10). (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary - Old Testament. Victor or Wordsearch) 1Jn 2:11 But the one who hates (present tense = habitual conduct) his brother is (present tense = continually) in the darkness and walks (present tense = habitual conduct) in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. Wuest comments: The penalty of living in the darkness is not merely that one does not see, but that one goes blind. The neglected faculty is atrophied. Compare the mole, the crustacea in the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky. Commenting on the words “has blinded,” Vincent says: “The aorist tense, blinded, indicates a past, definite, decisive act. When the darkness overtook, it blinded. The blindness is no new state into which he has come.” This person is, of course, an unsaved person professing Christianity. Habitually conducting (present tense = habitual conduct) one’s self in the sphere of darkness is indicative of an unsaved state (cp 1Jn 3:15). (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos or Wordsearch) J Vernon McGee agrees: My friend, John has given here a tremendous statement: “He that hates (continually) his brother is in darkness, and walks (continually) in darkness, and knows not where he goes, because that darkness has blinded his eyes.” If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God, apply this test to your own life. If you are hating your brother, you are dwelling in (the kingdom of) darkness (cp Jn 3:18, 20, 21). If you are loving your brother, you are dwelling in (the kingdom of) light (cp the "transfer" that all believers experience when they are first born again = Acts 26:18 and 1Pe 2:9-note). It is worthy noting that the noun tuphlos/typhlos is used 15 times in John 9 (Jn 9:1, 2, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24,25, 32, 39 40 41) Mounce comments: In John 9, the literal typhlos of the man born blind is blended with the figurative typhlos of the Jews (Jn 9:40). There is further irony in the Jews being referred to as typhlos (Jn 9:39), for it was a matter of pride to them that they were the teachers and guides to the blind (Ro 2:19-note). Jesus directly confronts the Jews with their typhlos of unbelief, declaring that they are blind guides of the blind (Mt 15:14). See NIDNTT-A, 566–67. Joseph Beet commenting on 2Co 4:4 wirites that... Many of those to whom Paul preached had evidently never seen the image of Christ portrayed in the Gospel. For they were unmoved by it. To them, therefore, the Gospel was veiled. And, since the truth was set plainly before them, the hindrance to sight was not in the Word but in the hearts of those who did not believe it. By not seeing the image set before them they proved themselves incapable of seeing it. And their blindness was so unnatural that it must have been inflicted. And it could be a work only of the enemy of the race. Since the blinded ones were wholly occupied with things of the present life and were thus prevented from beholding the Gospel light, Paul says that they were blinded by the God of this age. And, since the inevitable result of their blindness was that they were unable to see the light which shines forth from Him who reveals to men the face of God, he properly speaks of this as the dire purpose of the blindness inflicted by their foe. This blindness was wrought, not only by Satan, but by God: as is taught expressly in 2Th 2:9 10 11 12; Ro 11:8; Jn 12:40. In just punishment God surrenders to the cruelty of Satan those who reject the Gospel, that He may destroy their capacity for receiving it. This dual source of spiritual insensibility is illustrated in 2Sa 24:1 and 1Chr 21:1. The blindness is also attributed to the word, and to those who preach it: Is 6:10; Mk 4:11 12. For, by God’s ordinance, the Gospel hardens those whom it fails to soften. This blindness, though terrible, is not necessarily final; any more than is the death described in Ro 7:9,10, 11 12 13. For Christ, who raises the dead, gives sight (Lk 4:18) to the blind. But the blindness and death are such as no earthly power can save from. Yet in our deepest darkness we know the direction of the light. And, as we turn towards it, the light of life by its creative power gives eyes to the blind. (2 Corinthians 4 Commentary) COMPARISON 2Co 4:4 and 2Co 4:6 2Co 4:4 2Co 4:6 Satan blinds to God creates the light the light of the Gospel of the knowledge of the glory of the glory of Christ of God Who is the image of God In the face of Christ John Piper (above table is credited to Dr Piper also) writes.. In 2Co 4:4 Satan blinds the mind; in 2Co 4:6-note God creates light in the heart. 2Co 4:4 describes the problem; 2Co 4:6 describes the remedy. These two verses are a description of the condition of all people before conversion, and what happens in conversion to bring about salvation. More than any part of the Bible that I know of, the connections between 2 Corinthians 4:4 and 2Corinthians 4:6 shed light on the ultimate meaning of good in the term good news. Let’s be clear that we are talking about the gospel in these verses. The fact that Paul does not mention the facts of Christ’s life and death and resurrection does not mean he has left them behind. They remain the historical core of the gospel. There is no gospel without the declaration of Christ crucified for sinners and risen from the dead (1Co 15:1 2 3 4). This is assumed here. When Paul speaks of “the gospel of the glory of Christ,” he means that the events of the gospel are designed by God to reveal the glory of Christ. This is not incidental to the gospel—it’s essential. The gospel would not be good news if it did not reveal the glory of Christ for us to see and savor. It is the glory of Christ that finally satisfies our soul. We are made for Christ, and Christ died so that every obstacle would be removed that keeps us from seeing and savoring the most satisfying treasure in the universe—namely, Christ, who is the image of God. The supreme value of the glory of Christ revealed in the gospel is what makes Satan so furious with the gospel. Satan is not mainly interested in causing us misery. He is mainly interested in making Christ look bad. He hates Christ. And he hates the glory of Christ. He will do all he can to keep people from seeing Christ as glorious. The gospel is God’s instrument for liberating people from exulting in self to exulting in Christ. Therefore Satan hates the gospel. Thus 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan blinds people to keep them from seeing “the light of the gospel.” He has more than one way to do this. One way, of course, is to prevent the preaching of the gospel. This he does by derailing many preachers and missionaries. They may die, or be thrown in prison (Rev. 2:10), or forsake the ministry (2Ti 4:10). Or they may abandon the truth and speak “a different gospel” (Gal. 1:6 7 8; Acts 20:30). But in 2 Corinthians 4:4 the way Satan keeps people from seeing “the light of the gospel” is not by preventing preaching, but by preventing spiritual perception. The words of the gospel are heard. The facts are comprehended. But there is no “light.” What does this mean? It means that blinded persons consider the facts of the gospel but see no compelling spiritual beauty, no treasure, nothing supremely precious. They see facts. They may even agree that the historical facts are true. Satan surely does. But they do not have “true sense of the divine excellency of the things revealed in the Word of God, and a conviction of the truth and reality of them thence arising.” That last quote is from Jonathan Edwards. Edwards thought more deeply about this spiritual “light of the gospel” than anyone I have ever read. Here is how he describes what Satan prevents in verse 4, and what God gives in verse 6. [It is] a true sense … of the excellency of God and Jesus Christ, and of the work of redemption, and the ways and works of God revealed in the gospel. There is a divine and superlative glory in these things, an excellency that is of a vastly higher kind and more sublime nature than in other things, [and] a glory greatly distinguishing them from all that is earthly and temporal. He that is spiritually enlightened truly apprehends and sees it, or has a sense of it. He does not merely rationally believe that God is glorious, but he has a sense of the gloriousness of God in his heart. (from Jonathan Edwards' sermon A Divine and Supernatural Light) Seeing this “light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” is not neutral. One cannot see it and hate it. One cannot see it and reject it. If one claims to see it, only to reject it, one is “seeing” it only the way Satan sees it and wants us to see it. In that case we are still in the grip of his blinding power. No, the kind of seeing that Satan prevents is not the neutral seeing that sets you before a meal with no taste or distaste for what you see. The kind of seeing that Satan cancels (v. 4) and God creates (v. 6) is more like spiritual tasting than rational testing. This kind of seeing is not the circumstantial inference that the brown fluid in the bottle with the wax comb must be honey. Rather this seeing is the immediate knowledge that it is honey because of putting some on the tongue. There is no series of arguments that awakens the certainty of sweetness. This is what seeing light means. If you are blind, someone may persuade you that the sun is bright. But that persuasion is not what Paul is talking about. When your eyes are opened—that is, when God says, “Let there be light”—the persuasion is of a different kind. That’s what happens in the preaching of the gospel. It’s what happens when God moves with Creator power over the darkness of human hearts. (The interested reader is strongly encouraged to read the entire chapter by Dr Piper online in his book God Is the Gospel by John Piper - go to page 54 in the Pdf and read chapter 4)

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Blinded (5186) tuphloo/typhloo

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