Matthew 13:16
New International Version
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

New Living Translation
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

English Standard Version
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

Berean Standard Bible
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Berean Literal Bible
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

King James Bible
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

New King James Version
But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

New American Standard Bible
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

NASB 1995
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

NASB 1977
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Legacy Standard Bible
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Amplified Bible
But blessed [spiritually aware, and favored by God] are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Christian Standard Bible
“Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“But your eyes are blessed because they do see, and your ears because they do hear!

American Standard Version
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

Contemporary English Version
But God has blessed you, because your eyes can see and your ears can hear!

English Revised Version
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear.

Good News Translation
"As for you, how fortunate you are! Your eyes see and your ears hear.

International Standard Version
"How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear!

Majority Standard Bible
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

NET Bible
"But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

New Heart English Bible
"But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

Webster's Bible Translation
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Weymouth New Testament
"But as for you, blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

World English Bible
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,

Berean Literal Bible
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

Young's Literal Translation
'And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear,

Smith's Literal Translation
But happy your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.

New American Bible
“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.

New Revised Standard Version
But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But as for you, blessed are your eyes for they see; and your ears for they hear.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But you have blessings to your eyes, for they are seeing, and to your ears, for they are hearing.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.

Godbey New Testament
But happy are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Haweis New Testament
But blessed are your eyes; for ye see: and your ears; for ye hear.

Mace New Testament
but happy are you that your eyes have sight; and that your ears have their hearing.

Weymouth New Testament
"But as for you, blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

Worrell New Testament
But happy are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

Worsley New Testament
But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Purpose of Jesus' Parables
15For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ 16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.…

Cross References
Luke 10:23-24
Then Jesus turned to the disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. / For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

1 Peter 1:8-12
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, / now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. / Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully, ...

Hebrews 11:13
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” / Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion. / Break forth in joy, sing together, O ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem. ...

Isaiah 6:9-10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

Psalm 119:18
Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law.

2 Corinthians 3:14-16
But their minds were closed. For to this day the same veil remains at the reading of the old covenant. It has not been lifted, because only in Christ can it be removed. / And even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. / But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Acts 28:26-27
‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

Romans 15:21
Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”

Isaiah 29:10
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.


Treasury of Scripture

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

Matthew 5:3-11
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…

Matthew 16:17
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

Luke 2:29,30
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: …

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Matthew 13
1. The parable of the sower and the seed;
18. the explanation of it.
24. The parable of the weeds;
31. of the mustard seed;
33. of the leaven;
36. explanation of the parable of the weeds.
44. The parable of the hidden treasure;
45. of the pearl;
47. of the drag net cast into the sea.
53. Jesus is a prophet without honor in his own country.














But blessed are your eyes
The word "blessed" in Greek is "makarios," which conveys a sense of divine favor and happiness. In the context of this verse, it signifies a spiritual state of well-being and joy that comes from being in a right relationship with God. The "eyes" here symbolize spiritual perception and understanding. In the biblical context, seeing is often associated with recognizing and understanding spiritual truths. Jesus is speaking to His disciples, contrasting them with those who are spiritually blind. The disciples are blessed because they have been given the ability to perceive the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven, which many prophets and righteous people longed to see but did not.

because they see
The verb "see" in Greek is "blepō," which means to perceive or to understand. This is not merely physical sight but a deeper, spiritual insight. In the historical context of Jesus' ministry, many people witnessed His miracles and heard His teachings, yet not all understood or accepted them. The disciples' ability to "see" indicates their openness to the revelation of God's truth through Jesus. This seeing is a gift from God, highlighting the grace that enables believers to comprehend spiritual realities.

and your ears
"Ears" in this context represent the ability to hear and understand spiritual truths. In the Hebrew tradition, hearing is closely linked to obedience. The Shema, a central declaration of faith in Judaism, begins with "Hear, O Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Thus, having ears that hear implies not just listening but also responding in faith and obedience. The disciples are commended for their receptivity to Jesus' teachings, contrasting with those who hear but do not understand or act upon His words.

because they hear
The Greek word for "hear" is "akouō," which means to listen, comprehend, and obey. This hearing is an active process, involving not just the reception of sound but the internalization and application of the message. In the scriptural context, hearing is often linked to faith, as "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The disciples' ability to hear signifies their faith and willingness to follow Jesus, setting them apart from the crowds who heard the same words but did not grasp their significance.

(16) Blessed are your eyes.--The words are spoken to the small company of disciples in the boat. They were not as the multitude. They might see but dimly, and be slow of heart to understand, but, at least, they had eyes that looked for light, and ears that were open to the divine voice.

Verses 16, 17. - Parallel passage: Luke 10:23, 24, after the return of the seventy, and immediately following our Matthew 11:25, 27. The verses stand there, that is to say, in close connexion with the other great utterance contrasting God's revelation of spiritual things to some and his hiding them from others. Possibly he spoke the verses only once (cf. the repetitions in the Prophets), but, in view of the frequency with which Christ's utterances are placed out of their original connexion, the assumption should be the other way. If he really only spoke them once, we cannot be sure which the occasion was, but the possibility that they do not properly belong here is increased by the doubt whether also ver. 12 was originally spoken now. Verse 16. - But blessed (Matthew 5:3, note) are your eyes. Christ now returns to emphasize ver. 11a. For they see (ὅτι βλέπουσιν). This may refer to the disciples being able to see spiritual truths before God's special grace given them by way of reward to this effect, but this hardly suits the context from the phrase, "it is given" (ver. 12). It is, therefore, better to understand the verse to refer to their seeing and hearing things by virtue of grace given in reward for earlier faithfulness. Edersheim ('Life,' 1:594) gives a striking illustration of the thought of this verse from the 'Pesiqta' (edit. Buber, p. 149).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

blessed [are]
μακάριοι (makarioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3107: Happy, blessed, to be envied. A prolonged form of the poetical makar; supremely blest; by extension, fortunate, well off.

your
Ὑμῶν (Hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

eyes
ὀφθαλμοὶ (ophthalmoi)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3788: The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy.

because
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

they see,
βλέπουσιν (blepousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 991: (primarily physical), I look, see, perceive, discern. A primary verb; to look at.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

your
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

ears
ὦτα (ōta)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3775: (a) the ear, (b) met: the faculty of perception. Apparently a primary word; the ear.

because
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

they hear.
ἀκούουσιν (akouousin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 191: To hear, listen, comprehend by hearing; pass: is heard, reported. A primary verb; to hear.


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