Isaiah Chapter 59 · Verse 10
We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
Original Language Analysis
וּכְאֵ֥ין
H369
עֵינַ֖יִם
as if we had no eyes
H5869
עֵינַ֖יִם
as if we had no eyes
Strong's:
H5869
Word #:
5 of 11
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
כָּשַׁ֤לְנוּ
we stumble
H3782
כָּשַׁ֤לְנוּ
we stumble
Strong's:
H3782
Word #:
7 of 11
to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall
בַֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙
at noonday
H6672
בַֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙
at noonday
Strong's:
H6672
Word #:
8 of 11
a light (i.e., window); dual double light, i.e., noon
כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁף
as in the night
H5399
כַּנֶּ֔שֶׁף
as in the night
Strong's:
H5399
Word #:
9 of 11
properly, a breeze, i.e., (by implication) dusk (when the evening breeze prevails)
Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:29And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.Job 5:14They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.Lamentations 3:6He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old.
Historical Context
This fulfills the judgment threatened in Deuteronomy 28:29 for covenant unfaithfulness: 'And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness.' Curses for disobedience have come upon them.
Questions for Reflection
- How does sin produce spiritual blindness even when physical sight is clear?
- What does 'stumbling at noonday' look like in your experience?
Analysis & Commentary
The imagery intensifies: 'We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.' Sin produces spiritual blindness (even with physical eyes), confusion (stumbling at noonday), and death-like existence.