‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing, 4 but will never understand,
and you will keep on looking, 5 but will never perceive.
1 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; here and in Luke 22:61, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
2 tn The imperfect verb ἔλεγεν (elegen) is taken as a customary imperfect.
3 sn John…Spirit. This remark repeats Acts 1:5.
4 tn Grk “you will hear with hearing” (an idiom).
5 tn Or “seeing”; Grk “you will look by looking” (an idiom).