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Question 3
In Isaiah 6:10, the Septuagint places responsibility on the people (“They have closed their eyes”), while the Masoretic can sound like God is hardening them (“Make the heart of this people dull”); how does this textual difference affect what you believe about God’s character and intentions toward unbelievers?
Another way to ask: In Isaiah 6:10, one version makes it sound like the people closed their own eyes, and another can sound like God hardened them. How does that difference shape what you believe about God’s heart toward unbelievers?

Direct Answer Bercot argues this difference strongly affects how we see God’s character: the Septuagint reading relieves God of seeming to prevent belief and places responsibility on the people’s own refusal, portraying God as willing to heal if they would turn.

Support from Transcript:

  • Jesus’ quotation in Matthew 13:15 is given in the “blame… squarely on the Jews”: “their eyes they have closed… lest they should… turn so that I should heal them.”
  • Bercot says that matches the Septuagint of Isaiah 6:10: “They have closed their eyes… and return, and I should heal them.”
  • The Masoretic is quoted as sounding like God commands hardening: “Make the heart of this people dull… and shut their eyes… lest they should… return and be healed.”
  • Bercot personalizes the impact: “for much of my life, I really struggled… It makes it seem that God is preventing the Jews from believing… it was such a comfort when I discovered the Septuagint.”
  • He concludes the Septuagint “makes it clear that the problem doesn’t lie with God, but with the Jews… Their unbelief keeps them from turning back… and being healed.”
Discussion Follow-ups How might this example affect the way we handle hard passages about judgment—especially when different textual traditions present different emphases?

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