Acts 28:25-28 · Bible study
Acts 28:25-28 Commentary: Paul’s Final Turn to the Gentiles
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Paul cite Isaiah through the Holy Spirit, and how does this conclude his mission to the Jews and open the door to the Gentiles?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Paul cites Isaiah through the Holy Spirit as his final justification for turning from Jewish rejection to the Gentile mission.
- Key words: rhēma (declaration, v25), kalōs (rightly/truly, v25), ἐπαχύνθη (grew callous/dull, v27), ἐκάμμυσαν (closed/shut eyes, v27), ἀπεστάλη (has been sent, v28), σωτήριον (salvation, v28), ἀκούσονται (will listen/obey, v28).
- Main debate: The relationship between divine judicial hardening (God’s sovereignty) and human willful rejection (human responsibility).
- Theological theme: The gospel goes to the nations when its first invited guests refuse it, demonstrating both God’s judgment and his relentless mercy.
- Best use: As a turning point in the book of Acts and a model for how to respond when the gospel is rejected: entrust the result to God and move toward those who will listen.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
25They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit was right when He spoke to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27For 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.’
28Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
WEB World English Bible 2000
25When they didn’t agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had spoken one message: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,
26saying, ‘Go to this people and say, in hearing, you will hear, but will in no way understand. In seeing, you will see, but will in no way perceive.
27For this people’s heart has grown callous. Their ears are dull of hearing. Their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again, then I would heal them.’
28“Be it known therefore to you that the salvation of God is sent to the nations, and they will listen.”
KJV King James Version 1769
25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,
26Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Spirit through Isaiah the prophet unto your fathers,
26saying, Go thou unto this people, and say, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive:
27For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them.
28Be it known therefore unto you, that this salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles: they will also hear.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
25And not being agreed with one another, they were going away, Paul having spoken one word--`Well did the Holy Spirit speak through Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers,
26saying, Go on unto this people and say, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive,
27for made gross was the heart of this people, and with the ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they did close, lest they may see with the eyes, and with the heart may understand, and be turned back, and I may heal them.
28`Be it known, therefore, to you, that to the nations was sent the salvation of God, these also will hear it;'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
25And being disagreed among themselves they left; Paul having spoken one word, Well spoke the Holy Spirit through Esaias the prophet to our fathers,
26saying, Go to this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear and not understand, and seeing ye shall see and not perceive.
27For the heart of this people has become fat, and they hear heavily with their ears, and they have closed their eyes; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
28Be it known to you therefore, that this salvation of God has been sent to the nations; they also will hear [it].
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
25And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, Paul speaking this one word: Well did the Holy Ghost speak to our fathers by Isaias the prophet,
26Saying: Go to this people and say to them: With the ear you shall hear and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see and shall not perceive.
27For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears have they heard heavily and their eyes they have shut, lest perhaps they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and should be converted: and I should heal them.
28Be it known therefore to you that this salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles: and they will hear it.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Acts 28:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Paul’s citation of Isaiah 6:9-10 is his final, solemn word to the Jewish leaders in Rome. He attributes the prophecy directly to the Holy Spirit, grounding it in divine inspiration, a point Barnes calls “a full proof of the inspiration of Isaiah.” Calvin sees the passage used “as with a mallet, to beat in pieces the hardness and frowardness of the wicked,” while Jamieson-Fausset-Brown call it “one solemn parting testimony.” The quote had already been used by Jesus himself to explain the parables (Matthew 13:14-15). So Paul is not announcing something new; he is showing that Israel’s pattern of rejection is ancient and foretold.
All the commentators note that the surrounding narrative justifies the turn to the Gentiles. Clarke observes that Paul had spoken to this effect twice before (Acts 13:46, 18:6) but here “he uses a firmer tone, being out of the Jewish territories, and under the protection of the emperor.” The hardening described, a calloused heart, dull ears, closed eyes, is both the people’s own willful act and a divine judgment upon their resistance. The passage ends with a decisive declaration: “the salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.” As Barnes puts it, “If his own countrymen despised it, he never allowed himself to suppose that Christ had died in vain.”
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Hardening as divine judicial act: Calvin and Lange emphasize the passive verb “has grown callous” and God’s role in giving people over to their own blindness, as seen in Romans 1 and Isaiah 6:10.
- Hardening as human willful rejection: The active verbs “their eyes they have closed” and the narrative context of the Jews disagreeing (v25a) highlight human choice and refusal, as argued by Matthew Henry and others.
- Gentile inclusion as new trajectory: Acts 28:28 stands paralleled with Acts 13:46 and 18:6, showing a stepwise broadening of the mission. Some see this as permanent replacement; others (e.g., later in Romans 11) as temporary hardening with future restoration.
What is clear: Paul uses Isaiah’s prophecy, spoken by the Holy Spirit, to show that Jewish rejection of the gospel was foretold and to justify his mission to the Gentiles, who will listen.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The meaning of hardening in v27 | All traditions read the passage as describing a state of spiritual insensitivity, the people cannot understand because they have made themselves unable. | Some traditions stress this as a divine judicial act (God hardening the hearts), while others emphasize it as the natural consequence of persistent human rejection. The text itself includes both: a passive verb (was calloused) and active verbs (they closed). |
| The role of the Holy Spirit in v25 | All agree that Paul here attests the full inspiration of Isaiah’s prophecy, it is the voice of the Holy Spirit. | Traditions differ on the extent to which the prophet’s own personality or circumstances shape the message. Some see a direct, verbal dictation; others see a dynamic cooperation between the human author and the Spirit. |
| The finality of the turn to the Gentiles | A decisive shift in redemptive history is announced: God’s salvation is now being sent to the non-Jewish nations. | Some traditions held that this represented the permanent replacement of Israel as God’s people. Others (citing Romans 11) maintain it is a temporary reversal with a future restoration of ethnic Israel. Both views affirm that the Gentile mission is God’s will in the present age. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul is a prisoner in Rome, living under house arrest in a rented lodging (Acts 28:16, 30). He has summoned the local Jewish leaders to explain his situation. After a day-long session where he expounds the kingdom from Moses and the prophets (v23), some believe and some disbelieve (v24). The disagreement becomes so sharp that the two parties begin to leave (v25a).
At that moment Paul speaks “one word”, a single, emphatic declaration (rhēma hen, a specific statement). He quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, a passage Jesus himself had used to explain why he taught in parables (Matthew 13:14-15; see also Mark 4:12, John 12:40). By attributing the prophecy to the Holy Spirit, Paul insists that Israel’s resistance to God’s message is not a new problem; it has been the pattern of the nation’s history. The oldest Greek manuscripts read “your fathers” rather than “our fathers,” which further distances the unbelieving hearers from the prophet’s witnesses.
Then Paul makes his final pronouncement: “this salvation of God is sent to the Gentiles” (v28). The word “this” (touto) emphasizes the very message they are rejecting. He had made similar statements in Asia Minor (Acts 13:46) and Greece (Acts 18:6). Now, in the heart of the empire, the turn becomes definitive. In the verses that follow (28:30-31), Paul remains under house arrest but receives all who come, Jews and Gentiles, preaching the kingdom without hindrance. The gospel goes forward, even when its original hearers refuse it.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note two significant textual variants. First, verse 25: older manuscripts read “your fathers” (ὑμῶν) rather than “our fathers” (ἡμῶν). This change better suits Paul’s rhetorical stance of distinguishing the unbelieving listeners from those (including himself) who receive Old Testament prophecy as fulfilled in Jesus. Second, verse 28: the best manuscripts read “this salvation” (τοῦτο τὸ σωτήριον) rather than “the salvation”, the demonstrative pronoun emphasizes that the very message the Jews have rejected is now sent to the Gentiles. No other variants are noted in the supplied sources. The Cambridge Bible and the Greek text of Westcott-Hort support these readings.
Reception History
Throughout church history, Acts 28:25-28 has been a key text for understanding the relation between Israel and the church and for justifying the Gentile mission. Early Christian writers saw it as prophetic validation of the expansion of the gospel beyond Judaism. In the Reformation era, Calvin used the passage to discuss divine hardening and the comfort it brings to believers: that the rejection of the gospel by some does not frustrate God’s purposes. John Wesley read it as a description of “judicial blindness” that follows persistent resistance. In the modern period, the passage has been central in debates about the nature of the Jewish rejection and the ongoing place of Israel in God’s plan, with some traditions emphasizing the permanence of the turn and others seeing it as a stage in Paul’s unfolding mission. Across all eras, the text has been read as a bittersweet moment: sorrow at Israel’s blindness, joy at the inclusion of the nations.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Holy Spirit speaks through Isaiah (v25). Paul’s opening attribution shows that Scripture is not merely human opinion but the voice of God. The citation validates the divine origin of the Old Testament and connects present unbelief to ancient prophecy.
- The tragedy of willful blindness (v26-27). The people physically hear and see, yet they do not understand or perceive. Their heart is “calloused”, thickened by stubborn refusal. Their ears are heavy, their eyes deliberately shut. The grammar in v27: “their eyes they have closed” (active verb) points to a choice, while “the heart has grown callous” (passive) points to a condition that results from that choice over time.
- The surprising reach of God’s salvation (v28). Because the Jews have rejected it, the same salvation is sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen. The future tense “will listen” (akousontai) carries the sense of obedient hearing. What Israel refused, the nations embrace.
Five-point outline
- The meeting in Rome (vv23-24): Paul preaches; some believe, some do not.
- The disagreement (v25a): the parties cannot agree and begin to leave.
- The one-word testimony (v25b-27): Paul quotes Isaiah, naming the Holy Spirit as the prophet’s source.
- The description of hardening (v27): calloused heart, dull ears, closed eyes, a judgment that is also a choice.
- The turn to the nations (v28): God’s salvation is sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen.
Illustration hooks
- A door that closes and a window that opens: When one group refuses an invitation, a host moves on to the next guest. The gospel does not wait forever on the doorstep.
- GPS recalculating: When the intended route is blocked, a new path appears. Paul keeps his destination, the salvation of the world, but changes the route from Judea to the nations.
- Someone who plugs their ears during a warning: A child holds hands over their ears while a parent warns of danger. They hear the sound but choose not to receive the warning, a picture of willful blindness.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God harden people’s hearts? The passage shows both divine judgment and human responsibility. The people first close their own eyes; then God gives them over to the condition they chose.
- Why do some believe and others not, even when they hear the same message? Acts 28:24 shows both responses. The passage does not fully explain the mystery, but it affirms that unbelief is a real possibility even for those who hear the truth.
- Is the turn to the Gentiles permanent? Historic Christian readings differ. Some see a temporary judgment followed by future restoration of Israel (Romans 11); others see a permanent replacement. Both traditions agree that the gospel now goes to all nations without preconditions.
Leading a Discussion
This passage closes Paul’s recorded ministry to Jews in Acts. It raises hard questions about human resistance to God, divine judgment, and the wideness of God’s mercy. Read Acts 28:23-31 as a unit, then focus on verses 25-28. Let the group sit with the tension: some believe, some reject, and the rejected message is offered to others.
Discussion questions
- What does Paul mean by “one word” (rhēma hen)? Why does his one declaration carry so much weight at this moment?
- Why does Paul attribute the prophecy to the Holy Spirit rather than to Isaiah alone? What does this tell us about how he viewed Scripture?
- The quotation in verses 26-27 describes people who hear and see but do not understand. What does this suggest about the nature of spiritual understanding, is it purely intellectual or something deeper?
- Notice the shift from passive to active: the heart “has grown callous” (passive), but “their eyes they have closed” (active). How do you explain both elements, what God allows and what people choose?
- Verse 28 states that “this salvation” (tautēn tēn sōtērian) is sent to the Gentiles. Why does Paul emphasize “this”, what makes this salvation specific and urgent?
- How does this passage shape your understanding of who is included in God’s invitation? Does it ever trouble you that some people hear the gospel and reject it?
- If you were in Paul’s situation, your message rejected by the people you most wanted to reach, what might you feel? How does Paul’s response model perseverance and hope?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 15:7 | You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, |
| Mark 7:6 | He answered them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. |
| II Peter 1:21 | For no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit. |
| Deuteronomy 29:4 | But Yahweh has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day. |
| Psalms 81:11 | But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me. |
| Psalms 81:12 | So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels. |
| Isaiah 6:9 | He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You hear indeed, but don’t understand. You see indeed, but don’t perceive.’ |
| Isaiah 6:10 | Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke observes that Paul, now outside Jewish territory and under imperial protection, speaks with a firmer tone in declaring salvation sent to the Gentiles. He notes that God delayed this until the Jews rejected it, making the elect reprobate and the reprobate elect. The word "hear" here means to obey, not merely listen.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights Paul's unwavering response to rejection: instead of despairing when his own people refused the gospel, Paul turned at once to the Gentiles, confident they would receive it. Barnes applies this as a call for Christians to share Paul's steadfast faith that Christ's death is never in vain.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists the gospel does not create division
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator stresses that Paul’s pronouns and wording were carefully chosen: by saying “your fathers” rather than “our fathers,” Paul distinguishes himself and other believing Jews from those rejecting the gospel. He also corrects a misreading of Paul’s final statement: Paul does not taunt the Jews but instead announces that the Gentiles will also hear, being included alongside them in God’s salvation.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Paul's parting word to the Jews who cannot agree is the Holy Spirit's own indictment through Isaiah: their hardening fulfills what the prophet foretold. With that, Paul declares that God's salvation now goes to the Gentiles, who will hear it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a theological argument from Paul's quotation: since the Holy Spirit spoke through Isaiah, and the prophet addressed the Lord of hosts, the Spirit must be a divine person equal with the Father and Son. He then treats the message as a judgment, with God calling Israel "this people" rather than "my people."
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights the emotional cost behind Paul’s final, solemn testimony to the divided Jewish leaders. Drawing from Scripture both sides accepted as the Holy Spirit speaking to Israel, Paul pronounces judgment on their unbelief — a word wrung from him only because of his deep, continual sorrow over his own people.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent traces the key phrases of this verse to their fuller contexts. He notes that "agreed not" echoes a previous usage in Acts, while "waxed gross" and "closed" draw from Jesus' explanation of the parable of the sower in Matthew. "Dull of hearing" literally means they heard heavily.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley highlights that the prophetic words about hearing without understanding describe a judicial blindness resulting from willful resistance to truth: first they would not believe, then they could not. He marks this as the turning point when the salvation of God was sent to the Gentiles, noting Paul was the first apostle to bring the gospel to Rome.