Acts 28:24-26 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

And some believed the things which were spoken Were happily persuaded of the truth of Paul's doctrine, and were induced to embrace Christianity; and some On the other hand, were so much under the influence of strong prejudice and hardened, that they believed not But rejected the gospel, amidst all the evidence which Paul advanced to support it. And when they agreed not among themselves But were of opposite opinions; they departed The assembly broke up; after that Paul had spoken one word In the close of all, on account of that obstinacy which he observed to prevail in most of them; Well spake the Holy Ghost unto our fathers What is equally applicable to you; saying, Go unto this people Perverse and obstinate as they are; and say, Hearing ye shall hear, &c. That is, ye shall most surely hear; and shall Or rather will; not understand The words seem to denote a judicial blindness, consequent upon a wilful and obstinate resistance of the truth. See notes on Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:14; John 12:40. We may observe here, that this passage of Isaiah is quoted oftener in the New Testament than any other taken from the Old; namely, no fewer than six times: (see the margin:) and yet in such a variety of expressions, as plainly proves that the apostles did not confine themselves exactly, either to the words of the original Hebrew or of the Greek version.