9
καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωσίν σοι τοῖς δυσὶ σημείοις τούτοις μηδὲ εἰσακούσωσιν τῆς φωνῆς σου λήμψῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ ἐκχεεῖς ἐπὶ τὸ ξηρόν καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ ἐὰν λάβῃς ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ αἷμα ἐπὶ τοῦ ξηροῦ
9
καὶ ἔσται ἐὰν μὴ πιστεύσωσίν σοι τοῖς δυσὶ σημείοις τούτοις μηδὲ εἰσακούσωσιν τῆς φωνῆς σου λήμψῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ ἐκχεεῖς ἐπὶ τὸ ξηρόν καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ ἐὰν λάβῃς ἀπὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ αἷμα ἐπὶ τοῦ ξηροῦ
6990. 'Or the seeing, or the blind' means faith through cognitions, or the absence of faith through a lack of them. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as understanding and being in possession of faith, dealt with in 897, 2325, 2807, 3863, 3869, 4403-4411, thus faith as a result of cognitions (for in the original language it is a word that means one who is open - whose eyes are, to be exact - and so means one who sees as a result of cognitions, for these serve to open); and from the meaning of 'the blind' as the absence of faith as a result of a lack of cognitions, since a blind person is not one of 'the seeing'. In the Word those who are 'blind' also mean gentiles who have no knowledge of the truth of faith because they live outside the Church, yet when they have been taught accept faith, see 2387. Those same people are also meant by the blind whom the Lord healed, spoken of in Matthew 9:27-31; 12:22; Matthew 20:29-end; 21:14; Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-end; Luke 18:35-end; John 9:1-end.