What is the meaning of Isaiah 32:3?

Then

• “Then” anchors the promise to the reign of the righteous King portrayed in Isaiah 32:1—“Behold, a king will reign in righteousness.”

• The adverb signals a specific moment: when that King rules, immediate change follows.

• Scripture consistently ties moral and spiritual awakening to the coming of God’s chosen ruler (cf. Isaiah 11:1–4; Revelation 20:4).

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the eyes of those who see

• Isaiah speaks of people already granted sight—individuals who possessed some measure of spiritual perception.

• Yet their vision had been hazy, hindered by complacency and societal corruption (Isaiah 29:10–13).

• In Christ’s earthly ministry this began to unfold—“Blessed are your eyes, because they see” (Matthew 13:16)—and it will reach fullness when He reigns physically on earth (Zechariah 12:10).

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will no longer be closed

• Literal brightness: “The LORD opens the eyes of the blind” (Psalm 146:8).

• Spiritual clarity: deception and dullness are removed (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 1:18).

• Moral courage: once-passive observers now perceive truth and act upon it (James 1:22).

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and the ears of those who hear

• God’s people had heard prophetic warnings yet stayed indifferent (Isaiah 6:9–10).

• The phrase targets covenant members—those positioned to receive revelation but slow to respond.

• Jesus echoed this dynamic: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mark 4:9), anticipating a future generation that finally listens.

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will listen

• Listening here carries the Hebrew sense of obedient hearing—embracing and doing (Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Luke 11:28).

• Under the righteous King, distraction and rebellion give way to eager submission (Jeremiah 31:33–34; John 10:27).

• This listening restores communal justice, ending the folly condemned earlier in the chapter (Isaiah 32:5–6).

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summary

Isaiah 32:3 promises that when the righteous King takes His throne, spiritual perception is renewed: eyes once clouded see clearly, and ears once indifferent gladly obey. The verse foretells literal healing and deep moral transformation, fulfilled in part at Christ’s first coming and completed in His future reign, ensuring a people who both see God’s truth and live by it.