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See the exact Isaiah 6:10 form guide with morphology, clause role, and guardrails.
OpenForm Insight
How וּלְבָב֥וֹ Works in Isaiah 6:10
A focused form insight on Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular in Isaiah 6:10.
Focused term וּלְבָב֥וֹ ū·lə·ḇā·ḇōw H3824 Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Isaiah 6:10 - BSB
Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
The Question
How does וּלְבָב֥וֹ function in Isaiah 6:10?
Short Answer
וּלְבָב֥וֹ is a Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular in Isaiah 6:10. The form clarifies that the heart phrase is part of Isaiah 6:10's coordinated picture of failed perception: eyes, ears, and heart all belong to the same collective people before the Lord's warning.
What the Form Is Doing
וּלְבָב֥וֹ appears in Isaiah 6:10 as a Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular. The waw keeps the heart phrase in the coordinated sequence with eyes and ears, while the construct form with suffix ties the heart to the same collective people addressed in the verse.
The conjunctive waw joins the phrase to the verse's coordinated movement, the construct noun carries the heart-language, and the third-person suffix points back to the people treated as a collective in the Hebrew context. English naturally renders the collective relation with plural language.
Why It Matters for Interpretation
The form clarifies that the heart phrase is part of Isaiah 6:10's coordinated picture of failed perception: eyes, ears, and heart all belong to the same collective people before the Lord's warning.
The coordinated heart phrase is part of Isaiah 6:10's major warning about perception, understanding, turning, and healing.
Translation Effect
The form supports the English collective rendering with their hearts, even though the suffix is grammatically singular.
The form guide should support the public Bible reading, not replace it with a private rendering.
What It Does Not Prove
Do not use this form alone to settle every debate about hardening, repentance, or spiritual perception. It identifies the heart phrase within Isaiah's warning sequence.
Grammar should serve context, not override it.
Do not treat the construct relationship as the whole interpretation of Isaiah 6:10.
Evidence from the Form Guide
The BSB+ row for Isaiah 6:10 links the English rendering "with their hearts" with וּלְבָב֥וֹ, Strong's H3824, and the morphology tag Conj-w | N-msc | 3ms.
When teaching Isaiah 6:10, use this form to show that the heart belongs with the verse's eyes-and-ears sequence. The grammar clarifies the whole-person nature of the warning without making the suffix or construct state carry the doctrine alone.
What It Does Not Prove
- Do not use this form alone to settle every debate about hardening, repentance, or spiritual perception. It identifies the heart phrase within Isaiah's warning sequence.
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not treat the construct relationship as the whole interpretation of Isaiah 6:10.
- Do not make the third-person singular suffix deny the collective force of the people in context.