The "eyes" that are blinded signify the understanding of truth and
belief in it; the "heart" that is hardened signifies the will and love
of good; and "to be healed" signifies to be reformed. They were not
permitted "to turn themselves and be healed" lest they should commit
profanation; for a wicked man who is healed and who returns to his evil
and falsity commits profanation; and so it would have been with the
Jewish nation. In Matthew:

"Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear"
(xiii. 16).

Here, too, the "eyes" signify the understanding of truth and belief in
it; so "to see" signifies to understand and believe, and the "ears"
signify obedience, thus a life according to the truths of faith, and "to
hear" signifies to obey and live. For one is blessed not because he
sees and hears, but because he understands, believes, obeys, and lives.
In the same,

"The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be sound the whole body is
light, if the eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If, therefore,
the light . . . be darkness, how great is the darkness" (vi. 22, 23).

Here, again, the "eye" signifies the understanding of truth and belief
in it, which is called a lamp from the light of truth that man has from
understanding and belief. And because a man becomes wise from
understanding and believing in truth, it is said "if the eye be sound
the whole body is light." The "body" means the man, and "to be light"
means to be wise. But it is the reverse with the "evil eye," that is,
understanding and believing in falsity. "Darkness" means falsities, "if
the light be darkness" signifies if the truth be false or falsified, and