Audio commentary on this verse

Note 2 at Ro 11:9: This quotation from David comes from Ps 69:22-23. In that psalm, David was prophesying about the suffering of Christ in the first person, as if David himself was actually describing his own suffering. However, there are seven very clear references to Christ in this psalm that were quoted in the New Testament as having a direct fulfillment through Jesus: (1) Ps 69:4, fulfilled in Joh 15:25; (2) Ps 69:9a, fulfilled in Joh 2:17; (3) Ps 69:9b, fulfilled in Ro 15:3; (4) Ps 69:21a, fulfilled in Mt 27:34, Mr 15:23, and Lu 23:36; (5) Ps 69:21b, fulfilled in Mt 27:48, Mr 15:36, and Joh 19:28-30; (6) Ps 69:22, fulfilled in Ro 11:9; and (7) Ps 69:25, fulfilled in Ac 1:20. Also, Ps 69:8 was certainly fulfilled in Jesus (Joh 7:5), although this passage was not quoted in the New Testament.

Therefore, Ps 69 is a prophetic psalm where Christ, through David, was describing His earthly ministry and crucifixion. The denunciation of Ps 69:22-23 was given by Christ against those who crucified Him. When understood in this context, it is easy to see that this blindness and deafness didn't cause the Jews' rejection, but it was the Jews' rejection that caused this pronouncement.

All of this is to say that God is not unjust and has never taken away people's freedom of choice unless they had already exercised that choice against Him (see note 9 at Ro 9:17).