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Bible Lexicons
Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #191 - ἀκούω
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf
- to hear
- to attend to, consider what is or has been said
- to understand, perceive the sense of what is said
- to hear something
- to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence
- to get by hearing learn
- a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn
- to give ear to a teaching or a teacher
- to comprehend, to understand
- Book
- Word
- Parsing
did not use
this Strong's Number
ἀκούω:
impf. ᾰκουον Il. 12.442: fut. ἀκούσομαι (Act. ἀκούσω first in Hyp. Epit. 34 s. v. l., then in Lyc. 378, 686, D.H. 5.57, Matthew 12:19, etc.: aor. ἤκουσα, ᾰκουσα Il. 24.223: pf. ἀκήκοα, Lacon. ἄκουκα Plu. Lyc. 20, Ages. 21; ἤκουκα is a late form, POxy. 237 vii 23 (ii A. D.); later Ion. ἀκήκουκα Herod. 5.49: plpf. ἀκηκόειν Hdt. 2.52, 7.208; ἠκηκόειν X. Oec. 15.7; old Att. ἠκηκόη Ar. V. 800, Pax 616, Pl. Cra. 384b: — rare in Med., pres. (v. infr. 11.2): impf. ἀκούετο Il. 4.331: aor. ἠκουσάμην Mosch. 3.119: — Pass., fut. ἀκουσθήσομαι Pl. R. 507d: aor. ἠκούσθην Th. 3.38, Luc. Somn. 5: pf. ἤκουσμαι D.H. Rh. 11.10, Ps.- Luc. Philopatr. 4; ἀκήκουσμαι is dub. in Luc. Hist. Conscr. 49: plpf. ἤκουστο Anon. ap. Demetr. Eloc. 217, (παρ-) J. AJ 17.10.10. (ἀ-κοϝ-, cf. κοέω): —
I
1.hear, Hom., etc.: prop. c. acc. of thing heard, gen. of person from whom it is heard, ταῦτα Καλυψοῦς ἤκουσα Od. 12.389, cf. S. OT 43, etc.; gen. pers. freq. omitted, πάντ' ἀκήκοας λόγον Id. Aj. 480, etc.; or the acc. rei, ἄκουε τοῦ θανόντος Id. El. 792, cf. 793: — also c. gen. rei, φθογγῆς, κτύπου, hear it, Od. 12.198 (as v. l.), 21.237; λόγων S. OC 1187; once in Hom. in Med., ἀκούετο λαὸς ἀϋτῆς Il. 4.331. c. gen. objecti, hear of, hear tell of, ἀ. πατρός Od. 4.114: freq. c. part., τεθνηῶτος (sc. πατρός) ἀκούσῃς 1.289, etc.; but εἰ.. πατρὸς νόστον ἀ. ib. 287; ἀ. περί τινος Od. 19.270, cf. E. IT 964, Isoc. 5.72, Pl. R. 358d, 358e; τι περί τινος X. An. 7.7.30. in Prose the pers. from whom thing is heard freq. takes Pr, ἀ. τι ἀπό, ἐκ, παρά, πρός τινος, first in Il. 6.524, cf. Hdt. 3.62, S. OT 7, 95, Th. 1.125. less freq. c. dupl. gen. pers. et rei, hear of a thing from a person, as Od. 17.115, D. 18.9. with part. or inf. added, as εἰ πτώσσοντας ὑφ' Ἕκτορι πάντας ἀκούσαι should he hear that all are now crouching under Hector, Il. 7.129, cf. Hdt. 7.10. θ, X. Cyr. 2.4.12, D. 3.9; ἀ. αὐτὸν ὄλβιον εἶναι to hear [generally ] that he is happy, Il. 24.543, cf. X. An. 2.5.13, etc.: — also ἀ. τινὰ ὅτι or ὡς, Ἀτρεΐδην ἀκοετε ὡς.. Od. 3.193; τὸν Δαίδαλον οὐκ ἀκήκοας, ὁτι..; X. Mem. 4.2.33; ἀ. οὕνεκα S. OC 33. c. gen. et part., to express what one actually hears from a person, ταῦτ'.. ἤκουον σαφῶς Ὀδυσσέως λέγοντος S. Ph. 595; ἀ. τινὸς λέγοντος, διαλεγομένου, Pl. Prt. 320b, X. Mem. 2.4.1: rarely c. acc. et part., S. Ph. 614.
2. know by hearsay, ἔξοιδ' ἀκούων S. OT 105: pres. is used like a pf., νῆσός τις Συρίη κικλήσκεται, εἴ που ἀκούεις Od. 15.403, cf. 3.193; in Prose, Pl. Grg. 503c, Luc. Gall. 13.
3. abs., hearken, give ear, esp. in proclamations, ἀκούετε λεῴ oyez! oyez! Susar. 1, etc.: for S. OT 1386 v. πηγή 2.
4. οἱ ἀκούοντες readers of a book, Plb. 1.13.6, al.
II
1. listen to, give ear to, c. gen., Il. 1.381, etc.: metaph., Φωκυλίδου οὐκ ἀκούεις; Pl. R. 407a: rarely c. dat., ἀ. ἀνέρι κηδομένῳ Il. 16.515 (in S. El. 227 τίνι is Eth. dat.): with gen. of part. after dat., ὅττι οἱ ὦκ' ἤκουσε.. θεὸς εὐξαμένοιο ib. 531.
2. obey, βασιλῆος, θεοῦ, Il. 19.256, Od. 7.11: — Med., Λεωφίλου δ' ἀκούεται [πάντα ] Archil. 64.
3. hear and understand, κλύοντες οὐκ ἤκουον A. Pr. 448, cf. Ch. 5, Ar. Ra. 1173; τὸ μὴ πάντας πάντων ἀκούειν S.E. M. 1.37.
4. to be a pupil of, c. gen., D.L. 9.21.
III after Hom., serving as Pass. to λέγειν,
1. hear oneself called, be called, like Lat. audire, εἴπερ ὄρθ' ἀκούεις, Ζεῦ S. OT 903 (cf. A. Ag. 161); freq. with εὖ and κακῶς, κακῶς ἀ. ὑπό τινος to be ill spoken of by one; πρός τινος Hdt. 7.16. ά; περί τινος for a thing, Id. 6.86. ά; ἄμεινον, ἄριστα ἀ., Hdt. 2.173, 8.93, cf. S. Ph. 1313, Antipho 5.75, etc.
2. with nom. of subject, ἀκούειν κακός, καλός, S. OC 988, Pl. Ly. 207a; νῦν κόλακες καὶ θεοῖς ἐχθροὶ.. ἀκούουσι D. 18.46, etc.; ἔχαιρε ἀκούων Αἰετὸς ὁ Πύρρος Ael. NA 7.45; later in Pass. in this sense, Nonn. D. 21.220,al.
3. c. inf., ἤκουον εἶναι πρῶτοι were said to be first, Hdt. 3.131; also ἀκούσομαι μὲν ὡς ἔφυν οἴκτου πλέως S. Ph. 1074.
4. c. acc. rei, ἀ. κακά have evil spoken of one, Ar. Th. 388, cf. S. Ph. 607; ἀ. λόγον ἐσλόν Pi. I. 5(4).13; φήμας.. κακὰς ἤκουσεν E. Hel. 615.
5. οὕτως ἀ. hear it so said, i. e. at first hearing, ὡς οὕτω γ' ἀκοῦσαι Pl. Euthphr. 3b; ὥς γε οὑτωσὶ ἀκοῦσαι Id. Ly. 216a. understand, take in a certain sense, Jul. Or. 4.147a; esp. in Scholl., as Sch. E. Or. 333; τι ἐπί τινος Sch. E. Hipp. 73. Astrol., aspect mutually, of signs equidistant from an equinoctial sign, Doroth. 189, Heph. Astr. 2.2; also, = ὑπακούειν (q. v.), Id. 1.9.
ἀκούω (on the use of the present in a perfect sense cf. Winers Grammar, 274f (258); Buttmann, 203 (176)); imperfect ἤκουον; future (in best Greek usage) ἀκούσομαι, John 5:25 R G L, 28 R G L; Acts 3:22; Acts 7:37 R G;
I. absolutely
1. to be endowed with the faculty of hearing (not deaf): Mark 7:37; Luke 7:22; Matthew 11:5.
2. to attend to (use the faculty of hearing), consider what is or has been said. So in exhortations: ἀκούετε, Mark 4:3; ἀκούσατε, James 2:5; ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω, Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9 (in both T WH omit; Tr brackets ἀκούειν); Mark 4:23; Luke 14:35 (34); ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω, Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; Revelation 3:6, 13, 22, etc.
3. tropically, to understand, perceive the sense of what is said: Matthew 13:15; Mark 8:18; 1 Corinthians 14:2.
II. with an object (Buttmann, § 132, 17; Winer's Grammar, 199 (187f));
1. ἀκούω τί, to hear something;
a. to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence (to hear immediately): τήν φωνήν, Matthew 12:19; John 3:8; Revelation 4:1; Revelation 5:11; Revelation 18:4; Acts 22:9, etc.; τόν ἀσπασμόν, Luke 1:41 (cf. Luke 1:44); Γαλιλαίαν, the name 'Galilee,' Luke 23:6 (T WH omits; Tr mrg; brackets Γαλιλαίαν; cf. Buttmann, 166 (145)); ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν, the phrase 'ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν,' Acts 17:32; τόν λόγον, Mark 5:36 (R G L) (on this passage see παρακούω, 2); Matthew 19:22; John 5:24, etc.; τούς λόγους, Acts 2:22; Acts 5:24; Matthew 7:24; ῤήματα, 2 Corinthians 12:4; τί λέγουσιν, Matthew 21:16; passive, Matthew 2:18; Revelation 18:22f; τί ἐκ τίνος, 2 Corinthians 12:6 (R G); followed by ὅτι (Buttmann, 300 (257f)), Acts 22:2; Mark 16:11; John 4:42; John 14:28.
b. to get by hearinq, learn (from the mouth of the teacher or narrator): Acts 15:17; Matthew 10:27 (ὁ εἰς τό οὖς ἀκούετε, what is taught you secret); Romans 15:21; Ephesians 1:13; Colossians 1:6; John 14:24; 1 John 2:7, 24; 1 John 3:11; Χριστόν i. e. to become acquainted with Christ from apostolic teaching, Ephesians 4:21 (cf. μαθεῖν τόν Χριστόν, Ephesians 4:20 (Buttmann, 166 (144) note; Winer's Grammar, 199 (187) note)); passive, Luke 12:3; Hebrews 2:1; τί with the genitive of person from whom one hears, Acts 1:4; τί παρά τίνος, John 8:26, 40; John 15:15; Acts 10:22; Acts 28:22; 2 Timothy 2:2 (Thucydides 6, 93; Xenophon, an. 1, 2, 5 (here Dindorf omits παρά); Plato, rep. 6, p. 506 d., others; (Buttmann, 186 (145); Winer's Grammar, 199 (188))); (παρά τίνος, without an object expressed, John 1:40 (41)); ἐκ τίνος, John 12:34 (ἐκ τοῦ νόμου, from attendance on its public reading); ἀπό with the genitive of person, 1 John 1:5; with περί τίνος added, Acts 9:13; followed by ὅτι, Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43.
c. ἀκούω τί, a thing comes to one's ears, to find out (by hearsay), learn, (hear ((of)) mediately): with the accusative of thing, τά ἔργα, Matthew 11:2; ὅσα ἐποίει, Mark 3:8 (Treg. text ποιεῖ); πολέμους, Luke 21:9; Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; to learn, absol, viz. what has just been mentioned: Matthew 2:3; Matthew 22:7 (R L); Mark 2:17; Mark 3:21; Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 1:15; Colossians 1:4; Philemon 1:5, etc. followed by ὅτι, Matthew 2:22; Matthew 4:12; Matthew 20:30; Mark 6:55; Mark 10:47; John 4:47; John 9:35; John 11:6; John 12:12; Galatians 1:23; περί τίνος, Mark 7:25; τί περί τίνος, Luke 9:9; Luke 16:2; Luke 23:8 (R G L); followed by an accusative with participle (Buttmann, 303 (260)): Luke 4:23; Acts 7:12; 2 Thessalonians 3:11; 3 John 1:4; followed by an accusative with an infinitive in two instances (cf. Buttmann, the passage cited): John 12:18; 1 Corinthians 11:18. passive: Acts 11:22 (ἠκούσθη ὁ λόγος εἰς τά ὦτα τῆς ἐκκλησίας was brought to the ears); 1 Corinthians 5:1 (ἀκούεται πορνεία ἐν ὑμῖν); Matthew 28:14 (ἐάν ἀκουσθῇ τοῦτο ἐπί (L Tr WH marginal reading ὑπό) τοῦ ἡγεμόνος); Mark 2:1; John 9:32 ἠκούσθη ὅτι.
d. to give ear to teaching or teacher: τούς λόγους, Matthew 10:14; to follow with attentive hearing, τόν λόγον, John 8:43; τά ῤήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ, John 8:47.
e. to comprehend, understand, (like Latin audio): Mark 4:33; Galatians 4:21 ((Lachmann marginal reading ἀναγινώσκετε) yet cf. Meyer at the passage); (Genesis 11:7).
2. ἀκούειν is not joined with the genitive of the object unless one hear the person or thing with his own ears (Buttmann, 166 (114));
a. with the genitive of a person; simply; α. to perceive anyone's voice: οὗ, i. e., of Christ, whose voice is heard in the instruction of his messengers (Luke 10:16), Romans 10:14 (Winer's Grammar, 199 (187) note{2}), β. to give ear to one, listen, hearken, (German ihm zuhoren, ihn anhoren): Matthew 2:9; Mark 7:14; Mark 12:37; Luke 2:46; Luke 10:16; Luke 15:1; Luke 19:48; Luke 21:38; Acts 17:32; Acts 24:24 (in both these passages τίνος περί τίνος);
b. with the genitive of a thing: τῆς βλασφημίας, Mark 14:64 (Lachmann τήν βλασφημίαν, as in Matthew 26:65; the accusative merely denotes the object; τῆς βλασφημίας is equiv, in sense to αὐτοῦ βλασφημοῦντος (cf. Buttmann, 166 (145))); τῶν λόγων, Luke 6:47 (Matthew 7:24 τούς λόγους); John 7:40 (L T Tr WH the Sinaiticus manuscript, but R G τόν λόγον (cf. Buttmann, as above)); συμφωνίας καί χορῶν, Luke 15:25; τοῦ στεναγμοῦ, Acts 7:34; τῆς ἀπολογίας, Acts 22:1. The frequent phrase ἀκούειν τῆς φωνῆς (equivalent to שָׁמַע , Exodus 18:19) means α. to perceive the distinct words of a voice: John 5:25, 28; Acts 9:7; Acts 11:7; Acts 22:7; Hebrews 3:7, 15; Hebrews 4:7; Revelation 14:13; Revelation 21:3. β. to yield obedience to the voice: John 5:25 (οἱ ἀκούσαντες namely, τῆς φωνῆς); John 10:16, 27; John 18:37; Revelation 3:20. In John 12:47; John 18:37; Luke 6:47; Acts 22:1, it is better to consider the pronoun μου which precedes as a possessive genitive rather than, with Buttmann, 167 (145f), to assume a double genitive of the object, one of the person and one of the thing. The Johannean phrase ἀκούειν παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ, or τί παρά Θεοῦ, signifies a. to perceive in the soul the inward communication of God: John 6:45.
b. to be taught by God's inward communication: John 8:26, 40 (so, too, the simple ἀκούειν in John 8:30); to be taught by the devil, according to the reading of L T Tr WH, ἠκούσατε παρά τοῦ πατρός, in John 8:38. For the rest cf. Buttmann, 165 (144ff); 301 (258ff) (Compare: διακούω, εἰσακούω, ἐπακούω, παρακούω, προακούω, ὑπακούω.)
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ἀκούω ,
[in LXX chiefly for H8085;]
to hear, listen, attend, perceive by hearing, comprehend by hearing.
1. Intrans.: Mark 4:3; Mark 7:37, James 2:5, Revelation 2:7, al.; τ . ὠοίν , Matthew 13:15 (LXX); c. cogn. dat., ἀκοῇ ἀ . (see ἀκοή ), Matthew 13:14, Acts 28:26 (LXX); ὁ ἔχων ὦτα (οὖς ) ἀκούειν , ἀκουσάτω , Matthew 11:15, Mark 4:23, Revelation 2:7, al.
2. Trans., prop. c. acc rei, of thing heard, gen. pers., from whom heard (LS, s.v.): Acts 1:4; c. acc rei, Matthew 12:19, John 3:8 (Abbott, JG, 76), Acts 22:9, al.; c. dupl. acc, John 12:18, 1 Corinthians 11:18; c. gen. rei, John 7:40 (Abbott, JV, 116); τ . φωνῆς (cf. Heb. H6963 H8085, Exodus 18:19), John 5:25; John 5:28, Acts 9:7 (on the distinction bet, this and ἀ . φωνήν , Acts 9:4, v. M, Pr., 66; Field, Notes, 117; Abbott, Essays, 93 f.); of God answering prayer, John 9:31, 1 John 5:14-15; c. acc rei, seq. παρά , John 8:26; John 8:40, Acts 10:22, 2 Timothy 2:2; id. seq. ἀπό , 1 John 1:5; c. gen. pers. seq. ptcp., Mark 14:58, Luke 18:36, al.
(On NT usage generally, v. Bl., § 36, 5; Cremer, 82.)
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.
The verb is of course common enough, and needs little or no illustration, having few peculiarities. Its use for a judicial hearing (as Acts 25:22) may be paralleled with P Iand 9.10 (ii/A.D.) καὶ [μέ ]χ ̣[ρ ̣ι ̣] τ ̣ούτου οὔπο ἠκούσθ [η ̣μ ̣]εν ̣, and P Oxy VII. 1032.59 (A.D. 162), where the epistrategus endorses a petition with ἀκουσθήσε ̣τ ̣αι. So in BGU II. 511ii. 2 ( = Chrest. I. p. 26), an account written about A.D. 200 of a trial before Claudius, we have ἀκούει Κλαύδιος Καῖσα [ρ Σέβαστος Ἰσιδώρου ] γυμνασιάρχου πόλεως Ἀ [λεξανδρέων ] κατὰ Ἀγρίππου βασιλέω [ς ]. The last example will illustrate ἀκούειν with normal gen. of person : P Par 48.4 (B.C. 153) ( = Witkowski .2 p. 91) ἀκούσαντες. . τὰ περὶ σοῦ συνβεβηκότα will serve for accus. rei, and will also illustrate the common use with περί, since the phrase is a mixture of ἀκ. περὶ σοῦ and ἀκ. τά σοι συνβεβηκότα (Witk.). The same papyrus shows us the participial object clause, 1.2 ἀκούσαντες δὲ ἐν τῷ μεγάλῳ Σαραπιείου ὄντα σε. In P Amh II. 37.8 (ii/B.C.) ἐκούομεν δὲ μὴ παραγεγονέ [ναι. . . we have apparently the infin. construction, and so in P Grenf II. 36.15 (B.C. 95), ἠκούσαμεν τὸν μῦν καταβεβρωκέναι τὸν σπόρον —Witkowski (.2 p. 120, cf. p. xiv.) allows the writer to be ";modice eruditus."; For ἀκούειν ὡς cf. CPHerm 22.5 : for the commoner ὅτι, P Tebt II. 416.8 (iii/A.D.) μὴ οὖν ἀκούσῃς ἀνθ ̣ρ ̣ω ̣πων ὅτι μέλλω μένιν ἐνθάδε. With the introductory imper., as in Mark 4:3, cf. the dialogue in P Ryl II. 63.8 (iii/A.D.) where ἄκουε precedes an exposition.
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