Bible Strands
Mark 4:23
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples and the surrounding crowd immediately after declaring that concealed truths will be brought to light. He speaks this phrase to mark the transition from revealing hidden meaning to assigning responsibility to the listener.
The words — The phrase centers on ὦτα (ōta) translated literally as "ears" and ἀκούετω (akouetō) rendered "he should hear." The conditional εἴ (ei) and τις (tis) establish the statement as a universal condition applying to any individual present.
The thread — The identical formula concludes the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:9, reappears in Matthew 11:15, and adapts in Revelation 2:29 to direct attention to the Spirit’s message. Each instance follows the delivery of a teaching or revelation.
Why it lands — The text commands active auditory attention rather than passive reception, linking the physical capacity to listen with the obligation to comprehend. It places the immediate burden of response on the reader before any further instruction is given.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
Cross-references
- Matthew 11:15 He who has ears, let him hear.
- Mark 4:9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Revelation 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
- Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.
- Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
- Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.