Bible Strands
Matthew 11:15
He who has ears, let him hear.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his immediate listeners in Matthew 11 right after identifying John the Baptist as the Elijah who was to come. He issues this statement as a closing directive before transitioning to his comparison of the current generation to children in marketplaces.
The words — The verse hinges on ἔχων (echōn, "having") and ἀκούετω (akouetō, "he should hear") to form a conditional imperative. Literally, the text reads "the one having ears, let him hear," framing hearing as the necessary physical and spiritual response.
The thread — Jesus repeats this exact formula in Matthew 13:9, Mark 4:23, and Luke 8:8 at the conclusion of his teaching on the kingdom and the sower. In each passage, the text uses the phrase to mark the end of a parable and demand active reception of the message.
Why it lands — The text commands the listener to stop passive consumption and actively process the claim about John and the kingdom. It requires the reader to apply the preceding revelation to their own spiritual condition rather than treating it as abstract information.
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
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Cross-references
- Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
- Luke 8:8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
- Mark 4:9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Luke 14:35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- 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 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
- Revelation 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
- 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.