Psalms 94:9

He who affixed the ear, can He not hear? He who formed the eye, can He not see?

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses the "senseless among the people" and "fools" who have just been commanded to take notice and grow wise. This rhetorical question appears between a call to recognition and a declaration of God's discipline over the nations.

The words — The Hebrew term נֹטַע (nōṭaʿ) means "planter" or "one who affixes," paired with אֹזֶן (ʾōzen), "ear." יֹצֵר (yōṣēr) translates to "former" or "shaper," applied here to עַיִן (ʿayin), "eye."

The thread — This motif of God as creator of sensory faculties appears in Exodus 4:11, where Yahweh asks who makes the mute, deaf, sighted, or blind. It also echoes Proverbs 20:12, which states the Lord made both hearing ears and seeing eyes.

Why it lands — The text asserts that God’s capacity to perceive matches His role as creator of perception. It demands the reader acknowledge that divine oversight is inherent to God’s nature, not an optional attribute.

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 Hebrew words

הֲנֹ֣טַֽעha./No.ta'¿/ [the] planter of אֹ֭זֶן'O.zen[the] ear הֲלֹ֣אha./Lo'¿/ not יִשְׁמָ֑עyish.Ma'does he hear אִֽם־'im-or?יֹ֥צֵֽרYo.tzer[the] former of עַ֝֗יִן'A.yin[the] eye הֲלֹ֣אha./Lo'¿/ not יַבִּֽיט׃ya.Bitdoes he see

King James Version

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

Cross-references

Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
Jeremiah 23:23 “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the LORD, “and not a God far away?”
Proverbs 20:12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both.
Psalms 11:4 The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
Psalms 44:21 would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
Psalms 139:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Psalms 17:3 You have tried my heart; You have visited me in the night. You have tested me and found no evil; I have resolved not to sin with my mouth.
Proverbs 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.