Bible Strands
Revelation 13:9
He who has an ear, let him hear:
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The speaker addresses the intended readers immediately after describing the earth's worship of the beast and the preservation of names in the Book of Life. This directive marks the transition from the beast's rise to the warning of persecution in the following verse.
The words — The phrase centers on οὖς (ous, "ear") and ἀκούσῃτω (akousētō, "he should hear"), forming a direct imperative for auditory attention. The opening εἴ τις (ei tis, "if anyone") establishes the command as a conditional invitation applicable to all listeners.
The thread — The exact formula appears in Revelation 2:7, 2:11, and 2:17 as a recurring marker for divine exhortation. Its repetition signals that the preceding vision requires deliberate processing before the next warning.
Why it lands — The text demands that readers actively discern the warning about the beast's influence before confronting the persecution described next. It requires attentive obedience rather than passive reception of the vision.
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 an ear, let him hear.
Cross-references
- 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 2:17 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.
- 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 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.