Quick Definition
ἀκούω v. I hear, listen
Strong's Definition
a primary verb; to hear (in various senses)
KJV Usage: give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), (shall) hear(-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | pf. ἀκήκοα · aor.pass.ptc. ἀκουσθείς | ἀκοή · διακούω · εἰσακούω · ἐπακούω · παρακοή · παρακούω · προακούω · ὑπακούω · ὑπήκοος
24.52 · Sensory Events and States · Hear
to hear, hearing{N:001}
MAT 2:18 · MAT 8:10 · MAT 9:12 · MAT 11:4 · MAT 12:19 · MAT 12:42 · MAT 13:13 · MAT 13:14 · MAT 13:15 · MAT 13:17 · MAT 13:17 · MAT 13:17 · MAT 13:18 · MAT 13:19 · MAT 13:20 · MAT 13:22 · MAT 13:23 · MAT 15:10 · MAT 17:6 · MAT 19:22 · MAT 19:25 · MAT 20:24 · MAT 21:16 · MAT 21:33 · MAT 21:45 · MAT 22:22 · MAT 22:33 · MAT 22:34 · MAT 26:65 · MAT 27:13 · MAT 27:47 · MRK 4:3 · MRK 4:12 · MRK 4:12 · MRK 4:15 · MRK 4:16 · MRK 4:18 · MRK 4:20 · MRK 6:2 · MRK 6:55 · MRK 7:14 · MRK 8:18 · MRK 11:14 · MRK 12:28 · MRK 12:29 · MRK 12:37 · MRK 14:58 · MRK 14:64 · MRK 15:35 · LUK 1:41 · LUK 2:20 · LUK 2:46 · LUK 2:47 · LUK 4:28 · LUK 5:1 · LUK 5:15 · LUK 6:18 · LUK 6:27 · LUK 7:9 · LUK 7:22 · LUK 8:10 · LUK 8:12 · LUK 8:13 · LUK 8:14 · LUK 8:15 · LUK 8:50 · LUK 10:24 · LUK 10:24 · LUK 10:24 · LUK 11:31 · LUK 12:3 · LUK 14:15 · LUK 15:1 · LUK 15:25 · LUK 16:14 · LUK 18:22 · LUK 18:23 · LUK 18:26 · LUK 18:36 · LUK 19:11 · LUK 19:48 · LUK 20:16 · LUK 20:45 · LUK 21:38 · LUK 22:71 · LUK 23:6 · JHN 1:37 · JHN 1:40 · JHN 3:8 · JHN 3:29 · JHN 3:32 · JHN 4:42 · JHN 5:24 · JHN 5:25 · JHN 5:28 · JHN 5:30 · JHN 5:37 · JHN 6:60 · JHN 7:32 · JHN 7:40 · JHN 8:9 · JHN 8:26 · JHN 8:38 · JHN 8:40 · JHN 8:47 · JHN 8:47 · JHN 9:27 · JHN 9:40 · JHN 10:3 · JHN 12:29 · JHN 12:47 · JHN 14:24 · JHN 14:28 · JHN 15:15 · JHN 16:13 · JHN 18:21 · JHN 19:13 · ACT 1:4 · ACT 2:6 · ACT 2:8 · ACT 2:11 · ACT 2:33 · ACT 2:37 · ACT 4:4 · ACT 4:20 · ACT 5:5 · ACT 5:5 · ACT 5:24 · ACT 5:33 · ACT 6:11 · ACT 6:14 · ACT 7:2 · ACT 7:34 · ACT 7:54 · ACT 8:30 · ACT 9:4 · ACT 9:7 · ACT 9:21 · ACT 10:22 · ACT 10:33 · ACT 10:46 · ACT 11:7 · ACT 11:22 · ACT 13:44 · ACT 15:12 · ACT 17:32 · ACT 18:26 · ACT 21:12 · ACT 22:7 · ACT 22:14 · ACT 22:15 · ACT 24:24 · ACT 26:3 · ACT 26:29 · 1CO 2:9 · 2CO 12:4 · 2CO 12:6 · EPH 4:29 · PHP 4:9 · 1TI 4:16 · 2TI 1:13 · 2TI 2:2 · 2TI 2:14 · 2TI 4:17 · HEB 2:1 · HEB 2:3 · HEB 3:7 · HEB 3:15 · HEB 3:16 · HEB 4:2 · HEB 4:7 · HEB 12:19 · JAS 1:19 · JAS 5:11 · 2PE 1:18 · 1JN 1:1 · 1JN 1:3 · 1JN 1:5 · 1JN 2:7 · 1JN 2:24 · 1JN 2:24 · 1JN 3:11 · 2JN 1:6 · REV 1:10 · REV 4:1 · REV 5:11 · REV 5:13 · REV 6:1 · REV 6:3 · REV 6:5 · REV 6:6 · REV 6:7 · REV 8:13 · REV 9:13 · REV 10:4 · REV 10:8 · REV 11:12 · REV 12:10 · REV 14:2 · REV 14:2 · REV 14:13 · REV 16:1 · REV 16:5 · REV 16:7 · REV 18:4 · REV 18:22 · REV 18:22 · REV 18:23 · REV 19:1 · REV 19:6 · REV 21:3 · REV 22:8 · REV 22:8 · REV 22:17 · REV 22:18
24.58 · Sensory Events and States · Hear
to be able to hear, faculty of hearing to have the faculty of hearing in contrast with being deaf
MAT 11:5 · MRK 7:37 · LUK 7:22 · LUK 8:8 · LUK 14:35 · REV 9:20
33.212 · Communication · Inform, Announce
to receive news, to hear to receive information about something, normally by word of mouth In MRK 6:29 ἀκούω clearly implies more than mere physiological hearing, for the content of the message is included as a significant element in the meaning of ἀκούω[c]. Compare also ἀκοή[d] (33.213).
MAT 2:3 · MAT 2:22 · MAT 4:12 · MAT 5:21 · MAT 5:27 · MAT 5:33 · MAT 5:38 · MAT 5:43 · MAT 7:26 · MAT 11:2 · MAT 12:24 · MAT 14:1 · MAT 14:13 · MAT 14:13 · MAT 15:12 · MAT 20:30 · MAT 24:6 · MAT 28:14 · MRK 2:1 · MRK 2:17 · MRK 3:8 · MRK 3:21 · MRK 5:27 · MRK 6:14 · MRK 6:16 · MRK 6:29 · MRK 7:25 · MRK 10:41 · MRK 10:47 · MRK 11:18 · MRK 13:7 · MRK 14:11 · MRK 16:11 · LUK 1:58 · LUK 1:66 · LUK 2:18 · LUK 4:23 · LUK 6:49 · LUK 7:3 · LUK 9:7 · LUK 9:9 · LUK 16:2 · LUK 21:9 · LUK 23:8 · JHN 4:1 · JHN 4:47 · JHN 6:45 · JHN 9:32 · JHN 9:35 · JHN 11:4 · JHN 11:6 · JHN 11:20 · JHN 11:29 · JHN 12:12 · JHN 12:18 · JHN 19:8 · JHN 21:7 · ACT 4:24 · ACT 5:11 · ACT 7:12 · ACT 8:6 · ACT 8:14 · ACT 9:13 · ACT 9:38 · ACT 11:1 · ACT 13:7 · ACT 13:44 · ACT 13:48 · ACT 15:7 · ACT 15:24 · ACT 16:38 · ACT 17:8 · ACT 17:21 · ACT 17:32 · ACT 18:8 · ACT 19:2 · ACT 19:5 · ACT 19:10 · ACT 19:26 · ACT 19:28 · ACT 21:20 · ACT 21:22 · ACT 22:22 · ACT 22:26 · ACT 23:16 · ACT 28:15 · ACT 28:22 · ROM 10:14 · ROM 10:14 · ROM 10:18 · ROM 15:21 · 1CO 5:1 · 1CO 11:18 · GAL 1:13 · GAL 1:23 · EPH 1:15 · EPH 3:2 · PHP 1:27 · PHP 1:30 · PHP 2:26 · COL 1:4 · COL 1:6 · COL 1:9 · COL 1:23 · 2TH 3:11 · 2TI 2:14 · PHM 1:5 · 1JN 2:18 · 1JN 2:24 · 1JN 4:3 · 3JN 1:4 · REV 7:4 · REV 9:16
31.56 · Hold a View, Believe, Trust · Accept As True
to accept, to listen to, to listen and respond, to pay attention and respond, to heed to believe something and to respond to it on the basis of having heard
MAT 7:24 · MAT 10:14 · MAT 11:15 · MAT 13:9 · MAT 13:16 · MAT 13:43 · MAT 17:5 · MAT 18:15 · MAT 18:16 · MRK 4:9 · MRK 4:23 · MRK 4:24 · MRK 6:11 · MRK 6:20 · MRK 6:20 · MRK 12:29 · LUK 6:47 · LUK 7:29 · LUK 8:8 · LUK 8:18 · LUK 10:16 · LUK 10:16 · LUK 14:35 · LUK 18:6 · JHN 6:60 · JHN 9:27 · JHN 9:31 · JHN 9:31 · JHN 10:8 · JHN 10:20 · JHN 11:41 · JHN 11:42 · JHN 18:37 · ACT 2:22 · ACT 3:22 · ACT 10:44 · ACT 13:16 · ACT 14:9 · ACT 15:13 · ACT 16:14 · ACT 22:1 · ACT 28:28 · EPH 1:13 · EPH 4:21 · HEB 3:7 · HEB 3:15 · HEB 4:7 · JAS 2:5 · 1JN 4:5 · 1JN 4:6 · 1JN 4:6 · 1JN 5:14 · 1JN 5:15 · REV 1:3 · REV 2:7 · REV 2:11 · REV 2:17 · REV 2:29 · REV 3:3 · REV 3:6 · REV 3:13 · REV 3:20 · REV 3:22 · REV 13:9
36.14 · Guide, Discipline, Follow · Obey, Disobey
to pay attention to and obey to listen or pay attention to a person, with resulting conformity to what is advised or commanded
MAT 17:5 · MRK 9:7 · LUK 8:21 · LUK 9:35 · LUK 10:39 · LUK 11:28 · LUK 16:29 · LUK 16:31 · JHN 5:24 · JHN 5:25 · JHN 5:28 · JHN 10:16 · JHN 10:27 · JHN 14:24 · ACT 3:23 · ACT 4:19 · ACT 5:21
32.1 · Understand · Understand
to understand, to comprehend to hear and understand a message
MAT 13:13 · MRK 4:9 · MRK 4:23 · MRK 4:33 · JHN 6:60 · JHN 8:43 · JHN 12:34 · ACT 11:18 · ACT 14:14 · ACT 22:2 · ACT 22:9 · ACT 26:14 · ACT 28:27 · ROM 11:8 · 1CO 14:2 · GAL 4:21 · JAS 2:5
56.13 · Courts and Legal Procedures · Judicial Hearing, Inquiry
to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter In some languages the most satisfactory way of speaking about ‘a court hearing’ is to describe the relationship between the principal participants. This may sometimes be done by translating ‘for a judge to listen to an accuser and a defender.’
24.67 · Sensory Events and States · Hear
Collocation: ἀκούω εἰς τὸ οὖς
to hear in secret (an idiom, literally: to hear into the ear) to hear something in a secret setting In some languages the equivalent of ‘what you hear in secret’ may be ‘what you hear when no one else is around’ or ‘what you hear whispered to you.’
32.46 · Understand · Lack of Capacity for Understanding
Collocation: τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἀκούω
to be slow to understand, to be mentally dull (an idiom, literally: to hear heavily with the ears) to be mentally slow or dull in comprehending
1 As in the case of other so-called semantic derivatives, it seems best in this instance likewise to employ only evident glosses. One could, of course define the process of hearing as ‘perceiving by means of the ears,’ but such a definition would be unnecessarily artificial. 2 ἀκούω[b] in 24.58 differs significantly from ἀκούω[a] ‘to hear’ (24.52) in that ἀκούω[b] indicates the ability to do something, not merely the activity involved. 3 MAT 18:15 It is obvious that in the use of ἀκούω in MAT 18:15 there is more than mere sensory perception. There is acceptance of the truth of what is said and the evident willingness to respond appropriately. These two elements are much more in focus than the sensory process of listening. 4 Both ἀκούω[e] and ἐπιδέχομαι[b] involve an overlapping of domains, for there is an evident factor of perception in paying attention, but also a clear inference of subsequent obedience. 5 The meaning of ἀκούω[f] is an excellent example of a meaning which overlaps two domains, but since the focal element is not hearing but comprehending, ἀκούω[f] is classified in this subdomain. 6 ἀκούω[g] and διακούω apparently differ somewhat in meaning from ἀνακρίνω[b] (56.12) in that the former two seem to be more neutral in connotation and do not appear to imply later condemnation.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀκούω [on the use of the pres. in a pf. sense ef. W. 274 sq. (258); B. 203 (176)]; impf. ἤκουον ; fut. (in best Grk. usage) ἀκούσομαι, Jn. v. 25 RGL, 28 RGL; Acts iii. 22; vii. 37 RG; xvii. 32; [xxi. 22]; xxv. 22; xxviii. 28; [Ro. x. 14 Tdf.], and (a later form) ἀκούσω. Mt. xii. 19; xiii. 14, (both fr. the Sept.) ; [Jn. x. 16; xvi. 13 Tr WH mrg.; Acts xxviii. 26]; Ro. x. 14 ΓΒ 617; and T Tr WH in Jn. v. 25, 28, (ef. W.82 (79); B. 53 (46) [Veitch 5. v.]); [1 aor. ἤκουσα; Jn. iii. 32, ete.]; pf. ἀκήκοα; Pass.,[ pres. ἀκούομαι; 1 fut.axovaOncopar]; 1 aor. ἠκούσθην ; [fr. Hom. down]; tohear. I. absol. 1. tobe endowed with the faculty of hearing (not deaf): Mk. vii. 37; Lk. vii. 22; Mt.xi.5. 2. to attend to (use the faculty of hearing), consider what is or has been said. So in exhortations: ἀκούετε, Mk. iv. 3; ἀκούσατε, Jas. ii. 5; ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω, Mt. xi. 15; xiii. 9, [in both T WHom. Tr br. ἀκούειν] ; Mk. iv. 23 ; Lk. xiv. 35 (34); ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω, Rev. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29; iii. 6, 13, 22, ete. 3. trop. to understand, perceive the sense of what is said: Mt. xiii. 15 sq.; Mk. viii. 18; 1 Co. xiv. 2. II. with an object [Β. § 132, 17; W. 199 (187 sq.)]5
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀκούω akouō 428x
some list the future active as a middle deponent, ἀκούσομαι, to hear; to hearken, listen to, Mk. 4:3; Lk. 19:48; to heed, obey, Mt. 18:15; Acts 4:19; to understand, 1 Cor. 14:2; to take in or admit to mental acceptance, Mk. 4:33; Jn. 8:43, 47
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀκούω,
[in LXX chiefly for שׁמע;]
to hear, listen, attend, perceive by hearing, comprehend by hearing. Intrans.: Mk 4:3 7:37, Ja 2:5, Re 2:7, al.; τ. ὠσίν, Mt 13:15(LXX); c. cogn. dat., ακοῇ ἀ. (v.s. ἀκοή), Mt 13:14, Ac 28:26(LXX); ὁ ἔχων ὦτα (οὖς) ἀκούειν, ἀκουσάτω, Mt 11:15, Mk 4:23, Re 2:7, al.
Trans., prop. c. acc. rei, of thing heard, gen. pers., from whom heard (LS, s.v.): Ac 1:4; c. acc. rei, Mt 12:19, Jo 3:8 (Abbott, JG, 76), Ac 22:9, al.; c. dupl. acc., Jo 12:18, I Co 11:18; c. gen. rei, Jo 7:40 (Abbott, JV, 116); τ. φωνῆς (cf. Heb. שָׁמַע בְּקֹול, Ex 18:19), Jo 5:25, 28 Ac 9:7 (on the distinction bet. this and ἀ. φωνήν, ib. 4, v. M, Pr., 66; Field, Notes, 117; Abbott, Essays, 93f.); of God answering prayer, Jo 9:31, I Jo 5:14, 15; c. acc. rei, seq. παρά, Jo 8:26, 40 Ac 10:22, II Ti 2:2; id. seq. ἀπό, I Jo 1:5; c. gen. pars. seq. ptcp., Mk 14:58, Lk 18:36, al. (On NT usage generally, v. Bl., §36, 5; Cremer, 82.)
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀκούω. The verb is of course common enough, and needs little or no illustration, having few peculiarities. Its use for a judicial hearing (as Ac 2523) may be paralleled with P Tand οἷ (ii/A.p.) Kal [pé]x [pr] τούτου οὔπο ἠκούσθ[ημ]εν, and P Oxy VII. 1032 (A.p. 162), where the epistrategus endorses a petition with ἀκουσθήσεται. So in BGU IL. 511i? (= Chrest. 1. p. 26), an account written about A.D. 200 of a trial before Claudius, we have ἀκούει Κλαύδιος Καῖσα[ρ Σέβαστος ᾿Ισιδώρου] γυμνασιάρχου πόλεως ᾿Α[λεξανδρέων] κατὰ ᾿Αγρίππου βασιλέω[ς]. The last example will illustrate ἀκούειν with normal gen. of person: P Par 485 (B.C. 153) (= Witkowski*® p. 91) ἀκούσαντες . . τὰ περὶ σοῦ συνβεβηκότα will serve for accus. vez, 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
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἀκούω (akouō) — to hear. ἀκούω: Epic dialect imperfect ᾰκουον[Refs 8th c.BC+]future ἀκούσομαι (active ἀκούσω first in [NT+4th c.BC+]aorist ἤκουσα, Epic dialect ᾰκουσα[Refs 8th c.BC+]perfect ἀκήκοα, Laconian dialect ἄκουκα[Refs 1st c.AD+]; ἤκουκα is a late form, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; later Ionic dialect ἀκήκουκα[Refs 3rd c.BC+]: pluperfect ἀκηκόειν[Refs 5th c.BC+]; old Attic dialect ἠκηκόη[Refs 5th c.BC+] —rare in middle, present (see. below [Refs]: Epic dialect imperfect ἀκούετο[Refs 8th c.BC+]: aorist ἠκουσάμην[Refs 2nd c.BC+]:—passive, future ἀκουσθήσομαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]: aorist ἠκούσθην[Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ἤκουσμαι[Refs 1st c.BC+]; ἀκήκουσμαι is uncertain in [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: pluperfect ἤκουστο[Refs 4th c.BC+], (παρ-) [Refs 1st c.AD+]:—hear, [Refs 8th c.BC+]: properly with accusative of thing heard, genitive of person from whom it is heard, ταῦτα Καλυψοῦς ἤκουσα[Refs 8th c.BC+]; or the accusative of things, ἄκουε τοῦ θανόντος[Refs]:—also with genitive _of things_, φθογγῆς, κτύπου, hear it, [Refs 8th c.BC+] in middle, ἀκούετο λαὸς ἀϋτῆς[Refs 8th c.BC+] __b with genitive objecti, hear of, hear tell of, ἀ. πατρός[Refs 8th c.BC+]participle, τεθνηῶτος (i.e. πατρός) ἀκούσῃς[Refs]; but εἰ.. πατρὸς νόστον ἀ.[Refs 8th c.BC+] __c in Prose the person from whom thing is heard frequently takes preposition, ἀ. τι ἀπό, ἐκ, παρά, πρός τινος, first in [Refs 8th c.BC+] __d less frequently with double genitive person et of things, hear of a thing from a person, as [Refs 8th c.BC+] __e with participle or infinitive added, as εἰ πτώσσοντας ὑφ᾽ Ἕκτορι πάντας ἀκούσαι should he hear that all are now crouching under Hector, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἀ. αὐτὸν ὄλβιον εἶναι to hear [generally] that he is happy, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; τὸν Δαίδαλον οὐκ ἀκήκοας, ὁτι..; [Refs 5th c.BC+] __f with genitive et participle, to express what one actually hears from a person, ταῦτ᾽.. ἤκουον σαφῶς Ὀδυσσέως λέγοντος[Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἀ. τινὸς λέγοντος, διαλεγομένου, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: rarely with accusative et participle, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. know by hearsay, ἔξοιδ᾽ ἀκούων[Refs 5th c.BC+]: present is used like a perfect, νῆσός τις Συρίη κικλήσκεται, εἴ που ἀκούεις[Refs 8th c.BC+]; in Prose, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
3. absolutely, hearken, give ear, especially in proclamations, ἀκούετε λεῴ oyez! oyez! Susar.[Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. οἱ ἀκούοντες readers of a book, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
II. listen to, give ear to, with genitive, [Refs 8th c.BC+]participle after dative, ὅττι οἱ ὦκ᾽ ἤκουσε.. θεὸς εὐξαμένοιο[Refs]
II.2. obey, βασιλῆος, θεοῦ, [Refs 8th c.BC+] —middle, Λεωφίλου δ᾽ ἀκούεται [πάντα] [Refs 7th c.BC+]
II.3. hear and understand, κλύοντες οὐκ ἤκουον[Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.4. to be a pupil of, with genitive, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]
III. after [Refs 8th c.BC+]passive to λέγειν, hear oneself called, be called, like Latin audire, εἴπερ ὄρθ᾽ ἀκούεις, Ζεῦ[Refs 5th c.BC+]; frequently with εὖ and κακῶς, κακῶς ἀ. ὑπό τινος to be ill spoken of by one; πρός τινος[Refs 5th c.BC+].; περί τινος for a thing, [Refs].; ἄμεινον, ἄριστα ἀ., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.2. with nominative of subject, ἀκούειν κακός, καλός, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; later in passive in this sense, [Refs 4th c.AD+]
III.3. with infinitive, ἤκουον εἶναι πρῶτοι were said to be first, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.4. with accusative of things, ἀ. κακά have evil spoken of one, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III.5. οὕτως ἀ. hear it so said, i. e. at first hearing, ὡς οὕτω γ᾽ ἀκοῦσαι[Refs 5th c.BC+]
IV. understand, take in a certain sense, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τι ἐπί τινος [Refs 5th c.BC+]
V. Astrology texts, aspect mutually, of signs equidistant from an equinoctial sign, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]; also, ={ὑπακούειν} (which see), [Refs]