Greek · G2192, G3775, G191 · unreviewed
ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν
To have/be · the ear (physically or mentally) · to hear (in various senses)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
ἔχω G2192 to have/be
Pronunciation échō
Possesses or holds; in periphrasis expresses qualities, relationships, or states more vividly than simple verbs alone
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οὖς G3775 the ear (physically or mentally)
Pronunciation oûs
Physical ear and metaphorical capacity to hear/understand; "having ears" idiomatically means spiritual receptiveness to God's message.
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ἀκούω G191 to hear (in various senses)
Pronunciation akoúō
Hearing that demands obedient response, not mere acoustic perception of sound
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What does ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν (ho echōn ōta akouein) mean in the Bible?
ἔχω · οὖς · ἀκούω is a Greek word meaning "the one having ears to hear".
Full entry for ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν (G2192, G3775, G191) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
the one having ears to hear
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 379×
Present Active Matt 5:23 · Matt 8:20 · Matt 9:6 · Matt 11:18 · Matt 13:12 · Matt 13:21 · Matt 13:27 · Matt 13:44 · Matt 18:25 · Matt 21:3 · Matt 25:29 · Mark 2:10 · Mark 3:22 · Mark 3:26 · Mark 3:29 · Mark 3:30 299×
Imperfect Active Matt 3:4 · Matt 13:5 · Matt 13:46 · Matt 21:28 · Mark 4:5 · Mark 5:3 · Mark 7:25 · Mark 12:6 · Mark 12:44 · Mark 16:8 · Luke 13:6 · Luke 15:11 · Luke 16:1 · Luke 21:4 · John 2:25 · John 13:29 51×
Future Active Matt 1:23 · Matt 12:11 · Luke 11:5 · John 8:12 · Gal 6:4 · 2 Tim 2:17 · Matt 19:21 · Mark 10:21 · Luke 18:22 · Rom 13:3 · Mark 16:18 · 1 Cor 7:28 · Rev 2:10 13×
Aorist Active Mark 2:25 · Mark 14:8 · John 4:52 · Gal 4:22 · 2 Pet 2:16 · Matt 22:28 · Mark 12:23 · Luke 20:33 · Phlm 1:7 · Jude 1:3 · John 4:18 · 1 Thess 1:9 12×
Perfect Active Rom 5:2 · 2 Cor 1:9 · 2 Cor 2:13 · 2 Cor 7:5 4×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 240×
Present Active Matt 7:29 · Matt 8:9 · Matt 11:15 · Matt 12:10 · Matt 13:9 · Matt 13:43 · Matt 19:22 · Matt 22:12 · Matt 22:24 · Matt 22:25 · Mark 1:22 · Mark 3:1 · Mark 10:22 · Luke 3:11 · Luke 4:33 · Luke 7:2 234×
Present Middle Luke 13:33 · Acts 20:15 · Acts 21:26 · Mark 1:38 · Heb 6:9 5×
Perfect Active Mark 5:15 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 30×
Present Active Matt 13:5 · Matt 13:6 · Matt 14:4 · Mark 3:15 · Mark 4:5 · Mark 4:6 · Mark 6:18 · Luke 8:6 · Luke 8:18 · Luke 9:3 · John 5:26 · John 5:39 · Acts 12:15 · Acts 24:9 · Acts 24:16 · Acts 24:23 30×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 43×
Present Active Matt 17:20 · Matt 21:21 · John 5:40 · John 13:35 · John 16:33 · John 20:31 · 1 Cor 4:15 · 1 Cor 6:4 · 2 Cor 5:12 · 1 Thess 4:12 · 1 John 1:3 · Luke 8:18 · John 3:15 · John 3:16 · John 6:40 · 2 Cor 8:12 35×
Aorist Active Matt 19:16 · Acts 25:26 · Rom 1:13 · 2 Cor 2:3 · Phil 2:27 · Matt 21:38 · 1 John 2:28 · 2 Cor 1:15 8×
Imperative command or strong request 11×
Present Active Mark 9:50 · Mark 11:22 · Phil 2:29 · Jas 2:1 · Luke 14:18 · Luke 14:19 · Rom 14:22 · 2 Tim 1:13 · 1 Cor 7:2 · Jas 1:4 11×
Optative wish or remote possibility 3×
Present Active Acts 17:11 · Acts 25:16 · Acts 24:19 3×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 697 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 610 imperfect 51 aorist 19 future 12 perfect 5
Voice
active 692 middle 5
Mood
indicative 374 participle 238 subjunctive 44 infinitive 28 imperative 11 optative 2
NT Occurrences
Matthew 1:18 ἔχουσα present active participle participle Matthew 1:23 ἕξει future active indicative prospective Matthew 3:14 ἔχω present active indicative ongoing Matthew 3:4 εἶχεν imperfect active indicative background Matthew 3:9 ἔχομεν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 4:24 ἔχοντας present active participle participle Matthew 5:23 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 5:46 ἔχετε present active indicative ongoing Matthew 6:1 ἔχετε present active indicative ongoing Matthew 6:8 ἔχετε present active indicative ongoing Matthew 7:29 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 8:16 ἔχοντας present active participle participle Matthew 8:20 ἔχουσιν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 8:20 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 8:9 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 9:12 ἔχουσιν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 9:12 ἔχοντες present active participle participle Matthew 9:36 ἔχοντα present active participle participle Matthew 9:6 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 11:15 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 11:18 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 12:10 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 12:11 ἕξει future active indicative prospective Matthew 13:12 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:12 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:12 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:21 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:27 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:43 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 13:44 ἔχει present active indicative ongoing Matthew 13:46 εἶχεν imperfect active indicative background Matthew 13:5 εἶχεν imperfect active indicative background Matthew 13:5 ἔχειν present active infinitive infinitive Matthew 13:6 ἔχειν present active infinitive infinitive Matthew 13:9 ἔχων present active participle participle Matthew 14:16 ἔχουσιν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 14:17 ἔχομεν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 14:35 ἔχοντας present active participle participle Matthew 14:4 ἔχειν present active infinitive infinitive Matthew 14:5 εἶχον imperfect active indicative background
+657 more occurrences
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
1 Corinthians 5 — Purge the Evil, Keep the Feast, and Guard the Holiness of the Church Acts 28 — Paul in Rome: The Kingdom Proclaimed Without Hindrance John 11 — The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus John 14 — The Way, the Truth, and the Life, the Father Revealed in the Son, and the Promise of the Spirit John 18 — The Arrested King: Betrayal, Sovereign Surrender, Denial, Trial, and the Kingdom Not of This World John 19 — The Crucified King: Behold the Man, Behold Your King, It Is Finished, and the Pierced Son John 5 — The Son Who Gives Life, Judges, and Is Witnessed by the Father John 9 — The Man Born Blind, the Light of the World, and the Blindness of Religious Unbelief Luke 10 — The Kingdom Mission Expanded, Mercy Defined, and the Better Portion Chosen Luke 11 — Prayer, Kingdom Conflict, True Hearing, and the Exposure of Hypocrisy Luke 8 — The Word Heard, the Kingdom Revealed, and the Lord’s Authority Displayed Luke 9 — The Christ Revealed, the Cross Announced, and the Jerusalem Road Begun Mark 11 — The King Comes to Jerusalem: Fig Tree, Temple Judgment, Faith, Forgiveness, and Authority Mark 12 — The Rejected Son, the Greatest Commandment, the Lord of David, and the Widow’s Offering Mark 2 — The Son of Man Has Authority: Forgiveness, Fellowship, and Lordship Mark 4 — The Mystery of the Kingdom: Hearing, Fruitfulness, and the Lord over the Storm Mark 8 — Seeing Jesus Clearly: Bread, Blindness, Confession, Cross, and Discipleship Mark 9 — Glory, Unbelief, Suffering, Humility, and Radical Discipleship Matthew 11 — The Messiah Question, the Rejected Generation, and Rest for the Weary Matthew 13 — The Kingdom in Parables: Hearing, Hiddenness, Growth, Worth, and Judgment Matthew 15 — Tradition, the Heart, Gentile Faith, and the Compassionate Bread of the Messiah Matthew 17 — The Glory of the Son, the Coming of Elijah, the Failure of Little Faith, and the Son’s Humble Freedom Matthew 18 — Kingdom Humility, Care for the Little Ones, Discipline, and Forgiveness in Christ’s Community Matthew 21 — The King Enters Jerusalem, Judges Fruitless Religion, and Exposes Rejected-Son Leadership Matthew 7 — Kingdom Discernment, the Narrow Way, and the Wise Builder Matthew 9 — Authority to Forgive, Mercy for Sinners, and Compassion for the Harvest Romans 10 — Christ the End of the Law and the Righteousness Received by Faith
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain