ἀκρο-ᾱτής G0202
hearer, listener; one who hears a message, especially God's word, with or without obedient response
In classical Greek ἀκροατής denotes someone who attends a public lecture or discourse — a 'hearer' or even 'auditor.' The NT sharpens this into a theological category: the one who hears God's word. Paul contrasts hearers with doers of the law (Rom 2:13), and James famously insists that being a 'hearer only' without doing leads to self-deception (Jas 1:22-25). Spanish 'oidor,' French 'auditeur,' and German 'Hörer' all preserve the auditory root. The NT usage implicitly challenges passive listening and demands active obedience.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Hearer, listener — one who hears a spoken message, particularly the word of God or the law. In Romans 2:13 Paul draws a sharp line: 'not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers.' James 1:22-25 develops this contrast at length, warning against being a hearer who forgets and commending the doer who acts. The word carries an inherent tension: hearing is necessary but insufficient. Cross-lingual evidence (spa 'oidor,' fra 'auditeur,' deu 'Hörer') consistently translates the auditory-reception sense, while the biblical contexts add the ethical expectation that hearing must lead to doing. 4×
AR["سامِعو", "سامِعينَ", "سامِعًا"]·ben["শ্রোতা", "শ্রোতারা"]·DE["Hoerer"]·EN["a-hearer", "hearers"]·FR["auditeur"]·heb["שׁוֹמְעִים", "שׁוֹמְעֵי", "שׁוֹמֵעַ"]·HI["सुननेवाला", "सुननेवाले", "सुननेवाले-ही"]·ID["pendengar", "pendengar-pendengar"]·IT["akroatai", "akroatēs", "uditore"]·jav["kang-mirengaken", "mirengaken"]·KO["듣는-자-가", "듣는-자들", "듣는-자들만"]·PT["ouvinte", "ouvintes", "somente-ouvintes"]·RU["слушателем", "слушатели", "слушатель", "слушателями"]·ES["oidor", "oidores"]·SW["msikiaji", "wasikiaji", "wasikilizaji"]·TR["dinleyiciler", "dinleyicisi", "isitenleri"]·urd["سننے-والا", "سننے-والے", "سننے-والے-"]
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ἀκρο-ᾱτής, οῦ, ὁ, hearer, of persons who come to hear a public speaker, Refs 5th c.BC+; disciple, pupil, Refs 4th c.BC+ __II reader, Refs 1st c.AD+