ἐπᾰκού-ω G1873
to hear, listen to, give ear to
A verb meaning to hear or listen, often with the nuance of favorable attention or answering a request. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Paul quotes Isaiah: 'In an acceptable time I heard you' (ἐπήκουσά σου). The verb can imply not merely auditory perception but responsive action—God hearing and answering prayer. Classical usage included the sense of overhearing or hearing about something indirectly.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Paul applies Isaiah's oracle to the present moment of salvation. The Spanish 'te escuché,' French 'écouter,' and German 'erhören' all capture the responsive dimension of divine hearing. This is not passive auditory reception but God's active engagement with human petition, now fulfilled in Christ. The aorist tense marks a definitive moment of divine attention and favor. 1×
AR["استَجَبتُ"]·ben["আমি-শুনেছিলাম"]·DE["erhoeren"]·EN["I-heard"]·FR["écouter"]·heb["עֲנִיתִיךָ"]·HI["सुना"]·ID["Aku-mendengar"]·IT["ascoltare"]·jav["Kawula-mirengaken"]·KO["들었다"]·PT["ouvi"]·RU["услышал"]·ES["te-escuché"]·SW["nilikusikiliza"]·TR["dinledim"]·urd["سنا"]
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
ἐπᾰκού-ω, future ἐπακούσομαιLXX, later ἐπακούσω Refs:—hear, with accusative of things, ὂς πάντ᾽ ἐφορᾷς καὶ πάντ᾽ ἐπακούεις, of the Sun, Refs 8th c.BC+; proverbial, ὁπποῖόν κ᾽ εἴπῃσθα ἔπος, τοῖόν κ᾽ ἐπακούσαις as thou speakest, so wilt thou be answered, Refs 8th c.BC+: with accusative of things et genitive person, ἔπος ἐμέθεν Refs 8th c.BC+ __2 overhear, μή τις τῶν ἀμυήτων ἐπακούσῃ Refs 5th c.BC+…