H0238 H0238
give ear, listen attentively — Hiphil verb of attentive hearing, almost exclusively poetic, often paired with shama
Azan in the Hiphil means 'to give ear' or 'to listen with deliberate attention,' and it appears 41 times almost entirely in poetry and elevated prose. The verb is a denominative from ozen ('ear'), so its etymological image is vivid: to turn one's ear toward someone. It occurs in solemn summons — Moses commanding heaven and earth to hear (Deut 32:1), Isaiah calling the rulers of Sodom and the people of Gomorrah to attention (Isa 1:10) — and in personal pleading, as in the Psalms' repeated ha'azinah ('give ear!') addressed to God (Ps 17:1; 39:13; 55:2; 86:6). Its formulaic pairing with shama ('hear') creates the classic parallelism of Hebrew prophetic and wisdom poetry: 'hear my words... give ear to my sayings' (Prov 4:20). The word is rare in prose, lending a heightened register wherever it appears.
Senses
1. give ear, listen attentively — To listen with focused, deliberate attention — 'give ear' — almost always in elevated or poetic register. Typically occupies the second line of a bicolon parallel with shama ('hear'): 'Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth' (Isa 1:2; cf. Deut 32:1; Ps 49:2). In the Psalms it voices urgent petition to God (Ps 17:1; 55:2; 86:6; 143:1), while in prophetic address it summons human audiences to solemn attention (Joel 1:2; Isa 28:23; 32:9). The participial form me'azin in Proverbs 17:4 describes one who 'gives ear' to malicious speech. Spanish 'prestar oido,' French 'preter l'oreille,' and German 'Ohr geben' preserve the denominative image of directing one's ear. 41×
AR["أَصغِ", "أَصْغِ", "أَصْغِي", "أَنصِتُوا", "أَنْصِتُوا", "أَنْصِتْنَ", "اسْتَمِعْ", "اصْغِ", "وَ-أَصْغوا", "وَ-أَصْغُوا", "وَ-أَنصِتُوا", "وَ-أَنصِتِي"]·ben["এবং-কান-দাও", "এবং-কান-পাত", "ও-কান-পাত", "ও-কান-পেতে-রাখো", "কান-পাত", "কান-পাতো", "কান-পাতো-", "কান-পেতে", "কান-পেতে-রাখ", "কান-পেতে-রাখুন"]·DE["[והאזינו]", "geben-Ohr", "geben-ear", "give-ear", "horchen", "und-horchen"]·EN["Give-ear", "and-give-ear", "give-ear"]·FR["donner-oreille", "et-prêter-l’oreille", "et-écouter", "prête-l'oreille", "prêter-l’oreille"]·heb["האזינה", "האזינו", "האזנה", "ו-האזינו", "ו-האזיני"]·HI["और-कान-लगाओ", "और-सुनो", "कान-दे", "कान-लगा", "कान-लगाओ", "सुन", "सुनो"]·ID["Dengarkanlah", "Pasanglah-telinga", "dan-pasanglah-telinga", "dan-perhatikanlah", "dengarkanlah", "pasanglah-telinga"]·IT["ascoltare", "dare-orecchio", "e-ascoltare", "porse-orecchio"]·jav["Gatèkaken", "Gatèkna", "Lan-mirengaken", "Midhangétna", "Mugi-mirengaken", "Tumungkula", "lan-gatèkaken", "lan-gatèkna", "lan-midhangetna", "midhangetna", "midhangétna", "migatosna", "mirengna", "mratelakaken", "mugi-ngatosaken", "mugi-nggatèkaken", "pasangna-talingan"]·KO["귀-기울여라", "귀-기울이라", "귀-기울이소서", "귀-를-기울여-주소서", "귀-를-기울이소서", "귀기울이소서", "귀를-기울이라", "귀를-기울이소서", "그리고-귀를-기울이라", "들으소서"]·PT["Dai-ouvido", "Dai-ouvidos", "Dá-ouvidos", "dai-ouvidos", "dá-ouvidos", "e-dai-ouvido", "e-dai-ouvidos", "e-dai-ouvidos,"]·RU["Внимайте", "внемли", "внимай", "внимайте", "и-внимай", "и-внимайте"]·ES["Escuchad", "Presta-oído", "Prestad-oído", "escucha", "oíd", "presta-oído", "y-escuchad", "y-presten-oído"]·SW["Sikieni", "Sikiliza", "Sikilizeni", "na-sikilize", "na-sikilizeni", "na-tegeni-sikio", "sikiliza", "sikilizeni", "tege-sikio"]·TR["Kulak-verin", "kulak-ver", "kulak-verin", "ve-kulak-ver", "ve-kulak-verin"]·urd["اور-کان-دھرو", "اور-کان-لگاؤ", "کان-دھرو", "کان-لگا", "کان-لگاؤ", "ہَ-کان-لَگا"]
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
† I. [אָזַן42] vb. denom. Hiph. give ear, listen, hear, almost wholly poet.—Pf. הֶאֱזִין Dt 1:45; וְהַאֲזִין consec. ψ 77:2 (v. De KöI, p. 390); וְהַאֲזַנְתָּ֫ Ex 15:26; הֶאֱזִינוּ Is 64:3 +; Impf. יַאֲזִין Jb 9:16 +; אָזִין (for אַאֲזִין) Jb 32:11, etc.; Imv. ms. הַאֲזִ֫ינָה Nu 23:18 +; fs. הַאֲזִ֫ינִי Is 1:2; fpl. הַאֲזֵ֫נָּה Gn 4:23 Is 32:9, etc.; Pt. מֵזִין, (for מֵאֲזִין v. KöI, 391) Pr…