Greek: ἀκούω (akouō)
English: to hear, to listen, to understand, to heed
By Jonathan W. Bryant, PhD, Senior Editor, Tyndale Bibles
The Greek word ἀκούω (akouō, pronounced ah-KOO-oh) generally refers to the exercise of the sense of hearing. The term appears around four hundred times in the New Testament, and in the majority of instances, modern English translations, including the NLT, render the word with the English verb hear.
But the word akouō can denote more than simply physical hearing. It can also refer to the understanding or even the action that results from hearing. In other words, akouō sometimes describes a sort of careful attentiveness to something that includes a response (of heeding or obedience). We can pick up this sort of multi-layered meaning even in the ways we use the English word hear. If I were to ask one of my children, “Did you hear me?” I might be asking a simple question about whether they physically heard the words I spoke, or, I might be asking if they really heard me (did it really sink in?), which I’m only asking because I don’t see any accompanying action from what I had just said.
Bible translators must take into account not only the basic or most common meaning of a word but also the context in which the word occurs. A single term may carry different nuances in different contexts. Such is the case with akouō.
For example, in 1 Corinthians 14:2 Paul is talking about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, specifically offering caution about using this gift in a way that fails to build up others. The NLT renders the verse this way: “If you have the ability to speak in tongues, you will be talking only to God, since people won’t be able to understand (akouō) you. You will be speaking by the power of the Spirit, but it will all be mysterious.” Paul uses the verb akouō to describe not simply the ability to physically hear someone speaking in tongues (that wasn’t in doubt) but the ability to understand what’s being said (in other words, to hear and comprehend). In fact, all the major English translations recognize this contextual meaning and render akouō here as “understand.”
Another example is Acts 28:28. Here akouō is used to describe the response of Gentiles to the message of salvation. Throughout this passage (Acts 28:17-28), Paul is highlighting a contrast between the response of a group of Jewish people who were not accepting the message about Christ and certain Gentiles who were accepting that message. Both groups described are indeed “hearing” this message, but the emphasis in this context is on the reception of that message—whether it was truly “heard” to the point that it generated a response of belief or acceptance. Some translations simply render the term with its basic meaning “hear,” while others use the word “listen,” which can imply a deeper level of hearing but still may not fully capture the meaning of akouō in this context. The NLT seeks to render akouō here with an appropriate contextual meaning and opts for “accept”: “I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” In other words, while some “heard” or “listened to” the message but did not accept it, this group of Gentiles did.
As these examples show, translation is not as simple as plugging in a single word-for-word correspondence. Often, words in the source language carry nuances that cannot be caught by one word in the receptor language. Bible translators are tasked with trying to communicate ancient meaning in contextually specific ways. All translations, including the NLT, attempt to account for this reality.
As we read or listen to God’s messages as conveyed through his Word, may we not simply hear what he is saying. May we also understand, receive, and heed his words. And may we truly hear his Spirit guiding us and teaching us as we seek to communicate his message through our words and through the way we live.