202. akroatés
Lexical Summary
akroatés: Hearer, Listener

Original Word: ἀκροατής
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: akroatés
Pronunciation: ak-ro-at-ACE
Phonetic Spelling: (ak-ro-at-ace')
KJV: hearer
NASB: hearer, hearers
Word Origin: [from akroaomai (to listen]

1. a hearer (merely)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
hearer.

From akroaomai (to listen; apparently an intensive of akouo); a hearer (merely) -- hearer.

see GREEK akouo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from the same as akroatérion
Definition
a hearer
NASB Translation
hearer (2), hearers (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 202: ἀκροατής

ἀκροατής, (οῦ, (ἀκροάομαι (see the preceding word)), a hearer: τοῦ νόμου, Romans 2:13; τοῦ λόγου, James 1:22f, 25. (Thucydides, Isocrates, Plato, Demosthenes, Plutarch.)

Topical Lexicon
Root Idea and Semantic Emphasis

The term refers to one who listens with focused intent. In the biblical frame it distinguishes between the passive reception of spoken revelation and the active obedience that genuine faith demands. Scripture never applauds mere auditory exposure; it presses listeners toward responsive action.

Old Testament and Jewish Background

Hearing and obeying were inseparable in Israel’s covenant life. The Shema begins, “Hear, O Israel” (Deuteronomy 6:4), yet immediately commands love for the Lord with heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:5). Prophets rebuked a generation that “has ears but cannot hear” (Jeremiah 5:21). Synagogue worship in the first century reinforced this linkage: the Law and the Prophets were read aloud and followed by application (Luke 4:16-21). Thus, when New Testament writers speak of hearers, readers would instinctively understand the moral obligation tied to listening.

New Testament Usage Overview

Occurrences are concentrated in two contexts: Romans 2:13 and James 1:22-25. Together they portray two complementary emphases. Paul addresses Jewish reliance on mere possession of the Law; James exhorts dispersed believers to align conduct with the implanted word. Both insist that true righteousness is evidenced in obedient practice.

Romans 2:13: Covenant Accountability

“For it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13). Paul confronts religious complacency. Jews enjoyed weekly readings of Torah, yet hearing without submission left them no better off than Gentiles. The verse foreshadows Paul’s universal indictment (Romans 3:9-20) and heightens the need for the gospel. Possessing special revelation increases responsibility; it does not exempt from judgment.

James 1:22-25: Authentic Faith Under Examination

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you deceive yourselves” (James 1:22). James portrays a “hearer only” as one who glances in a mirror and promptly forgets his reflection (James 1:23-24). By contrast, “the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). For James, lasting blessing arises from persevering obedience, not ephemeral exposure to sermons.

Theological Implications: Hearing, Obedience, and Justification

1. Revelation demands response. Whether through Mosaic Law or the gospel proclamation, God speaks so that His people might obey (Exodus 19:5; John 14:15).
2. Hearing alone cannot justify. Paul shows that Law hearers remain under condemnation; only those who “walk according to the Spirit” enjoy life (Romans 8:4).
3. Obedient hearing is the fruit of regenerative faith. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17), yet the faith that justifies inevitably works through love (Galatians 5:6).
4. Final judgment will consider deeds. Both Paul (Romans 2:6-11) and James (James 2:14-26) affirm that works demonstrate the reality of saving faith.

Historical and Cultural Context

In Greco-Roman rhetoric an “audience” (akroatai) evaluated speeches for entertainment or edification. The New Testament elevates the term: listeners of divine revelation stand under its authority, obligated to conform life and practice. In predominantly oral cultures, public reading was the primary means of dissemination (1 Timothy 4:13; Revelation 1:3). The mandate to move from hearing to doing served as a safeguard against superficial religiosity.

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Preaching must aim for transformation, not information. Exposition without exhortation risks producing “hearers only.”
• Small-group study and personal devotion should include actionable steps; obedience cements truth in the heart.
• Pastoral evaluation may ask: Are congregants characterized by practices that reflect the word they regularly hear?
• Catechesis of children and new believers should stress both attentive listening and immediate obedience, modeling Samuel’s reply, “Speak, for Your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10).

Related Concepts and Further Biblical Witness

Matthew 7:24-27 contrasts the wise and foolish builders. Luke 8:21 records Jesus’ definition of kinship: “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” Hebrews 4:2 warns that the wilderness generation heard good news, “but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.” These passages echo and reinforce the call embedded in the term.

Conclusion

Across Scripture, a hearer is never left to remain a mere listener. The privilege of receiving God’s word carries the inescapable summons to obedience, evidenced in righteous living and confirmed in eschatological blessing.

Forms and Transliterations
ακροαται ακροαταί ἀκροαταὶ ακροατήν ακροατης ακροατής ἀκροατὴς akroatai akroataì akroates akroatēs akroatḕs
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Romans 2:13 N-NMP
GRK: γὰρ οἱ ἀκροαταὶ νόμου δίκαιοι
NAS: for [it is] not the hearers of the Law
KJV: not the hearers of the law
INT: indeed the hearers law [are] righteous

James 1:22 N-NMP
GRK: καὶ μὴ ἀκροαταὶ μόνον παραλογιζόμενοι
NAS: and not merely hearers who delude
KJV: and not hearers only, deceiving
INT: and not hearers only deceiving

James 1:23 N-NMS
GRK: εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν
NAS: anyone is a hearer of the word
KJV: if any be a hearer of the word, and
INT: if any man a hearer of [the] word is

James 1:25 N-NMS
GRK: παραμείνας οὐκ ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς γενόμενος
NAS: a forgetful hearer but an effectual
KJV: not a forgetful hearer, but a doer
INT: having continued in [it] not a hearer forgetful having been

Strong's Greek 202
4 Occurrences


ἀκροαταὶ — 2 Occ.
ἀκροατὴς — 2 Occ.

201
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