Original Word: קָשַׁב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: qashab
Pronunciation: kah-SHAV
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-shab')
KJV: attend, (cause to) hear(-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard
NASB: listen, give heed, pay attention, give attention, paid attention, given heed, heed
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to prick up the ears, i.e. hearken

attend, cause to hearken, give heed, incline, mark well, regard

A primitive root; to prick up the ears, i.e. Hearken -- attend, (cause to) hear(-ken), give heed, incline, mark (well), regard.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to incline (ears), attend
NASB Translation
gave attention (1), give attention (3), give heed (9), give...heed (1), given heed (2), heed (2), incline (1), listen (10), listened (2), listening (1), listens (1), make your attentive (1), paid attention (3), paid...attention (1), pay attention (6), pay...attention (1), pays attention (1).

[קָשַׁב]₄₆ verb incline, attend, of ears; —

Qal Imperfect3feminine plural תִּקְשַׁבְנָה Isaiah 32:3 (subject אזנים).

Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular הִקְשִׁיב Jeremiah 23:18; Psalm 66:19, etc.; Imperfect3masculine singular יַקְשִׁב Isaiah 42:23, etc.; Imperative masculine singular הַקְשֵׁב Job 33:21, especially הַקְשִׁ֫יבָה Psalm 5:3 +, etc.; Infinitive construct הַקְשִׁיב 1 Samuel 15:22 +; Participle מַקְשִׁיב Proverbs 1:24 +, plural מַקְשִׁיבִים Songs 8:13; — give attention (sometimes + שָׁמַע); absolute Hosea 5:1; 1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 10:30; Isaiah 28:23; Isaiah 34:1; Isaiah 49:1; Micah 1:2 12t.; + אֶל person Jeremiah 18:19; Zechariah 1:4; Isaiah 51:4 ("" הֶאֱזִינוּ), לְ person Psalm 55:3; + אֶל of thing Jeremiah 18:18; Nehemiah 9:34; Psalm 142:7, עַל of thing Jeremiah 6:19; Proverbs 17:4; Proverbs 29:12, ל of thing Jeremiah 6:17; Isaiah 48:18; Proverbs 4:20; Proverbs 5:1; Proverbs 7:24; Psalm 5:3; Songs 8:13, ב of thing Psalm 66:19; Psalm 86:6; also with accusative of thing Jeremiah 23:18; Job 13:6; Psalm 17:1; Psalm 61:2; accusative of congnate meaning with verb Isaiah 21:7; apparently = cause to attend, with accusative אָזְנֶ֑ךָ Proverbs 2:2 (+ ל of thing), Psalm 10:17, but usage would be so late and rare that אָזֱנ֑ךָ is probably subj. thing (Ges^{§ 144m} Da^{Synt. § 109. R. 3}).

Thematic Overview

קָשַׁב pictures deliberate, concentrated listening that issues in an appropriate response. Whether applied to the covenant community listening to Yahweh, a pupil heeding a teacher, or God Himself bending toward the prayer of the righteous, the verb always carries an expectancy that what is heard will shape conduct or bring redress.

Distribution in the Old Testament

Approximately forty-six occurrences scatter across Historical narrative, Psalms, Wisdom literature, and the Prophets. The heaviest concentration lies in Psalms and Proverbs, underscoring two complementary emphases: worshippers crying for God’s attentive ear, and sages urging sons to pay undivided attention to instruction.

Usage in Wisdom Literature

1. Parental Instruction: “My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings” (Proverbs 4:20). In Proverbs 5:1; 7:24; 8:6 the father’s earnest summons presses for receptivity that guards the heart from folly and seduction.
2. Moral Profit: Proverbs 16:20 links attentive listening with finding good and enjoying blessing, highlighting the verb’s pragmatic bent—listening that does not alter life is no listening at all.
3. Community Formation: By repeatedly addressing “my sons,” the sages build a collective identity shaped by responsive listening to divine wisdom.

Worship and Lament

Psalms hardly ever request mere passive notice; they beg for active intervention.
• Psalm 5:1 “Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning.”
• Psalm 10:17 “You, O LORD, have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts; You will incline Your ear.”
• Psalm 55:1 “Give ear to my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea.”

Here קָשַׁב functions liturgically: the worshipper confesses that salvation depends on a God who listens, while also modeling for Israel the patient expectancy that accompanies covenant faith.

Prophetic Appeals

Prophets employ the verb to confront Israel’s dullness:
• Isaiah 32:3 forecasts a day when “the ears of those who hear will pay attention.”
• Jeremiah 6:10 laments, “To whom can I speak and give warning? Their ears are uncircumcised, so they cannot listen.”

The same root thus exposes rebellion (ears that refuse to attend) and promises restoration (ears newly inclined to truth). The frequency of negative contexts warns that inattentiveness is moral, not merely intellectual.

Divine Attentiveness to Prayer

Several passages portray God inclining His ear, assuring believers that prayer is never a monologue. Psalm 116:2 exults, “Because He has inclined His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live.” Such statements establish a theology of relational nearness: the LORD’s kingship does not distance Him from plight; He stoops to listen.

Covenant and Obedience

קָשַׁב intensifies the larger biblical motif of ‘hearing equals obeying’. When Moses quotes Yahweh, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God” (Exodus 15:26), קָשַׁב is paired with שׁמע, reinforcing that covenant blessing flows from attentive submission. Conversely, prophetic indictments trace national ruin to selective hearing.

Historical Setting and Ancient Near Eastern Parallels

In royal courts of the Ancient Near East, the posture of an official literally inclining toward the monarch signified readiness to serve. Scripture recasts that imagery: Yahweh is both the Sovereign who must be heeded and the gracious King who Himself inclines toward subjects in distress. This reversal underscores His covenantal compassion.

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Preaching: The verb invites sermons that move hearers from information to transformation. Expository preaching should echo Solomon—calling the church to “incline the ear” and promising that obedient listening yields life.
2. Counseling and Discipleship: Ministers model קָשַׁב by listening well to people, reflecting the character of the God who listens.
3. Prayer Meetings: Rehearsing Psalms that plead “Give ear” strengthens corporate faith in God’s responsiveness.
4. Evangelism: Jeremiah’s lament over uncircumcised ears challenges modern audiences dull to the gospel, while Isaiah’s promise of opened ears offers hope.

Christological and New Covenant Trajectory

Messianic texts intimate that the Servant perfectly embodies attentive obedience (Isaiah 50:4-5). In the Gospels He repeatedly urges, “He who has ears, let him hear,” transferring the prophetic burden to His listeners. Hebrews 2:1 echoes the vocabulary: “We must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away.” Thus קָשַׁב finds its fullest expression in the church’s vigilant hearing of the word of Christ.

Key References for Further Study

Job 13:6; 32:11–12

Psalm 5:1; 10:17; 17:1; 54:2; 55:1; 71:2; 78:1; 116:2

Proverbs 4:1, 20; 5:1, 7; 7:24; 8:6; 16:20

Isaiah 32:3; 34:1; 51:4

Jeremiah 6:10; 25:7

Daniel 9:18

Micah 3:4

Together these passages build a biblical theology of attentive hearing—one that calls God’s people, in every generation, to bend their ears toward His voice and to rest in the assurance that He bends His ear toward their cry.

הִ֝קְשִׁ֗יב הִקְשִֽׁיבוּ׃ הִקְשִׁ֔יבוּ הִקְשִׁ֙יבוּ֙ הִקְשִׁ֥יב הִקְשִׁ֥יבוּ הִקְשַׁ֖בְתָּ הִקְשַׁ֤בְתִּי הַ֝קְשִׁ֗יבָה הַֽקֲשִׁ֥יבָה הַקְשִֽׁיבוּ׃ הַקְשִׁ֑יבָה הַקְשִׁ֑יבוּ הַקְשִׁ֖יבִי הַקְשִׁ֖יבוּ הַקְשִׁ֣יבָה הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀ הַקְשִׁ֤יבוּ הַקְשִׁ֥יבִי הַקְשִׁ֥יבָה הַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ הַקְשֵׁ֖ב הקשב הקשבת הקשבתי הקשיב הקשיבה הקשיבו הקשיבו׃ הקשיבי וְ֝הַקְשִׁ֗יבָה וְ֝הַקְשִׁ֗יבוּ וְהִקְשִׁ֥יב וְהַקְשִׁ֣יבוּ ׀ וְהַקְשִׁ֥יבוּ וַיַּקְשֵׁ֤ב והקשיב והקשיבה והקשיבו ויקשב יַקְשִׁ֥ב יקשב לְהַקְשִׁ֑יב לְהַקְשִׁ֔יב לְהַקְשִׁ֖יב לְהַקְשִׁ֣יב להקשיב מַקְשִֽׁיב׃ מַקְשִׁ֣יב מַקְשִׁיבִ֥ים מקשיב מקשיב׃ מקשיבים נַקְשִֽׁיב׃ נַקְשִׁ֖יבָה נקשיב׃ נקשיבה תִּקְשַֽׁבְנָה׃ תַּקְשִׁ֥יב תקשבנה׃ תקשיב ha·qă·šî·ḇāh hakaShivah hakShev hakShivah hakShivi hakShivu haq·šêḇ haq·šî·ḇāh haq·šî·ḇî haq·šî·ḇū haqăšîḇāh haqšêḇ haqšîḇāh haqšîḇî haqšîḇū hikShavta hikShavti hikShiv hikShivu hiq·šaḇ·tā hiq·šaḇ·tî hiq·šî·ḇū hiq·šîḇ hiqšaḇtā hiqšaḇtî hiqšîḇ hiqšîḇū lə·haq·šîḇ lehakShiv ləhaqšîḇ makShiv makshiVim maq·šî·ḇîm maq·šîḇ maqšîḇ maqšîḇîm nakShiv nakShivah naq·šî·ḇāh naq·šîḇ naqšîḇ naqšîḇāh takShiv taq·šîḇ taqšîḇ tikShavnah tiq·šaḇ·nāh tiqšaḇnāh vaiyakShev vehakShivah vehakShivu vehikShiv way·yaq·šêḇ wayyaqšêḇ wə·haq·šî·ḇāh wə·haq·šî·ḇū wə·hiq·šîḇ wəhaqšîḇāh wəhaqšîḇū wəhiqšîḇ yakShiv yaq·šiḇ yaqšiḇInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts