The Greek verb enōtizomai (ἐνωτίζομαι) means to give ear, to hearken, to listen carefully — literally "to take into one's ear." It appears once in the NT in Acts 2:14, where Peter says "give ear to my words" at the beginning of his Pentecost sermon. The word is common in the LXX (e.g., Psalm 5:1; 17:1) as a call to attentive hearing before God.
Peter's opening word at Pentecost — enōtisasthe ("give ear") — is a prophetic summons. Standing before a crowd perplexed by the outpouring of the Spirit, Peter calls them to attentive, receptive hearing. This is not casual listening but the kind of ear-opening that precedes transformation. The sermon that follows results in 3,000 conversions — the harvest of ears opened to receive the word.
The LXX precedent is rich: God repeatedly calls Israel to enōtizomai His word (Deuteronomy 32:1; Isaiah 1:2; Psalm 49:1). Hearing in Scripture is never merely acoustic — it is covenantal responsiveness. The Shema begins with "Hear, O Israel" (shama). James 1:19 commands us to be "quick to listen, slow to speak." True hearing opens the ear of the heart.