Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical terms, the concept of "audience" can be understood in various contexts, including the audience of a message, the audience of a speaker, and the audience of God. The term is not explicitly used in the Bible, but the idea is woven throughout the Scriptures as it pertains to communication, reception, and response to God's word and His messengers.
1. Audience of God's WordThe Bible frequently addresses the audience of God's word, emphasizing the importance of hearing and responding to divine revelation. In the Old Testament, the prophets often spoke to the people of Israel, calling them to repentance and obedience. For example,
Isaiah 55:3 states, "Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you—My loving devotion assured to David."
In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, as the ultimate revelation of God, addressed various audiences, including His disciples, the Pharisees, and the general populace. His teachings were meant to reach the hearts of listeners, prompting them to respond in faith and obedience. In
Matthew 13:9 , Jesus says, "He who has ears, let him hear," underscoring the importance of being attentive to His message.
2. Audience of the Apostles and Early ChurchThe apostles and early church leaders also had specific audiences to whom they directed their teachings and letters. The epistles in the New Testament were often addressed to particular churches or individuals, providing guidance, correction, and encouragement. For instance, the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, addressing issues specific to their community. In
1 Corinthians 1:2 , Paul writes, "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be saints, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours."
3. Audience of Prayer and WorshipIn the context of prayer and worship, God is the primary audience. Believers are encouraged to direct their prayers and worship to Him with sincerity and reverence. Jesus taught His disciples to pray in a manner that acknowledges God's holiness and sovereignty, as seen in the Lord's Prayer (
Matthew 6:9-13). Additionally, worship is described as an act of devotion directed toward God, as in
John 4:23-24 , where Jesus says, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and truth."
4. Audience of Witness and EvangelismThe Great Commission, as recorded in
Matthew 28:19-20 , calls believers to make disciples of all nations, indicating that the audience for the gospel message is the entire world. The early church took this mandate seriously, spreading the message of Christ to diverse audiences across different cultures and regions.
Acts 1:8 records Jesus' words to His disciples: "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
5. Audience of JudgmentThe Bible also speaks of a future audience before God in the context of judgment. All humanity will stand before God to give an account of their lives.
Romans 14:10-12 states, "For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: 'As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.' So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God."
In summary, the concept of "audience" in the Bible encompasses the recipients of God's word, the hearers of apostolic teaching, the divine audience of prayer and worship, the global audience of evangelism, and the ultimate audience before God's judgment. Each context highlights the importance of attentiveness, response, and accountability in the relationship between God and humanity.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The act of hearing; attention to sounds.
2. (a.) Admittance to a hearing; a formal interview, esp. with a sovereign or the head of a government, for conference or the transaction of business.
3. (n.) An auditory; an assembly of hearers. Also applied by authors to their readers.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
AUDIENCEo'-di-ens: Translated from the Hebrew 'ozen, "ear." InGenesis 23:10 "in the audience of" is equal to "in the presence of," or "while they listened." CompareExodus 24:71 Samuel 25:24 (Revised Version (British and American) "in thine ears");1 Chronicles 28:8Nehemiah 13:1. In the New Testament the expression "to give audience" (Acts 22:22;Acts 13:16, the Revised Version (British and American) "hearken";Acts 15:12, the Revised Version (British and American) "they hearkened") translated from the Greek akouo "to hear" or derivatives, and means "to listen," "to pay attention." In the King James VersionLuke 7:1 (Revised Version, "in the ears of") and the King James VersionLuke 20:45 (Revised Version, "in the hearing of") the usage is similar to that of the Old Testament.
Greek
201. akroaterion -- place ofaudience, or listening... place of
audience, or listening. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration:
akroaterion Phonetic Spelling: (ak-ro-at-ay'-ree-on) Short Definition: auditorium
...189. akoe -- hearing, the sense of hearing
... rumors (2).audience, ear, report, rumor. From akouo; hearing (the act,
the sense or the thing heard) --audience, ear, fame, which...
191. akouo -- to hear, listen
... giveaudience, come to the ears, be reported. A primary verb; to hear (in
various senses) -- give (in the)audience (of), come (to...
993. Boanerges -- Boanerges, an epithet applied to the two sons of...
... Apocalypse" (, 98). ["" is an Aramaic term, interpreted by Mark (for his
non-Jewishaudience who were probably Romans). There are...
2302. theatron -- a theater, a spectacle
... From theaomai; a place for public show ("theatre"), ie Generalaudience-room; by
implication, a show itself (figuratively) -- spectacle, theatre....
4318. prosagoge -- a bringing to
... prefix ). All three occasions of 4318 ("interactive access") refer to
"havingaudience ( access) with God" (JB Lightfoot, ). Word...
Strong's Hebrew
241. ozen -- an ear... advertise,
audience, displease, ear, hearing, show.
... Ie (concrete) the ear (from its
form in man) -- + advertise,
audience, + displease, ear, hearing, + show.
...8088. shema -- a hearing, report
... From shama'; something heard, ie A sound, rumor, announcement; abstractly,audience --
bruit, fame, hear(-ing), loud, report, speech, tidings....
Library
After Having GivenAudience to Both Parties, the Emperor Condemned...
... Book I. Chapter XX."After having givenAudience to both Parties, the Emperor
condemned the Followers of Arius and banished them....
Buying a Slave Girl
... to the floor, placed his foot upon it and said: "In this way we propose to deal
with the slave power in the South." The effect upon theaudience was thrilling...
How to Speak in Public
... gathered together the best available material, and has so familiarized himself with
his subject that he knows more about it than anyone else in hisaudience....
The Hidden Treasure.
... concluding representation of the general judgment, were spoken, not to the multitude
on the shore of the lake, but more privately to a smalleraudience in a...
The First Preaching in Asia Minor
... It was so because, though the composition of theaudience was identical with that
of those in the synagogues of Cyprus, this was the beginning of the special...
John I.
... Again; those who are skilled in rhetoric do just the same with respect to the sophists,
for they too have their theaters, and theiraudience, and clappings of...
Decision.
... I finished the sermon upon "What shall I do with Jesus?" And I said to theaudience,
"Now, I want you to take the question with you and think over it, and next...
Introduction
... The first Christian writers, indeed, clearly had classical literary forms in mind,
since they wrote in some hope of reaching a generalaudience....
Reverence in Prayer
... IF we were summoned to dine, or to any otheraudience, with our sovereign, with
what fear and trembling should we prepare ourselves for the ordeal!...
Chapter eight
... So that is how it came about that when the First Churchaudience came into
the lecture room that evening it met with another surprise....
Thesaurus
Audience (17 Occurrences)... Also applied by authors to their readers. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
AUDIENCE.
... Multi-Version Concordance
Audience (17 Occurrences).
...Auditorium (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The part of a church, theater, or other public
building, assigned to theaudience. Multi-Version Concordance...
Ephron (13 Occurrences)
... Genesis 23:13 He spoke to Ephron in theaudience of the people of the land, saying,
"But if you will, please hear me. I will give the price of the field....
Parlour
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (from the Fr. parler, "to speak") denotes an "audience
chamber," but that is not the import of the Hebrew word so rendered....
Areopagus (3 Occurrences)
... The Athenian guides will show you the exact place where the apostle stood, and
in what direction he faced when he addressed hisaudience....
Nathan (42 Occurrences)
... This she did, and in the middle of heraudience with David, Nathan appears
with the news of Adonijah's feast and proclamation as king....
Chamber (73 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) A hall, as where a king givesaudience, or a deliberative body
or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber....
Essenes
... to the Essenes is his early work, Quod Omnis Probus Liber, "that every good man
is free." This treatise is intended for a Gentileaudience-the "Lawgiver of the...
Voices (76 Occurrences)
... Acts 22:22 And they gave himaudience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices,
and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that...
Zedekiah (63 Occurrences)
... In order the better to impress hisaudience Zedekiah produced iron horns, and said
to Ahab, "With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed...
Resources
How can we know what parts of the Bible apply to us today? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is rhetorical criticism? | GotQuestions.orgShould a Christian play Pokémon? Should a Christian play Yu-Gi-Oh!? | GotQuestions.orgAudience: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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