Bible Dictionary
AUDIENCE
Audience means the presence or hearing of others, especially when they listen attentively. Biblical expressions such as “in the audience of” or “give audience” refer to speaking before people who hear and pay attention.
Definition
Audience means the presence or hearing of people who listen and pay attention. Older biblical expressions such as “in the audience of” mean in the presence of or while others listened.
Biblical Usage
To give audience in the New Testament means to hear, listen, or pay attention. Later versions often render the expression “hearken,” “in the ears of,” or “in the hearing of.”
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>o'-di-ens: Translated from the Hebrew 'ozen, "ear." In Ge 23:10 f "in the audience of" is equal to "in the presence of," or "while they listened." Compare Ex 24:7; 1Sa 25:24 (Revised Version (British and American) "in thine ears"); 1Ch 28:8; Ne 13:1. In the New Testament the expression "to give audience" (Ac 22:22; 13:16, the Revised Version (British and American) "hearken"; Ac 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 Version Lu 7:1 (Revised Version, "in the ears of") and the King James Version Lu 20:45 (Revised Version, "in the hearing of") the usage is similar to that of the Old Testament.</p>