שִׁמְע֤וּ (šim·‘ū) in Isaiah 6:9: Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
שִׁמְע֤וּ (šim·‘ū) in Isaiah 6:9
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Isaiah 6:9 links the English rendering "Be ever hearing" with שִׁמְע֤וּ, Strong's H8085, and the parsing label V-Qal-Imp-mp.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form helps readers hear Isaiah 6:9 as a charged command in a judgment commission, not as a detached vocabulary example about hearing.
How To Communicate It
When teaching Isaiah 6:9, use this form to show the directness of the plural imperative and then let the passage explain why the command exposes hardened hearing.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not use the command form by itself to settle every theological question about response, obedience, or hardening.
- Do not flatten the judgment setting into a generic exhortation to listen.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for the whole Hebrew lemma.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-verb
Verb
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Qal
Imperative
Not marked
Not marked
Not marked
The imperative form gives direct force to the action, while the verse and passage determine the scope of the command or appeal.
This form carries the BSB rendering "Be ever hearing" within Isaiah 6:9. Isaiah 6 shows the prophet before the holy Lord, receiving cleansing and a commission in the presence of divine glory.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The action or phrase rendered "Be ever hearing" in Isaiah 6:9
Isaiah's commission frames the plural imperative as part of the hardening word the prophet must speak.
It gives the plural command in the commission formula, supporting the force of "Be ever hearing" as part of the hardening word Isaiah must speak to the people.
The imperative form does not by itself explain the mystery of hardening, cancel human responsibility, or settle the passage's later canonical use.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The imperative plural belongs to Isaiah's judgment commission and shapes how the hardening word is heard.
Qal imperative masculine plural in a prophetic judgment commission. addresses the people through Isaiah's commissioned message. Attached to the Be ever hearing command. Governed by the Lord's commission to Isaiah in Isaiah 6:9. The command form must be read with the hardening context and the repeated hearing-not-understanding pattern.
Why does this command sound different from a normal invitation to listen? It is part of Isaiah's judgment commission, where hearing exposes hardened understanding.
Direct: The imperative plural directly supports the command-like force of Be ever hearing.
The imperative appears in a judgment commission, not a generic classroom command. The plural identifies the addressed people in the message context. The grammar contributes command force, but the hardening theology must be read from the passage and its canonical use.
Imperative always means a straightforward invitation to obey: In Isaiah 6:9 the imperative belongs to a judgment commission and must be interpreted within that context.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Isaiah 6:9 links the English rendering "Be ever hearing" with שִׁמְע֤וּ, Strong's H8085, and the parsing label V-Qal-Imp-mp.
H8085 is represented here by the lemma שָׁמַע. In this occurrence, the public guide is limited to the BSB rendering "Be ever hearing" rather than every possible gloss of the entry.
The imperative appears in a commissioned message whose following words expose hearing without understanding, so the grammar must be read within Isaiah's judgment commission rather than as a simple invitation to obey.
Isaiah 6:9 sends Isaiah to speak a word that will expose and harden an unresponsive people even as the prophet stands under the holy Lord's commission.
The form fits Scripture's witness to holiness, cleansing, and commissioned speech before the Lord.
When teaching Isaiah 6:9, use this form to show the direct plural force of the command while explaining that the surrounding commission gives it a judgment-shaped function.
Do not derive a full doctrine of hardening, hearing, or judgment from V-Qal-Imp-mp alone. The command form matters, but the commission context controls how it functions.