Mark 4:23

4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” ¹ 

Mark 4:9

4:9 And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!” ² 

Mark 4:33

The Use of Parables

4:33 So ³  with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear.

[4:23]  ¹ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

[4:9]  ² tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

[4:33]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.