### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Greek word **baréōs**, represented by `{{G917}}`, is an adverb derived from a word meaning heavy. It is used figuratively to mean **dull**. It appears **2 times** across **2 unique verses** in the Bible, where it describes a specific kind of spiritual unresponsiveness.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In its biblical usage, `{{G917}}` is consistently paired with the sense of hearing to describe a willful spiritual deafness. In both [[Matthew 13:15]] and [[Acts 28:27]], the word is used in the identical phrase, "their ears are **dull** of hearing." This condition is presented as part of a larger spiritual state where the people's "heart is waxed gross" and they have closed their own eyes. This deliberate dullness prevents them from hearing and understanding, and consequently from being converted and healed.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related Greek words appear alongside `{{G917}}` to provide a fuller picture of this spiritual state:
* `{{G191}}` **akoúō**: a primary verb; to hear (in various senses). This is the action that is rendered **dull** or heavy by the condition described by `{{G917}}`.
* `{{G2576}}` **kammýō**: to shut down, i.e. close the eyes. This is the parallel action to having dull ears, as seen in the statement "their eyes they have closed" ([[Matthew 13:15]], [[Acts 28:27]]).
* `{{G3975}}` **pachýnō**: to thicken, i.e. (by implication) to fatten (figuratively, stupefy or render callous). This describes the condition of the heart that leads to **dull** hearing ([[Matthew 13:15]], [[Acts 28:27]]).
* `{{G4920}}` **syníēmi**: to put together, i.e. (mentally) to comprehend; by implication, to act piously. This is the understanding that is ultimately blocked by having **dull** ears.
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{G917}}` is centered on the concept of spiritual perception and human responsibility.
* **Spiritual Insensibility:** The word describes a state of spiritual heaviness or dullness, where an individual is unreceptive to divine communication. Their hearing is impaired not physically, but spiritually [[Matthew 13:15]].
* **A Triad of Rejection:** `{{G917}}` does not appear in isolation. It is part of a triad that includes a callous heart `{{G3975}}` and closed eyes `{{G2576}}`, illustrating a comprehensive rejection of God's message.
* **Barrier to Healing:** The dullness of hearing is presented as a direct cause for a lack of understanding `{{G4920}}`, which in turn prevents conversion and spiritual healing [[Acts 28:27]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{G917}}` is a specific and potent term used to describe a key aspect of spiritual hardness. While it literally means "heavily," its figurative use as **dull** is applied exclusively to the faculty of hearing in a spiritual context. It functions as part of a diagnosis for why people fail to understand God's word, highlighting a self-imposed condition of a calloused heart, dull ears, and closed eyes that blocks divine truth and healing.
TRV