The appointed Psalm for the Second Sunday of Epiphany, Year A (2023, 15 January) is Psalm 40: 11. In verse 6 the ESV translation is of part of the verse, “…you have given me an open ear”. In Hebrew, it is literally, “…ears you have dug”. Did you your Mom ever tell you when you were a kid, “You need a cleaning of the earholes”? Luther, in his commentary below, has some to teach us from the mines of Scripture about hearing and the speaking.
Luther’s Commentary on Psalm 40:6: But thou hast pierced the ears for me. Or, ears you have dug
Why not the eyes or the tongue? In the first place, he commends obedience and, second, faith, for faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), not by seeing. And here is a golden word that we might learn to have ears. And it is to be noted with regard to the individual words that “ears” are plural, “thou hast dug through” (pierced) is a compound, and “for me” is singular. We have two ears, first, so that we may be more apt to learn than to teach, to hear than to be heard, to yield to one speaking rather than to speak. For we have only one tongue, and this is enclosed by 28 teeth, of which the first four are sharp, and besides by two lips, while the ears are out in the open.
Second, (we have two ears) in order that only one might listen to the detractor and accuser and the other might serve the other side, for otherwise a person will often err, and be led astray, as happened to David through the detractor Ziba.[1]
Third, [we have two ears] in order that a person may not be irked or tired of hearing the same good word frequently, for there are two ears and this means that one should hear the same thing twice or more often.
Fourth, on the left side, evils, reproaches, and disparagements should be heard for Christ’s sake, but on the right-side good things concerning Christ and heavenly matters. Now you search out many other things.
[1] Cf. 2 Samuel 16: 1-4; 19: 24-30
Concordia and Koinonia 
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