suniemi is used for grasping what is heard, spoken, taught, or disclosed, rather than merely hearing it.

The attested use consistently concerns grasping the significance of speech, teaching, a message, or what is disclosed: people may fail to grasp what they hear, be urged to grasp it, or come to grasp a stated point. The same use appears with the word of the kingdom, scriptural material, instruction, and the significance of events.

1. Grasping a message, teaching, or disclosure · dominant

   In Matthew 13:19, the present active participle describes a person who hears the word of the kingdom yet does not grasp it, while Matthew 13:23 describes the hearer who does and bears fruit. In Matthew 16:12 the disciples grasp the distinction between bread and the teaching mentioned, and in Luke 24:45 the infinitive occurs where minds are opened with reference to the Scriptures.

   Matthew 13:19Matthew 13:23Matthew 16:12Luke 24:45Luke 2:50Ephesians 5:17

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the verb with forms of “understand,” whether the clause describes failure to grasp a message or an exhortation to do so. In several verses it also places the term beside hearing, seeing, teaching, or the Scriptures.