Ezekiel 44:5 Mark Well

Question

Ezekiel 44:5 ESV

And the Lord said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes, and hear with your ears all that I shall tell you concerning all the statutes of the temple of the Lord and all its laws. And mark well the entrance to the temple and all the exits from the sanctuary.

I've always thought that "Mark Well" meant "Remember". However, in looking at the Jewish Bible:

Ezekiel 44:5 (Complete Jewish Bible)

Adonai said to me, “Human being, pay attention; see with your eyes and hear with your ears everything I tell you about all the regulations of Adonai’s house and about all its Torah; pay attention to who can enter the house and who must be excluded from the sanctuary.

Does "Mark Well" mean "Pay Attention" in this passage?

Answer 1

It is certainly an idiom, so a literal translation won't convey the actual meaning of the phrase. Now, a literal translation of the Hebrew שִׂים לִבְּךָ (sim libbeka) would be "Set/ put/ place into your heart!" Again, the heart was considered as the locus of thought --- a function we now give to the brain. Thus, to place something into your heart was to give something ample consideration and evaluation. God is asking Ezekiel to deeply consider "all that I say to you" (ibid). Chew on it! =)