Greek word · G50

ἀγνοέω

agnoeō

be ignorant

To not know, be unaware or uninformed; also to fail to understand (Mark 9:32), and sometimes to sin out of ignorance. Related to English "agnostic," but here it has nothing to do with doubt about God.

Appears 22 times in 21 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἀγνοέω, -ῶ (> ἁγνίζω),

[in LXX for שָׁגָה, שָׁגַג, אָשַׁם, etc. ;]

1. to be ignorant, not to know: absol., Ι Titus 1:13, Hebrews 5:2; with accusative, Acts 13:27 17:23, Romans 10:3, 2 Corinthians 2:11; ἐν οἷς, 2 Peter 2:12; before ὅτι, Romans 2:4 6:3 7:1, 1 Corinthians 14:38; οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, a Pauline phrase: with accusative, Romans 11:25; before ὑπέρ, 2 Corinthians 1:8; περί, 1 Corinthians 12:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:13. ὅτι, Romans 1:13, 1 Corinthians 10:1 (for similar usage in π., V. MM, VGT, see word). Pass.: 1 Corinthians 14:38, 2 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 1:22.

2. not to understand: with accusative, Mark 9:32, Luke 9:45.

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 1 Thessalonians 4:13

Range of meaning

To not know, be unaware or uninformed; also to fail to understand (Mark 9:32), and sometimes to sin out of ignorance. Related to English "agnostic," but here it has nothing to do with doubt about God.

Against the English

KJV and WEB have "ignorant." BSB, ESV, NIV and NASB have "uninformed." In current English "ignorant" often sounds like an insult ("stupid, backward"). The Greek is neutral: they simply lacked a piece of knowledge.

How it drifted

In 1611 "ignorant" meant "not knowing," as the Greek does. In modern use it has become a charge of foolishness or prejudice.

Used elsewhere in the period

"I do not want you to be unaware" is a fixed phrase in Paul's letters for introducing important or new information: Rom 1:13; 11:25; 1 Cor 10:1; 12:1; 2 Cor 1:8. Similar phrasing appears in ordinary Greek letters on papyrus.

From the study of 1 Timothy 1:13

Range of meaning

Not to know, to be unaware, to fail to understand or recognise. In the Greek Old Testament the word and its noun ἄγνοια (agnoia) are used for unintentional sin: wrongdoing done without knowing it was wrong, as opposed to deliberate defiance.

Against the English

KJV and WEB: 'ignorantly'. BSB and NIV: 'in ignorance'. YLT: 'being ignorant'. Modern English hears 'ignorant' as uneducated or stupid, or uses it as an insult.

How it drifted

Modern 'ignorant' has picked up a sense of being ill-informed or dim. Paul was among the most learned young Pharisees of his day (Gal 1:14; Phil 3:5–6). His ignorance was a failure to recognise who Jesus was, not a lack of learning.

Used elsewhere in the period

In LXX Lev 5:18 a sin offering is made 'for his ignorance which he committed in ignorance' (ἀγνοίας… ἠγνόησεν), translating the Hebrew category of unwitting sin (shegagah). Num 15:22–31 contrasts unwitting sins, which could be atoned for, with sins done 'with a high hand', which could not. Peter tells Jerusalem 'you acted in ignorance' (Acts 3:17). Jesus prays 'they do not know what they are doing' (Luke 23:34). Paul says Israel 'did not know God's righteousness' and had 'zeal, but not according to knowledge' (Rom 10:2–3).

From the study of Hebrews 5:2

Range of meaning

To not know, be unaware of, fail to understand. In the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) it is also a standard way of saying 'to sin unwittingly'. The related noun agnoia/agnoēma means a sin of ignorance, a fault committed without realising it.

Against the English

English 'the ignorant' suggests people who lack education or intelligence, or who wilfully refuse to learn. The Greek here is moral and priestly: people who did wrong without knowing it was wrong, or without realising they had done it.

How it drifted

The English adjective 'ignorant' has become mostly an insult about lack of knowledge or manners. Its old link to the sacrificial category of 'sins done unknowingly' is lost on modern readers.

Used elsewhere in the period

Leviticus 5:18 (Septuagint): the priest makes atonement 'for his ignorance which he committed in ignorance (ēgnoēsen), and he did not know it'. Leviticus 4 covers sins done 'unintentionally' (akousiōs). Hebrews itself uses agnoēma in 9:7: the high priest enters on the Day of Atonement with blood offered 'for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance'. In Sirach 23:2–3 the speaker prays that his 'ignorances' (agnoiai) not increase.

Where it appears

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 9:32 ἠγνόουν they were not understanding

    But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

    Here: Imperfect tense, so the not-understanding went on: 'they kept failing to grasp it.' It is not that they missed the words. They could not make sense of them or fit them into what they expected. It is not a charge of stupidity.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 9:45 ἠγνόουν they were not understanding

    But they did not understand this statement. It was veiled from them so that they could not comprehend it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.

    Here: Imperfect tense: their not-understanding was a lasting condition, not a passing moment. They heard the words but could not tell what they meant.

Acts · 2

  1. Acts 13:27 ἀγνοήσαντες not having known

    The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

    Here: 'Having failed to recognize.' It means not knowing who he really was, not that they had never heard of him. Luke repeatedly calls the Jerusalem action against Jesus an act of ignorance (Acts 3:17).

  2. Acts 17:23 ἀγνοοῦντες not knowing

    For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.

    Here: "Not knowing": a deliberate play on ἀγνώστῳ. Their own inscription admits they don't know. Paul uses the same root again in v.30 ("times of ignorance"), where not knowing is something God overlooked until now but now calls people to turn from.

Romans · 6

  1. Romans 1:13 ἀγνοεῖν, to be ignorant,

    I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

    Here: Simply 'to be uninformed'. It is not the insult that English 'ignorant' can be. Paul is supplying information they may lack about his travel plans.

  2. Romans 2:4 ἀγνοῶν not knowing

    Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

    Here: "Not knowing" here is a failure to grasp what should be obvious, and a culpable one: the person has misread what God's patience is for.

  3. Romans 6:3 ἀγνοεῖτε are you unaware

    Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

    Here: Present tense, addressed to the whole group. This is a rhetorical question that assumes the readers do know. Paul is reminding them of something shared, not teaching it for the first time.

  4. Romans 7:1 ἀγνοεῖτε, are you ignorant,

    Do you not know, brothers (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

    Here: 'Are you unaware?' A rhetorical question that expects 'Of course we know.' Paul used the same opening in 6:3 ('Or are you unaware that...'). It appeals to something the audience already accepts.

  5. Romans 10:3 ἀγνοοῦντες Being ignorant of

    Because they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

    Here: A present participle giving the reason for the main verb: 'since they did not recognize'. It picks up v.2, where their zeal is 'not according to knowledge'. The point is failing to see something, not lacking intelligence.

  6. Romans 11:25 ἀγνοεῖν, to be ignorant,

    I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.

    Here: To lack information, not to be stupid. Paul uses this formula when he is about to reveal something important (Rom 1:13; 1 Cor 10:1; 1 Thess 4:13).

1 Corinthians · 4

  1. 1 Corinthians 10:1 ἀγνοεῖν, to be ignorant,

    I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.

    Here: To lack knowledge or fail to take something in. It is not an insult about intelligence. Here it means: do not miss what this old story means for you.

  2. 1 Corinthians 12:1 ἀγνοεῖν. to be ignorant.

    Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

  3. 1 Corinthians 14:38 ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖται.¶ is ignorant,, him is ignored.

    But if anyone ignores this, he himself will be ignored.

2 Corinthians · 3

  1. 2 Corinthians 1:8 ἀγνοεῖν, to be ignorant

    We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.

    Here: To be uninformed or left in the dark. It is part of a stock phrase Paul uses to bring up something important (Rom 1:13; 1 Cor 10:1; 1 Thess 4:13).

  2. 2 Corinthians 2:11 ἀγνοοῦμεν.¶ we are ignorant.

    in order that Satan should not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

    Here: Present tense: 'we are not (now) in the dark about'. It sounds like noēmata (*noēmata … a-gnooumen*), a play on words: we are not 'un-knowing' of his 'thinkings'.

  3. 2 Corinthians 6:9 ἀγνοούμενοι being unknown

    unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;

    Here: 'Being unknown, unrecognized.' This is the passive of the verb 'not to know'. Paul's team are nobodies by public standards: no fame, no letters of reference, ignored or brushed off by people who count. The present tense shows this is their ongoing condition.

Galatians · 1

  1. Galatians 1:22 ἀγνοούμενος unknown

    I was personally unknown, however, to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.

    Here: Present passive participle, 'being unknown'. Together with ἤμην it says Paul stayed unknown the whole time. The point is that people did not know him, not that they were ignorant in a moral sense.

1 Thessalonians · 1

  1. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ἀγνοεῖν, to be ignorant,

    Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.

    Here: "To be without knowledge" of something. It means missing information, not being stupid. Paul is about to supply something they did not yet know or had not grasped.

1 Timothy · 1

  1. 1 Timothy 1:13 ἀγνοῶν being ignorant

    I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

    Here: Present participle: 'while not knowing'. This was Paul's ongoing state while he acted. What he lacked was not education but recognition of who Jesus was.

Hebrews · 1

  1. Hebrews 5:2 ἀγνοοῦσιν being ignorant

    He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and misguided, since he himself is subject to weakness.

    Here: Not 'uneducated' or 'stupid'. In priestly language it describes people who sin without realising it, the 'unintentional' sins the Levitical sacrifices were meant to cover (Lev 4–5; compare Heb 9:7, 'the sins the people had committed in ignorance').

2 Peter · 1

  1. 2 Peter 2:12 ἀγνοοῦσιν they are ignorant of

    These men are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They blaspheme in matters they do not understand, and like such creatures, they too will be destroyed.

    Here: 'They are ignorant of'. This is ironic in a letter built around true 'knowledge' (1:2–3, 1:8, 2:20). The men who present themselves as enlightened do not know what they are talking about.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.