Lexical Summary agnósia: Ignorance, lack of knowledge Original Word: ἀγνωσία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ignorance. From a (as negative particle) and gnosis; ignorance (properly, the state) -- ignorance, not the knowledge. see GREEK a see GREEK gnosis NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alpha (as a neg. prefix) and the same as ginóskó Definition ignorance NASB Translation ignorance (1), no knowledge (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 56: ἀγνωσίαἀγνωσία, (ας, ἡ (γνῶσις), want of knowledge, ignorance: 1 Peter 2:15; 1 Corinthians 15:34 (Wis. 13:1). Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Greek 56 portrays a condition of spiritual darkness in which a person lacks the true knowledge of God. Scripture consistently treats this absence of understanding as a moral failure that must be confronted by the light of divine revelation. Rather than describing an innocent limitation, the word exposes hearts that have turned from God’s truth and therefore need repentance and renewal. Occurrences in the New Testament 1 Corinthians 15:34 and 1 Peter 2:15 are the only two places in which the term appears, yet those contexts anchor an entire biblical theology of ignorance. Context in 1 Corinthians 15:34 The Corinthian congregation flirted with denial of the bodily resurrection. Paul commands them, “Sober up as you should, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame”. Their doctrinal error is traced to a practical estrangement from God. For Paul, ignorance functions as both diagnosis and rebuke: wrong belief and wrong living spring from the same root. Resurrection truth is set forth as the remedy because it re-centers believers on the power and holiness of God in Christ, motivating repentance from sinful habits and careless worship. Context in 1 Peter 2:15 Peter writes, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men”. Here the church faces slander from outsiders who misunderstand Christian allegiance to Christ as social subversion. The apostle neither excuses nor entertains that ignorance; instead, he calls believers to a winsome, visibly righteous life that exposes the groundlessness of hostile accusations. Obedient conduct functions apologetically, turning ignorance into an occasion for witness. Old Testament Foundations Hosea 4:6 declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” linking covenant unfaithfulness with ignorance. Proverbs 1:7 teaches that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, showing that true understanding is relational before it is intellectual. These motifs frame New Testament usage: ignorance is never neutral but always measured against revelation already given. Hebraic and Greco-Roman Background In the wider Greek world, intellectual “knowledge” (gnōsis) was prized, yet often detached from moral obligation. By contrast, biblical thought demands that knowing God transform character. When Paul and Peter employ the term, they confront both pagan speculation and any tendency within the church to divorce doctrine from obedience. Their choice of vocabulary therefore turns a culturally respected concept on its head, insisting that enlightenment begins, not ends, with submission to the Creator. Theological Significance 1. Moral Accountability: Ignorance does not absolve guilt; it exposes it (Romans 1:18-23). Pastoral and Ministry Applications • Catechize believers in core doctrines, especially the resurrection and lordship of Christ. Relation to Christ’s Teaching and Apostolic Mission Jesus’ prayer on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), identifies ignorance as a factor in sin while still requiring forgiveness. The apostles carry that perspective into mission: Acts 17:30 proclaims that God “now commands all people everywhere to repent” even though He previously “overlooked the times of ignorance.” Thus, the word serves the larger biblical narrative in which God’s redemptive initiative confronts and cures human blindness. Conclusion Strong’s Greek 56 signals more than a simple lack of information; it marks estrangement from God that invites judgment yet can be healed through the revelation of Jesus Christ. Whether correcting doctrinal error within the church or answering slander from without, the New Testament answers ignorance with truth proclaimed, lived, and embodied by a people who “walk in the light, as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7). Forms and Transliterations αγνωσία αγνωσιαν αγνωσίαν ἀγνωσίαν agnosian agnosían agnōsian agnōsíanLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Corinthians 15:34 N-AFSGRK: μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε ἀγνωσίαν γὰρ θεοῦ NAS: have no knowledge of God. KJV: have not the knowledge of God: INT: not sin ignorance indeed of God 1 Peter 2:15 N-AFS |
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