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ἄγνοια

ágnoia

G52 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

State of not knowing, lack of knowledge or awareness; specifically, ignorance or absence of understanding regarding a particular matter. Can refer broadly to general lack of perception, or more narrowly to not knowing particular facts, responsibilities, or moral truths, sometimes with implications of culpability or innocence, depending on context.

Semantic Range

ignorance, lack of awareness, want of knowledge, unawareness (factual or moral), state of lacking understanding, innocence (occasionally), lack of perception (spiritual or ethical)

Root / Etymology

From ἀγνοέω (agnoeō, 'to be ignorant, not to know') + Greek suffix -ια (-ia), forming abstract nouns; literally, the state of not knowing. No known non-Greek origin.

Historical & Contextual Notes

ἄγνοια is an abstract noun found in classical, Hellenistic, and Koine Greek, often in philosophical and moral contexts denoting the state of ignorance as distinct from willful disobedience or error. In the Septuagint and New Testament, frequently used to describe ignorance of moral or divine law, sometimes implying reduced culpability or unintentional action. In Acts 17:30 and Ephesians 4:18, ἄγνοια indicates not merely a factual lack, but a spiritual or moral unawareness recognized by the speaker as explaining problematic behavior. In broader Greek, it can refer simply to any lack of knowledge irrespective of moral import. English renderings such as "ignorance" generally capture the meaning, but may not always carry the original nuances related to culpability or the distinction from deliberate wrongdoing.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἀγνοέω; ignorance (properly, the quality):--ignorance.

Root Family

ἄγνοια (agnoia) — ignorance, lack of knowledge, unawareness

Root ἀγνο- not knowing, being unaware

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G52-02 ἄγνοιαν agnoian N ACC F SG ignorance ignorance ignorance 2
G52-01 ἀγνοίᾳ agnoia N DAT F SG ignorance in ignorance ignorance 1
G52-03 ἀγνοίας agnoias N GEN F SG ignorance of unawareness of unawareness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

4 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G52-02 Acts 3:17 ἄγνοιαν agnoian N ACC F SG ignorance ignorance ignorance
G52-03 Acts 17:30 ἀγνοίας agnoias N GEN F SG ignorance of unawareness of unawareness
G52-02 Ephesians 4:18 ἄγνοιαν agnoian N ACC F SG ignorance ignorance ignorance
G52-01 1 Peter 1:14 ἀγνοίᾳ agnoia N DAT F SG ignorance in ignorance ignorance
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