noun · feminine
gnōsias
Strong’sG1108
knowledge, doctrine, wisdom
stem gnōsi-29 times in the New Testamentin 10 of 27 books4 of 10 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Knowledge, especially knowledge of spiritual or divine truth 124. In this sense the word is used absolutely for the knowledge of God and of spiritual realities, and also with a following noun to specify what is known (such as knowledge of salvation, of God's glory, of God himself, or of Christ) or who possesses it (such as the knowledge that belongs to God) 1. The classical language also used the word for higher or esoteric knowledge 3.
The word can also denote the act of seeking to know — inquiry or investigation, including judicial inquiry — rather than knowledge already possessed 13.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
γνῶσις, -εως, ἡ
(< γιγνώσκω), [in LXX chiefly for דַּעַת;]
SYN.: σοφία, φρόνησις (cf. ἐπί-γνωσις and v. Lft. on Col 2:3; Cremer, 156).
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1108 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidgno'-sis
knowing (the act), i.e. (by implication) knowledge
Fromfrom G1097;
King Jamesknowledge, science.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
seeking to know, inquiry, investigation, especially judicial, τὰς τῶν δικαστηρίων γ. Refs 4th c.BC+
2 result of investigation, decision, Refs 3rd c.BC+
II knowing, knowledge, Refs 1st c.AD+; opposed to ἀγνωσίη, Refs 5th c.BC+; opposed to ἄγνοια, LXX+5th c.BC+
II.b higher, esoteric knowledge, NT
II.2 acquaintance with a person, πρός τινα Test. cited in Refs 4th c.BC+
II.3 recognizing, Refs 5th c.BC+
II.4 means of knowing, [αἱ αἰσθήσεις] κυριώταται τῶν καθ᾽ ἕκαστα γ. Refs 4th c.BC+
III being known, γνῶσιν ἔχει τι, ={γνωστόν ἐστι}, Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2 fame, credit, Refs 2nd c.AD+
IV means of knowing: hence, statement in writing, Refs 6th c.AD+
V ={γνῶμα}, Refs 5th c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
Every form this word takes in Biblang, with the Greek it corresponds to and how often the New Testament uses it.
| Job in the sentence case | one singular | more than one plural |
|---|---|---|
| subject nominative | gnōsias3×γνῶσις | gnōsiais |
| object accusative | gnōsian6×γνῶσιν | gnōsiain |
| direct address vocative | gnōsiar | gnōsiair |
| of, belonging to genitive | gnōsiau12×γνώσεως | gnōsiaiu |
| to, for dative | gnōsia8×γνώσει | gnōsiai |
Tinted cells are forms the New Testament never uses, so there is no Greek to show against them — but they are still correct Biblang, built from the slots below like any other.
Why these forms, and no others — the slots that make them
gnōsia is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
29 occurrences, every one of them listed
gnōsias“knowledge”subjectnominative singular3×
1 Corinthians 8:1… oidanē hoti pantois gnōsian echanō. tas gnōsias fusiatō, tas de agapas oikodomatō.… know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
1 Corinthians 8:7Alla ouk en pantoi tas gnōsias; tinois de ta sunētheia heōs arti …But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed …
1 Corinthians 13:8… profēteiais, katargili; eite glōssais, paueli; eite gnōsias, katargiti.… will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.
gnōsian“knowledge”objectaccusative singular6×
Luke 1:77teu dōara gnōsian sōtērēau to lao autou en afesia …to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of …
1 Corinthians 8:1… de teiu eidōlothuteiu, oidanē hoti pantois gnōsian echanō. tas gnōsias fusiatō, tas de …… We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds …
1 Corinthians 8:10“knowledge”… gar tinos horateia sin ton echarōnton gnōsian en eidōleie katakeiorōnton, ouchi tas suneidēsias …For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged …
1 Corinthians 13:2… teim mustērieim panteim kai pantan tan gnōsian, kai ean echameiō pantan tan pistian …… can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith …
1 Peter 3:7“understanding”Tois androir homoiōs sunoikarōntois kata gnōsian, hōs asthenotere skeve te gunaikeie aponemarōntois …Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift …
2 Peter 1:5… aretan, en de ta areta tan gnōsian,… your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
gnōsiau“knowledge”of, belonging togenitive singular12×
Luke 11:52… nomikoi, hoti airava tan kleidan tau gnōsiau; autois ouk eiserchava kai toin eiserchorōntoin …… have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and …
Romans 2:20… didaskalon nēpioiu, echarōnton tan morfōsian tau gnōsiau kai tau alētheiau en to nomo… in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth —
Romans 11:33Ō bathem ploutou kai sofiau kai gnōsiau theou; hōs anexeraunēteim teim krimeim autou …… the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His …
Romans 15:14… autois mestois avō agathōsunau, plērorēntois pantau gnōsiau, dunorōntois kai allēloin nouthetarō.… are full of goodness, brimming with knowledge, and able to instruct one another.
1 Corinthians 12:8… dōotō logos sofiau, alloso de logos gnōsiau kata tem autem pneumem,… wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit,
2 Corinthians 2:14… to Christo kai tan osman tau gnōsiau autou fanerarōnto dia nu en panto …… spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
2 Corinthians 4:6… tai kardiai nu pros fōtismon tau gnōsiau tau doxau tou theou en prosōpe …… give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in …
2 Corinthians 10:5kai pantem hupsōmem eparorōntem kata tau gnōsiau tou theou, kai aichmalōtizarōntois pantem noēmem …… every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive …
Ephesians 3:19gnōskara tē tan huperballarōntan tau gnōsiau agapan tou Christou, hina plēriveia eis …… to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with …
Philippians 3:8… zēmian arō dia tem huperecharōntem tau gnōsiau Christou Iēsu tou kuriou mu dia …… compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom …
Colossians 2:3… pantois tois thēsaurois tau sofiau kai gnōsiau apokrufois.… all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
1 Timothy 6:20… bebēlain kenofōniain kai antithesiain tau pseudōnumau gnōsiau,… and the opposing arguments of so-called “knowledge,”
gnōsia“knowledge”to, fordative singular8×
1 Corinthians 1:5… auto, en panto logo kai panta gnōsia,… way, in all speech and all knowledge,
1 Corinthians 8:11… gar tos asthenarōntos en ta sa gnōsia, tos adelfos dia hon Christos apothnēskata.… Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
1 Corinthians 14:6… lalameia ē en apokalupsia ē en gnōsia ē en profēteia ē en didacha?… I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?
2 Corinthians 6:6en hagnota, en gnōsia, en makrothumia, en chrēstota, en pneume …in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy …
2 Corinthians 8:7… pante perisseuavō, pistia kai logo kai gnōsia kai panta spouda kai ta ek …… everything — in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the …
2 Corinthians 11:6… idiōtos to logo, alla ouk ta gnōsia, alla en pante fanerarantois en pantei …… I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to …
2 Peter 1:6en de ta gnōsia tan enkrateian, en de ta enkrateia …and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and …
2 Peter 3:18auxanavōr de en charita kai gnōsia tou kuriou nu kai sōtērou Iēsu …But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus …