ἀγνοέω

ἀγνοέω impf. ἠγνόουν; 1 aor. ἠγνόησα; pf. ἠγνόηκα LXX; ptc. ἠγνοηκώς 3 Macc 3:9. Pass.: 1 fut. 3 sg. ἀγνοηθήσεται (Ath., R. 50, 34); plpf. 3 sg. ἠγνόητο (Ath., R. 50, 30). On the philological history s. FLindemann, SymbOsl 38, ’63, 69–75. (Hom.+)

① to be uninformed about, not to know, be ignorant (of)

ⓐ w. ὅτι foll. (Περὶ ὕψους 33, 3 [οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο ἀγνοῶ ὅτι=nor do I fail to recognize this, namely that …]; PGiss 11, 17 [118 A.D.]) Ro 2:4; 6:3; 7:1; MPol 17:2. A favorite of Paul’s is the formula οὐ θέλω ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν (cp. Theophr., CP 2, 4, 8; 3, 9, 5; PTebt 314, 3 [II A.D.] πιστεύω σε μὴ ἀγνοεῖν; Philo, Opif. M. 87 χρὴ μηδʼ ἐκεῖνο ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι; Jos., Ant. 13, 354 οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοεῖν βούλομαί σε) I want you to know w. ὅτι foll. Ro 1:13; 1 Cor 10:1; cp. 2 Cl 14:2; w. περί τινος 1 Cor 12:1; 1 Th 4:13; w. ὑπέρ τινος and ὅτι foll. 2 Cor 1:8; w. acc. foll. Ro 11:25; cp. οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν we are well aware of (Satan’s) designs 2 Cor 2:11 (cp. Diod S 3, 66, 4; Appian, Samn. 4 §14 [sim. Just., D. 33, 1] οὐκ ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι=know very well that; Athen. 4, 73, 172f οὐκ ἀγνοῶ … ἅ.; Wsd 12:10; Jos., Bell. 1, 608, Ant. 6, 253; 7, 217; PGM 7, 245 οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν); w. indir. question foll. 2 Cl 10:4; MPol 10:1. Abs. ἀγνοῶν ἐποίησα I did it in ignorance 1 Ti 1:13 (TestJud 12:5; s. 4 below).

ⓑ not to know w. acc. of pers. (PGiss 69, 4 Χαιρήμονα οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς; PPetr III, 53n, 4 [III B.C.]; Herm. Wr. 11, 21b ἀ. τὸν θεόν [codd. τὸ θεῖον]) or thing (SIG 336, 9 ἀ. τοὺς τῆς πόλεως νόμους; 881, 3–4; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 57, 6 [II B.C.]; Jos., Vi. 107) τοῦτον ἀγνοήσαντες Ac 13:27. τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιοσύνην Ro 10:3 (here perh.=disregard, s. 2 below). παράπτωμα Hm 9:7. τὸ χάρισμα IEph 17:2; cp. MPol 11:2. Abs. ὅ ἀγνοοῦντες εὐσεβεῖτε what you worship without knowing it (on the subject matter Maximus Tyr. 11, 5e: all sorts of philosophers ἴσασιν οὐκ ἑκόντες καὶ λέγουσιν ἄκοντες sc. τὸ θεῖον=they know and name God without intending to do so) Ac 17:23; cp. ISm 5:1. ὁ ἀγνοῶν the person who does not know it ITr 6:2. Pass. (Jos., Ant. 1, 286) ἀγνοοῦνται (the Christians) are not well known Dg 5:12; ἀγνοούμενοι (opp. ἐπιγινωσκόμενοι) 2 Cor 6:9; ἀγνοούμενος τῷ προσώπῳ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις unknown to the congregations by face (=personally, dat. of relation B-D-F §197; manner, Rob. 530) Gal 1:22.

② to pay little or no attention to, not to recognize, disregard, ignore (cp. Ro 10:3 above) εἴ τις ἀγνοεῖ, ἀγνοεῖται anyone who disregards (it), is disregarded (by God) 1 Cor 14:38 (v.l. ἀγνοείτω let that person remain ignorant.—For the juxtaposition of act. and pass. s. Alex. Aphr., Fat. 31, II/2 p. 202, 18 ἀγνοῶν καὶ ἀγνοούμενος).

③ to fail to understand, w. implication of lack of capacity or ability, not to understand w. acc. τὸ ῥῆμα Mk 9:32; Lk 9:45. ἐν οἷς (=ἐν τούτοις, ἅ) ἀγνοοῦσιν βλασφημοῦντες deriding what they do not understand 2 Pt 2:12 (cp. PTebt 43, 25 [118 B.C.] ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἔν τισιν ἠγνοηκότων).

④ to be unaware about one’s wrongdoing, lapse/do wrong/sin unintentionally (Isocr., X. et al.; Polyb. 1, 67, 5; Diod S 1, 70, 7 ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀγνοουμένων; 11, 16, 1 τὰ ἠγνοημένα=lapses; 17, 73, 6; Sir 5:15; 2 Macc 11:31; PTebt 23, 12 [II B.C.] τὰ προηγνοημένα the former sins; s. ἄγνοια 2 beg.) w. πλανᾶσθαι Hb 5:2 (Moffatt: ‘err through ignorance’; s. next entry and μετριοπαθέω).—LCerfaux, RAC I 186–88.—DELG s.v. γιγνώσκω 225. M-M. TW. Sv.