Topical Encyclopedia
Definition and General Understanding:Ignorance, in a biblical context, refers to a lack of knowledge, understanding, or awareness, particularly concerning spiritual truths and God's will. It is often depicted as a state that can lead to sin and separation from God, yet it is also portrayed as a condition that can be remedied through divine revelation and instruction.
Old Testament Insights:In the Old Testament, ignorance is frequently associated with a lack of understanding of God's laws and commandments.
Hosea 4:6 states, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children." Here, ignorance is directly linked to the rejection of God's law, resulting in destruction and divine rejection.
The sacrificial system in the Mosaic Law made provisions for sins committed in ignorance.
Leviticus 4 outlines offerings for unintentional sins, indicating that ignorance does not absolve one from guilt but requires atonement.
Numbers 15:28 further emphasizes this, stating, "The priest is to make atonement before the LORD for the person who sins unintentionally, and when atonement has been made for him, he will be forgiven."
New Testament Insights:In the New Testament, ignorance is often addressed in the context of spiritual blindness and the need for enlightenment through Christ.
Acts 17:30 declares, "Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent." This passage highlights a shift from overlooking ignorance to calling for repentance and knowledge of the truth through Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul frequently addresses ignorance in his epistles. In
Ephesians 4:18, he describes the Gentiles as "darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts." Here, ignorance is linked to spiritual alienation and moral insensitivity.
Paul also acknowledges his own past ignorance in
1 Timothy 1:13, where he writes, "Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief." This acknowledgment underscores the possibility of redemption and transformation through God's mercy.
Ignorance and Responsibility:The Bible teaches that ignorance does not exempt individuals from responsibility. In
Luke 12:47-48, Jesus explains that a servant who knows his master's will and does not prepare or act accordingly will receive a severe beating, while the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will receive a lighter beating. This parable illustrates that while ignorance may mitigate the severity of judgment, it does not eliminate accountability.
Remedy for Ignorance:The remedy for ignorance is found in the pursuit of wisdom and understanding through God's Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 2:6 states, "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding." Believers are encouraged to seek knowledge and grow in their understanding of God's will, as seen in
Colossians 1:9-10: "We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way."
Conclusion:Ignorance, while a common human condition, is addressed throughout Scripture as a state that can be overcome through divine revelation, repentance, and the diligent pursuit of God's truth. The Bible calls believers to move from ignorance to knowledge, from darkness to light, through the transformative power of the Gospel.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) The condition of being ignorant; the want of knowledge in general, or in relation to a particular subject; the state of being uneducated or uninformed.
2. (n.) A willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge which one may acquire and it is his duty to have.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
IGNORANCEig'-no-rans (sheghaghah; agnoia): "Ignorance" is the translation of sheghaghah, "wandering," "going astray" (Leviticus 4:2, etc., "if a soul sin through ignorance," the Revised Version (British and American) "unwittingly," margin "through error";Leviticus 5:15Numbers 15:24; compare 35:11;Joshua 20:3;Ecclesiastes 5:6;Ecclesiastes 10:5, "an error"). In the Law sheghaghah means "innocent error," such as had to be taken with consideration in judgment (see passages referred to). "Ignorance" is also expressed by the negative lo' with yadha`, "to know" (Isaiah 56:10;Isaiah 63:16Psalm 73:22); also by bi-bheli da`ath, literally, "in want of knowledge" (Deuteronomy 19:4; compareDeuteronomy 4:12Joshua 20:5, translated "unawares," "unwittingly").
In the New Testament the words are agnoia, "absence of knowledge" (Acts 3:17;Acts 17:30Ephesians 4:181 Peter 1:14); agneoma, "error" (Hebrews 9:7, the Revised Version margin "Greek: ignorances"); agnosia, "ignorance" (1 Peter 2:15), "no knowledge" (1 Corinthians 15:34 the Revised Version (British and American)); agnoeo, "to be without knowledge," "ignorant" (Romans 1:13;Romans 10:3;Romans 11:25, etc.), "not knowing" (Romans 2:4, etc.), "understood not" (Mark 9:32, etc.), "ignorantly" (Acts 17:23, the Revised Version (British and American) "in ignorance";1 Timothy 1:13); idiotes, translated "ignorant" (Acts 4:13), "unlearned" (1 Corinthians 14:16, the Revised Version margin "him that is without gifts," and so in1 Corinthians 14:23, 14), "rude" (2 Corinthians 11:6); agrammatos, once only in connection with idiotes (Acts 4:13, "unlearned and ignorant men"); agrammatos corresponds to modern "illiterate" (compareJohn 7:15Acts 26:24); idiotes originally denoted "the private man" as distinguished from those with a knowledge of affairs, and took on the idea of contempt and scorn. In Philo it denoted the whole congregation of Israel as distinguished from the priests (De Vita Mosis, III 29). With Paul (1 Corinthians 14:16, 23, 24) it seems to denote "plain believers as distinguished from those with special spiritual gifts." InActs 4:13 it may refer to the want of Jewish learning; certainly it does not mean ignorant in the modern sense.
Paul inRomans 1:18, 32 attributes the pre-Christian ignorance of God to "the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hinder the truth in unrighteousness" (but the margin has, with the King James Version, "hold the truth, compare1 Corinthians 7:30, Gr"); many, however (Alford, De Wette, Meyer and others), translation "hold back the truth." A willful ignorance is also referred to inEphesians 4:17;2 Peter 3:5. But there is also a less blameworthy ignorance. Paul at Athens spoke of "times of ignorance" which God had "overlooked" (Acts 17:30); Paul says of himself that he "obtained mercy, because (he) did it (against Christ) ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Timothy 1:13); Peter said to the Jews (Acts 3:17) that they and their rulers rejected Christ "in ignorance" (compare1 Corinthians 2:8); and Jesus Himself prayed for those who crucified Him: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do"; (Luke 23:34); inHebrews 5:2 the necessary qualification of a high priest is that he "can bear gently with the ignorant and erring"-those who sin in ignorance or go astray (compare 9:7, "blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the errors of the people," margin "(Greek: ignorances"). Growing light, however, brings with it increasing responsibility, and the "ignorance" that may be "overlooked" at one stage of the history of men and nations may be blameworthy and even criminal at another.
W. L. Walker
Greek
56. agnosia --ignorance...ignorance. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: agnosia Phonetic Spelling:
(ag-no-see'-ah) Short Definition:
ignorance Definition:
ignorance...52. agnoia --ignorance
...ignorance. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: agnoia Phonetic Spelling:
(ag'-noy-ah) Short Definition:ignorance Definition:ignorance, inadvertence...
51. agnoema -- a sin ofignorance
... a sin ofignorance. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: agnoema Phonetic
Spelling: (ag-no'-ay-mah) Short Definition: an offence committed through...
50. agnoeo -- to be ignorant, not to know
... Definition: I do not know, am ignorant of Definition: I do not know, am ignorant
of (a person, thing, or fact), sometimes with the idea of willfulignorance....
541. apaugasma -- radiance
... His eternal light breaks through all the darkness that keeps someone in spiritual
ignorance (bondage), ie every resistance exerted by sin....
5461. photizo -- to shine, give light
... Cognate: 5461 (from 5457 , "light") -- properly, ; (figuratively) God sharing ,
exposing and overcoming darkness -- like theignorance (prejudice) caused by sin...
Strong's Hebrew
7684. shegagah -- sin of error or inadvertance... error,
ignorance, at unawares, unwittingly. From shagag; a mistake or inadvertent
transgression -- error,
ignorance, at unawares; unwittingly. see HEBREW shagag
...7686. shagah -- to go astray, err
... cause to go astray, deceive, err, be ravished, sin throughignorance, make
to wander. A primitive root; to stray (causatively, mislead...
2822. choshek -- darkness, obscurity
... From chashak; the dark; hence (literally) darkness; figuratively, misery, destruction,
death,ignorance, sorrow, wickedness -- dark(-ness), night, obscurity....
Library
WhetherIgnorance is a Sin?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN PARTICULAR (FOUR ARTICLES) Whetherignorance is a
sin? Objection 1: It would seem thatignorance is not a sin....
WhetherIgnorance Causes Involuntariness?
... TREATISE ON HUMAN ACTS: ACTS PECULIAR TO MAN (QQ -21)OF THE VOLUNTARY AND THE
INVOLUNTARY (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whetherignorance causes involuntariness?...
WhetherIgnorance Diminishes a Sin?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN PARTICULAR (FOUR ARTICLES) Whetherignorance diminishes
a sin? Objection 1: It would seem thatignorance does not diminish a sin....
Whether in Christ There wasIgnorance?
... OF THE DEFECTS OF SOUL ASSUMED BY CHRIST (TEN ARTICLES) Whether in Christ there
wasignorance? Objection 1: It would seem that there wasignorance in Christ....
WhetherIgnorance Excuses from Sin Altogether?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN PARTICULAR (FOUR ARTICLES) Whetherignorance excuses
from sin altogether? Objection 1: It would seem that...
WhetherIgnorance Can be a Cause of Sin?
... OF THE CAUSES OF SIN, IN PARTICULAR (FOUR ARTICLES) Whetherignorance can
be a cause of sin?... Thereforeignorance is not a cause of sin....
Ignorance of Evil.
... SERMON XVIII.Ignorance of Evil. "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is
become as one of Us, to know good and evil.""Genesis 3:22....
Sins ofIgnorance.
... Homily XIX. Chapter XXII."Sins ofIgnorance. And Simon: "Why is it, then,
that some die prematurely, and periodical diseases arise...
Cease in YourIgnorance to Receive Such Great Deeds with Abusive...
... Book I. 53 Cease in yourignorance to receive such great deeds with abusive
language? Cease in yourignorance to receive such...
On theIgnorance of Infants, and Whence it Arises.
... A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of Infants
Chapter 67 [XXXVI.]"On theIgnorance of Infants, and Whence It Arises....
Thesaurus
Ignorance (27 Occurrences)... 2. (n.) A willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge which one may acquire
and it is his duty to have. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
IGNORANCE.
...Error (90 Occurrences)
... 32:6). In the New Testament we have plane, "wandering" (Romans 1:27 James 5:20 1
John 4:6 Jude 1:11, "the error of Balaam"); agnoema, "ignorance" (Hebrews 9:7...
Regarding (33 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 4:2 Speak unto the sons of Israel, saying, When a person doth sin through
ignorance against any of the commands of Jehovah 'regarding things' which...
Darkness (177 Occurrences)
... house. It is also a symbol ofignorance (Isaiah 9:2; 60:2; Matthew 6:23)
and of death (Job 10:21; 17:13). Noah Webster's Dictionary....
Somewhat (30 Occurrences)
... Leviticus 4:13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin throughignorance, and
the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat...
Commands (216 Occurrences)
... Acts 17:30 The times ofignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands
that all people everywhere should repent, (WEB WEY RSV NIV)....
Ignorant (32 Occurrences)
... 2. (a.) Unacquainted with; unconscious or unaware; -- used with of. 3. (a.) Unknown;
undiscovered. 4. (a.) Resulting fromignorance; foolish; silly....
Community (77 Occurrences)
... Numbers 15:24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed byignorance without the
knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young...
Unknown (15 Occurrences)
... What therefore ye worship inignorance, this I set forth unto you." the King James
Version and the English Revised Version margin translate "to the Unknown God...
Trail (5 Occurrences)
... 5. (vt) To take advantage of theignorance of; to impose upon.... 16. (n.) The act
of taking advantage of theignorance of a person; an imposition....
Resources
Is ignorance an adequate excuse for sin? | GotQuestions.orgWhat does the Bible say about ignorance? | GotQuestions.orgIn regards to forgiveness, is there a difference between willful sin and ignorant sin? | GotQuestions.orgIgnorance: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
Bible Dictionary •
Bible Encyclopedia •
Topical Bible •
Bible Thesuarus
