ἀγνόημα (agnoēma)
agnoēma
error
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun agnoēma refers specifically to a sin or offense committed through ignorance. It describes a wrong action that results not from deliberate rebellion, but from a lack of knowledge or thoughtlessness about the moral weight of what is being done.
This term appears only once in the New Testament, in Hebrews 9:7, where it describes the sacrifices offered by the high priest for the people’s unintentional errors. The word captures the idea that ignorance does not always excuse guilt; rather, it identifies a specific category of fault that requires atonement.
Its root verb, agnoeō, simply means to be unaware. By adding the nominal suffix -ma, the language shifts from the state of not knowing to the concrete result: the act itself. This distinction highlights that in biblical theology, failing to know what is right can still lead to a tangible breach of relationship with God.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word agnoēma points to a specific kind of human failure: doing wrong because we simply did not know better. In Hebrews 9:7, it describes the unintentional errors for which the high priest offered blood. This tells us that God understands our limitations. He knows when we stumble out of ignorance rather than active rebellion against Him.
For your faith life, this brings a quiet comfort. You do not have to carry the weight of every mistake as if it were a deliberate insult to God. When you realize you missed something or acted without full understanding, there is grace available. This word reminds us that our relationship with God covers these gaps in knowledge, offering peace when we feel burdened by past oversights.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- sins of ignorance;1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἀγνοημάτων·1×
Key Verses
-
Hebrews 9:7
but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors of the people.
This verse uses the term to specify that even unintentional faults required atonement under the old covenant, highlighting the seriousness of all sin.