PART I
There
are multiple “know” used in Scripture, and the Greek words (NT written largely
in Greek) for “know” included these:
1.
G1097 (ginōskō) - knowledge grounded on personal experience
2.
G1492 (eido) – knowledge from mental
perception
3.
G1987 (epistamai) – knowledge from
proximity
4.
G4920 (suniemi) – knowledge from native
insight or 5 senses
Today,
we want to look at 2 of them, eido-know and ginosko-know, in some details, and
the rest, in passing. Then we will look at some of the “I don’t know you (you
evildoer)” in Scripture.
Two “know” words,
in one verse
We
will start with John 13:7 (KJV) - Jesus answered
and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know
hereafter.
There
are 2 “know” in the verse above. The
context was that it was just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus had started
to wash the feet of the Disciples; and He had come to Peter, and the latter
asked in a protesting manner if Jesus was about to wash his feet.
Jesus
answered Peter saying what He was about to do (wash the feet of the Disciples),
Peter would NOT know then, but Peter would know later.
Essentially,
Jesus was saying Peter would NOT understand what He was doing through the
washing of the feet, but that Peter would know later. The first “know”, as in “What I do thou knowest not now;”, is the
eido-know (G1492); and the second “know” as in “but
thou shalt know hereafter.”, is the ginosko-know (G1097) – two
knows in one verse or sentence!
Jesus
did NOT use the same Greek word in the one verse. What is the difference between the two?
If
you look up the short-form Lexicon, you get something along what I have given above
- eido-know is knowing or knowledge from mental perception; and ginosko-know
is knowing or knowledge from personal experience.
Eido-know (G1492)
What
does eido-know (G1492) cover or what is meant by mental perception? Maybe the best is to give examples of how
eido-know is used:
1. I do NOT know (eido) he was coming. The connotation is this: I “check my mind” and I found
I have no knowledge of him was coming; meaning, my mind did NOT yield any
knowledge of him coming. It could be no
one told me, or I have not heard or read anything (about him coming); the
processing of my mind yielded nothing of him coming.
2.
I don’t know (eido)
why he crossed the road, and so, was knocked down by the car. The connotation is
this: My mind tried to figure it out as to why he crossed the road, but yielded
nothing. It could be: I saw him dashed
across the road, but I don’t know why; I suniemi-know
(G4920) [another “know” – see above] he crossed the road but I don’t know why.
3. Even though you worked 5 years in this American MNC of
5,000 employees where I too worked for 5 years, at the same; but I don’t know (eido) you. The connotation is this: Despite you were
there, my mind did NOT register you; my mind did NOT associate you to any
meaningful things that my mind would have kept memory of.
4. Sir, do you know (ginosko/eido) this man; he is wearing
your Company employee name-tag? This
name-tag is genuine, I know (eido) him; you can let him through. The connotation is
this: By the name-tag, I know he is an employee of the Company, and so, you can
let him through. It is mental assent –
he wears the Company employee name-tag, and so, he is an employee.
From
the examples given, you can now understand why the first know, eido-know was
used in the verse of John 13:7; Jesus was saying Peter would NOT understand
(mental assent) why Jesus was wanting to do what he was about to do – to wash
Peter’s feet. Do you know (eido) the significance of what
Jesus did?
Ginosko-know
(G1097)
We
now look at ginosko-know (G1097); knowing from personal experience. What is knowing or knowledge from personal
experience or grounded on personal experience?
Again, let’s look at some examples to get to know how it is used:
1. He and I grew up together; and I know (ginosko) him to
be an honest man. The connotation is this: Because of the direct interactions between
us, for years as childhood friends, I have the personal experiences to back me
in saying what I said, that he is an honest man.
2.
I know (ginosko) he
goes to that park every Sunday morning, because I go with him to that park
every Sunday morning to pray together, before we leave for Sunday church
services. The connotation is this: I had been doing it with him, and so I know,
from my personal experiences with him, as prayer buddies.
3. Yah, magazines carried such stories of him; people in
church talked about him being so, but I do NOT know (ginosko). The connotation is this: But I have no close association with him, and
so, no personal experience with him to know if all these stories about him are
true or NOT (negative statement, intent to stress absence of relation and
personal experience).
4.
We have been
divorced for years, and so, being living apart for a long time, I don’t know (ginosko)
her anymore. The connotation is
this: I no longer know her personally or from personal experience with
her. I can only say, I eido-know her.
The
point to note here, is that ginosko-know is used with another person. It is not knowing or knowledge from an experience,
but knowing or knowledge from PERSONAL experience. There is usually a relation or close
association involved (e.gs friends, family relations, master-disciples, etc). When
we have a personal experience; another is involved with us (personal here does
NOT mean private, like private experience as in “I did it and it is a personal
thing”, or no one knows about it).
From
the above examples on the use of ginosko-know, we can appreciate why Jesus
would use ginosko-know on the last part of the verse, that Jesus said Peter
would later ginosko-know the significance of what He would be doing (washing of
his feet). Peter could subsequently
claim he ginosko-ly-knew, for he experienced it with the Lord, as His disciple. We cannot claim ginosko-ly-know, unless we
get washed of our feet by Jesus. We
would eido-ly-know when someone explained to us, the significance of what Jesus
did – the washing of the feet.
Another
illustration – working with the Lord in miracle
I give us one more illustration before we end this part. In part II and part III, we will look at the “I don’t know you (you evildoer)” of the Scripture:
I give us one more illustration before we end this part. In part II and part III, we will look at the “I don’t know you (you evildoer)” of the Scripture:
I
have read and have seen it, even seen it being demonstrated (yah, this minister
with the special call, actually said she was going to demonstrate it, and she
proceeded to demonstrate, and it happened as she said! Great mutual abiding between
the Lord and her), that someone with unequal leg lengths can be healed by God
through God supernaturally extending/shortening one of the legs, when the
person was made to sit upright, and prayer was made in the name of Jesus.
I
used to know (eido) it, that such a healing could happen. I eido-know, because my mind has had
knowledge – knowledge from past reading and seeing. More than 5 years ago, if someone asked me if
I knew it could happen, I would say I eido-knew. I could even say I suniemi-knew it, for I
have seen it happened. I was even
right-up close, once, and so, I could even say I epistamai-knew. But I could NOT say I ginosko-knew, until a
few years back.
In
the last 5 years, I have twice prayed for such a miracle, as a (lay) minister
of the Lord, and it happened, and now I can say I ginosko-know, for I have had
personal experience with the Lord (as his minister); I have worked with the
Lord when He did the healing by the lengthening of the shorter leg of the
ministee (people with unequal leg lengths are commonly with persistent
backaches; and so, would ask for healing prayer).
Significance of
ginosko-knowing
What
is the significance of this understanding of the ginosko-knowing? Its significance is this: what is important
is whether God ginosko-knows you; and when He ginosko-knows you, you too, would
ginosko-know Him. Ginosko-knowing is
used in these:
1.
John
10:14 (NIV) - I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my
sheep know
me.
(KJV) – I am the
good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.
2.
1
Cor 8:3 (NIV) - But the man who loves God is known by God.
(KJV) - But if any
man love God, the same is known of him.
3.
2
Tim 2:19 (NIV) -Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm,
sealed with
this inscription: "The Lord knows those
who are his," and,
"Everyone who confesses the name
of the Lord must turn away from
wickedness."
(KJV) - Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his.
And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ
depart from iniquity.
God
is omniscience, all knowing, yet, there is still a need to be known by God,
because the knowing looked for, is ginosko-knowing, knowing or knowledge from
personal experience shared by the parties, in a relation (God and you as his
child, servant, disciple, friend, …). The
Christian faith is said as a relationship between one (man) with God, NOT for
no realm or reason; and it is NOT just a nice thing to say; it is what it is –
God ginosko-knows you, and you ginosko-know Him.
Now,
when God says He ginosko-knows you, He would even stand for you, when you are
challenged (revolt/rebellion of Korah – Num 16; Apostle Paul’s exposition on 2
Tim 2:19), and so, it is great; on the other hand, when God says He don’t know
you, it too, has great negative implication.
“I don’t know you; you evildoer”, this phrase or one close to it, is
found in Scripture, and we will look at a few of them, in Part II & Part
III, to come.
Anthony Chia,
high.expressions
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