Ginosko
About 25 years ago I was reading my leather bound, New Testament only, Discovery Bible when I happened upon John 17:3, which caught my eye and grabbed my heart.
John 17:3 Now, this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
“Now this is eternal life.” I thought, “Jesus is about to explain what eternal life is. I’ll bet He really knows what He’s talking about on the subject, so I should pay very close attention.” The way it looks in the Discovery Bible is “that they may know29a You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” The superscript number 29a means there is an important Greek word that links to the “Selective Glossary of the Synonyms of the Greek New Testament” which is located in the back section. This is one of the 44 Greek words found in the original print version of the Discovery Bible. Dr. Gleason L. Archer Jr. and Dr. Gary L. Hill, the scholars responsible for the Discovery Bible, chose these particular Greek words for their scriptural importance and the "beyond translation insights" they offered. I quickly figured out there was more than simply to “know” as we use it in conversational English.
The most indispensable tool in my journey to grasp the character and nature of Yahweh, the God of the universe, is The Discovery Bible. There is now an app that makes a way to easily understand the two primary languages the Bible was written in before being translated into English. Access to and an understanding of the Bible’s original language is of the utmost importance. When we read our preferred English Bible version, we typically ignore the fact that the original text was translated into English. That translation process results in the Bible versions we all read.
Before the advent of the Discovery Bible, and other tools like it, access to and comprehension of the Bible’s original language was a most difficult endeavor. First off, few people could see a need or the benefit of acquiring this knowledge. Those who chose to make the necessary investment time and discipline that is needed to master biblical Greek and Hebrew, were fairly few. Most Christians would not see any need for this, thinking their translations were adequate.
Side note; My go-to Bible study tools are
#1 The Discovery Bible app.
#2 Bible Hub.com
#3 Duck, Duck Go (search engine)
I will post a brief description and links to each of these, what I use them for, and why I like them at the end of this article.
Access to original language tools, such as the Discovery Bible, helps bring clarity, light and correct understanding of who God is, what He expects from us and what we can expect His response to us to be. Then, there are the inevitable errors found in all translations. Even the vaunted King James Version has its share of poorly translated words. Lois Tverberg, a Hebrew scholar, illuminates in her article “Speaking is Painting: Why No Bible Translation Can Be “Perfect”, why there are differing views on how and why words are translated. Errors and misunderstanding also arise from our cultural understanding of words, which have changed meaning in Western culture over time and have become something quite different from their Eastern origin.
Then, there are the issues with the translators themselves, who being human, simply make mistakes. Others who are part of translation teams have a pet view concerning a certain doctrine and have been known to lobby others on the team to get their wording put into the final product. Others put readability over accuracy because readable Bibles have better sales numbers. There is also a school of thought that the average folk aren’t smart enough to grasp some concepts found in the scriptures, so a “dumbed down” version is offered.
Back to my story
I was aware that there could be, more than one Greek word corresponding to a single word in English. I looked in the synonym glossary and found six variants of the Greek word “know”. An example of 29e “oida” would be in the statement; “I know Michael Jordan.” I know about Mr. Jordan, but I have never met him or talked to him. The definition of “oida” is “To know intellectually or by observation but not through personal or first-hand experience”. But I was honing in on “know 29a” “ginosko.” Now I wanted to find out what that really meant and/or entailed.
That’s Knowing?
A seismic shift happened at the next stop on my journey to grasp what this “knowing” was all about and that happened when I came upon Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’
I never KNEW you. No Ginosko = No Eternal Life
I was very surprised to learn that you could perform amazing, miraculous deeds that, in my experience, only the “super spiritual” can perform. And yet, Jesus says He will send such people away and proclaim you to be a “worker of lawlessness”. So if I don’t know Him and I am not “known” by Him, I have no part in Him and Ginosko is the key to being received by Jesus into His kingdom.
Another wonderful, important benefit of the Discovery Bible as opposed to other Bible translations, is that you can see “Emphatic Words”, which are contained in and embedded in the original manuscripts as part of the language usage of the day, but are not visible or noted in most Bible translations. These emphatic words are used to bring focus, show contrast, or to show intensity. We all speak with emphasis, without ever thinking about it.
To and help clarify and illustrate what emphasis is and what it looks like, here is a simple 4 word sentence.
“I think Paul can.” (A simple statement of fact, with no emphasis.)
When we add emphasis it looks like this.
“I think Paul can.” (i.e. , “Maybe you don’t think so, but I do!”)
“ I think Paul can.” (i.e. , “I guess he can, but I’m not positive.”)
“ I think Paul can.” (i.e. , “Maybe others can’t but Paul, on the other hand, can.”)
“ I think Paul can.” (i.e. , “I have no doubt about Paul’s ability.”)
In the Discovery Bible emphatic words, are printed in red ink. This is how these verses look on the page in my leather bound Discovery Bible.
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew29a you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
The emphatic words were like glaring warning lights. In YOUR NAME,
I NEVER knew29a you.
I was more than a bit surprised that prophets, those who cast out demons and performed many miracles, arrived at the throne of judgment only to find that their "good works" had been rejected as wood, hay, and stubble. I have done none of these aforementioned deeds, except maybe to speak a prophetic word. I thought those things could only be accomplished by God’s most chosen ones and at His bidding. If these people and their miraculous deeds are summarily dismissed, who can be welcomed by Jesus? It would seem reasonable to have confidence in your approval and good standing in the eyes of God when your resume’ includes this impressive list of supernatural works. Jesus would be sure to welcome you with open arms and congratulations on a job well done. This passage is a reminder that Jesus alone is our righteousness. There is nothing anyone can do that will cause the death angel to “Pass Over” our lives, except the blood of Jesus being applied to the doorpost and lintel of our hearts.
The Ginosko of Salvation and Human Reproduction
My journey to understand ginosko took another unexpected turn when I discovered Matthew and Luke use this word in the story of the young engaged couple, Joseph and Mary.
Matthew 1:20-21
20 But after he (Joseph) had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:24-25
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. The King James puts it this way; “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus”
verse 25 But he did not know her until she had brought forth a Son, and he called His name Jesus.
It turns out ginosko, this kind of knowing that Jesus said is the requirement for an eternal life relationship with God, is also used by God to describe His arrangement for human reproduction. Joseph, “knowing” Mary and God “knowing” us, has amazing parallels I had previously missed.
Old and New Covenant Knowing
The salvation-ginosko-reproduction concept does not suddenly appear out of thin air in the New Testament. Its roots go all the way back to Genesis 1. The Old Testament word that corresponds to ginosko is “yada”, pronounced by most as “Yahduh” it is actually pronounced; “yah-DAH.” This word was brought to the attention of a wider audience through the television show, “Seinfeld” with the cast often saying; “Yada, yada, yada,” meaning “I know, I know. I know.” This quote on the word yada was taken from a commentary in The Bible Hub.
“In ancient Hebrew culture, knowledge was not merely intellectual, but was deeply relational and experiential. The concept of "knowing" someone or something involved a holistic understanding that included emotional and spiritual dimensions. This is evident in the use of "yada" to describe the intimate relationship between a husband and wife, as well as the covenant relationship between God and Israel.”
The first mention of the correlation between yada and “relations” between husband and wife is found in Genesis 4:1
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”
The NASB and many other translations put it this way.
4:1 And Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain.
God is very deliberate about everything in His creation and His use of words, like ginosko and yada are no exception. Every “jot and tittle” were placed precisely and inerrantly by the Lord, by the Holy Spirit through His chosen human vessels. The eternal life and reproductive aspects of ginosko/yada do indeed function together, although due to cultural and societal norms, we might prefer they didn’t. Like the birthing process with its fluids, blood, afterbirth, etc. new life is a messy endeavor.
God could have easily come up with another word for knowing Him if He wanted to or if He thought another word was needed. The God who spoke this all into existence, the creator of everything, has a boundless, inexhaustible, unending creativity seen in this masterwork of His in which we live. The incalculable diversity of plants, animals, fish, birds and humans is astonishing to even the most jaded observer. The impressive variety of birds alone is enough to dispel any myth that the Lord rested on the 7th day because He ran out of ideas. If God felt a different word was needed, He could have created one, as He did everything, out of nothing. This would seem especially true when we realize we are talking about the word He chose to explain salvation, the centerpiece of His plan to redeem us. This is not a throwaway, “nothing” word.
When it comes to discussing the conjugal union of man and wife, we are rightfully a bit wary or squeamish. I will attempt to be as ambiguous and respectful as possible.
Ginosko/Yada and Trust/Vulnerability
In the marriage ceremony, specifically when the vows are exchanged, sealing the covenant, a man and women are deemed united by God and He declares them to be one flesh. In a similar but spiritual way, we are to become one flesh with Jesus. The marital bond is one that has a deeply important counterpart in salvation, where Jesus is declared to be the bridegroom and we are to be His spotless bride. The banquet and celebration of this union will be the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
After the celebration of joining these two lives together in holy matrimony with family and friends, it is customary for the couple to go away alone together and consummate their union. There, they are to “make love” or “have relations” as designed by God. This joining together is the most intimate interaction adult humans are capable of. It involves tremendous vulnerability for both man and wife. These body parts are the most private, tender, and sensitive areas designed by God. Combined with their sacred purpose, the level of vulnerability that is encountered, has no equal. The bride is obviously the more vulnerable of the two.
Trusting People
When we trust people, it’s based on their willingness and ability to fulfill what they have said they will do. Those we accept as trustworthy are those who will help us with a situation or task, and that situation ends with our desired outcome. For example, if I ask my friend to arrive at my house at 1 pm on Friday to take me to the airport for my flight at 2:30 pm and they show up at 1 pm, get me to the airport as planned, they will now be added to the trusted list. If they are late or fail to show up at all, they are not likely to be asked any more. Likewise, if I did a “trust fall” and you failed to catch me, you wouldn’t be asked to be on the catching team going forward. If you consistently fail to do what you said you would do, I will cease to ask for your help. You have proven that you are not trustworthy.
Struggle for Control
Life’s trials can cause us to see our world as a spinning, whirling, tangled mess of random incidents, crashing and colliding out of control as we careen around the galaxy. We have all developed ways to try to control the difficult circumstances that come into our lives in an attempt to prevent and or deflect frightening, painful situations. When we have found ourselves defenseless, helpless and powerless over these scenarios that ended up scarring us deeply, we will do anything and everything to stop them. Common incidents include sudden death of a loved one, accidents, fires, mental, physical or sexual and emotional abuse. We were unable to block or stop them no matter how hard we tried, so we try to plot a way to prevent this from happening, ever again.
Trusting God
If trusting human beings brought the kind of pain and suffering to our lives that God allows, in spite of our best efforts to coerce and influence the outcome, they would be cut off from the “helper list,” never to be called upon again. Churches have taught people for years to ”step out in faith”, “put your faith (trust) in God” or “believe God for x, y, z.” Many have prayed and “trusted” God to make something happen or to stop something from happening they desperately wanted avoid, and it happened anyway. That’s a “trust fall” with God and in our view, He dropped us. How could I or why would I ever trust Him again after that? The disconnect here comes primarily because God’s purpose for this life and how He arranges circumstances is often the opposite of what we would choose. No pain = No gain.
Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. (Berean Standard Bible)
God’s plan for our earthly journey is dying to live. Giving to receive. Losing to gain.
This verse has to be among the most quoted verses in the history of Bible verse quoting. It’s popular because on the surface, it appears to the reader that God is certain to make everything “good” again. That nasty layoff your company is talking about or that bad medical diagnosis the doctor delivered to you will be averted, because of what God says in the verse of our choosing that fills the bill for our desires.
Here is the definition from the Discovery Bible commentary for the Greek word agathós, which is translated “good” in this verse.
“18 agathós – inherently (intrinsically) good; in relation to the believer, 18 (agathós) describes what originates from God in their life – i.e. is birthed and empowered by Him through faith. “Ro 8:28 God causes all the details for that scene of life to combine (work-together) unto what is eternally good (18/agathós)
God focuses on our sanctification, transformation, and eternal good, asking us to trust the choices He makes for our lives. We have bent and morphed the words “faith” and “belief” into “trust’ as a way to convince ourselves God will do what we want. People have tried to discover the correct formula or system to open the “storehouse of heaven,” clearing God to give us what we think He wants for us, which is a comfy, pleasant, turmoil free, earthly existence. We are focused on comfort and pleasure. We desire a “nice life” here. His focus is what is best for us eternally, which ends up being our best life on earth as well, whatever the cost.
1st John 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
Many times, that which we so desperately wanted to avoid comes to pass in spite of our very best efforts and the support and prayers of others. People widely liken prayer to the scales of justice, with two pans on either side of the balance arm and the pointer in the middle when empty. The idea is that if we get enough prayers on our side of the scale and the pointer points to the right, God will respond and give us what we asked for. One man, with global connections, enlisted 1 million prayer partners worldwide to pray for his wife to be healed from breast cancer. She still died. Our Father places our eternal well being ahead of our earthly comfort. We know God does not waste suffering.
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
The Purpose of Life
Our Father does love us beyond measure and He does bless us here on earth, according to His perfect love, wisdom, and goodness. In heaven, we will be partakers of all good things without measure. Where there is no flesh, there can be no temptation and no sin. What Freedom!
John 16:33
I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
Eternal good, via transformation/sanctification, is central to God’s purpose for His children in their walk through this life. He is preparing us for perfect oneness with Him as well as for our important role in His eternal kingdom. I’m pretty sure we will not spend our time in heaven merely sitting on clouds strumming harps and singing hymns. We can’t know what heaven will be like. But, in light of what we know about His character and nature, it will be far more wonderful than any human could begin to hope or imagine. The Lord’s goal for us from before the foundations of the world is for us to enter into a perfect, intimate, eternal union with Him.
The Flesh Ego Bondage Problem
The flesh/ego combo, at its very center and core, completely opposes and is entirely hostile toward the God of all creation. Constantly in survival mode like a parasite, flesh/ego hopes to maintain the present arrangement with its host to live another day. The flesh and ego cannot enter the kingdom of God and must die and the cause of death must be our own cross.
In Luke 4:18 Jesus declares “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed.
There are many things that entangle our lives, keeping us bound in captivity to worldly clutter and misdirection, and at the top of that list is our bondage to self. We have built walls around our hearts and minds to keep God away from touching our tender hearts. In 2nd Corinthians 10:4 Paul writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” The fortresses mentioned here are walls we have built to keep God out and to keep ginosko at bay. Ginosko vulnerability is God getting His way in our sensitive hearts to destroy the prison of self and self definition. He wants to circumcise our hearts, meaning to remove the flesh that blocks and insulates us from His healing touch. He is doing all things for our eternal good. Any pain He allows will be worth infinitely more in heaven. This life is basically a system of exchange. We die to live, surrender to have victory, and hand over our place as the one who directs and chooses our paths and arranges circumstances to Him. Thy will be done.
God’s Solution to the “Flesh/Ego Problem”
We cannot see or comprehend the future of life here or in eternity so we cannot know what type or degree of pruning and threshing and is needed to prepare us for what is to come. Obviously God does know and understands and so He works all things together for good, meaning eternal good.
The Bible compares our life here to a threshing floor, where the wheat is separated from the chaff, the chaff being the outer, inedible husk. Our spirit and Zoe eternal life are the valuable wheat and our flesh is the chaff.
Metamorphosis
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
“Transformed’ is the Greek word “metamorphoo” which is where we get the word metamorphosis, most commonly associated with the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. Mainstream Christianity touts study and intelligence as the prime movers in our development and progress toward a closer walk with God. God does use the wise for many important tasks to further the growth of the body of Christ toward maturity, but it’s the simple trusting nature of a child that Jesus points to. Ginosko is “knowing” the name of the Lord, His character, His nature, which leads to understanding how to respond to the choices He’s made for every scene of your life. It’s common to hear people questioning why God would allow this or not prevent that as we second guess His sovereign plan for the universe and every single person and thing in it.
God, on the other hand, has plans for us to be transformed (metamorphosis) into His vision for us, implemented using wisdom beyond our understanding and His position outside of our time-space continuum. He knows what the future holds and what part we are to play in it. “He loves us where we are, but He loves us too much to leave us there.” That interaction is what transforms us into His image, puts our flesh and ego to death, so that we can walk in the spirit. You cannot generate agape’ love by your own determination or will. The flesh cannot generate or distribute agape’ love. Nor can you “choose” to love your neighbor with God’s love. He must infuse, enable, and empower you to be the conduit of His unconditional love. You cannot live by faith from the Son of God without the transformation that comes when we find ourselves in a vulnerable place of God’s making. As He transforms us, agape’ love is enabled and accessible for us to share with others, which empowers us to keep His commandment to “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Ginosko is blocked by the flesh/ego and the fortress around our hearts. Ginosko triumphs and grows as a result of His grace relentlessly drawing us past ourselves to His loving embrace. When our beloved Dr. Archer was asked about James 5:16, where it says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” he said, “Yes, it avails much. It changes us” Prayer is about interaction with God that is designed to transform us from the chubby, bitter leaf eating, earth bound caterpillar we start as, into a beautiful, nectar sipping, airborne butterfly He envisioned for us to be.
In Summation (Continuing to Close)
John 12:24
Truly, truly, I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
Jesus on the cross is the most complete picture of Ginosko. His arms and feet are outstretched and bound, making Him completely vulnerable, and yet He stayed there because He embraced the will (His best offer) of His Father. He demonstrated that the pain and loss were more than worth it all. The way to ginosko is through the cross. It's a picture of what God desires, trusting Him to do what we need for His best design and plan for our lives.
In what we call “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6 “Thy kingdom come and Thy will be done” are both ginosko because they require authentic trust and vulnerability. At the beginning of this lesson on prayer, immediately following our declaration of His Fatherhood, His place in the heavens and the call to make His name holy, we are to ask for His kingdom to come and His will to be done. Both of these depend upon trust, submission and require vulnerability. The Greek word for kingdom in this verse is “basileía”, meaning “The King’s Dome.” I see that dome as coming over us in the same way as the Spirit overshadowed the Virgin Mary. The King’s Dome is the place where He meets us and metamorphosis is accomplished. This transformation is even more miraculous than turning a caterpillar into a butterfly because we have free will.
The Greek word for His will is “thelema” meaning His preferred will or “His best offer”. We are asking Him to overshadow us and transform us into children and citizens of His kingdom by our embracing and submitting to His best offer and perfect will being brought to pass in our lives. Both of these require the death of self, flesh and ego. If we grasp what that could mean to us in terms of suffering and the loss of all things, it becomes clear that the fulfillment of these demand levels of trust and vulnerability that most of life does not.
These words of the apostle Paul always caused me to feel uneasy. I want a nice, healthy, comfy and prosperous life on earth.
Philippians 3:8-9
8 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is of the Law, but that which is through faith from Christ, the righteousness of God on the basis of faith.
God’s desire is for us to see the tremendous blessing He is offering to us in the cross. We need to trust Him and embrace the taking up of our cross, not to carry it as a martyr’s symbol or because it’s heavy as a form of punishment for foolishness. He gives us our own cross as His perfect solution to bring about the death of self definition, the flesh and ego. The cross, that symbol of shame and humility, is actually the door to freedom from self which began in the garden, and access to the fullness of ginosko, intimate interaction and relationship with the Living God Himself!
Ginosko leads to all that the Lord has desired for us since before the foundations of the earth. It brings about all we were created for including Intimacy, (ginosko) Peace (wholeness with God), Agape’ Love, empowering us to fulfill His commandment to Love the Lord you God and your neighbor as yourself. This in turn, leads to our walking in the Spirit, by faith from God that we shall walk in the good works He created for us to walk in before the foundations of the earth.
#1 The Discovery Bible app.
There is a 14 day free trial available. The important Greek or Hebrew words are highlighted. When you click on them a window opens showing the word in its original language, its definition and a word study about the places the word is used etc.
#2 Bible Hub.com
I use Bible Hub primarily to see how an original language word has been translated. If you type in a verse such as John 3:16 you will see 26 Bible translations of John 3:16. It helps me to get a clearer picture of a particular word or passage by seeing all the choices translators have made with that verse or word. There are many language tools available, including some from the Discovery Bible.
#3 Duck, Duck Go (search engine)
If I am trying to locate a scripture verse and I only remember a few words, Duck, Duck Go will help find it right away most of the time simply by typing the first few words. Duck, Duck Go does the job quickly and works 95% of the time. It does a better job than Google, Brave, or Bing in my experience.
