What does γνώμη (gnṓmē) mean in the Bible?
γνώμη (gnōmē) names a considered judgment, opinion, purpose, consent, or settled conviction. The English gloss must change with the sentence.
Greek · G1106
γνώμη
Resolution
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γνώμη G1106
Pronunciation gnṓmē
What does γνώμη (gnṓmē) mean in the Bible?
γνώμη (gnōmē) names a considered judgment, opinion, purpose, consent, or settled conviction. The English gloss must change with the sentence.
Reader summary
Full entry for γνώμη (G1106) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1106?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include purpose (2), . . . (1), a judgment (1), consent (1), conviction (1).
Where does γνώμη (gnṓmē) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Acts 20:3. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 Corinthians (3), Revelation (3), 2 Corinthians (1), Acts (1).
What This Word Actually Means
γνώμη (gnōmē) names a considered judgment, opinion, purpose, consent, or settled conviction. The English gloss must change with the sentence. In 1 Corinthians 1:10 Paul calls a divided church to be joined in the same mind and judgment, not to suppress thought but to abandon rival loyalties around Christ's cross. In 2 Corinthians 8:10 he offers his judgment about completing the collection while carefully distinguishing counsel from command.
In Philemon 14 the word concerns consent: Paul refuses to keep Onesimus without Philemon's willing participation. These uses give the noun unusual pastoral range. Christian agreement is not manufactured compliance, counsel is not always coercive command, and goodness should not be extracted by pressure. A faithful judgment is formed under the gospel, stated honestly, and exercised with respect for another believer's responsible obedience.
How the Bible Uses It
Paul uses γνώμη for shared conviction, considered counsel, and willing consent. The contexts distinguish gospel unity from uniformity and moral persuasion from compulsion.
- 1Cor.1.10
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.
The church's shared judgment is ordered by its fellowship with Christ and set against personality-based factions. Paul seeks unity in the gospel, not unexamined conformity.
- 2Cor.8.10
And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.
Paul explicitly gives a considered opinion rather than a command. His counsel aims to bring an already willing church to honest completion of its promise.
- Phlm.1.14
But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness will not be out of compulsion, but by your own free will.
Paul declines to secure a good outcome by compulsion. Philemon's consent matters because Christian goodness should be willing and shaped by love.
Passage context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It purpose 2× Revelation 17:13, Revelation 17:17
. . . 1× 2 Corinthians 8:10
a judgment 1× 1 Corinthians 7:25
consent 1× Philemon 1:14
conviction 1× 1 Corinthians 1:10
he decided 1× Acts 20:3
judgment 1× 1 Corinthians 7:40
uniting 1× Revelation 17:17
Show sample aligned rows
Acts 20:3 γνώμης to he decided Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 1:10 γνώμῃ to conviction Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 7:25 γνώμην to a judgment Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 1 Corinthians 7:40 γνώμην to judgment Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 2 Corinthians 8:10 γνώμην to . . . Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Philemon 1:14 γνώμης to consent Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Revelation 17:13 γνώμην to purpose Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Revelation 17:17 γνώμην to purpose Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Revelation 17:17 γνώμην to uniting Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Acts 20:3
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 5
Acts 1 1 Corinthians 3 2 Corinthians 1 Philemon 1 Revelation 3
Source forms
γνώμην 6x gnōmēn 1 Corinthians 7:25, 1 Corinthians 7:40, 2 Corinthians 8:10, Revelation 17:13
γνώμης 2x gnōmēs Acts 20:3, Philemon 1:14
γνώμῃ 1x gnōmē 1 Corinthians 1:10
Parsing patterns
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 6x 1 Corinthians 7:25, 1 Corinthians 7:40, 2 Corinthians 8:10, Revelation 17:13
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 2x Acts 20:3, Philemon 1:14
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 1x 1 Corinthians 1:10
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Distinguish a biblical command from a leader's considered judgment, and state each with the authority it actually carries.
- Seek shared conviction through truth and love rather than pressure, personality loyalty, or manufactured consensus.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that being united in judgment requires identical opinions on every disputed matter.
- Do not claim apostolic authority permits leaders to secure another believer's goodness through compulsion.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. resolution
Strong's G1106
Lexical occurrences 9 verses Greek text appearances 9 times Word forms 3 forms 9 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
resolution
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Acts 20:3 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
γνώμη gnwmh
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse 1 Corinthians 1:10 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
γνώμῃ. gnwmh
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:25 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse 1 Corinthians 7:40 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην· gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse 2 Corinthians 8:10 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse Philemon 1:14 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
γνώμης gnwmhv
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse Revelation 17:13 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse Revelation 17:17 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verse Revelation 17:17 Noun Accusative Singular Feminine
γνώμην, gnwmhn
opinion, counsel, judgment, intention
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 3 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 3 Aligned forms 9 Case pattern Accusative (6) Number pattern Singular (9)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Acts 20:3 · Phlm 1:14 2×
Dative · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 1:10 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine 1 Cor 7:25 · 1 Cor 7:40 · 2 Cor 8:10 · Rev 17:13 · Rev 17:17 6×
Word Origins
γνώμη is built from this root:
For the Preacher and Teacher
Gospel-shaped judgment is neither private preference nor forced agreement. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul addresses a church fractured by boasting in human leaders. His appeal for one mind and judgment is governed by God's faithfulness, fellowship with Christ, and the cross that empties human boasting. In 2 Corinthians 8, the same noun marks counsel about completing the collection.
Paul does not turn his judgment into a command; he calls the church to finish what grace and willing desire had begun. Philemon makes the ethical boundary even clearer. Paul has authority to order what is proper, yet he prefers an appeal based on love and refuses to act without consent. Christian leaders may reason, advise, and urge, but they must not confuse their opinion with Scripture or manipulate another person's goodness.
Mature unity grows through truth, love, and willing obedience under Christ.
Anchor passage
1Cor.1.10
Doctrinal connections
- 1 Corinthians 1:4-17 - fellowship with Christ confronts personality-based factions
- 1 Corinthians 2:16 - the church receives the mind of Christ through the gospel
- 2 Corinthians 8:8-12 - counsel tests sincere love without inventing a command
- Romans 14:1-12 - shared lordship does not erase responsible judgments on disputed matters
- Philemon 8-16 - apostolic appeal honors willing goodness and brotherhood
The noun does not carry one fixed English equivalent. Its semantic center involves judgment or settled purpose, but context can foreground opinion, agreement, intention, or consent. In Philemon 14, translating the relational force as consent prevents the verse from sounding like a mere abstract resolution.
From Old to New Testament
Wisdom literature commends counsel, teachability, and plans tested among many advisers, while also warning that human purposes remain under the Lord. Paul carries that moral concern into communities governed by Christ, where judgment must serve truth and love. No direct Hebrew equivalent should be claimed as though the terms were interchangeable.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain