What does γνωρίζω (gnōrízō) mean in the Bible?
Gnōrizō means to make known, disclose, explain, or cause someone to know. The shepherds urge one another to see the event the Lord has made known.
Greek · G1107
γνωρίζω
To make known; subjectively, to know
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
γνωρίζω G1107
Pronunciation gnōrízō
What does γνωρίζω (gnōrízō) mean in the Bible?
Gnōrizō means to make known, disclose, explain, or cause someone to know. The shepherds urge one another to see the event the Lord has made known.
Reader summary
Full entry for γνωρίζω (G1107) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1107?
The BSB source-word alignment has 25 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include make (2), will tell (2), [And] He has made known (1), [and] made known (1), has made known (1).
Where does γνωρίζω (gnōrízō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 2:15. Its strongest book concentrations include Ephesians (6), Colossians (3), John (3), Romans (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Gnōrizō means to make known, disclose, explain, or cause someone to know. The shepherds urge one another to see the event the Lord has made known. Jesus tells His disciples that He has made known what He heard from the Father, grounding their friendship and mission. Peter cites the psalm that God made known paths of life. Romans asks what if God, while making His power known, endured vessels of wrath with patience.
Paul says no one speaking by God's Spirit calls Jesus accursed, and no one can confess Jesus as Lord except by the Spirit, introducing what he wants believers to know about spiritual gifts. The verb does not guarantee exhaustive disclosure or private revelation; the subject, content, and means must be named.
How the Bible Uses It
Gnōrizō describes disclosed knowledge: God makes the birth known, Jesus reveals the Father's message to friends, Scripture makes paths of life known, divine action displays power, and the Spirit enables true confession about Jesus. Knowledge is given for worship, witness, and faithful discernment.
- Luke.2.15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Luke 2:15 says the shepherds go to Bethlehem to see the thing the Lord made known to them. Angelic announcement leads to verification, worship, and reporting what they were told about the child.
- John.15.15
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15 says Jesus calls disciples friends because He made known everything heard from the Father. The disclosure belongs to obedient, commissioned relationship, not equality with Jesus' unique sonship.
- Acts.2.28
You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’
- Rom.9.22
What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
Romans 9:22 asks about God willing to demonstrate wrath and make power known while enduring vessels of wrath with great patience. The sentence must be read with humility and through Paul's continued argument.
- 1Cor.12.3
Therefore I inform you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
First Corinthians 12:3 makes known a basic test in discussion of spiritual matters: the Spirit honors Jesus as Lord rather than cursing Him. True spiritual speech is Christ-confessing.
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 make 2× Romans 9:22, Romans 9:23
will tell 2× Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7
[And] He has made known 1× Ephesians 1:9
[and] made known 1× Romans 16:26
has made known 1× Luke 2:15
I do not know 1× Philippians 1:22
I have made 1× John 17:26
I have made known 1× John 15:15
I inform 1× 1 Corinthians 12:3
I want to remind 1× 1 Corinthians 15:1
I want you to know 1× Galatians 1:11
made known 1× Ephesians 3:3
make known 1× Ephesians 6:19
present 1× Philippians 4:6
should be made known 1× Ephesians 3:10
they spread 1× Luke 2:17
They will tell 1× Colossians 4:9
to make known 1× Colossians 1:27
was not made known 1× Ephesians 3:5
we want you to know about 1× 2 Corinthians 8:1
when we made known 1× 2 Peter 1:16
will continue to make [it] known 1× John 17:26
You have made known 1× Acts 2:28
Show sample aligned rows
Luke 2:15 ἐγνώρισεν to has made known Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Luke 2:17 ἐγνώρισαν to they spread Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural John 15:15 ἐγνώρισα to I have made known Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular John 17:26 ἐγνώρισα to I have made Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular John 17:26 γνωρίσω to will continue to make [it] known Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular Acts 2:28 ἐγνώρισάς to You have made known Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular Romans 9:22 γνωρίσαι to make Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Romans 9:23 γνωρίσῃ to make Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular Romans 16:26 γνωρισθέντος to [and] made known Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Genitive Neuter Singular 1 Corinthians 12:3 γνωρίζω to I inform Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Luke 2:15
Aligned rows 25
Books represented 11
Luke 2 John 3 Acts 1 Romans 3 1 Corinthians 2 2 Corinthians 1 Galatians 1 Ephesians 6 Philippians 2 Colossians 3 2 Peter 1
Source forms
γνωρίζω 3x gnōrizō 1 Corinthians 12:3, Galatians 1:11, Philippians 1:22
γνωρίσαι 3x gnōrisai Romans 9:22, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 1:27
γνωρίσει 2x gnōrisei Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7
ἐγνώρισα 2x egnōrisa John 15:15, John 17:26
ἐγνωρίσθη 2x egnōristhē Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:5
γνωριζέσθω 1x gnōrizesthō Philippians 4:6
Γνωρίζομεν 1x Gnōrizomen 2 Corinthians 8:1
Γνωρίζω 1x Gnōrizō 1 Corinthians 15:1
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 4x 1 Corinthians 12:3, 1 Corinthians 15:1, Galatians 1:11, Philippians 1:22
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active 3x Romans 9:22, Ephesians 6:19, Colossians 1:27
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular 2x John 15:15, John 17:26
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular 2x Ephesians 3:3, Ephesians 3:5
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Ephesians 6:21, Colossians 4:7
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural 1x 2 Peter 1:16
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular 1x Acts 2:28
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 1x Luke 2:17
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not claim exhaustive or infallible private knowledge merely by saying God made something known.
- Do not use spiritual-gift language that obscures, diminishes, or contradicts the lordship of Jesus.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim exhaustive or infallible private knowledge merely by saying God made something known.
- Do not use spiritual-gift language that obscures, diminishes, or contradicts the lordship of Jesus.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Making something known or revealing it; distinct from merely knowing it privately.
Strong's G1107
Lexical occurrences 24 verses Greek text appearances 24 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 24 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Ephesians 3:1-6 Source Gloss
to make known; subjectively, to know
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 24 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Luke 2:15 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐγνώρισεν egnwrisen
I make known, declare, know
Read verse John 15:15 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐγνώρισα egnwrisa
I make known, declare, know
Read verse John 17:26 Verb First Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐγνώρισα egnwrisa
I make known, declare, know
Read verse John 17:26 Verb First Person Singular Future Active Indicative
γνωρίσω· gnwrisw
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Acts 2:28 Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐγνώρισάς egnwrisav
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Romans 9:22 Verb Aorist Active Infinitive
γνωρίσαι gnwrisai
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Romans 9:23 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
γνωρίσῃ gnwrish
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Romans 16:26 Verb Aorist Passive Participle Genitive Singular Neuter
γνωρισθέντος, gnwrisqentov
I make known, declare, know
Read verse 1 Corinthians 12:3 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
γνωρίζω gnwrizw
I make known, declare, know
Read verse 1 Corinthians 15:1 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
Γνωρίζω gnwrizw
I make known, declare, know
Read verse 2 Corinthians 8:1 Verb First Person Plural Present Active Indicative
Γνωρίζομεν gnwrizomen
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Galatians 1:11 Verb First Person Singular Present Active Indicative
Γνωρίζω gnwrizw
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Ephesians 1:9 Verb Aorist Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine
γνωρίσας gnwrisav
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Ephesians 3:3 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
ἐγνώρισέ egnwrisen
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Ephesians 3:5 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Indicative
ἐγνωρίσθη egnwrisqh
I make known, declare, know
Read verse Ephesians 3:10 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Passive Subjunctive
γνωρισθῇ gnwrisqh
I make known, declare, know
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 mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 24 Tenses Present, Aorist, Future Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Indicative states a fact or reality 17×
Aorist Active John 15:15 · John 17:26 · Luke 2:15 · Luke 2:17 · Acts 2:28 · 2 Pet 1:16 6×
Present Active 1 Cor 12:3 · 1 Cor 15:1 · Gal 1:11 · Phil 1:22 · 2 Cor 8:1 5×
Future Active Eph 6:21 · Col 4:7 · John 17:26 · Col 4:9 4×
Aorist Passive Eph 3:3 · Eph 3:5 2×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 3×
Aorist Active Rom 9:22 · Eph 6:19 · Col 1:27 3×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 2×
Aorist Active Rom 9:23 1×
Aorist Passive Eph 3:10 1×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Aorist Active Eph 1:9 1×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Present Passive Phil 4:6 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 23 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
aorist 13 present 6 future 4
Voice
active 19 passive 4
Mood
indicative 16 infinitive 3 subjunctive 2 participle 1 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Luke 2:15 ἐγνώρισεν aorist active indicative completed John 15:15 ἐγνώρισα aorist active indicative completed John 17:26 ἐγνώρισα aorist active indicative completed John 17:26 γνωρίσω future active indicative prospective Acts 2:28 ἐγνώρισάς aorist active indicative completed Romans 9:22 γνωρίσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Romans 9:23 γνωρίσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive 1 Corinthians 12:3 γνωρίζω present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 15:1 Γνωρίζω present active indicative ongoing 2 Corinthians 8:1 Γνωρίζομεν present active indicative ongoing Galatians 1:11 Γνωρίζω present active indicative ongoing Ephesians 1:9 γνωρίσας aorist active participle participle Ephesians 3:10 γνωρισθῇ aorist passive subjunctive subjunctive Ephesians 3:3 ἐγνωρίσθη aorist passive indicative completed Ephesians 3:5 ἐγνωρίσθη aorist passive indicative completed Ephesians 6:19 γνωρίσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Ephesians 6:21 γνωρίσει future active indicative prospective Philippians 1:22 γνωρίζω present active indicative ongoing Philippians 4:6 γνωριζέσθω present passive imperative imperative Colossians 1:27 γνωρίσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Colossians 4:7 γνωρίσει future active indicative prospective Colossians 4:9 γνωρίσουσιν future active indicative prospective 2 Peter 1:16 ἐγνωρίσαμεν aorist active indicative completed
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Divine revelation of mystery to gentiles through apostolic disclosure
Messenger communicating news and personal information to recipients
Informing recipients about sender's circumstances and spiritual concerns
Revealing boldness needed in proclaiming gospel message to others
Showing 4 selected witnesses from 24 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
γνωρίζω is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Gnōrizō moves truth from concealment into responsible knowledge. The shepherds receive a specific announcement, go to see, worship, and tell others. Jesus makes the Father's message known to disciples whom He calls friends and commissions to bear fruit. Peter finds the paths of life disclosed in Scripture and fulfilled through resurrection. Paul approaches God's revealed power and patience with reverent argument, then gives the Corinthians a Christ-centered criterion for spiritual speech: the Spirit leads people to confess Jesus as Lord.
These passages encourage confidence without presumption. God truly makes Himself and His saving work known, yet He does not grant exhaustive mastery. Churches test claims by Scripture, the lordship of Christ, and the fruit of the Spirit, responding to genuine disclosure with worship, obedience, witness, and humility.
Anchor passage
John.15.15
Doctrinal connections
- Revelation: God communicates specific truth through word, event, Scripture, Son, and Spirit.
- Christology: Jesus discloses what He heard from the Father and remains the center of true confession.
- Discipleship and friendship: revealed truth creates obedient, fruitful relationship with Christ.
- Resurrection: Psalm 16's path of life is proclaimed as fulfilled in the risen Jesus.
- Divine patience and judgment: God's power is made known alongside patient endurance.
- Holy Spirit: genuine spiritual speech confesses Jesus as Lord.
Gnōrizō is a causative verb related to ginōskō and means to make known, disclose, explain, or report. It may take a person informed and content disclosed; context identifies the means and extent of knowing.
From Old to New Testament
God makes His name, ways, deeds, and covenant will known throughout the Old Testament, while wisdom depends on His instruction. The New Testament locates climactic disclosure in the Son, resurrection, and Spirit-given confession.
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