The concept of "known" in the Bible encompasses a range of meanings, from intellectual understanding to intimate relational knowledge. In the biblical context, being "known" often implies a deep, personal relationship, particularly between God and His people.

Divine Knowledge of Humanity

God's knowledge of humanity is comprehensive and intimate. Psalm 139:1-4 illustrates this profound understanding: "O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, O LORD." This passage highlights God's omniscience, emphasizing that He knows every detail of our lives, thoughts, and actions.

Relational Knowledge

In the Bible, to be "known" by God is often synonymous with being in a covenant relationship with Him. In the Old Testament, God "knew" Israel as His chosen people, setting them apart for His purposes. Amos 3:2 states, "You alone have I known from all the clans of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities." Here, "known" signifies a special, covenantal relationship that carries both privilege and responsibility.

Jesus and Being Known

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of knowing His followers in a relational sense. In John 10:14 , Jesus declares, "I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me." This mutual knowledge signifies a deep, personal relationship between Christ and believers, characterized by love, care, and guidance.

The Importance of Being Known by God

Being known by God is of utmost importance for believers. In Matthew 7:21-23 , Jesus warns, "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. 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?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness!’" This passage underscores that mere outward actions are insufficient without a genuine relationship with Christ.

Human Knowledge of God

The Bible also emphasizes the importance of humans knowing God. In Jeremiah 9:23-24 , the Lord declares, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice, and righteousness on the earth—for I delight in these things, declares the LORD." Knowing God involves understanding His character and aligning one's life with His will.

Conclusion

The biblical concept of being "known" is deeply relational, involving both God's intimate knowledge of individuals and the call for individuals to know God personally. This mutual knowledge is foundational to the covenant relationship between God and His people, characterized by love, obedience, and faithfulness.1. (p. p.) of Know.

2. (p. p.) of Know.

1107. gnorizo -- to come to know, to make known
... to come to know, to make known. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: gnorizo Phonetic
Spelling: (gno-rid'-zo) Short Definition: I make known, declare, know ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1107.htm - 7k

1110. gnostos -- known
... known. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: gnostos Phonetic Spelling:
(gnoce-tos') Short Definition: known, an acquaintance Definition: known, an ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1110.htm - 7k

319. anagnorizo -- be made known, make oneself known.
... 318, 319. anagnorizo. 320 . be made known, make oneself known. Part of
Speech: Verb Transliteration: anagnorizo Phonetic Spelling ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/319.htm - 6k

1232. diagnorizo -- make known.
... 1231, 1232. diagnorizo. 1233 . make known. ... Word Origin variant reading for gnorizo,
qv. make known. From graptos and gnorizo; to tell abroad -- make known. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1232.htm - 6k

3377. menuo -- to make known, report
... to make known, report. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: menuo Phonetic Spelling:
(may-noo'-o) Short Definition: I reveal, inform Definition: (a) I reveal ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3377.htm - 6k

5263. hupodeiknumi -- to show secretly, to show by tracing out, to ...
... to show secretly, to show by tracing out, to teach, make known. Part of Speech:
Verb Transliteration: hupodeiknumi Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-od-ike'-noo-mee ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5263.htm - 6k

1921. epiginosko -- to know exactly, to recognize
... [Believers then will (aptly) know the Lord throughout the aeons of eternity -- in
keeping with (Gk ) they allowed Him to () here on earth. "Been known" is the ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1921.htm - 10k

3609a. oida -- to have seen or perceived, hence to know
... learned (1), conscious* (1), having a knowledge (1), knew (16), knew...about (1),
know (216), know about (1), know how (9), knowing (36), known (4), known ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3609a.htm - 6k

282. ametor -- without a mother
... of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: ametor Phonetic Spelling: (am-ay'-tore) Short
Definition: whose mother's name is not recorded or known Definition: (lit ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/282.htm - 6k

5318. phaneros -- visible, manifest
... visible, manifest NASB Word Usage apparent (1), disclosed (2), evident (6), light
(2), obvious (1), outward (1), outwardly* (1), tell (2), well known (2). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5318.htm - 6k

1845. Deuel -- "known of God," a Gadite
... 1844, 1845. Deuel. 1846 . "known of God," a Gadite. Transliteration: Deuel
Phonetic Spelling: (deh-oo-ale') Short Definition: Deuel. ...
/hebrew/1845.htm - 6k

3048. Yedayah -- "Yah has known," the name of several Israelites
... Yedayah. 3049 . "Yah has known," the name of several Israelites. Transliteration:
Yedayah Phonetic Spelling: (yed-ah-yaw') Short Definition: Jedaiah. ...
/hebrew/3048.htm - 6k

477. Elisha -- "God is salvation," a well-known Isr. prophet
... 476, 477. Elisha. 478 . "God is salvation," a well-known Isr. ... Word Origin contr.
from Elishua Definition "God is salvation," a well-known Isr. ...
/hebrew/477.htm - 6k

452. Eliyyah -- "Yah is God," a well-known prophet of Isr., also ...
... 451, 452. Eliyyah. 453 . "Yah is God," a well-known prophet of Isr., also
three other Isr. Transliteration: Eliyyah Phonetic Spelling ...
/hebrew/452.htm - 6k

3045. yada -- to know
... root Definition to know NASB Word Usage ability (1), acknowledge (4), acknowledged
(2), acquaintances (5), acquainted (1), aware (6), becomes known (1), bring ...
/hebrew/3045.htm - 8k

3046. yeda -- to know
... 3045, 3046. yeda. 3047 . to know. Transliteration: yeda Phonetic Spelling:
(yed-ah') Short Definition: known. Word Origin (Aramaic ...
/hebrew/3046.htm - 6k

5046. nagad -- to be conspicuous
... 1), display (1), explain (3), fully reported (1), give evidence (1), indeed tell
(1), inform (3), informed (1), informs (2), know (1), known (1), made known (4 ...
/hebrew/5046.htm - 6k

241. ozen -- an ear
... from an unused word Definition an ear NASB Word Usage attentive (1), closely (1),
ear (60), ears (58), hear* (2), hearing (39), inform* (1), known* (2), recite ...
/hebrew/241.htm - 6k

8085. shama -- to hear
... 2), listened (52), listening (12), listens (7), loud-sounding (3), made a proclamation
(1), make his heard (1), make their heard (1), make them known (1), make ...
/hebrew/8085.htm - 7k

4069. maddua -- why? for what reason?
... how, wherefore, why. Or madduaa {mad-doo'-ah}; from mah and the passive participle
of yada'; what (is) known?; ie (by implication) (adverbially) why? ...
/hebrew/4069.htm - 6k

Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known
Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known. <. Men of the Bible; Some
Lesser-Known George Milligan. George Milligan; JG Greenhough ...
//christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/

Love Unknowable and Known
... EPHESIANS LOVE UNKNOWABLE AND KNOWN. 'That ye ... may be able to comprehend
with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/love unknowable and known.htm

The Creator was Known as the True God from the First by his ...
... Chapter X."The Creator Was Known as the True God from the First by His Creation
Acknowledged by the Soul and Conscience of Man Before He Was Revealed by Moses ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter x the creator was known.htm

Whether God is the First Object Known by the Human Mind?
... HOW THE HUMAN SOUL KNOWS WHAT IS ABOVE ITSELF (THREE ARTICLES) Whether
God is the first object known by the human mind? Objection ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god is the first.htm

Thy Footsteps are not Known
... Thy Footsteps are Not Known. (From a MS. of the earlier part of the 14th Century)
Job 28. ... Not in the land of the living. That wondrous path is known,. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen suso and others/thy footsteps are not known.htm

When this Became Known to the Kings of the Neighboring Nations...
... The Sacred History Of Sulpitius Severus. Book I. Chapter XXIII. When this
became known to the kings of the neighboring nations? ...
/.../life and writings of sulpitius severus /chapter xxiii when this became.htm

How God is Known by us (Thirteen Articles)
... HOW GOD IS KNOWN BY US (THIRTEEN ARTICLES). As hitherto we ... in it? (9) Whether
what is there known is known by any similitudes? (10 ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/how god is known by.htm

Made Known in the Breaking of Bread.
... The Resurrection: Gravity Upward Made Known in the Breaking of Bread.
The news now quickly spread; the two stories, that of the ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks about jesus/made known in the breaking.htm

God must First be Known by an Unerring Faith, that He May be Loved ...
... Chapter 4."God Must First Be Known by an Unerring Faith, that He May Be Loved. ... Even
He therefore who is not known, but yet is believed, can be loved. ...
/.../augustine/on the holy trinity/chapter 4 god must first be.htm

Whether God Can be Known in this Life by Natural Reason?
... HOW GOD IS KNOWN BY US (THIRTEEN ARTICLES) Whether God can be known in
this life by natural reason? Objection 1: It seems that by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether god can be known.htm

Known (2780 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Known (2780 Occurrences). Known appears 2780 times in
12 translations. You can narrow your search using the Advanced Bible Search. ...
/k/known.htm - 6k

Well-known (2 Occurrences)
Well-known. Well-kneaded, Well-known. Well-leading . Noah Webster's
Dictionary (a.) Fully known; generally known or acknowledged. ...
/w/well-known.htm - 7k

Africa (1 Occurrence)
... af'-ri-ka: The name of this tract, as a continent, does not occur in the Bible,
and it was only in later days known as one of the quarters of the world, under ...
/a/africa.htm - 10k

Kidron (11 Occurrences)
... Olives. This valley is known in Scripture only by the name "the brook Kidron."
David crossed t. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. KIDRON. ...
/k/kidron.htm - 17k

Concealed (36 Occurrences)
... Matthew 10:26 Therefore don't be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that
will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. (See NAS NIV). ...
/c/concealed.htm - 16k

Artemis (5 Occurrences)
... In Cappadocia she was known as Ma; to the Syrians as Atargatis or Mylitta; among
the Phoenicians as Astarte, a name which appears among the Assyrians as Ishtar ...
/a/artemis.htm - 14k

Sign (181 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) That by which anything is made known or represented;
that which furnishes evidence; a mark; a token; an indication; a proof. ...
/s/sign.htm - 46k

Zion (169 Occurrences)
... of it, at least since the time of David. Nothing certain is known of the
meaning. Gesenius and others have derived it from a Hebrew ...
/z/zion.htm - 49k

Slept (74 Occurrences)
... (See NIV). Numbers 31:17 Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and
kill every woman who has known man by lying with him. (See NIV). ...
/s/slept.htm - 28k

Shiloah (1 Occurrence)
... 1,700 ft. of tunnel and merged in the pool made for it (now known as the
Birket Silwan) near the mouth of the Tyropceon valley. This ...
/s/shiloah.htm - 17k

Why is Jerusalem known as the City of David? | GotQuestions.org

Why is Jeremiah known as the weeping prophet? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Anselm of Canterbury? | GotQuestions.org

Known: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus