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In 2 Peter 1:2, the apostle writes:
χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν.
Cháris hymin kai eirēnē plēthynthēē en epignōsei tou Theou kai Iēsou tou Kyriou hēmōn.
“Grace to you and peace be multiplied by an accurate knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
This expression, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, requires careful grammatical and semantic scrutiny, especially the noun ἐπίγνωσις and the prepositional phrase ἐν ἐπιγνώσει.
Morphological and Lexical Analysis of ἐπίγνωσις
The noun ἐπίγνωσις (from ἐπιγινώσκω) is a compound of ἐπί (“upon,” “toward”) and γνῶσις (“knowledge”). Morphologically, it is a feminine noun of the third declension (ἐπιγνώσεως, genitive singular). It occurs 20 times in the New Testament, frequently in Pauline and Petrine writings, often with a theological nuance of relational, experiential, or full knowledge.
Lexically, ἐπίγνωσις differs from γνῶσις not in kind but in intensity and completeness. While γνῶσις may denote knowledge in general (cognitive awareness or understanding), ἐπίγνωσις intensifies it, indicating a more thorough, precise, or experiential form of knowing. The prefix ἐπί- does not simply mean “more of,” but implies direction toward or completion of the act of knowing. Thus, ἐπίγνωσις often carries the sense of “full recognition,” “discernment grounded in relationship,” or “accurate acknowledgment.”
This distinction is evident in passages such as:
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Romans 10:2 — ζῆλον Θεοῦ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλ’ οὐ κατ’ ἐπίγνωσιν (“They have zeal for God, but not according to full knowledge”). Here, ἐπίγνωσις implies the knowledge that aligns with truth and revelation, not mere awareness.
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Philemon 6 — ἵνα ἡ κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς σου ἐνεργὴς γένηται ἐν ἐπιγνώσει παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ (“That the fellowship of your faith may become effective by means of the full knowledge of every good thing”). Again, the idea is not abstract information but complete, applied discernment.
Therefore, in 2 Peter 1:2, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει likely denotes a mature, relational knowledge of God and of Jesus that constitutes the context in which grace and peace abound.
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Syntactic Function of ἐν ἐπιγνώσει
The preposition ἐν here governs the dative ἐπιγνώσει and must be interpreted carefully. ἐν primarily denotes location (“in, within”), but can also express sphere, means, or cause, depending on the semantic field and syntactic relationship.
Three possible syntactic values of ἐν ἐπιγνώσει are conceivable in this verse:
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Locative of Sphere – “Within the sphere of knowledge.”
Grace and peace are multiplied within the realm of full knowledge — that is, they expand as believers live in the sphere of understanding God through Christ. This reading aligns closely with the internal, relational emphasis of ἐπίγνωσις. -
Instrumental of Means – “By means of knowledge.”
The multiplication of grace and peace occurs through this full knowledge. Here, ἐν approximates the instrumental sense often conveyed by διά with the genitive. This is a natural reading and fits Peter’s emphasis on knowledge as the medium of spiritual growth (cf. 2 Peter 1:3, διὰ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς). -
Causal Nuance – “Because of knowledge.”
Though less likely grammatically, the dative with ἐν occasionally implies cause, meaning grace and peace are multiplied because of knowledge — that is, the knowledge produces or occasions the increase.
The first two nuances (sphere and means) are grammatically legitimate, but the immediate context of verse 3 supports the instrumental sense:
“ὡς πάντα ἡμῖν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ δεδωρημένη τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν καὶ εὐσέβειαν διὰ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς…”
“As His divine power has granted to us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us…”
Because verse 3 explicitly uses διά with ἐπιγνώσεως, it is clear Peter views knowledge as the channel through which divine blessing flows. Therefore, verse 2’s ἐν ἐπιγνώσει naturally parallels this: grace and peace multiply by means of or within the context of true knowledge.
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Theological and Contextual Implications
Peter’s usage of ἐπίγνωσις carries polemical weight against early proto-gnostic or speculative teachings that claimed higher gnosis. His emphasis is not on secret revelation but on relational understanding grounded in the revealed person of Christ. Hence, ἐν ἐπιγνώσει indicates not abstract intellect but personal, covenantal recognition of God as revealed in Jesus.
Furthermore, this ἐπίγνωσις is the very medium through which divine favor (χάρις) and peace (εἰρήνη) grow in the believer’s life — not through mystical experience or human speculation, but through a deepening apprehension of divine truth. The preposition ἐν thus reinforces that this knowledge is not peripheral but the very sphere or instrument of spiritual abundance.
Summary of Semantic Force
The noun ἐπίγνωσις intensifies γνῶσις to denote complete, relational, and accurate knowledge grounded in revelation. The preposition ἐν expresses either the sphere in which or the means by which grace and peace multiply. Considering the parallel structure in 2 Peter 1:3, the instrumental nuance predominates. Therefore, Peter’s meaning may be rendered:
“May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the full, relational knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”
This interpretation preserves grammatical precision, theological coherence, and internal consistency within the immediate Petrine context.
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The Precision and Fullness of ἐπίγνωσις as Accurate Knowledge
The nuance of ἐπίγνωσις as exact or accurate knowledge deserves separate attention, since this precision is not merely quantitative (“more knowledge”) but qualitative — knowledge that corresponds to revealed truth. The prefix ἐπι- in compound verbs and nouns often intensifies or perfects the action, and in ἐπιγνώσις it designates knowledge that reaches its goal, becoming full, correct, and discerning. Thus, Paul contrasts mere learning (μανθάνοντα) with coming “to an accurate knowledge of the truth” (εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, 2 Timothy 3:7). The problem there was not ignorance of facts but lack of apprehending the truth rightly — that is, a failure to attain genuine, divinely aligned understanding.
In Colossians 1:9, Paul prays that believers “be filled with the accurate knowledge (τῇ ἐπιγνώσει) of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The phrase assumes believers already possess basic knowledge but need it perfected through spiritual insight. This full, discerning knowledge guards against error and forms the foundation for ethical renewal — hence its connection in Colossians 3:10 with “putting on the new man … renewed in knowledge (ἐπὶ γνῶσιν) according to the image of Him who created him.” Likewise, in 2 Peter 1:2, grace and peace abound not through vague awareness but through this precise, faithful apprehension of God’s revealed character in Christ. ἐπίγνωσις therefore emphasizes not mystical depth nor speculative insight, but an exact, covenantal, and transforming recognition of divine truth that conforms the believer’s life to God’s will.
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