Bible Verses About Knowing God show that Scripture treats knowing the Lord as far more than holding correct facts about Him. In the Bible, to know God is to be drawn into a real relationship with Him, marked by trust, obedience, love and worship. The prophets set it above ritual, and Jesus called it eternal life itself.
This page walks through the major Bible verses about knowing God in context. You will see how the Hebrew idea of knowing shapes the Old Testament, how the prophets promised a day when everyone would know the Lord, and how the New Testament presents Jesus Christ as the One who makes the Father known.
Along the way we will also look at honest questions: Can anyone truly know an infinite God? What is the difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him? And what does it mean that He knows us first?
Every verse below is quoted word for word from the King James Version, with the reference under each passage.
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 (KJV)
Among all the Bible verses about knowing God, this one ranks knowing the Lord above wisdom, strength and wealth. God delights in being known as kind, just and righteous.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 17:3 (KJV)
Jesus defines eternal life as knowing the Father and the Son. It is not only a future length of life but a present relationship.
For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
Hosea 6:6 (KJV)
In one of the sharpest Bible verses about knowing God, the Lord tells Israel that He wants faithful love and knowledge of Him more than sacrifices. Religious activity cannot replace a real relationship.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
Philippians 3:8-10 (KJV)
Paul counts his impressive record as loss compared with knowing Christ. His goal is to know the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of suffering.
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 2:3-4 (KJV)
John gives a simple test: those who know God keep His commandments. Claiming to know Him while ignoring His word is called a lie.
Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 John 4:7-8 (KJV)
Love is the family likeness of those born of God. Many Bible verses about knowing God connect it with love, and this is the clearest.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10 (KJV)
In the middle of war and upheaval, God calls His people to stop striving and recognize that He is God. Knowing Him includes trusting His rule.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Jeremiah 31:33-34 (KJV)
The new covenant promise: God will write His law on hearts, and all will know Him, from the least to the greatest, because He forgives.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
John 14:6-7 (KJV)
Jesus says that to know Him is to know the Father. This is central to how the New Testament reads Bible verses about knowing God.
Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
Exodus 33:13 (KJV)
Among the early Bible verses about knowing God, Moses, who already spoke with God, still asks to know Him more. Knowing God is a relationship that deepens, not a box to tick.
Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:3-5 (KJV)
Here the Bible verses about knowing God take a wisdom tone. Proverbs describes searching for the knowledge of God like hunting for hidden treasure, with earnest desire and effort.
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
2 Peter 3:18 (KJV)
Peter closes his letter urging believers to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Bible verses about knowing God like this one show it is meant to increase over a lifetime.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Ephesians 1:17-18 (KJV)
Paul prays that God would give a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, opening the eyes of the heart.
Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Romans 1:19-20 (KJV)
Not all Bible verses about knowing God concern personal faith. Creation itself shows God’s eternal power and divine nature, and Paul says this general knowledge leaves humanity without excuse.
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
1 Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)
Our present knowledge of God is real but partial, like a dim reflection. One day believers will know fully, even as they are fully known.
Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Galatians 4:8-9 (KJV)
Paul corrects himself: you have known God, “or rather are known of God.” Being known by Him comes first and holds everything together.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)
This is one of the most sobering Bible verses about knowing God. Jesus warns that impressive religious deeds do not prove a relationship, and the words “I never knew you” show what is at stake.
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
1 Chronicles 28:9 (KJV)
David urges Solomon to know the God of his father and serve Him with a whole heart. Like many Bible verses about knowing God, it promises that those who seek Him will find Him.
In English, “know” often means having information. The Hebrew verb yada, which you can study in the Blue Letter Bible lexicon entry for yada, is richer. It is used for personal acquaintance, experience, recognition, and even the closeness of marriage. When the Old Testament says someone knows the Lord, it usually means they recognize Him, trust Him and live loyally toward Him.
That is why these verses so often appear next to words like covenant, faithfulness and obedience. Knowledge in Scripture is relational. The New Testament Greek words ginosko and epignosis carry the same weight, describing a knowledge that grows through experience and changes the knower.
Scripture draws a sharp line between information and relationship, and many Bible verses about knowing God rest on that line. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures well, yet Jesus told them in John 5:39-40 that they would not come to Him to have life. Knowledge about God had not become knowledge of God.
James makes the same point bluntly: even the demons believe that God is one, and tremble (James 2:19). Correct doctrine matters a great deal, but these verses describe something more personal. Think of the difference between reading a biography and having a friend. Both involve truth, yet only one involves a living relationship. Studying the Bible is how we come to know Him, but the aim of that study is to meet the One it reveals, which is why Bible verses about faith sit so close to this theme.
The theme starts early. As He prepares to rescue Israel from Egypt, God says He will act so “ye shall know that I am the LORD” (Exodus 6:7). Israel was meant to know Him through His deeds: rescue from slavery, provision in the wilderness and faithfulness to His promises.
Moses models a hunger to know God better. In Exodus 33 he asks to see God’s ways and His glory. God answers by proclaiming His name, “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). To know God, then, is to know His character as He Himself describes it.
The Psalms turn this theme into worship. Psalm 139 is a prayer from someone who is astonished to be fully known by God, and Psalm 46 calls a frightened people to be still and know that He is God. These are among the most loved Bible verses about knowing God in the whole Old Testament.
The prophets used knowing God as a diagnosis. Hosea said there was “no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land” (Hosea 4:1), and linked that absence to lying, stealing and violence. For Hosea, the lack of knowledge was not ignorance of facts; it was a broken relationship.
Jeremiah’s words are some of the most quoted Bible verses about knowing God. In Jeremiah 9, God tells people not to boast in wisdom, might or riches, but in understanding and knowing Him. You can read the full chapter on Bible Gateway’s KJV text of Jeremiah 9 to see the judgment this promise stands against.
Jeremiah later announces the new covenant, a day when “they shall all know me.” The Bible verses about knowing God in the prophets therefore move from lament toward hope, which ties in with Bible verses about hope throughout Scripture.
The New Testament claims that the clearest knowledge of God is found in Jesus. John’s Gospel opens by saying that no one has seen God at any time, but the only begotten Son “hath declared him” (John 1:18). When Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, Jesus answered, “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).
This is why Christian readers interpret these verses through Christ. His compassion, holiness, patience and sacrifice show what God is like. In His prayer in John 17, Jesus says eternal life is knowing “the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” Bible Hub offers a helpful parallel view of John 17:3 across translations and commentaries.
For Christians, then, knowing God is inseparable from knowing the Son, and it rests on the grace God shows in Christ rather than on human effort.
One of the most comforting truths in Scripture is that God’s knowledge of us comes first. Paul writes in Galatians 4:9, “now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God.” He deliberately corrects himself, because our knowing depends on His.
Several other Bible verses about knowing God repeat the idea. In 1 Corinthians 8:3 Paul writes, “if any man love God, the same is known of him.” Jesus says the good shepherd knows His sheep and calls them by name (John 10:3, 14). These verses are therefore never a ladder we climb alone. God takes the initiative, reveals Himself and calls people to Himself.
This protects believers from anxiety about whether they know Him “enough.” The foundation is His faithful knowledge of them, which gives a deep sense of peace grounded in Scripture.
Theologians often speak of two kinds of revelation. General revelation is what God shows through creation and conscience. Psalm 19 says the heavens declare His glory, and Romans 1 says His eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen in what He has made. Britannica’s overview of revelation in religion explains how this distinction developed.
Special revelation is God speaking more directly: through the prophets, in the written Scriptures, and supremely in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2). Most Bible verses about knowing God assume both. Creation tells us that God exists and is powerful, while Scripture and Christ tell us His name, His promises and His saving love.
Christians also teach that the Holy Spirit opens hearts to receive this revelation. Jesus said the Spirit would guide His followers into all truth (John 16:13), and Paul prays in Ephesians 1 for “the spirit of wisdom and revelation.” In that sense, Bible verses about knowing God are always read with a prayer for understanding.
The letter of 1 John offers a set of evidences. Those who know God keep His commandments (1 John 2:3). They love one another, because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). They confess that Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:2). These verses in this letter were written so believers could have assurance, not fear (1 John 5:13).
Read in context, the Bible verses about knowing God do not present these marks as a checklist for earning God’s favor. They describe the fruit that naturally grows where a real relationship exists.
One misunderstanding is that knowing God is mainly an intellectual achievement. Scripture honors careful thought, yet Jesus thanked the Father for hiding these things from the wise and prudent and revealing them to babes (Matthew 11:25). These verses value a teachable heart over cleverness.
A second misunderstanding is that religious activity proves a relationship. Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7 is sobering: some who prophesied and did many wonderful works will hear, “I never knew you.” Serving is good, but it is not the same as belonging to Him.
A third mistake is treating knowledge of God as a one-time event. Peter tells believers to grow in knowledge, and Paul, after years of ministry, still wrote, “That I may know him.” This lifelong growth connects with Bible verses about wisdom and maturity.
Can finite people truly know an infinite God? Scripture answers with both humility and confidence. Isaiah 55:8-9 says God’s thoughts are higher than ours, and Paul exclaims that His ways are “past finding out” (Romans 11:33). We will never exhaust Him.
Yet the Bible insists that real knowledge is possible because God chooses to reveal Himself. First Corinthians 13:12 holds these together: now we see “through a glass, darkly,” but then “face to face.” Our knowledge is partial but genuine.
Christian traditions describe this in different ways. Eastern Orthodox writers stress communion with God and the mystery beyond words, while many Protestant and Catholic teachers emphasize understanding God through Scripture and the church’s teaching. All agree that the Bible verses about knowing God point to relationship, not mere theory, and that times of doubt call for trust in God’s faithfulness.
Throughout Scripture, knowing God and speaking with Him belong together. David’s psalms, Daniel’s prayers and Jesus’ own habit of withdrawing to pray show a relationship expressed in conversation. Many of Paul’s prayers in his letters ask specifically that believers would know God better, such as Colossians 1:9-10.
These verses also present prayer as a place of honesty. Job argued with God, Hannah poured out her soul, and the psalmists lamented freely, yet each of them came to know God more deeply through the struggle. Our pages on Bible verses about prayer and verses of comfort in hard times trace these threads further.
These Bible verses about knowing God reveal a remarkable invitation: the Creator of heaven and earth wants to be known, and He has made Himself known in His word and in His Son. That knowledge begins with His grace, grows through a lifetime, and will be complete one day, face to face.
If you would like to explore this relationship from a practical angle, see our companion page of Bible verses for knowing God, and find strength for the journey in Bible verses about encouragement and Bible verses about strength.
Here is a strange sentence from 1 Samuel 2:12: “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.” These men worked in the sanctuary. They carried out the sacrifices, wore the garments, ate from the offerings. And yet the writer says plainly that they did not know the Lord. Proximity to holy things had not produced acquaintance with the Holy One.
Compare that with the next chapters. A young boy named Samuel sleeps near the ark, hears a voice in the night, and runs three times to old Eli, thinking it is him. The narrator explains in 1 Samuel 3:7, “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him.” Samuel served faithfully and still had to be introduced. Eli, half-blind and tired, finally sees what is happening and tells the boy how to answer.
Two things follow. First, a person can be surrounded by church life for years and still need to meet God personally, which is a sobering thought for anyone raised in a pew. Second, even the sleepy, flawed Eli was useful as a guide. If you are helping someone younger find God, you do not have to be perfect, just willing to point and say, listen.
Job lost his children, his income and his health, and then spent most of a book arguing with friends who were certain they understood why. By the end he had asked God plenty of hard questions. God answered, but not with explanations. He answered with questions of His own, about mountains, storms and sea creatures, and with His presence.
Job’s reply in Job 42:5 is one of the quietest lines in the Bible: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” Look at the contrast. Before, Job knew God the way you know a famous person from a magazine, with solid facts and secondhand stories. After the whirlwind, he knew Him the way you know someone who has been in the room.
Notice also what did not happen. Job got no tidy chart of reasons for his suffering. What he received was a deeper acquaintance, and he counted that enough to humble him. If you are in a long hospital season right now, you do not have to pretend to understand it. You can ask honestly, as Job did, and keep listening. And please let a doctor, counselor or pastor share the load with you, because heavy grief was never meant to be carried alone.
Isaiah 41:8 has God Himself speaking of “Abraham my friend,” and James 2:23 repeats the idea, saying he “was called the Friend of God.” It is a remarkable title for a man who started life as an idol-worshipping Mesopotamian and who made some very poor decisions, including passing his wife off as his sister more than once.
What made the friendship real? Genesis keeps showing small scenes of conversation. God tells Abraham about the coming judgment on Sodom before it happens (Genesis 18:17), and Abraham, bold and respectful, bargains for the city on behalf of a few righteous people. He asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). Friends talk to each other like that. They speak plainly and they are not frightened of the answer.
This is a gentle correction for anyone who treats knowing God as a mood to achieve. Friendship grows through shared time, honest speech, trust that gets tested, and years. You will not have it by Friday. But you can begin today, with a sentence addressed to Him, the way you would to someone who already has your number.
The scene in Luke 10:38-42 is probably familiar, but its edge is often blunted. Jesus is a guest in a village home. Martha is busy making things right, because hospitality was serious work and she wanted to do it well. Her sister Mary sits at His feet and listens. Martha, understandably irritated, asks Him to make Mary help.
His answer is kind and does not take her side: “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Notice that He repeats her name, which is how a person speaks to someone he loves. He is not scolding the cooking. He is naming what the meal was for.
I see myself in Martha more often than I would like. The calendar fills, the casserole must be hot, and I mean well. Knowing someone requires sitting down at some point. Try this: before your busiest day of the week, take five minutes with your Bible open and your phone in another room. That small pause may be all Mary did, and Jesus called it enough to keep.
Father, I know a great deal about You and I am not sure how well I know You. Meet me in the ordinary hour I am in. Quiet the list in my head, and let me hear my name the way Samuel heard his. Where I have been hiding behind busy work or correct answers, bring me out gently. Teach me to sit, to listen, and to speak honestly, as a friend does. Thank You that You knew me before I ever thought about You. Amen.
Nearby topics worth a look: Bible Verses For Knowing God, Bible Verses About God's Timing, Bible Verses About Following God, Bible Verses About God's Protection and Bible Verses For Trusting God in Hard Times.
If you want to dig further, Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway and Bible Hub are good places to start.
Jeremiah 9:23-24, Hosea 6:6, John 17:3 and Philippians 3:8-10 are central. Together they show that knowing God is valued above wealth and ritual, that it defines eternal life, and that it becomes the believer’s highest goal.
Knowing about God means holding true facts. Knowing God, in the biblical sense, means a personal relationship of trust, love and obedience. Bible verses about knowing God, such as Matthew 7:21-23, show that information alone is not enough.
Romans 1 and Psalm 19, two of the broader Bible verses about knowing God, teach that creation reveals God’s power and existence. However, Christians believe that knowing His saving purposes comes through Scripture and through Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father.
The New Testament presents Jesus as the full revelation of God. In John 14:7 He says that knowing Him means knowing the Father, so Christians read all the Bible verses about knowing God in His light.
Yes. Psalm 139, Galatians 4:9 and John 10:14 are Bible verses about knowing God from the other direction: they teach that God knows His people intimately. Scripture presents His knowledge of us as the foundation of our knowledge of Him.
