What is God’s Foreknowledge (Romans 8:29)?

Romans 8:29 ESV For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

The word “foreknew” in Romans 8:29 is sometimes understood to mean that God knew beforehand who would believe in Jesus Christ for salvation. However, that is not the case.

The Greek word for “foreknew” in Romans 8:29 is proginōskō, which does mean “to know beforehand”. However, in the Bible, the word “know” often has a much richer meaning than merely having information in mind. For example:

• Genesis 4:1 says: “And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain.” This is not saying that Adam merely knew about Eve his wife! Rather, this knowing refers to intimate relations.
• In Amos 3:2, God says to Israel: “You only have I known out of all the families of the earth.” God was not saying that he only knew about Israel’s existence, while being completely oblivious to the existence of the other peoples! Rather, God meant that he had chosen Israel out of all the nations to have a special relationship with them (cf. Deut. 7:6).
• Psalm 1:6 says that “the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Again, this does not mean that the Lord merely knows about the way of the righteous, while being oblivious to the ways of others. Rather, it is saying that the Lord approves of the way of the righteous.

The Greek words for “foreknow”, and “foreknowledge” are used elsewhere in the New Testament, and they clearly does not mean “to know beforehand”:

• In Acts 2:23, Peter says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge [prognōsis] of God.” (ESV) Peter was not saying that God merely knew beforehand that Jesus was going to be delivered up. Rather, he was saying that God had decided beforehand that Jesus would be delivered up!
• In 1 Peter 1:20, Peter said that Jesus “was foreknown [proginōskō] before the foundation of the world.” Again, Peter did not mean that God merely knew about Jesus from the foundation of the world. Rather, he was saying that God chose Jesus beforehand to be the one in whom we will be saved (cf. v. 21).
• In Romans 11:2, Paul refers to Israel as “[God’s] people whom he foreknew [proginōskō].” Paul did not mean that God knew about Israel beforehand, but that he had chosen Israel beforehand (cf. Amos 2:3).

Moreover, Romans 8:29 does not say “whom he foreknew would believe”. Rather, it simply says “whom he foreknew”. As we have seen, whenever the Hebrew and Greek words for “know” are used on personal nouns, the possible meanings are, “to choose; to love; to have a relationship with”. Therefore, the word “foreknow” in Romans 8:29 means “to choose beforehand; to love beforehand; to have a special relationship beforehand”.