The Greek verb noeō means to perceive with the mind, to understand, or to comprehend — the active exercise of mental perception. It is related to nous (mind/understanding) and noēma (thought/mind/scheme).
Jesus uses noeō in the synoptic Gospels to call for deep comprehension: 'Let the reader understand (noeō)' (Matthew 24:15) signals that the Daniel reference requires more than surface reading. 'Are you so dull? Don't you see (noeō) that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him unclean?' (Mark 7:18). The disciples repeatedly fail to noeō the miracles and teachings of Jesus. Paul uses the word in Ephesians 3:20 — God is able to do 'immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (noeō).' The theological implication is clear: divine reality exceeds the capacity of even sanctified nous. This prevents both intellectual pride and intellectual despair — we understand truly but never exhaustively.