3024. léthé

Lexical Summary

léthé: Forgetfulness

Original Word: λήθη
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: léthé
Pronunciation: lay'-thay
Phonetic Spelling: (lay'-thay)
KJV: + forget
Word Origin: [from G2990 (λανθάνω - escape notice)]

1. forgetfulness

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

forgetfulness

From lanthano; forgetfulness -- + forget.

see GREEK lanthano

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from lanthanó
Definition
forgetfulness
NASB Translation
forgotten* (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 3024: λήθη

λήθη, λήθης, ἡ (λήθω to escape notice, λήθομαι to forget) (from Homer down), forgetfulness: λήθην τίνος λαβεῖν (see λαμβάνω, I. 6), 2 Peter 1:9.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Usage

λήθη appears once in the New Testament, in 2 Peter 1:9. Peter warns that a believer who fails to add virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love becomes “blind—shortsighted—having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins”. The term portrays a culpable spiritual amnesia: salvation’s cleansing has been pushed into obscurity, producing moral and doctrinal drift.

Literary and Cultural Background

Classical writers used the cognate “Lethe” for a mythical river whose waters induced oblivion. In contrast, Scripture esteems memory as a covenantal safeguard (Deuteronomy 6:12; Psalm 103:2). Peter, writing to predominantly Gentile believers, may intentionally set Christian remembrance of redemption against the pagan ideal of forgetfulness, transforming a cultural motif into a moral warning.

Theological Significance

1. Assurance and Sanctification: Forgetting one’s cleansing blurs the believer’s identity. Assurance is not grounded in subjective feeling but in remembering the historic, objective work of Christ (Hebrews 10:22).
2. Perseverance: Spiritual progress requires continual recollection of grace already received. Peter immediately follows λήθη with an exhortation to “be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Memory fuels diligence.
3. Covenant Motif: Throughout Scripture, God “remembers” His covenant (Genesis 9:15; Exodus 2:24), while His people are commanded to remember His acts. λήθη is the antithesis of covenant faithfulness.

Pastoral Application

• Preaching: Regular proclamation of the gospel keeps Christ’s cleansing central, countering λήθη in congregational life.
• Discipleship: Spiritual disciplines—Scripture meditation, the Lord’s Supper, corporate worship—function as divinely appointed memory aids.
• Counseling: Believers struggling with guilt or apathy are directed to remember their definitive cleansing, fostering gratitude-motivated obedience.

Connections with Other Biblical Themes

• Spiritual Blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 3:17): Peter links forgetfulness and impaired sight, underlining how neglect of redemption darkens perception.
• Renewal of the Mind (Romans 12:2): The antithesis to λήθη is an active, Spirit-enabled remembrance that transforms behavior.
• Memorial Signs (Joshua 4:7; Luke 22:19): Physical and liturgical memorials guard against corporate λήθη.

Historical Church Interpretation

Early fathers such as Origen saw in 2 Peter 1:9 a call to ongoing moral ascent grounded in baptismal cleansing. Reformers emphasized remembrance of justification to spur sanctification, aligning with Peter’s progression from faith to love. Contemporary expositors apply the verse to nominalism: forgetfulness of cleansing yields fruitlessness.

Illustrative Examples in Christian Ministry

• Baptismal Testimonies: Recounting conversion accounts publicly combats forgetfulness and encourages the saints.
• Annual Church Calendars: Observances like Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday strategically rehearse redemption.
• Personal Journaling: Recording answered prayers and Scripture insights creates a written antidote to λήθη.

λήθη thus serves as a concise New Testament warning: spiritual vitality depends on remembering the cleansing accomplished by Christ.

Forms and Transliterations

λήθη ληθην λήθην λήμμα λήμματα λήμματος λημμάτων lethen lēthēn lḗthen lḗthēn

Englishman's Concordance

2 Peter 1:9 N-AFS
GRK: ἐστιν μυωπάζων λήθην λαβὼν τοῦ
KJV: and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from
INT: he is short sighted forgetfulness having reveived the

Strong's Greek 3024
1 Occurrence

λήθην — 1 Occ.