Lexical Summary nashah: To forget, to cause to forget Original Word: נָשָׁה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance forget, deprive, exact A primitive root; to forget; figuratively, to neglect; causatively, to remit, remove -- forget, deprive, exact. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to forget NASB Translation forget (2), forgets (1), forgotten (2), surely forget (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs III. [נָשָׁא] forget, see II. נָשָׁה. below II. [נָשָׁה] verb forget (Late Hebrew id.; Assyrian nišîtu perhaps forgottenness DlHWB 486; Aramaic נְשָׁא (especially Ithpe`el, Aph`el), Qal Perfect1singular וְנָשִׁיתִי אֶתְכֶם נָשׁאֹ Jeremiah 23:39 I will forget you finally (but ᵐ5 ᵑ9 ᵑ6 Che Gie וְנָשָׂאתִי, followed by וְנָטַשְׁתִּי as Jeremiah 23:33 b, see III. מַשָּׂא); נָשִׁיתִי טוֺבָה Lamentations 3:17 I have forgotten prosperity; Imperfect1singular הַאֶשֶּׁה shall I forget ? i.e. overlook, read by We Micah 6:10 plausibly for ᵑ0 הַאִשׁ; Infinitive absolute א) נָשׁאֹ ׳(ל Jeremiah 23:39 (see above). Niph`al Imperfect2masculine singular suffix תִּנָּשֵׁנִי Isaiah 44:21 thou shalt not be forgotten of me, but dubious; Ges§ 117* תִּנְשֵׁנִי (Qal); CheHpt תִּטְּשֵׁנִי (compare Deuteronomy 32:15). Pi`el Perfect3masculine singular suffix נַשַּׁ֫נִי Genesis 41:51 (E) God hath made me forget + accusative of thing (ַ֯ in 1st syllable only here, influence of מְנַשֶּׁה Ges§ 52m). Hiph`il Perfect3masculine singular suffix הִשָּׁהּ חָכְמָה Job 39:17 God caused her (the ostrich) to forget wisdom, i.e. did not endow her with it. Imperfect יַשֶּׁה לְךָ מִןֿ Job 11:6 Eloah allows a part of thy guilt to be forgotten thee, i.e. does not reckon it to thee in full (ᵐ5 = יִשְׁוֶה לְךָ מֵאֱלוֺהַּ כַּעֲוֺנֶ֑ךָ [Du] there is equivalent to thee from Eloah, according to thine iniquity, compare Bi CheJob and Solomon; Bu reads נָשָׁה for יַשֶּׁה; Du rejects ver. as gloss). Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 5382 portrays the act of forgetting, causing to forget, or withholding understanding. Although the verb appears only six times, it spans the narrative, wisdom, prophetic, and poetic literature, generating a rich biblical theology of memory and oblivion. The term is used of both God and humanity, revealing how forgetfulness may become a grace that heals past wounds, a judgment that removes covenant privileges, or a limitation divinely imposed upon the proud. Occurrences and Thematic Emphases 1. Genesis 41:51 – Joseph declares, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.” Forgetting here is therapeutic, freeing Joseph to embrace his God-given future in Egypt without bitterness toward his past. Narrative Significance: Joseph and the Gift of Healing Forgetfulness Joseph’s naming of Manasseh marks the first biblical instance. The verb captures the moment when personal suffering is eclipsed by divine blessing. The hardships—betrayal, enslavement, imprisonment—are not erased from history, yet the sting is removed. Forgetfulness becomes a grace that prevents past trauma from crippling future obedience. Pastoral ministry can draw on this example when helping believers process pain: God may not alter history, but He can alter its emotional grip. Wisdom Literature: Forgetfulness as Mercy and Limitation In Job 11:6, Zophar mistakenly presumes Job’s guilt, yet he correctly identifies God’s mercy in “overlooking” sin. Even a rebuke mingled with error preserves the truth that God’s judgment is tempered by compassion. Job 39:17 moves from moral to intellectual limitation: the ostrich lacks understanding because God has withheld it. Forgetting or depriving is therefore not accidental; it is purposeful and measured, humbling human pride and highlighting the wisdom gap between Creator and creature. Prophetic Usage: Divine Remembering and Forgetting Isaiah 44:21 and Jeremiah 23:39 present complementary sides of covenant theology. The same Lord who pledges, “I will never forget you,” also threatens, “I will surely forget you.” The deciding factor is covenant fidelity. When Israel clings to the Lord, His remembering secures her future; when leaders distort His word, divine forgetfulness sends them into exile. The verb thus reinforces both assurance and warning: God’s memory is covenant-conditioned, not capricious. Poetic Lament: The Psychology of Judgment Lamentations 3:17 depicts a people so devastated that well-being is no longer imaginable. Forgetfulness becomes an internal symptom of external desolation. Past prosperity fades from communal memory, accentuating the depth of loss. Yet the very chapter that records this amnesia also proclaims, “The LORD’s loving devotion never ends; His mercies never fail” (Lamentations 3:22). The antidote to destructive forgetfulness is deliberate recall of God’s steadfast love. Theological Trajectory 1. Grace removes the sting of the past (Genesis 41:51). Together these trajectories reveal a God who actively governs memory and forgetfulness to accomplish redemptive purposes. He can cause His servants to forget pain, choose to forget sin, refuse to forget His people, or decree a forgetting that signifies rejection. Pastoral and Ministry Implications • Healing of Memories: Joseph’s experience offers hope that God can transform painful recollections, enabling believers to serve without the paralysis of resentment. Christological and New Covenant Connections Hebrews 10:17 cites Jeremiah 31:34, “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” The New Covenant consummates the gracious dimension of נָשָׁה by promising divine forgetfulness of forgiven sin. Simultaneously, believers are commanded to “remember the Lord Jesus” in the Supper (1 Corinthians 11:24–26), showing that the cross anchors memory even as sin is cast into divine forgetfulness. Thus, through Christ, God forgets guilt but ensures that redemption itself is never forgotten. Summary Strong’s Hebrew 5382 weaves a tapestry in which forgetting can comfort, humble, warn, or heal. Whether it is Joseph’s personal relief, the ostrich’s imposed ignorance, or God’s covenant dealings with Israel, each occurrence magnifies divine sovereignty over human memory. For the church today, this verb urges gratitude for sins forgotten through Christ, vigilance against behaviors that provoke divine forgetfulness, and hope that painful memories can be eclipsed by grace. Forms and Transliterations הִשָּׁ֣הּ השה וְנָשִׁ֥יתִי ונשיתי יַשֶּׁ֥ה ישה נַשַּׁ֤נִי נָשִׁ֥יתִי נשיתי נשני תִנָּשֵֽׁנִי׃ תנשני׃ hiš·šāh hishShah hiššāh nā·šî·ṯî naš·ša·nî naShiti nashShani nāšîṯî naššanî ṯin·nā·šê·nî ṯinnāšênî tinnaSheni venaShiti wə·nā·šî·ṯî wənāšîṯî yaš·šeh yashSheh yaššehLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 41:51 HEB: מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה כִּֽי־ נַשַּׁ֤נִי אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־ NAS: For, [he said], God has made me forget all KJV: For God, [said he], hath made me forget all my toil, INT: Manasseh for forget God all Job 11:6 Job 39:17 Isaiah 44:21 Jeremiah 23:39 Lamentations 3:17 6 Occurrences |
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forget; Arabic 
forget, neglect; compare Ethiopic 
ignoscere, condonare, indulgere Di633); —