5382. nashah
Lexical Summary
nashah: To forget, to cause to forget

Original Word: נָשָׁה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: nashah
Pronunciation: naw-shaw'
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-shaw')
KJV: forget, deprive, exact
NASB: forget, forgotten, forgets, surely forget
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to forget
2. (figuratively) to neglect
3. causatively, to remit, remove

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 Origin
a 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), forget; Arabic forget, neglect; compare Ethiopic ignoscere, condonare, indulgere Di633); —

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 ׳ 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.
2. Job 11:6 – Zophar insists that God “has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity.” Forgetting functions as restrained judgment; God does not exact the full penalty Job deserves.
3. Job 39:17 – Regarding the ostrich, “God has deprived her of wisdom.” The withholding of insight underscores divine sovereignty; ignorance is granted or withheld at God’s prerogative.
4. Isaiah 44:21 – The Lord comforts Israel: “I will never forget you.” Divine non-forgetfulness guarantees covenant fidelity and becomes the basis for Israel’s hope of restoration.
5. Jeremiah 23:39 – In contrast, the Lord warns false prophets, “I will surely forget you and cast you out of My presence.” Forgetting here signifies covenant exile and the loss of divine favor.
6. Lamentations 3:17 – Jeremiah laments, “I have forgotten what prosperity is.” National catastrophe produces a felt amnesia of peace, illustrating the experiential dimension of judgment.

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).
2. Mercy withholds full judgment (Job 11:6).
3. Sovereignty limits human wisdom (Job 39:17).
4. Fidelity guarantees divine remembrance (Isaiah 44:21).
5. Apostasy incurs divine forgetfulness (Jeremiah 23:39).
6. Judgment produces experiential amnesia (Lamentations 3:17).

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.
• Assurance of Forgiveness: God’s willingness to “overlook” iniquity encourages penitents to trust His grace while still pursuing holiness.
• Sobriety about Apostasy: Jeremiah’s warning reminds leaders that persistent rebellion can lead to divine dismissal, a forgetting that removes both position and presence.
• Instruction about Humility: The ostrich’s lack of wisdom cautions against boasting in innate abilities; insight is a stewardship, not an entitlement.
• Cultivating Remembrance: Since forgetting prosperity can accompany suffering, corporate worship should rehearse God’s past faithfulness, guarding the congregation from despair.

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 yaššeh
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Englishman'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
HEB: וְדַ֡ע כִּֽי־ יַשֶּׁ֥ה לְךָ֥ אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַ
NAS: then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.
KJV: therefore that God exacteth of thee [less] than thine iniquity
INT: Know for forgets God of your iniquity

Job 39:17
HEB: כִּֽי־ הִשָּׁ֣הּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ חָכְמָ֑ה
NAS: God has made her forget wisdom,
KJV: Because God hath deprived her of wisdom,
INT: Because her forget God wisdom

Isaiah 44:21
HEB: יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א תִנָּשֵֽׁנִי׃
NAS: O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me.
KJV: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
INT: Israel not will not be forgotten

Jeremiah 23:39
HEB: לָכֵ֣ן הִנְנִ֔י וְנָשִׁ֥יתִי אֶתְכֶ֖ם נָשֹׁ֑א
NAS: behold, I will surely forget you and cast you away
KJV: Therefore, behold, I, even I, will utterly forget you, and I will forsake
INT: Therefore behold will surely will utterly and cast

Lamentations 3:17
HEB: מִשָּׁל֛וֹם נַפְשִׁ֖י נָשִׁ֥יתִי טוֹבָֽה׃
NAS: from peace; I have forgotten happiness.
KJV: from peace: I forgat prosperity.
INT: peace my soul have forgotten prosperity

6 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5382
6 Occurrences


hiš·šāh — 1 Occ.
nā·šî·ṯî — 1 Occ.
naš·ša·nî — 1 Occ.
ṯin·nā·šê·nî — 1 Occ.
wə·nā·šî·ṯî — 1 Occ.
yaš·šeh — 1 Occ.

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