Greek word · G1950

ἐπιλανθάνω

epilanthanō

to forget

"To forget, to neglect, to overlook, to fail to attend to." It can mean losing something from memory, but it often means failing to act on what one knows.

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

ἐπι-λανθάνομαι

(alternative mid, form of ἐπιλήθω, to cause to forget) [in LXX chiefly for שָׁכַח ;]

to forget, neglect: with inf., Matthew 16:5, Mark 8:14; with genitive, Hebrews 6:10 13:2, 16; with accusative (as occasionally in cl.; MM, Exp., xiv), Philippians 3:13; ὁποῖος ἦν, James 1:24; pass. ptcp. (cf. Isaiah 23:16, Sirach 3:14 23:14, Wisdom of Solomon 2:4), Luke 12:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Hebrews 6:10

Range of meaning

"To forget, to neglect, to overlook, to fail to attend to." It can mean losing something from memory, but it often means failing to act on what one knows.

Against the English

"Forget" (BSB, KJV, NASB) is accurate. ESV's "overlook" brings out the sense of failing to take account of something.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the Hebrew Bible, when God "remembers" someone he acts on their behalf (Genesis 8:1; Exodus 2:24), and when he "forgets" he withholds help (Psalm 13:1). Nehemiah prays, "Remember me, O my God... do not wipe out my good deeds" (Nehemiah 13:14). Hebrews 13:2 and 13:16 use the same verb: "do not neglect hospitality", "do not neglect doing good and sharing".

From the study of Hebrews 13:2

Range of meaning

To forget. More often, to neglect: to let something slip out of mind so that it goes undone. It takes its object in the genitive case.

Against the English

KJV 'Be not forgetful', NIV/WEB 'do not forget' and NLT 'Don't forget' stay close to the word. BSB/ESV/NASB 'do not neglect' bring out the practical sense. Both are fair. 'Forget' keeps the link to the word-root that comes back in elathon.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrews uses it at 6:10 ('God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love you showed… in serving the saints') and at 13:16 ('do not neglect to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is pleased'). LXX usage often has Israel 'forgetting' God's commands or deeds (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:12; Psalm 103:2 [102:2 LXX]).

From the study of Hebrews 13:16

Range of meaning

To forget. By extension, to neglect or leave something undone because it has fallen out of mind or out of care.

Against the English

BSB/ESV/NASB 'neglect' gets the practical point but hides the literal 'forget'. KJV, NIV, WEB and YLT keep 'forget', which keeps the verbal echoes inside Hebrews.

Used elsewhere in the period

Heb 6:10: 'God is not unjust so as to forget (epilathesthai) your work and the love you showed… having served and still serving the saints.' Heb 13:2: 'Do not forget hospitality' (same command form). Elsewhere in the NT see Jas 1:24 and Phil 3:13.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 16:5 ἐπελάθοντο they forgot

    When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread.

    Here: "They forgot." A plain, everyday oversight: nobody remembered to bring provisions. In Greek the aorist can stand for an action already completed earlier, so "they had forgotten" (KJV, WEB) is a fair rendering.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 8:14 ἐπελάθοντο they forgot

    Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat.

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 12:6 ἐπιλελησμένον forgotten

    Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

    Here: A perfect passive participle: 'in a state of having been forgotten'. No sparrow ever ends up in that condition. In biblical usage, to forget means to neglect or abandon, not only a lapse of memory.

Philippians · 1

  1. Philippians 3:13 ἐπιλανθανόμενος, forgetting,

    Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,

    Here: The present participle describes something ongoing: 'continually forgetting'. It means refusing to let the past occupy his attention or count in his favour. It does not mean losing the memory, since Paul has just recited his past in detail.

Hebrews · 3

  1. Hebrews 6:10 ἐπιλαθέσθαι to forget

    For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.

    Here: An infinitive that spells out what injustice would look like: "not unjust so as to forget". To forget would be to let their deeds go unacknowledged and unanswered.

  2. Hebrews 13:2 ἐπιλανθάνεσθε· do forget;

    Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

    Here: 'Forget' in the practical sense: to let something drop out of mind and so leave it undone. The same verb appears in 13:16 ('do not neglect doing good and sharing'). Its root, lanth-, 'escape notice', comes back a few words later in elathon.

  3. Hebrews 13:16 ἐπιλανθάνεσθε· do be forgetful;

    And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

    Here: A present-tense command: 'don't be forgetting'. It warns against generosity slowly slipping out of mind and out of practice. It repeats the wording of 13:2 ('do not forget hospitality') and turns around 6:10, where God 'will not forget' their service to the saints.

James · 1

  1. James 1:24 ἐπελάθετο he has forgotten

    and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

    Here: He forgot. The aorist again presents a single complete act. Verse 25 shows the word carries moral weight: the 'forgetful hearer' is someone who lets what he heard drop out of his life, not someone with a bad memory.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.