Greek word · G272

ἀμελέω

ameleō

to neglect

Not to care about, to neglect, to be unconcerned with, to leave unattended. The opposite of melei, 'it is a concern to'.

Appears 4 times in 4 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 30, 2026

What it means

ἀμελέω, -ῶ

(μέλει), [in LXX: Jeremiah 4:17 (מָרָה) Jeremiah 31:32 (בַּעַל), Wisdom of Solomon 3:10, 2Ma.4:14 * ;]

(a) absol., to be careless, not to care: Matthew 22:5;

(b) with genitive, to be careless of, to neglect: 1 Timothy 4:14, Hebrews 2:3 8:9 (see MM, VGT, see word).†

(AS)

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

Range of meaning: Not to care about, to neglect, to be unconcerned with, to leave unattended. The opposite of melei, 'it is a concern to'.
Against the English: KJV 'regarded them not', BSB/WEB 'disregarded them', NASB 'did not care for them', NIV 'turned away from them', NLT 'turned my back on them'. Some of these sound like an emotional rejection or indifference. The Greek means taking away care and protection. In Jeremiah's setting that meant letting the covenant curses take effect: invasion and exile.
How it drifted: 'Disregarded' can suggest that God stopped noticing or stopped caring about Israel at all. The same oracle goes on to promise a new covenant with the same people, so the neglect is a judgement that has a limit, not abandonment.
Used elsewhere in the period: Matt 22:5 (wedding guests 'paid no attention'); 1 Tim 4:14 ('do not neglect the gift'); Hebrews 2:3: 'how shall we escape if we neglect (amelēsantes) so great a salvation?'

Range of meaning: To be unconcerned about, disregard, neglect, leave uncared for. It is the negative of melei, 'it is a concern to'.
Against the English: 'Neglect' (KJV, BSB, WEB) fits well. YLT's 'be not careless of' keeps the root idea of not-caring and the link to v. 15.
Used elsewhere in the period: Matt 22:5 (wedding guests 'paid no attention' and went off to their farms); Heb 2:3 ('if we neglect so great a salvation'); Heb 8:9, quoting LXX Jer 38:32 (God 'disregarded' faithless Israel). In everyday Greek papyri it is used for neglecting duties, property or work.

Range of meaning: Formed from a- ("not") plus melei ("it is a concern to"). It means not to care about, to disregard, to be careless with, to let something lapse. The neglect can be of duties, property, people or gifts. It describes indifference more than open hostility, though indifference can be just as fatal.
Against the English: "Neglect" (KJV, BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB) is accurate. "Ignore" (NIV, NLT) is close but can sound like a deliberate snub. In popular preaching the verse is often heard as "if we reject salvation," and that is a stronger, different word. The Greek pictures people who have the message but let it slide.
How it drifted: No drift in the English word itself. The shift happens in use: the verse gets quoted as if "neglect" meant "refuse to accept."
Used elsewhere in the period: Matt 22:5: guests invited to the wedding "paid no attention" (amelēsantes) and went off to their farms and businesses. They were not hostile, just preoccupied. 1 Tim 4:14: "do not neglect the gift in you." Heb 8:9, quoting Jer 31:32 in the Greek Old Testament: because Israel did not stay in the covenant, "I disregarded (ēmelēsa) them." The same verb is used of God's response. Wisdom 3:10: the ungodly "neglected the righteous and rebelled against the Lord." In the papyri it is common for neglecting an obligation.

Matthew · 1

Matthew 22:5 ἀμελήσαντες having paid no attention

But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business.

Here: Literally 'having not-cared'. They shrugged the summons off as unimportant. This is indifference, not open hostility, which comes in v.6. The participle gives the attitude that sends them away.

1 Timothy · 1

1 Timothy 4:14 ἀμέλει do be negligent

Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.

Here: Literally 'to not care about' (a- 'not' + the root for 'care'). It describes drift and inattention more than open rejection. The present tense points to a continuing habit of mind rather than one act. It is answered in the next verse by meleta, 'take care of / practise these things', from the same root.

Hebrews · 2

Hebrews 2:3 ἀμελήσαντες having neglected

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,

Here: "Having treated it as no concern of ours." This is careless disregard, not open defiance. It picks up the "drifting away" of 2:1. The participle works as a condition: "if we neglect."
Hebrews 8:9 ἠμέλησα disregarded

It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not abide by My covenant, and I disregarded them, declares the Lord.

Here: 'I stopped looking after them / left them to themselves'. God withdrew the protective care he had given. For Jeremiah's hearers this was the disaster of conquest and exile. The Hebrew of Jeremiah reads differently ('I was a husband to them'; see notes).

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