ἐπιλησμονή (epilēsmonē)
epilēsmonē
forgetfulness
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 1 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun epilēsmonē denotes a state of forgetfulness or failing to remember. It appears only once in the New Testament, in James 1:25, where it describes the person who listens to the word but does not retain it. The text contrasts this individual with one who looks intently into the perfect law and keeps doing what it says.
Its meaning is straightforward: a lapse in memory that leads to inaction. In this context, it highlights the danger of hearing divine instruction without allowing it to shape behavior. The word underscores the gap between reception and retention, suggesting that true understanding requires active preservation of what has been heard.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word for forgetfulness appears just once in the New Testament, yet it carries a heavy warning. In James 1:25, it describes someone who hears divine instruction but fails to hold onto it. This is not a simple lapse of memory like forgetting where you put your keys. It is a spiritual drift that leaves the heart unchanged and the hands idle.
True faith requires more than just listening; it demands retention. When we allow God's word to settle in our minds, it naturally shapes how we live. This passage invites us to examine our own habits. Are we letting truth slip away, or are we actively keeping it close so it can bear fruit in our daily lives?
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- forgetful1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐπιλησμονῆς1×
Key Verses
-
James 1:25
But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.
This is the only occurrence of the word, where it defines the person who hears but does not retain God's instruction for action.