Word study

Neglect

6 Hebrew and 6 Greek words behind this English word

The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: neglect, neglected, neglecting. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.

At a glance

How often each original word is translated “neglect” or one of its forms.

Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side

Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)

Greek words (New Testament)

  • ἀμελέω ameléōI neglecttranslated this way 2 times of its 4 uses · Strong’s G272Verb  ·  Translated: neglect 2, paid no attention 1, disregarded 1

    1 Timothy 4:14 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.

    Hebrews 2:3 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,

    Full study and all 4 verses →
  • ἐπιλανθάνομαι epilanthánomaiI forget, neglecttranslated this way 2 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s G1950Verb  ·  Translated: forgotten 2, neglect 2, forgot 1, Forgetting 1

    Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

    Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

    Full study and all 8 verses →
  • καταλείπω kataleípōI leave behind, abandontranslated this way 1 time of its 24 uses · Strong’s G2641Verb  ·  Translated: left 12, leave 4, Leaving 2

    Acts 6:2 So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.

    Full study and all 24 verses →
  • ἐγκαταλείπω enkataleípōI abandon, deserttranslated this way 1 time of its 10 uses · Strong’s G1459Verb  ·  Translated: forsaken 3, deserted 2

    Hebrews 10:25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

    Full study and all 10 verses →
  • ἀφίημι aphíēmiI send away, release, remit, forgive, permittranslated this way 1 time of its 142 uses · Strong’s G863Verb  ·  Translated: left 36, forgive 22, forgiven 22, let 12

    Matthew 23:23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

    Full study and all 130 verses →
  • παρίημι paríēmiI neglect, omit, slackentranslated this way 1 time of its 2 uses · Strong’s G3935Verb  ·  Translated: neglecting 1, limp 1

    Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

    Full study and all 2 verses →
How to study a word well
  1. Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
  2. Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
  3. Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
  4. Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
  5. See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
  6. Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
  7. Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.

Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.