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G1585 · Greek · New Testament
ἐκλανθάνομαι
Eklanthanomai
Verb
To forget completely, be utterly oblivious

Definition

The Greek verb eklanthanomai is an intensive compound of ek (completely) and lanthanomai (to forget), meaning to completely forget or be utterly oblivious. It appears only once in the NT (Hebrews 12:5), where the author quotes Proverbs 3:11 exhorting believers not to completely forget the Lord's exhortation when disciplined.

Usage & Theological Significance

Hebrews 12 is one of the NT's most sustained passages on divine discipline (paideia). The author quotes Proverbs 3:11-12 and warns against two opposite errors: (1) despising discipline (treating it lightly), and (2) eklanthanomai — forgetting the exhortation entirely when fainting under hardship. Both extremes miss the point of suffering. God's discipline is proof of sonship (Hebrews 12:7-8). Pain in the life of a believer is not evidence of divine abandonment but of divine parenting. To completely forget this truth is to lose the interpretive key for understanding suffering and to miss the formation God is working through it.

Key Bible Verses

Hebrews 12:5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, 'My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline.'
Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline, and do not resent his rebuke.
Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Job 5:17 Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

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External Resources

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