← G3419 G3421 →

μνήμη

mnḗmē

G3420 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Memory; the faculty or act of remembering, the recollection or remembrance of persons, events, or actions. In various contexts, it can denote both the capacity to recall past events and the act of commemorating or recalling something or someone to mind, either personally or collectively.

Semantic Range

memory; faculty of remembering; act of recalling; remembrance (personal or communal); commemoration; memorial

Root / Etymology

From the verbal root μνα- as found in μιμνήσκω ('to remind, cause to remember, recollect'), with the suffix -η marking a feminine abstract noun. Thus, μνήμη denotes the state, condition, or act of remembering.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, μνήμη denotes both individual memory (i.e., the mental faculty of recollection) and the act of remembering or commemoration, often in poetic, philosophical, and rhetorical contexts. The term is frequently contrasted with λήθη ('forgetfulness, oblivion'), denoting the deliberate or unintentional loss of memory. In the Hellenistic and Koine periods, including the Septuagint and the New Testament, μνήμη continues to denote personal recollection but acquires significant usage for collective or ritual remembrance (e.g., recalling the deeds of ancestors, remembering divine acts). In some Septuagint passages, μνήμη translates Hebrew זֵכֶר (zekher, 'remembrance, memorial'), relating to both commemoration and perpetuation of memory. In the New Testament, μνήμη most commonly refers to the act of remembering or recalling—either by God (not forgetting a person or deed) or by people (commemoration of the dead, recalling the past). English translations such as 'memory,' 'remembrance,' or 'memorial' approximate the term but may not capture its full resonance of both personal mental activity and communal, sometimes ritual, recollection.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from μιμνήσκω; memory:--remembrance.

Root Family

μνη- (mneía) — to remember, to mention, to recall

Root μνη- to remember, to recall, to call to mind
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
G3417 μνεία in remembrance
G3418 μνῆμα memorial tomb

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G3420-01 μνήμην mnemen N ACC F SG remembrance remembrance remembrance 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G3420-01 2 Peter 1:15 μνήμην mnemen N ACC F SG remembrance remembrance remembrance
← G3419 Greek Lexicon G3421 →