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מְנַשֶּׁה

𐤌𐤍𐤔𐤄

Menasheh

H4519 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נשה to forget, to neglect, to cause forgetfulness

Definition

Menashsheh is a proper noun referring to (1) a leading Israelite male figure, the elder son of Yosef (Joseph), born in Egypt before the family's migration, and regarded as the founder of one of the twelve Israelite tribes; (2) the tribe that claims descent from him; and (3) the land apportioned to that tribe, which, after the settlement in Canaan, included significant territories on both the western and eastern sides of the Jordan River. The semantic range includes the individual Menashsheh, the collective tribal identity, and the tribal territory.

Semantic Range

Menashsheh (individual son of Yosef), eponymous ancestor of a tribe, the tribe descended from him, the territory allotted to the tribe, by metonymy the population/society of the territory

Root / Etymology

The name מְנַשֶּׁה is derived from the root נ־שׁ־ה (נשה), which has the basic sense of 'to forget' or 'to make forget.' The form is a hiphil participle, conveying the sense 'one who causes to forget.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the narrative of Genesis (Gen 41:51), the name is etymologized as Yosef's declaration that 'Elohim has made me forget (נַשַּׁנִי) all my hardship and my father's house,' though this etymology reflects a theological or literary motivation rather than strict linguistic evidence. Menashsheh emerges as a key patriarchal ancestor for one of the principal Israelite tribes, whose inheritance straddles the Jordan River, giving rise to the subdivisions of East and West Menashsheh (cf. Josh 17; Num 32). The tribal territory played important roles in both the united monarchy and subsequent territorial divisions. In later periods (e.g., post-exilic, Second Temple), the land designation persists as a regional identifier, even as tribal affiliations became less distinct. English Bibles frequently use "Manasseh" for both the person and the tribal unit, but this name is a transliteration, not a functional translation. The meaning "causing to forget" is relevant primarily within the Genesis naming narrative and not in subsequent historical usage. The term does not bear connotations of later religious or ethnic identities such as "Jew/Judean." Contrast with related proper names which also use participle forms from Hebrew roots as meaningful name-giving conventions in biblical Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from נָשָׁה; causing to forget; Menashsheh, a grandson of Jacob, also the tribe descended from him, and its territory; Manasseh.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נשה (n-š-h) — to forget, to neglect, to cause forgetfulness

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3449 יִשִּׁיָּה And Yahweh-will-lend
H4520 מְנַשִּׁי the Manassite
H4855 מַשָּׁא the loan
H4860 מַשָּׁאוֹן in treachery
H4874 מַשֶּׁה debt-of

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4519-05 מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer 112
H4519-02 הַֽ/מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה hamenasheh HTd/Np of Manasseh the Forgetting-Causer 12
H4519-07 וּ/מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה umenasheh HC/Np and Manasseh and Forgetfulness-Causer 11
H4519-03 לִ/מְנַשֶּׁ֕ה limenasheh HR/Np to Manasseh to the Forget-Causer 5
H4519-08 וּ/מִֽ/מְּנַשֶּׁ֞ה umimenasheh HC/R/Np from Manasseh and from Forgetting-One 1
H4519-04 מְ me HNp Manasseh Forget-Causer 1
H4519-06 מִֽ/מְּנַשֶּׁ֡ה mimenasheh HR/Np from Manasseh from Forget-Causer 1
H4519-10 וְ/לִ/מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה velimenasheh HC/R/Np and to Manasseh and to the Forgetfulness-Causer 1
H4519-09 וְ/כִ/מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה vekhimenasheh HC/R/Np and like Manasseh and like Forget-Causer 1
H4519-01 בִּ/מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה bimenasheh HR/Np in Manasseh in Forget-causer 1

Occurrences in Scripture

146 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4519-05 Genesis 41:51 מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 46:20 מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:1 מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-07 Genesis 48:5 וּ/מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה umenasheh HC/Np and Manasseh and Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:13 מְנַשֶּׁ֥ה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:14 מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה menasheh HNp Manasseh's Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:14 מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה menasheh-2 HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:17 מְנַשֶּֽׁה menasheh HNp of Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
H4519-09 Genesis 48:20 וְ/כִ/מְנַשֶּׁ֑ה vekhimenasheh HC/R/Np and like Manasseh and like Forget-Causer
H4519-05 Genesis 48:20 מְנַשֶּֽׁה menasheh HNp Manasseh Forgetfulness-Causer
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