Word Study for G3415 (μνάομαι)

mnáomai /mnah'-om-ahee/ Ask about this word

Rootmiddle voice of a derivative of μένω or perhaps of the base of μασσάομαι (through the idea of fixture in the mind or of mental grasp)

Meaningto bear in mind, i.e. recollect; by implication, to reward or punish

KJV usagebe mindful, remember, come (have) in remembrance. Compare μιμνήσκω.

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of mnáomai — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Greek word mnáomai, represented by G3415, means to bear in mind or recollect. It appears 21 times across 21 unique verses in the Bible. The term carries the idea of a fixture in the mind or a mental grasp, and by implication, it can refer to the act of rewarding or punishing based on what is remembered.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In the biblical narrative, G3415 is used to describe several forms of remembrance. It is used when the disciples remembered Jesus's words after a significant event, such as when he cleansed the temple John 2:17 or after his resurrection John 2:22. It is also used as a plea for divine favor, as when the thief on the cross asks Jesus, "remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom" Luke 23:42. The term also describes God's action, such as when the prayers and alms of Cornelius are had in remembrance in the sight of God Acts 10:31, or when Great Babylon came in remembrance before God to receive judgment Revelation 16:19.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words illuminate the concept of what is being remembered or brought to mind:

G4487 rhēma (an utterance): This term is frequently the object of remembrance. The apostles were to be mindful of the words spoken by the prophets 2 Peter 3:2, and Peter remembered the word of Jesus regarding his denial Matthew 26:75.
G1242 diathḗkē (covenant): God's remembrance is directly tied to His promises. God's mercy is performed in order to remember his holy covenant Luke 1:72.
G1656 éleos (mercy): This word is closely linked to God's remembrance as a foundational aspect of His character. God helped Israel in remembrance of his mercy Luke 1:54.
G266 hamartía (a sin): God's act of forgetting is a crucial part of His new covenant. He promises that their sins and iniquities He will remember no more Hebrews 10:17.

Theological Significance

The theological weight of G3415 is significant, highlighting key aspects of the relationship between God and humanity.

Covenant Fidelity: God's remembrance is an expression of His faithfulness to His promises. He acts to perform mercy G1656 and to remember His holy covenant G1242 with His people Luke 1:72.
Divine Forgiveness: The concept is powerfully used in the negative to express salvation. In the new covenant, God declares He will be merciful G2436 and that He will remember their sins G266 and iniquities G458 no more Hebrews 8:12. This act of "not remembering" is central to grace.
Human Responsibility: For believers, remembering is an act of faith and obedience. The disciples remembered Jesus's words and then believed G4100 the scripture John 2:22. Paul praises G1867 the Corinthians because they remember him and keep G2722 the ordinances 1 Corinthians 11:2.

Summary

In summary, G3415 moves beyond simple recollection to become a word of profound action and consequence. It encompasses God's covenant loyalty and His provision of mercy, often expressed by His choice to remember His promises and forget the sins of His people. For humanity, to remember is to hold fast to the words of God and the apostles, forming a cornerstone of an active and obedient faith.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Greek New Testament, this word appears as a verb across 23 occurrences, inflected in 14 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it. These are this word’s own inflections, not words built from it — for those, see Related Words.

ἐμνήσθησαν
μνησθῆναι
μνήσθητε
μνήσθητι
ἐμνήσθη
ἐμνήσθημεν
ἐμνήσθην
μνησθῶ
μνησθῇς
μνησθήσομαι
μέμνησθε
μεμνημένος
μιμνῄσκεσθε
μιμνῄσκῃ

Related Words

2 entries in Strong’s name this word as their origin. These are its derivatives — a different relationship from the inflected forms above, which are this same word bent by grammar.

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 21 verses across 10 of the 27 books. Most frequent in Luke (6 verses); never once in the other 17.

Matthew

Luke

John

Acts

1 Corinthians

2 Timothy

Hebrews

2 Peter

Jude

Revelation

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.