Lexical Summary
natash: To leave, forsake, abandon, permit, spread out
Original Word:נָטַשׁ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:natash
Pronunciation:naw-tash'
Phonetic Spelling:(naw-tash')
KJV: cast off, drawn, let fall, forsake, join (battle), leave (off), lie still, loose, spread (self) abroad, stretch out, suffer
NASB:abandon, spread, abandoned, left, forsake, forsaken, leave
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to pound, i.e. smite
2. (by implication) (as if beating out, and thus expanding) to disperse
3. also, to thrust off, down, out or upon (inclusively, reject, let alone, permit, remit, etc.)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cast off, drawn, let fall, forsake, join battle, leave off, lie still, loose,
A primitive root; properly, to pound, i.e. Smite; by implication (as if beating out, and thus expanding) to disperse; also, to thrust off, down, out or upon (inclusively, reject, let alone, permit, remit, etc.) -- cast off, drawn, let fall, forsake, join (battle), leave (off), lie still, loose, spread (self) abroad, stretch out, suffer.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto leave, forsake, permit
NASB Translationabandon (7), abandoned (5), allow (1), cast away (1), ceased (1), drawn (1), fall (1), forego (1), forsake (3), forsaken (2), forsook (1), hangs slack (1), leave (2), left (5), lie fallow (1), neglected (1), spread (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(
forsake; draw off skin of dead animal; Arabic
=
abstinens ab impuro according to
†am (Frey)); —
Perfect3masculine singular1 Samuel 10:2, suffix 1pluralJudges 6:13; 2masculine singular1 Samuel 17:28,Isaiah 2:6, suffixGenesis 31:28, consecutiveExodus 23:11, etc.;Imperfect1 Samuel 12:22;Psalm 94:14,Hosea 12:15, suffix 1plural1 Kings 8:57; 1pluralNehemiah 10:32, etc.;ImperativeProverbs 17:14;Passive participle feminineIsaiah 21:15; masculine plural1 Samuel 30:16; —
leave, let aloneExodus 23:11 (E; = let field lie fallow, "" ), compareNehemiah 10:32 (i.e. leave field fallow and debts unclaimed); object quails,let them lie, ( location)Numbers 11:31 (JE), of Amalekites1 Samuel 30:16left to themselves over all the land;Hosea 12:15 and his mortal guiltshall he leave upon him; leave in charge of,entrust to ( person): sheep1 Samuel 17:20,28; baggage1 Samuel 17:22.
usuallyforsake, abandon,1 Samuel 10:2 thy fatherhath abandoned the matter of the asses (ceased to be concerned about them);Proverbs 17:14abandon contention; often subject with accusative of personJudges 6:13;Isaiah 2:6;1 Samuel 12:22;1 Kings 8:57 ("" )2 Kings 21:14;Jeremiah 7:29;Jeremiah 12:7 ("" ),Jeremiah 23:33,39;Psalm 27:9 ("" ),Psalm 94:14 (""id.); of leaving Phar. forsaken (on ground, compareEzekiel 29:5 (+ locative),Ezekiel 32:4 (+ location); abandoning the sanctuary at ShilohPsalm 78:60; of menforsaking GodDeuteronomy 32:15 (poem),Jeremiah 15:6; compareProverbs 1:8;Proverbs 6:20; of menabandoning king (under figure of cedar)Ezekiel 31:12 (twice in verse).
permit, onlyGenesis 31:28 (E)and hast not permitted me to kiss my sons, etc. — For1 Samuel 4:2 read probably ( ) Dr Klo Bu, or <grew fierce HPS (Löhr proposes compareJudges 15:9 etc.). ForIsaiah 21:15 ("" ) read perhaps .
Perfect3feminine singularAmos 5:2; 3pluralIsaiah 16:8;Isaiah 33:23;Imperfect3masculine pluralJudges 15:9 2t.; —
be forsaken,Amos 5:2she (Israel)lieth forsaken ( location).
be loosened orloose (properlybe let alone, left to hang down) of ship's tackleIsaiah 33:23.
be let go, spread abroad, of warriors,Judges 15:19;2 Samuel 5:18,22 (all with location, for purpose of plunder); of tendrils of vineIsaiah 16:8 (figurative of Moab).
Perfect onlyIsaiah 32:14palaces are abandoned, deserted ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewנָטַשׁ (natash, Strong’s H5203) describes the deliberate act of loosening one’s hold—leaving, abandoning, letting alone, or permitting something to lie fallow. The word appears about forty times, scattered through the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets, and in each setting it highlights the moral weight of relinquishing responsibility or relationship.
Covenantal Faithlessness
Natash is often used to expose Israel’s spiritual betrayal.
•Deuteronomy 32:15 shows the tragedy of prosperity without gratitude: “then he abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.”
•2 Kings 21:22 records royal apostasy: “He abandoned the LORD, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the LORD.”
•Jeremiah 17:13 warns that “all who abandon You will be put to shame.”
Each instance ties abandonment of the LORD to inevitable judgment, underlining that covenant loyalty is never optional.
Divine Faithfulness
By glorious contrast, the same verb reveals God’s steadfast commitment.
•1 Samuel 12:22: “For the LORD will not abandon His people, because of His great name.”
•Nehemiah 9:17 praises God who “did not abandon them.”
Where humans forsake, the LORD refuses to loosen His grip, providing the Old Testament foundation for the promise inHebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Sabbath and Stewardship of Land
Natash can mean “let rest,” anchoring Israel’s agricultural ethics.
•Exodus 23:11: “in the seventh year you must let the land rest and lie fallow so that the poor among your people may eat.”
Releasing the land reminded Israel that the earth is the LORD’s; yielding profit to mercy testified that faith trusts God more than continual cultivation.
Military and Civil Affairs
The verb appears in contexts of strategy, logistics, and property.
•Exodus 9:21: “those who disregarded the word of the LORD left their servants and livestock in the field,” exposing unbelief.
• David’s campaigns (e.g.,2 Samuel 5:23;2 Samuel 15:16) record men or possessions “left” behind, illustrating calculated risk or abdication of duty. Whether prudent or faithless, the act of leaving carries moral resonance.
Prophetic Pictures of Desolation
Prophets employ natash to paint the aftermath of judgment.
•Isaiah 32:14: “For the palace will be abandoned, the busy city deserted.”
•Jeremiah 12:7: “I have abandoned My house; I have given the beloved of My soul into the hands of her enemies.”
Such images dramatize the cost of persistent sin: the once-cherished becomes forsaken.
Wisdom and Family Instruction
Proverbs presses the term into daily discipleship.
•Proverbs 4:2: “For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my instruction.”
•Proverbs 10:17 (conceptually parallel) sets life and death before the student. Forsaking godly counsel is equated with rejecting life itself.
Creation Imagery
Job uses natash to describe the ostrich: “she leaves her eggs on the ground” (Job 39:14). The scene juxtaposes natural neglect with God’s unfailing oversight, magnifying the Creator’s providence even when His creatures are heedless.
Theological and Ministry Implications
1. The verb exposes the seriousness of forsaking God, people, or obligations; ministry that tolerates neglect contradicts God’s character.
2. God’s refusal to abandon His own fuels assurance. Shepherds may echo Paul’s confidence: “He who calls you is faithful” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
3. Practicing Sabbath principles—periodic release of resources, schedule, and soil—embodies trust and compassion, guarding leaders from using people or land to exhaustion.
4. In preaching, natash supplies both warning and comfort: warning against drifting, comfort that the Chief Shepherd never drifts from His flock.
Christological Perspective
At the cross Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46), experiencing the abandonment sinners deserved so that those who believe would never be abandoned. Thus natash, in its bleakest sense, is ultimately answered in the gospel: the Son was forsaken that many sons and daughters might be embraced forever.
Summary
Natash weaves through Scripture as a moral thread: what we leave behind reveals what we value; whom we forsake discloses whom we serve. The word calls God’s people to steadfast love, assured that the LORD who commands faithfulness perfectly embodies it.
Forms and Transliterations
וְנִטֹּ֛שׁ וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֗י וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֣י וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֥י וַ֭יִּטֹּשׁ וַֽיִּטְּשֻֽׁהוּ׃ וַֽיִּטְּשֻׁ֑הוּ וַיִּטֹּ֖שׁ וַיִּטֹּ֤שׁ וַיִּטֹּ֨שׁ וַיִּטֹּשׁ֙ וַיִּטֹּשׁ֩ וַיִּנָּֽטְשׁ֖וּ וַיִּנָּטְשׁ֖וּ וַתִּטֹּשׁ֙ וּנְטַשְׁתִּ֣יךָ וּנְטַשְׁתָּ֗הּ ויטש ויטשהו ויטשהו׃ וינטשו ונטש ונטשתה ונטשתי ונטשתיך ותטש יִטְּשֵֽׁנוּ׃ יִטֹּ֣שׁ יִטֹּ֤שׁ יִטּ֔וֹשׁ יטוש יטש יטשנו׃ נְטַשְׁתַּ֔נִי נְטָשָׁ֣נוּ נְטֻשִׁ֖ים נְטֽוֹשׁ׃ נְטוּשָׁ֗ה נִטְּשָׁ֥ה נִטְּשׁ֖וּ נָטַ֖שְׁתִּי נָטַ֗שְׁתָּה נָטַ֜שְׁתָּ נָטַ֤שׁ נָטַ֥שְׁתְּ נֻטָּ֔שׁ נטוש׃ נטושה נטש נטשה נטשו נטשים נטשנו נטשת נטשתה נטשתי נטשתני תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תִּטְּשֵׁ֥נִי תטש תטשני nā·ṭaš nā·ṭaš·tā nā·ṭaš·tāh nā·ṭaš·tî nā·ṭašt nāṭaš naTash naTasht naTashta naTashtah naTashti nāṭašt nāṭaštā nāṭaštāh nāṭaštî nə·ṭā·šā·nū nə·ṭaš·ta·nî nə·ṭō·wōš nə·ṭū·šāh nə·ṭu·šîm nəṭāšānū netaShanu netashTani nəṭaštanî neToosh nəṭōwōš nəṭūšāh netuShah netuShim nəṭušîm niṭ·ṭə·šāh niṭ·ṭə·šū niṭṭəšāh nitteShah nitteShu niṭṭəšū nuṭ·ṭāš nuṭṭāš nutTash tiṭ·ṭə·šê·nî tiṭ·ṭōš tiṭṭəšênî titteSheni tiṭṭōš titTosh ū·nə·ṭaš·tāh ū·nə·ṭaš·tî·ḵā unetashTah unetashTicha ūnəṭaštāh ūnəṭaštîḵā vaiyinnateShu vaiyitteShuhu vaiyitTosh vattitTosh venatashTi venitTosh wat·tiṭ·ṭōš wattiṭṭōš way·yin·nā·ṭə·šū way·yiṭ·ṭə·šu·hū way·yiṭ·ṭōš wayyinnāṭəšū wayyiṭṭəšuhū wayyiṭṭōš wə·nā·ṭaš·tî wə·niṭ·ṭōš wənāṭaštî wəniṭṭōš yiṭ·ṭə·šê·nū yiṭ·ṭō·wōš yiṭ·ṭōš yiṭṭəšênū yitteShenu yitToosh yiṭṭōš yitTosh yiṭṭōwōš
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