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.)

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.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to leave, forsake, permit
NASB Translation
abandon (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).

נָטַשׁ verb leave, forsake, permit (ᵑ7 forsake; draw off skin of dead animal; Arabic = abstinens ab impuro according to †am (Frey)); —

Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳נ 1 Samuel 10:2, suffix 1plural נְטָשָׁ֫נוּ Judges 6:13; 2masculine singular נָטַשְׁתָּ 1 Samuel 17:28, נָטַשְׁתָּה Isaiah 2:6, suffix נְטַשְׁתַּ֫נִי Genesis 31:28, וּנְטַשְׁתָּהּ consecutive Exodus 23:11, etc.; Imperfect יִטּשׁ 1 Samuel 12:22; Psalm 94:14, יִטּוֺשׁ Hosea 12:15, suffix 1plural יִטְּשֵׁנוּ 1 Kings 8:57; 1plural נִטּשׁ Nehemiah 10:32, etc.; Imperative נְטוֺשׁ Proverbs 17:14; Passive participle feminine נְטוּשָׁה Isaiah 21:15; masculine plural נְטֻשִׁים 1 Samuel 30:16; —

1 leave, let alone Exodus 23:11 (E; = let field lie fallow, "" שָׁמַט), compare וְנִטּשׁ אֶתהַֿשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁכִיעִיתּ וּמַשָּׁא כָליָֿ֑ד Nehemiah 10:32 (i.e. leave field fallow and debts unclaimed); object quails, let them lie, (עַל location) Numbers 11:31 (JE), of Amalekites נְטֻשִׁים עַלמְּֿנֵי פָלהָֿאָרֶץ 1 Samuel 30:16 left to themselves over all the land; וְדָמָיו עָלָיו יִטּוֺשׁ Hosea 12:15 and his mortal guilt shall he leave upon him; leave in charge of, entrust to (עַל person): sheep 1 Samuel 17:20,28; baggage 1 Samuel 17:22.

2 usually forsake, abandon, דִּבְרֵי הָאֲחֹנוֺת ׳נ 1 Samuel 10:2 thy father hath abandoned the matter of the asses (ceased to be concerned about them); הָרִיב נְטוֺשׁ Proverbs 17:14 abandon contention; often subject ׳י with accusative of person Judges 6:13; Isaiah 2:6; 1 Samuel 12:22; 1 Kings 8:57 ("" עָזַב) 2 Kings 21:14; Jeremiah 7:29; Jeremiah 12:7 ("" עָזַב), Jeremiah 23:33,39; Psalm 27:9 ("" עָזַב), Psalm 94:14 ("" id.); of ׳י leaving Phar. forsaken (on ground, compare Niph`al 1) Ezekiel 29:5 (+ ה locative), Ezekiel 32:4 (+ ב location); abandoning the sanctuary at Shiloh Psalm 78:60; of men forsaking God Deuteronomy 32:15 (poem), Jeremiah 15:6; compare אַלחִֿטּשׁ תּוֺרַת אִמֶּ֑ךָ Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 6:20; of men abandoning king (under figure of cedar) Ezekiel 31:12 (twice in verse).

3 permit, only וְלֹא נְטַשְׁתַּנִי לְנַשֵּׁק ׳לְבָנַי וגו Genesis 31:28 (E) and hast not permitted me to kiss my sons, etc. — For וַתִּטּשׁ הַמִּלְחָמָה 1 Samuel 4:2 read probably וַתֵּט (ᵐ5 ἔκλινεν) Dr Klo Bu, or < (קשׁה) וַתִּקֶשׁ grew fierce HPS (Löhr proposes תִּנָּטֵשׁ compare Judges 15:9 etc.). For חֶרֶב נְטוּטָה Isaiah 21:15 ("" קֶשֶׁת דְּרוּכָה) read perhaps לְטוּשָׁה ׳ח.

Niph`al Perfect3feminine singular נִטְּשָׁה Amos 5:2; 3plural נִטְּשׁוּ Isaiah 16:8; Isaiah 33:23; Imperfect3masculine plural וַיִּנָָּֽטְשׁוּ Judges 15:9 2t.; —

1 be forsaken, Amos 5:2 she (Israel) lieth forsaken (עַל location).

2 be loosened or loose (properly be let alone, left to hang down) of ship's tackle Isaiah 33:23.

3 be let go, spread abroad, of warriors, Judges 15:19; 2 Samuel 5:18,22 (all with ב location, for purpose of plunder); of tendrils of vine Isaiah 16:8 (figurative of Moab).

Pu`al Perfect only אַדְמוֺן נֻטָּ֑שׁ Isaiah 32:14 palaces are abandoned, deserted ("" הֲמוֺן עִיר עֻזָּ֑ב).

Overview

נָטַשׁ (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 in Hebrews 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.

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 yiṭṭōwōšInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts