Original Word: נְשִׁיָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: nshiyah
Pronunciation: neh-shee-YAH
Phonetic Spelling: (nesh-ee-yaw')
KJV: forgetfulness
NASB: forgetfulness
Word Origin: [from H5382 (נָשָׁה - forget)]

1. oblivion

forgetfulness

From nashah; oblivion; --forgetfulness.

see HEBREW nashah

Word Origin
from nashah
Definition
forgetfulness, oblivion
NASB Translation
forgetfulness (1).

נְשִׁיָּה noun feminine forgetfulness, oblivion, ׳אֶרֶץ נ Psalm 88:13 ("" חשֶׁךְ), designation of שְׁאוֺל (compare Psalm 88:11; Psalm 88:12).

Meaning and Imagery

נְשִׁיָּה evokes the idea of complete oblivion—an existence where memory, recognition, and covenantal acknowledgment are absent. In Scripture it pictures the grave not merely as a physical resting place but as a realm where all earthly ties are dissolved and God’s mighty acts cease to be celebrated. The term therefore sharpens the contrast between life, where praise resounds, and death, where silence reigns.

Biblical Context: Psalm 88

Psalm 88, attributed to Heman the Ezrahite, is the darkest of the lament psalms. Verse 12 asks, “Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?” (Psalm 88:12). Here נְשִׁיָּה functions as a poetic synonym for Sheol. The psalmist does not doubt God’s power; he underscores how death appears to erase every human opportunity to witness, recount, or respond to that power. The plea intensifies the psalm’s urgency: only divine intervention before death can preserve the worshipper’s testimony.

Theological Significance

1. Memory and Covenant: Scripture repeatedly presents God as One who “remembers” His covenant (Genesis 9:15; Exodus 2:24). נְשִׁיָּה embodies the opposite—human inability to remember or be remembered. By invoking the “land of forgetfulness,” the psalmist appeals to God’s unwavering memory to counter the yawning oblivion of Sheol.
2. Praise Dependent on Life: Psalms 6:5 and 115:17 echo the same theme: praise is a living activity. נְשִׁיָּה magnifies the preciousness of life as the temporal arena where God’s glory can be proclaimed.
3. Death’s Limitation, God’s Dominion: While the grave silences human praise, it does not limit God. Later revelation shows God’s victory over death (Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14) and ultimate recall of every person from the grave (John 5:28–29).

Intertextual Connections

• Job 14:13 portrays Sheol as concealment until God’s “remembrance.”
• Ecclesiastes 9:5 notes that “the dead know nothing… their memory is forgotten,” paralleling נְשִׁיָּה’s motif.
• Psalms 16:10 and 49:15 anticipate deliverance from Sheol, hinting at a reversal of forgetfulness.
• In the New Testament, Hebrews 11 memorializes saints, showing God’s people are never consigned to ultimate oblivion.

Ministry and Devotional Applications

• Urgency of Testimony: Because נְשִׁיָּה depicts a sphere devoid of praise, believers are moved to proclaim God’s deeds now (Ephesians 5:16).
• Assurance of Divine Memory: Even when believers feel forsaken, God’s steadfast remembrance counters the dread of oblivion (Isaiah 49:15–16).
• Compassion for the Grieving: Psalm 88 validates the experience of darkness without denying God’s sovereignty, offering biblical language for intercession and lament.

Eschatological Hope

Jesus Christ confronted the realm symbolized by נְשִׁיָּה. At the cross He entered death, yet on the third day rose, ensuring that “death has been swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). The resurrection guarantees that God’s people will never remain in the land of forgetfulness. The final scene is not oblivion but gathering: “The sea gave up its dead… and each one was judged” (Revelation 20:13). Oblivion is replaced by perfect remembrance, eternal reward, and unending praise.

נְשִׁיָּֽה׃ נשיה׃ nə·šî·yāh neshiYah nəšîyāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts