Grafted Biblical Concept · Concept

Repentance

μετάνοια · Metanoia · G3341

Repentance is a turning away from sin and toward God involving a change of mind, heart, loyalty, and behavior.

22 Scripture references3 lexical sources11 supporting resources

Primary Study

Grafted Bible Dictionary

Definition

Repentance is a turning away from sin and toward God involving a change of mind, heart, loyalty, and behavior.
The Greek metanoia literally concerns a change of mind or perception, but its biblical meaning must be understood within the larger Hebrew call to return to God.

Prophetic Background

The prophets continually call Israel to return.
See:
• Isaiah 55:6–7
• Jeremiah 3
• Ezekiel 18:30–32
• Joel 2:12–13

John the Baptist

John announces:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
His message includes tangible fruit consistent with repentance.
See:
• Matthew 3:1–10
• Luke 3:7–14

Yeshua

Repentance is central to Yeshua's Kingdom proclamation:
• Mark 1:15
• Luke 13:1–5
• Luke 15
• Luke 24:47

Apostolic Writings

Acts repeatedly calls hearers to repentance.
See:
• Acts 2:38
• Acts 3:19
• Acts 17:30
• Acts 26:20

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Greek Word Study

μετάνοια

metánoia · G3341

Original Word: μετάνοια
Transliteration: metánoia
Strong’s: G3341
Part of Speech: G:N-F

Unified Lexical Definition

μετάνοια, -οίας, ἡ (μετανοέω), [in LXX: Pro.14:15, Wis.11:23 12:10, 19, Sir.44:16 * ;] after-thought, change of mind, repentance: Heb.12:17; of repentance from sin, Mat.3:8, 11 Luk.3:8 15:7 24:47, Act.26:20, 2Co.7:9-10; βάπτισμα (which see) μετανοίας, Mrk.1:4, Luk.3:3, Act.13:24 19:4; ἡ εἰς θεὸν Act.20:21; μ. ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἔργων, Heb.6:1; εἰς μ. καλεῖν, Luk.5:32; id. ἄγειν, Rom.2:4; ἀνακαινίζειν, Heb.6:6; εἰς μ. χωρῆσαι, 2Pe.3:9; μ. δοῦναι, Act.5:31 11:18, 2Ti.2:25.† (AS) a change of mode of thought and feeling, repentance, Mat. 3.8. Ac. 20.21. 2 Ti. 2.25, et al.; practical reformation, Lu. 15.7, et al.; reversal of the past, He. 12.17.

Lexical Sources

TBESGSTEPBible TBESG (based primarily on Abbott-Smith)

Lemma: μετάνοια
Meaning: repentance

View original lexicon entry

{
    "type": "abbott-smith",
    "slug": "g3341",
    "title": "μετάνοια",
    "source": "STEPBible TBESG (based primarily on Abbott-Smith)",
    "strong": "G3341",
    "language": "greek",
    "lemma": "μετάνοια",
    "transliteration": "metanoia",
    "pronunciation": "",
    "part_of_speech": "G:N-F",
    "meaning": "",
    "description": "",
    "definition": "μετάνοια, -οίας, ἡ (μετανοέω), [in LXX: Pro.14:15, Wis.11:23 12:10, 19, Sir.44:16 * ;] after-thought, change of mind, repentance: Heb.12:17; of repentance from sin, Mat.3:8, 11 Luk.3:8 15:7 24:47, Act.26:20, 2Co.7:9-10; βάπτισμα (which see) μετανοίας, Mrk.1:4, Luk.3:3, Act.13:24 19:4; ἡ εἰς θεὸν Act.20:21; μ. ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἔργων, Heb.6:1; εἰς μ. καλεῖν, Luk.5:32; id. ἄγειν, Rom.2:4; ἀνακαινίζειν, Heb.6:6; εἰς μ. χωρῆσαι, 2Pe.3:9; μ. δοῦναι, Act.5:31 11:18, 2Ti.2:25.† (AS)",
    "glosses": [
        "repentance"
    ],
    "lexical_summary": [],
    "exhaustive_concordance": [],
    "brown_driver_briggs": [],
    "topical_lexicon": [],
    "occurrences": [],
    "references": [
        {
            "osis": "Pro.14.15",
            "display": "Pro.14:15"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Wis.11.23; 12.10, 19",
            "display": "Wis.11:23 12:10, 19"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Sir.44.16",
            "display": "Sir.44:16"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Heb.12.17",
            "display": "Heb.12:17;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Mat.3.8, 11",
            "display": "Mat.3:8, 11"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Luk.3.8; 15.7; 24.47",
            "display": "Luk.3:8 15:7 24:47"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Act.26.20",
            "display": "Act.26:20"
        },
        {
            "osis": "2Co.7.9-10",
            "display": "2Co.7:9-10"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Mrk.1.4",
            "display": "Mrk.1:4"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Luk.3.3",
            "display": "Luk.3:3"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Act.13.24; 19.4",
            "display": "Act.13:24 19:4"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Act.20.21",
            "display": "Act.20:21;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Heb.6.1",
            "display": "Heb.6:1;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Luk.5.32",
            "display": "Luk.5:32;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Rom.2.4",
            "display": "Rom.2:4;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Heb.6.6",
            "display": "Heb.6:6;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "2Pe.3.9",
            "display": "2Pe.3:9;"
        },
        {
            "osis": "Act.5.31; 11.18",
            "display": "Act.5:31 11:18"
        },
        {
            "osis": "2Ti.2.25",
            "display": "2Ti.2:25"
        }
    ],
    "occurrence_count": 22,
    "url": "bible/greek/g3341",
    "source_url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
    "source_license": "CC BY-SA"
}

A GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICOA Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament

a change of mode of thought and feeling, repentance, Mat. 3.8. Ac. 20.21. 2 Ti. 2.25, et al.; practical reformation, Lu. 15.7, et al.; reversal of the past, He. 12.17.

View original lexicon entry

{
    "type": "greenfield",
    "slug": "greenfield-d5ccc33e332d",
    "title": "Μετάνοια",
    "source": "A Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament",
    "strong": "G3341",
    "language": "greek",
    "lemma": "Μετάνοια",
    "transliteration": "metánoia",
    "pronunciation": "",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "meaning": "",
    "description": "",
    "definition": "a change of mode of thought and feeling, repentance, Mat. 3.8. Ac. 20.21. 2 Ti. 2.25, et al.; practical reformation, Lu. 15.7, et al.; reversal of the past, He. 12.17.",
    "glosses": [
        "repentance"
    ],
    "lexical_summary": [],
    "exhaustive_concordance": [],
    "brown_driver_briggs": [],
    "topical_lexicon": [],
    "occurrences": [],
    "references": [],
    "occurrence_count": 22,
    "url": "bible/greenfield/greenfield-d5ccc33e332d",
    "source_url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
    "source_license": "CC BY-SA"
}

STRONG'SStrong’s Hebrew and Greek Lexicon

(subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation) by implication, reversal (of (another's) decision)

View original lexicon entry

{
    "type": "strongs-lexicon",
    "slug": "",
    "title": "μετάνοια",
    "source": "[object Object]",
    "strong": "G3341",
    "language": "greek",
    "lemma": "μετάνοια",
    "transliteration": "metánoia",
    "pronunciation": "",
    "part_of_speech": "",
    "meaning": "",
    "description": "",
    "definition": "(subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation)\n\nby implication, reversal (of (another's) decision)",
    "glosses": [
        "repentance"
    ],
    "lexical_summary": [],
    "exhaustive_concordance": [],
    "brown_driver_briggs": [],
    "topical_lexicon": [],
    "occurrences": [],
    "references": [],
    "occurrence_count": 22,
    "url": "",
    "source_url": "https://github.com/openscriptures/strongs",
    "source_license": "CC BY-SA"
}

New Testament Usage

22 occurrences

First listed reference: Pro.14.15

View All Greek Occurrences

Biblical Usage

Concordance and Scripture Usage

22Exact Lemma32Conceptual Relationship

Gospels · 8

Matthew 3:8Exact Lemma Matthew 3:11Exact Lemma Mark 1:4Exact Lemma Luke 3:3Exact Lemma Luke 3:8Exact Lemma Luke 5:32Exact Lemma Luke 15:7Exact Lemma Luke 24:47Exact Lemma

Acts · 6

Acts 5:31Exact Lemma Acts 11:18Exact Lemma Acts 13:24Exact Lemma Acts 19:4Exact Lemma Acts 20:21Exact Lemma Acts 26:20Exact Lemma

Epistles · 8

Romans 2:4Exact Lemma 2 Corinthians 7:9Exact Lemma 2 Corinthians 7:10Exact Lemma 2 Timothy 2:25Exact Lemma Hebrews 6:1Exact Lemma Hebrews 6:6Exact Lemma Hebrews 12:17Exact Lemma 2 Peter 3:9Exact Lemma

Reference Works

Bible Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Names

Unified Dictionary Summary

Repentance is a turning away from sin and toward God involving a change of mind, heart, loyalty, and behavior.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

There are three Greek words used in the New Testament to denote repentance. (1.) The verb metamelomai is used of a change of mind, such as to produce regret or even remorse on account of sin, but not necessarily a change of heart. This word is used with reference to the repentance of Judas (Matt. 27:3). (2.) Metanoeo, meaning to change one's mind and purpose, as the result of after knowledge. This verb, with (3) the cognate noun metanoia, is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. Evangelical repentance consists of (1) a true sense of one's own guilt and sinfulness; (2) an apprehension of God's mercy in Christ; (3) an actual hatred of sin (Ps. 119:128; Job 42:5, 6; 2 Cor. 7:10) and turning from it to God; and (4) a persistent endeavour after a holy life in a walking with God in the way of his commandments. The true penitent is conscious of guilt (Ps. 51:4, 9), of pollution (51:5, 7, 10), and of helplessness (51:11; 109:21, 22). Thus he apprehends himself to be just what God has always seen him to be and declares him to be. But repentance comprehends not only such a sense of sin, but also an apprehension of mercy, without which there can be no true repentance (Ps. 51:1; 130:4).

Sources: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Teshuvah

Teshuvah is the Hebrew concept of returning or turning back, especially returning to God after sin or covenant unfaithfulness.

Sin

Sin refers to human rebellion, failure, transgression, wrongdoing, or falling short of God's will.

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is God's gracious release of guilt and restoration of relationship following sin and repentance.

Salvation

Salvation refers broadly to God's act of rescue, deliverance, restoration, and preservation.

Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God refers primarily to God's reign, kingship, and sovereign rule rather than merely a geographical location.

Baptism

Baptism refers to ritual immersion associated in the New Testament with repentance, discipleship, identification with Messiah, forgiveness, and entry into the believing community.

Heart / Lev

The biblical heart refers to the inner center of human thought, desire, intention, loyalty, emotion, and decision-making.

John the Baptist

John the Baptist is the prophetic forerunner who prepares Israel for the coming of Yeshua and the Kingdom of God.

The Hidden Origin of Lent

Is Lent actually in the Bible? Every year, millions of people observe Lent and Ash Wednesday as a season of repentance and fasting. But have you ever stopped to ask where these traditi…

The Truth About the Day of Atonement

Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year and is regarded as the "Sabbath of Sabbaths". The focus of this day is atonement and repentance, and it's…

REPENTANCE

Nave’s Topical Bible references for REPENTANCE.

Baptism, John's

Was not Christian baptism, nor was that which was practised by the disciples previous to our Lord's crucifixion. Till then the New Testament economy did not exist. John's baptism bound its subjects to repentance, and not to the faith of Christ. It was not administered in the name of the Trinity, and those whom John baptized were rebaptized by Paul (Acts 18:24; 19:7).

Capernaum

the field of repentance; city of comfort

Nehemiah

consolation; repentance of the Lord

Poetry

Has been well defined as "the measured language of emotion." Hebrew poetry deals almost exclusively with the great question of man's relation to God. "Guilt, condemnation, punishment, pardon, redemption, repentance are the awful themes of this heaven-born poetry." In the Hebrew scriptures there are found three distinct kinds of poetry, (1) that of the Book of Job and the Song of Solomon, which is dramatic; (2) that of the Book of Psalms, which is lyrical; and (3) that of the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is didactic and sententious. Hebrew poetry has nothing akin to that of Western nations. It has neither metre nor rhyme. Its great peculiarity consists in the mutual correspondence of sentences or clauses, called parallelism, or "thought-rhyme." Various kinds of this parallelism have been pointed out: (1.) Synonymous or cognate parallelism, where the same idea is repeated in the same words (Ps. 93:3; 94:1; Prov. 6:2), or in different words (Ps. 22, 23, 28, 114, etc.); or where it is expressed in a positive form in the one clause and in a negative in the other (Ps. 40:12; Prov. 6:26); or where the same idea is expressed in three successive clauses (Ps. 40:15, 16); or in a double parallelism, the first and second clauses corresponding to the third and fourth (Isa. 9:1; 61:10, 11). (2.) Antithetic parallelism, where the idea of the second clause is the converse of that of the first (Ps. 20:8; 27:6, 7; 34:11; 37:9, 17, 21, 22). This is the common form of gnomic or proverbial poetry. (See Prov. 10-15.) (3.) Synthetic or constructive or compound parallelism, where each clause or sentence contains some accessory idea enforcing the main idea (Ps. 19:7-10; 85:12; Job 3:3-9; Isa. 1:5-9). (4.) Introverted parallelism, in which of four clauses the first answers to the fourth and the second to the third (Ps. 135:15-18; Prov. 23:15, 16), or where the second line reverses the order of words in the first (Ps. 86:2). Hebrew poetry sometimes assumes other forms than these. (1.) An alphabetical arrangement is sometimes adopted for the purpose of connecting clauses or sentences. Thus in the following the initial words of the respective verses begin with the letters of the alphabet in regular succession: Prov. 31:10-31; Lam. 1, 2, 3, 4; Ps. 25, 34, 37, 145. Ps. 119 has a letter of the alphabet in regular order beginning every eighth verse. (2.) The repetition of the same verse or of some emphatic expression at intervals (Ps. 42, 107, where the refrain is in verses, 8, 15, 21, 31). (Comp. also Isa. 9:8-10:4; Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6.) (3.) Gradation, in which the thought of one verse is resumed in another (Ps. 121). Several odes of great poetical beauty are found in the historical books of the Old Testament, such as the song of Moses (Ex. 15), the song of Deborah (Judg. 5), of Hannah (1 Sam. 2), of Hezekiah (Isa. 38:9-20), of Habakkuk (Hab. 3), and David's "song of the bow" (2 Sam. 1:19-27).

Repentance

Sackcloth

Cloth made of black goats' hair, coarse, rough, and thick, used for sacks, and also worn by mourners (Gen. 37:34; 42:25; 2 Sam. 3:31; Esther 4:1, 2; Ps. 30:11, etc.), and as a sign of repentance (Matt. 11:21). It was put upon animals by the people of Nineveh (Jonah 3:8).

Tanhumeth

consolation; repentance

Definition

Prophetic Background

John the Baptist

Yeshua

Apostolic Writings

Hebrew and Greek Word Study

Unified Lexical Definition

Lexical Sources

New Testament Usage

Unified Dictionary Summary

Teshuvah

Sin

Forgiveness

Salvation

Kingdom of God

Baptism

Heart / Lev

John the Baptist

The Hidden Origin of Lent

The Truth About the Day of Atonement

REPENTANCE

Baptism, John's

Capernaum

Nehemiah

Poetry

Repentance

Sackcloth

Tanhumeth

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