Passage Explorer
Word study · Greek

metanoeō

to repent

Say it: meh-tah-no-EH-oh (approximate)

μετανοέω

What it means

Literally "to change one's mind," but in the Bible it means turning around: a change of heart and direction toward God. Behind it stands the Hebrew prophets' call to "turn" (shuv). It's the first word of both John's and Jesus' preaching in Matthew.

Range of meaning

  • Change one's mindThink again about something.
  • Turn from wrongdoingRegret and leave behind what was wrong.
  • Turn toward GodA new direction for the whole life.

In Matthew

  • Chapter 3

    John's first word: "Repent" (3:2), and fruit "worthy of repentance" (3:8, the related noun).

  • Chapter 4

    Jesus begins with the same call as John: "Repent" (4:17).

  • Chapter 11

    The towns that saw his miracles and didn't repent (11:20-21).

Every verse (5)

Verses where G3340 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources