WG: Repentance¶
Overview¶
The repentance concept in Scripture involves a cluster of words that together express the full range of turning from sin toward God. The Greek metanoeō/metanoia pair is the primary NT vocabulary; its Hebrew background comes from two distinct streams — nâcham (emotional sorrow/relenting) and shûwb (volitional turning/returning). The confused word metamellomai marks an important contrast: regret without transformation.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3340 | μετανοέω | metanoeō | verb | 32 | The act — to repent, change mind/direction | G3340 |
| G3341 | μετάνοια | metanoia | noun | 24 | The state — repentance, change of mind | G3341 |
| G1994 | ἐπιστρέφω | epistréphō | verb | 38 | The movement — to turn, return, convert | TODO(need G1994 study) |
| G3338 | μεταμέλλομαι | metamellomai | verb | 5 | The contrast — regret/remorse without reorientation | G3338 |
| H5162 | נָחַם | nâcham | verb | 100 | Hebrew source — sigh, be sorry, relent | H5162-nacham.md |
| H7725 | שׁוּב | shûwb | verb | 952 | Hebrew conversion verb — turn back, return | H7725-shuwb.md |
Relationships¶
Shared Roots / Etymology¶
- G3340 + G3341 + G0279 — all from meta + noeō root; verb / noun / negative adjective of the same concept
- G1994 + G4762 + G0654 — all strephō-family (turn); epistréphō = turn upon/toward; apostrephō = turn away
Co-occurrence (shared distinct verses)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| H5162 | H7725 | 17 | OT: God relenting alongside people turning |
| G3340 | G1994 | 3 | "repent and turn to God" — conversion formula |
| G3340 | G3341 | 2 | verb + noun of same root in same passage |
| G3341 | G1994 | 1 | Acts 26:20 — "repentance toward God and turning" |
Hebrew Bridge — shûwb (H7725)¶
H7725 shûwb is the primary OT conversion verb (952v). It bridges to NT through two Greek words: - → G1994 ἐπιστρέφω (PMI 24.70, 322x) — the normal LXX rendering - → G3340 μετανοέω (PMI 8.28, 9x) — secondary overlap in repentance contexts
This means NT "repent" (metanoeō) draws on both the mind-change of nâcham and the directional turn of shûwb, while "turn" (epistréphō) more directly carries shûwb's relational/directional force.
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶
- Acts 26:20 — G3340 + G3341 + G1994: "shewed... that they should repent (metanoeō) and turn (epistréphō) to God, and do works meet for repentance (metanoia)" — all three NT members in one verse
- Luke 17:4 — G3340 + G1994: "seven times in a day turn again (epistrephō) to thee, saying, I repent (metanoeō)"
- Luke 15:7 — G3340 + G3341: "joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth (metanoeō) more than over ninety-nine just persons, which need no repentance (metanoia)"
Roles in the Concept¶
- Cognitive reorientation: metanoeō (G3340) — the deliberate change of mind and will
- State/disposition: metanoia (G3341) — the ongoing posture of repentance
- Physical/relational movement: epistréphō (G1994) — turning from one direction toward another
- Emotional sorrow (Hebrew): nâcham (H5162) — the grief and sighing that precedes change
- Directional turning (Hebrew): shûwb (H7725) — the volitional turn back toward God
- Contrast (regret without change): metamellomai (G3338) — remorse that does not produce transformation (cf. Judas, Matt 27:3)
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py G3340 Last updated: 2026-04-01