verb
metabainamō
Strong’sG3327
I leave, depart, remove, pass over
stem metabain-12 times in the New Testamentin 5 of 27 books8 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
The word describes passing from one place to another, moving across or over 124 — used of a mountain being moved, or of going from one house to another 1.
It is also used to focus only on leaving a starting point, meaning to withdraw or depart 124 — as when someone leaves a town, a crowd, or a synagogue 1.
The word is further used metaphorically of leaving this life or passing from one state into another, describing a move from this world to the Father, or from death into life 1.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
** μετα-βαίνω,
[in LXX: Wi 7:27 19:19, II Mac 6:1, 9, 24*;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3327 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
future - βᾰλῶ Refs 5th c.BC+aorist μετέβᾰλον:—throw into a different position, turn quickly or suddenly, Hom.only once, in tmesi, μετὰ νῶτα βαλών Refs 8th c.BC+; μ. γῆν turn, i.e. plough, the earth, LXX+5th c.BC+; μ. ποταμόν change the course of a river, Refs 4th c.AD+
II turn about, change, alter, τὸ οὔνομα Refs 5th c.BC+; [οἱ Βρίγες] τὸ οὔνομα μετέβαλον [ἐς Φρύγας] Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. δίαιταν change one's way of life, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. ὕδατα drink different water, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. εὔνοιαν lose it,Refs 5th c.BC+ change and adopt other ways, Refs 5th c.BC+; εἶδος καινὸν μουσικῆς μ. Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. ἀντὶ τοῦ ὁμο- ἀ-” Refs 5th c.BC+
II.b translate, νόμον εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φωνήν Refs 1st c.AD+
II.c stir with a spoon, Refs 1st c.AD+
III intransitive, undergo a change, μ. ἐς εὐνομίην Refs 5th c.BC+ changes run through a series of creatures, Refs 4th c.BC+: with genitive of things, come in exchange for or instead of, καιναὶ καινῶν μεταβάλλουσαι.. συντυχίαι Refs 5th c.BC+
III.b vary, μεταβάλλειν τὰς ἐπιστήμας τοῖς τόποις Refs 5th c.BC+
III.2 change one's course, μεταβαλὼν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους turning to the Athenians, Refs 5th c.BC+aorist participle μεταβαλών absolutely, instead, in turn, μεταβαλόντας ἀντὶ Κρητῶν γενέσθαι Ἰήπυγας Refs 5th c.BC+: also present participle μεταβάλλων Refs
B middle, turn round, shift a load, μεταβαλλόμενος τἀνάφορον Refs 5th c.BC+
B.2 cause to be removed, σῖτον Refs 3rd c.BC+
B.2.b order to be paid, remit, Refs 1st c.AD+
B.II change what is one's own, μ. τὰ ἱμάτια change one's clothes, Refs 5th c.BC+; μετεβάλλετ᾽ ὀπωπάν changed her appearance, Refs
B.II.2 exchange, τίς μεταβάλοιτ᾽ ἂν ὧδε σιγὰν λόγω; silence for words, Refs 5th c.BC+; [τὴν ἄσαρκον τροφὴν] ὑγείας καὶ ῥώμης μεταβαλέσθαι have given up asceticism in exchange for health and strength, Refs 3rd c.AD+; barter, traffic in, οἴνου μεταβαλλόμενος καὶ σίτου πρᾶσιν Refs 5th c.BC+
B.III turn oneself, turn about, ἄνω καὶ κάτω Refs 5th c.BC+; especially
B.III.2 change one's purpose or mind, NT+5th c.BC+; change sides, Refs 5th c.BC+
B.III.3 turn or wheel round, μ. ἐπ᾽ ἀσπίδα Refs 5th c.BC+: absolutely, turn about, μεταβαλλόμενος τοῖς ἔξω περιεστηκόσι λοιδορήσεται Refs 4th c.BC+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| metabainetiμεταβήσεται | will happen · he/she/itfuture middle indicative 3rd person singular | move | 1× |
| metabainataμετέβη | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | went on | 1× |
| metabainatēμεταβέβηκεν | has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | passed | 1× |
| metabainanēμεταβεβήκαμεν | has happened · weperfect active indicative 1st person plural | passed | 1× |
| metabainateiaμεταβῇ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | leave | 2× |
| metabainavōrμεταβαίνετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | move | 1× |
| metabainasarΜετάβηθι | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | move | 2× |
| metabainarantosμεταβὰς | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine | left | 3× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 4 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainamō | metabainame | metabainami | metabainama | metabainamē | metabainamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainasō | metabainase | metabainasi | metabainasa | metabainasē | metabainaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainatō | metabainate | metabainati | metabainata1×μετέβη | metabainatē1×μεταβέβηκεν | metabainatelē |
| we 1st person plural | metabainanō | metabainane | metabainani | metabainana | metabainanē1×μεταβεβήκαμεν | metabainanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainavō | metabainave | metabainavi | metabainava | metabainavē | metabainavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainalō | metabainale | metabainali | metabainala | metabainalē | metabainalelē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainomō | metabainome | metabainomē | metabainomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainosō | metabainose | metabainosē | metabainoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainotō | metabainote | metabainotē | metabainotelē |
| we 1st person plural | metabainonō | metabainone | metabainonē | metabainonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainovō | metabainove | metabainovē | metabainovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainolō | metabainole | metabainolē | metabainolelē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | will happen future | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainemi | metabainema |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainesi | metabainesa |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabaineti1×μεταβήσεται | metabaineta |
| we 1st person plural | metabaineni | metabainena |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainevi | metabaineva |
| they 3rd person plural | metabaineli | metabainela |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 2 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainameiō | metabainameia | metabainameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainaseiō | metabainaseia | metabainaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainateiō | metabainateia2×μεταβῇ | metabainateiē |
| we 1st person plural | metabainaneiō | metabainaneia | metabainaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainaveiō | metabainaveia | metabainaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainaleiō | metabainaleia | metabainaleiē |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainomeiō | metabainomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainoseiō | metabainoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainoteiō | metabainoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | metabainoneiō | metabainoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainoveiō | metabainoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainoleiō | metabainoleiē |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainemeia |
| you 2nd person singular | metabaineseia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabaineteia |
| we 1st person plural | metabaineneia |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabaineveia |
| they 3rd person plural | metabaineleia |
Commands — imperative mood, 3 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | metabainasōr | metabainasar2×Μετάβηθι | metabainasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainatōr | metabainatar | metabainatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainavōr1×μεταβαίνετε | metabainavar | metabainavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainalōr | metabainalar | metabainalēr |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | metabainosōr | metabainosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainotōr | metabainotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainovōr | metabainovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainolōr | metabainolēr |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | metabainesar |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainetar |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainevar |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainelar |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainamoiō | metabainamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainasoiō | metabainasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainatoiō | metabainatoia |
| we 1st person plural | metabainanoiō | metabainanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainavoiō | metabainavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainaloiō | metabainaloia |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | metabainonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | metabainoloiō |
acts on or for itself middle voice
| Who person | happened aorist |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metabainemoia |
| you 2nd person singular | metabainesoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metabainetoia |
| we 1st person plural | metabainenoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | metabainevoia |
| they 3rd person plural | metabaineloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, no occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | metabainarō | metabainari | metabainara | metabainarē |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | metabainorō | metabainorē | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | metabaineri | metabainera |
Used as an adjective — participle, 3 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | metabainarōntos | metabainarintos | metabainarantos3×μεταβὰς | metabainarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | metabainorōntos | metabainorēntos | ||
| acts on or for itself middle voice | metabainerintos | metabainerantos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
metabain is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
12 occurrences, every one of them listed
metabaineti“move”will happen · he/she/itfuture middle indicative 3rd person singular1×
Matthew 17:20… ore houte; Metabainasar enthen ekei, kai metabaineti, kai oudenem adunatati vi.… here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
metabainata“went on”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Matthew 11:1… Iēsus diatassarōntos toi dōdeka mathētoi autou, metabainata ekeithen teu didaskarō kai kērussarō en …… finished instructing His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach …
metabainatē“passed”has happened · he/she/itperfect active indicative 3rd person singular1×
John 5:24“passed”… kai eis krisian ouk erchotō alla metabainatē ek tou thanatou eis tan zōan.… eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life.
metabainanē“passed”has happened · weperfect active indicative 1st person plural1×
1 John 3:14nis oidanē hoti metabainanē ek tou thanatou eis tan zōan, …We know that we have passed from death to life, because we …
metabainateia“leave”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular2×
Matthew 8:34… Iēso, kai horarantois auton parakalala hopōs metabainateia apo teiu horeiu autoiu.… saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
John 13:1“depart”… hoti erchata autou tas hōras hina metabainateia ek tou kosmou houtou pros ton …… Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.
metabainavōr“move”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural1×
Luke 10:7… tos ergatos tou misthou autou. mē metabainavōr ek oikiau eis oikian.… worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
metabainasar“move”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular2×
Matthew 17:20… kokkon sinapieu, legavi te ore houte; Metabainasar enthen ekei, kai metabaineti, kai oudenem …… you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it …
John 7:3… oun pros auton tois adelfois autou; Metabainasar enteuthen kai hupagasōr eis tan Ioudaian, …So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so …
metabainarantos“left”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative singular masculine3×
Matthew 12:9“going on”Kai metabainarantos ekeithen erchata eis tan sunagōgan autoiu;Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,
Matthew 15:29“left”Kai metabainarantos ekeithen tos Iēsus erchata para tan …Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of …
Acts 18:7kai metabainarantos ekeithen eiserchata eis oikian tinou onome …So Paul left the synagogue and went next door …