verb
metanoamō
Strong’sG3340
I repent, change my mind
stem metano-34 times in the New Testamentin 6 of 27 books15 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
μετανοέω means to change one's mind or purpose, and by extension, to repent 123. It can denote simply thinking differently or reconsidering something 23, but in the New Testament it is used specifically of turning away from sin, involving a genuine change of conduct rather than mere regret 1. It appears both with a following phrase indicating what one turns from and used on its own 1, and can also take a following clause naming the wrongdoing repented of 3.
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-νοέω, -ῶ,
[in LXX for נחם ni., I Ki 15:29, Je 4:28, al.;]
SYN.: μεταμέλομαι, q.v.
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G3340 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
perceive afterwards or too late, opposed to προνοέω, Refs 5th c.BC+; opposed to προβουλεύομαι, Refs 3rd c.AD+; concur subsequently, τισι Refs 2nd c.AD+
2 change one's mind or purpose, Refs 5th c.BC+; μ. μὴ οὔτε.. τῶν χαλεπῶν ἔργων ᾖ τὸ.. ἄρχειν change one's opinion and think that it is not.., Refs 5th c.BC+
3 repent, NT+5th c.BC+; ἐπί τινι Refs 1st c.AD+: with participle, μ. γενόμενος Ἕλλην Refs 2nd c.AD+
4 with accusative, repent of, τὴν ἄφιξιν Refs 1st c.AD+
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| metanoamōΜετανοῶ | happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular | repent | 1× |
| metanoaliμετανοήσουσιν | will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural | repent | 1× |
| metanoalaμετενόησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | repent | 9× |
| metanoaveiōμετανοῆτε | happening now · yepresent active subjunctive 2nd person plural | repent | 2× |
| metanoaleiōμετανοῶσιν | happening now · theypresent active subjunctive 3rd person plural | repent | 1× |
| metanoaseiaμετανοήσῃς | happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular | repent | 1× |
| metanoateiaμετανοήσῃ | happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular | repent | 2× |
| metanoaleiaμετανοήσωσιν | happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural | repent | 1× |
| metanoavōrΜετανοεῖτε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | repent | 3× |
| metanoasarμετανόησον | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | repent | 5× |
| metanoavarΜετανοήσατε | happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural | repent | 2× |
| metanoarōμετανοεῖν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | repent | 2× |
| metanoaraμετανοῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | repent | 1× |
| metanoarōntoμετανοοῦντι | happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative singular masculine | repents | 2× |
| metanoarantoiuμετανοησάντων | happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive plural masculine | repented | 1× |
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 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 11 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metanoamō1×Μετανοῶ | metanoame | metanoami | metanoama | metanoamē | metanoamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | metanoasō | metanoase | metanoasi | metanoasa | metanoasē | metanoaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metanoatō | metanoate | metanoati | metanoata | metanoatē | metanoatelē |
| we 1st person plural | metanoanō | metanoane | metanoani | metanoana | metanoanē | metanoanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metanoavō | metanoave | metanoavi | metanoava | metanoavē | metanoavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | metanoalō | metanoale | metanoali1×μετανοήσουσιν | metanoala9×μετενόησαν | metanoalē | metanoalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 7 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metanoameiō | metanoameia | metanoameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | metanoaseiō | metanoaseia1×μετανοήσῃς | metanoaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metanoateiō | metanoateia2×μετανοήσῃ | metanoateiē |
| we 1st person plural | metanoaneiō | metanoaneia | metanoaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | metanoaveiō2×μετανοῆτε | metanoaveia | metanoaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | metanoaleiō1×μετανοῶσιν | metanoaleia1×μετανοήσωσιν | metanoaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 10 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | metanoasōr | metanoasar5×μετανόησον | metanoasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metanoatōr | metanoatar | metanoatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | metanoavōr3×Μετανοεῖτε | metanoavar2×Μετανοήσατε | metanoavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | metanoalōr | metanoalar | metanoalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | metanoamoiō | metanoamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | metanoasoiō | metanoasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | metanoatoiō | metanoatoia |
| we 1st person plural | metanoanoiō | metanoanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | metanoavoiō | metanoavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | metanoaloiō | metanoaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 3 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | metanoarō2×μετανοεῖν | metanoari | metanoara1×μετανοῆσαι | metanoarē |
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 | metanoarōntos2× | metanoarintos | metanoarantos1× | metanoarēntos |
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
metano 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.
34 occurrences, every one of them listed
metanoamō“repent”happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular1×
Luke 17:4… kai heptakis epistrefateia pros sin legarōntos; Metanoamō, afiēkasi auto.… seven times returns to say, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
metanoali“repent”will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Luke 16:30… tinos apo nekroiu poreuiteia pros autoin metanoali.… them from the dead, they will repent.’
metanoala“repent”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural9×
Matthew 11:20… tais pollotatais dunamiais autou, hoti ouk metanoala;… been performed, because they did not repent.
Matthew 11:21… palai an en sakko kai spoda metanoala.… Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Matthew 12:41… geneau houtau kai katakrinali autan; hoti metanoala eis tem kērugmem Iōnou, kai idou …… generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and …
Luke 10:13… an en sakko kai spoda kathorōntois metanoala.… Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and …
Luke 11:32… geneau houtau kai katakrinali autan; hoti metanoala eis tem kērugmem Iōnou, kai idou …… generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and …
Revelation 9:20… apoktenila en tai plēgai houtai, oude metanoala ek teiu ergeiu taiu cheiraiu autoiu, …… by these plagues still did not repent of the works of their hands …
Revelation 9:21kai ouk metanoala ek toiu fonoiu autoiu oute ek …Furthermore, they did not repent of their murder, sorcery, sexual immorality …
Revelation 16:9… epi tain plēgain houtain, kai ouk metanoala dōara auto doxan.… these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
Revelation 16:11… ek teiu helkeiu autoiu, kai ouk metanoala ek teiu ergeiu autoiu.… and sores. Yet they did not repent of their deeds.
metanoaveiō“repent”happening now · yepresent active subjunctive 2nd person plural2×
Luke 13:3ouchi, legamō vi, alla ean mē metanoaveiō pantois homoiōs apolevi.… I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
Luke 13:5ouchi, legamō vi, alla ean mē metanoaveiō pantois hōsautōs apolevi.… I tell you. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
metanoaleiō“repent”happening now · theypresent active subjunctive 3rd person plural1×
Mark 6:12Kai exercharantois kērussala hina metanoaleiō,… and preached that the people should repent.
metanoaseia“repent”happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular1×
Revelation 2:5… ek tou topou autau, ean mē metanoaseia.… first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and …
metanoateia“repent”happened · he/she/itaorist active subjunctive 3rd person singular2×
Luke 17:3… adelfos su epitimasar auto, kai ean metanoateia afiēkasar auto;… sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
Revelation 2:21“repent”kai dōama auta chronon hina metanoateia, kai ouk thelatō metanoara ek tau …… have given her time to repent of her immorality …
metanoaleia“repent”happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural1×
Revelation 2:22… autau eis thlipsian megan, ean mē metanoaleia ek teiu ergeiu autau;… will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.
metanoavōr“repent”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural3×
Matthew 3:2kai legarōntos; Metanoavōr, engizatē gar tas basileias toiu ouranoiu.and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is …
Matthew 4:17… archeta tos Iēsus kērussarō kai legarō; Metanoavōr, engizatē gar tas basileias toiu ouranoiu.… time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is …
Mark 1:15… kai engizatē tas basileias tou theou; metanoavōr kai pisteuavōr en te euangelie.… the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
metanoasar“repent”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular5×
Acts 8:22metanoasar oun apo tau kakiau su houtau, …Repent, therefore, of your wickedness, and pray …
Revelation 2:5mnēmoneuasōr oun pothen piptasē, kai metanoasar kai teim prōteim ergeim poiasar; ei …… mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did …
Revelation 2:16metanoasar oun; ei de mē, erchomō si …Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you …
Revelation 3:3… labasē kai akouasa kai tērasōr, kai metanoasar; ean oun mē grēgoraseia, hēkami hōs …… received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up …
Revelation 3:19… elenchamō kai paideuamō; zēleuasōr oun kai metanoasar.… and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
metanoavar“repent”happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural2×
Acts 2:38Petros de pros autoin; Metanoavar, kai baptizitar hekastos vu epi te …Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of …
Acts 3:19metanoavar oun kai epistrefavar pros tem exaleifira …Repent, then, and turn back, so that …
metanoarō“repent”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive2×
Acts 17:30… nun parangelatō toi anthrōpoi pantoin pantachou metanoarō,… now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Acts 26:20… tau Ioudaiau, kai tei ethnei apangelame metanoarō kai epistrefarō epi ton theon, axieim …… Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds …
metanoara“repent”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive1×
Revelation 2:21… chronon hina metanoateia, kai ouk thelatō metanoara ek tau porneiau autau.… I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
metanoarōnto“repents”happening now · to, forpresent active participle dative singular masculine2×
Luke 15:7… to ourano eti epi heno hamartōlo metanoarōnto ē epi enenēkonta ennea dikaioi hotinois …… in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous ones who …
Luke 15:10… angeloiu tou theou epi heno hamartōlo metanoarōnto.… God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”
metanoarantoiu“repented”happened · of, belonging toaorist active participle genitive plural masculine1×
2 Corinthians 12:21… penthameia polloin toiu proamartanarēntoiu kai mē metanoarantoiu epi ta akatharsia kai porneia kai …… have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual …