Word studies · Greek · Strong's G3341
μετάνοια · metánoia · appears 24 times in the New Testament
In one line: A genuine change of mind and direction, turning to God.
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10
Repentance is a change of mind and direction — turning away from sin toward God, not mere regret.
Metanoia describes an inward reorientation that produces a changed life: recognizing wrongdoing, turning from it, and turning toward God. John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles all open their preaching with a call to repent.
Metanoia is built from meta (“after” or “change”) and nous (“mind”), literally “a change of mind.” In earlier Greek it could describe any change of thinking or regret about a decision; the New Testament sharpens it into a decisive, God-ward turning.
English “repent” can sound mostly like feeling sorry, but metanoia is about a changed mind that leads to changed direction — Paul distinguishes “godly grief” that produces this repentance from mere worldly sorrow that changes nothing.
Metanoia (G3341) and its verb form metanoeō open the public ministries of both John the Baptist and Jesus — “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Repentance and faith are presented as two sides of the same response to the gospel — turning from sin and turning to trust in Christ. It's the doorway through which forgiveness and new life are received.
Repentance isn't a one-time event but an ongoing posture — regularly examine where your mind and direction need to turn back toward God. Name one specific habit or attitude you're ready to turn away from this week.
(subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication, reversal (of (another's) decision)
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
Matthew 3:8John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:4He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
Luke 3:3God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
Acts 5:31Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
Romans 2:4yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.
2 Corinthians 7:9Press and hold repentance in any chapter and this study opens on the verse you are reading, with the lexicons, every occurrence and the commentaries beside it. The Bible is free to read.
Scripture quoted from the Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Strong's definitions are public domain. Counts come from The Pillar's own tagged text.