"Repent" Means "Change Your Mind"

The first public announcement made by Jesus was translated in Matthew 4:17 as:

KJV: Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

But the Greek word we translate as “repent” has been assigned a new meaning in translation, a more religious meaning, one it didn’t have when Jesus spoke it. In this article, we will examine that Greek word, and related words that Jesus uses, including one that did mean “repent” at the time.

Jesus’s Use

The Greek word translated as “repent” is metanoeo (μετανοέω). It means "to see afterward," "to see too late," "to change one's mind," and "to change one's purpose." Jesus uses it in thirteen verses. Its Greek root is noeo, which means "perceive by the eyes," or “see” in the sense of "observe." But the word also means "to perceive with the mind," "comprehend," and "think out.” In English, we also us the wrd, “see,” to mean “understand” as the Greeks did. The past perfect tense of the most common Greek word meaning “see,” was their word for “know.” What we “have seen” is what we know. The prefix of metanoeo is meta, which, as a prefix primarily "of community," "in common with another," and "in the midst of." It also means "succession” of time, "pursuit," "letting go," "after, behind," and "reversely."

If we put the root and prefix together, we get many possible shades of meaning. Of all these possibilities, only one, “see too late” has the feeling of regret, but Jesus probably didn’t mean the word this way. He brought good news, asking people to see something new. Metanoeo also has the sense that they were all doing this together, as part of a community. When we see something new, what happens? We “change our minds.” This is the meaning of the metanoeo that captures Jesus’s message best.

Of course, people at the time would have heard all these shades of meaning at once. The problem with translation is that we have to pick one that best captures the spirit of the word. I prefer “change your minds,” because the rest of his initial announcement in Matthew 4:17 was and explanation of why his listeners should change their minds.

Change your minds since this realm of the skies has neared.

People would have also heard this as:

Reverse your thinking together: since this realm of the skies has neared.

This idea of a “realm of the skies,” what we have come to call the “kingdom of heaven” (see this article) was completely new. It does not appear in the books of the Old Testament. Jesus chose his words to give his listeners something to think about, not something they could easily comprehend or see.

However, we should also remember that Jesus wasn’t the first or only one to use this “change your minds” phrase. It was introduced by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2). Jesus also taught his followers to use this announcement when they went on the road (Mark 6:12). They all used this message not to frighten people into reforming, which would chase people away. Its purpose was to draw people near, gathering them.

Jesus uses metanoeo in thirteen verses. All of them relate to people changing their minds. Here is a sample of how they were heard by Jesus’s listeners if we translate metanoeo as “change your minds” instead of “repent.” These verses sound different than what we are used to, because all their words are translated as people would have heard them at the time.

Matthew 12:41: The manly of Nineveh …changed their minds from the proclamation of Jonah. And look! Something greater than Jonah is here!
Mark 1:15: Because this season has been fulfilled, and the realm of the Divine has neared. Change your minds and trust in the rewards for bringing the message.
Luke 13:3: Certainly not, I tell you! Instead, when you don't change your minds, all alike, you will destroy yourselves. 
Luke 17:3: Pay attention to yourselves. When that brother of yours errs, tell the cost to him and, when he changes his mind, leave him alone.

It is interesting to note that metanoeo never appears in the Gospel of John. It appears nine times in Luke, only twice in Matthew, and once in Mark. Jesus’s vocabulary in Luke is significantly different than what we see in other Gospels.

There is one verse however, where “repent” does fit better.:

Luke 10:13 (NIV): Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Changing your mind in sackcloth and ashes describes a repentance, but this verse is not enough to change the meaning of the word “repent.”

Related Words

Metanoeo is used a couple of times with its noun form, metanoia. One interesting example is Luke 15:7 because it also includes the word misleadingly translated as “sinner” (see this article).

NIV: I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Listeners Heard: I tell you that this is why joy will exist in the sky upon one mistake-maker changing his mind than upon ninety-nine rule-followers who don't need having a change of mind.

If we are making mistakes because we are not following the rules, do we need to regret it? Or do we need to change the way we think? Many of us who are making mistakes regret them, but we keep making them because we don’t change the way we think. It is the change of mind and heart that matter.

The word metanoia (μετάνοια) means "a change of mind or heart", "afterthought", and "correction". In English, this idea is expressed as "hindsight". From this sense, it can also mean "repentance", and "regret."

However, there is a third word, metamellomai (μεταμέλομα), which means "to feel repentance," "to repent a thing," "to change one's purpose or conduct," and "to feel regret." Jesus uses this word just once. And it is funny how it is translated.