The Difference Between metanoia and shuv
metanoia (Greek, G3341) means "repentance" and shuv (Hebrew, H7725) means ") again" — two words from different Testaments that address the same biblical theme. Comparing them shows how the Old and New Testaments speak with one consistent voice on this subject.
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μετάνοια vs שׁוּב
metanoia and shuv
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See how metanoia (μετάνοια) and shuv (שׁוּב) compare → https://lemmalink.com/compare/G3341/H7725
μετάνοια
(subjectively) compunction (for guilt, including reformation); by implication, reversal (of (another's) decision)
G3341
Exegetical Meaning
Metanoia means a complete turnaround in how you think and feel about something, especially about sin and wrongdoing. It's not just feeling sorry that you got caught or that something bad happened to you—it's a genuine change of mind that leads to a change of direction in your life. The word captures both the internal shift (recognizing that what you've done is wrong and truly regretting it) and the external result (actually turning away from that behavior and moving toward something better). In Scripture, metanoia is the heart of what it means to return to God. When John the Baptist calls people to metanoia, he's inviting them to stop going their own way and start following God's way instead. Jesus uses the same concept when He says that unless people experience this kind of deep change, they cannot enter God's kingdom. It's more than an emotional moment of feeling guilty—it's a reorientation of your whole self. English translations typically render metanoia as "repentance," though sometimes you'll see "turning" or "conversion." The word emphasizes that real change involves both your thinking and your choices. A clear example appears in Peter's call at Pentecost (Acts 2:38), where people are invited to turn away from rejecting Jesus and turn toward believing in Him—a complete reversal of direction born from genuine conviction about who He is.
Origin
Root form
English Glosses
Canon Usage
No data
Context Themes
No clusters available
שׁוּב
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
H7725
Exegetical Meaning
to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again | Etymology: a primitive root; | KJV: ((break, build, circumcise, dig, do anything, do evil, feed, lay down, lie down, lodge, make, rejoice, send, take, weep)) [idiom] again, (cause to) answer ([phrase] again), [idiom] in any case (wise), [idiom] at all, averse, bring (again, back, home again), call (to mind), carry again (back), cease, [idiom] certainly, come again (back), [idiom] consider, [phrase] continually, convert, deliver (again), [phrase] deny, draw back, fetch home again, [idiom] fro, get (oneself) (back) again, [idiom] give (again), go again (back, home), (go) out, hinder, let, (see) more, [idiom] needs, be past, [idiom] pay, pervert, pull in again, put (again, up again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward, [phrase] say nay, send back, set again, slide back, still, [idiom] surely, take back (off), (cause to, make to) turn (again, self again, away, back, back again, backward, from, off), withdraw.
Origin
Root form
English Glosses
Canon Usage
No data
Context Themes
- The Return to God
- God Who Relents