Question 1

What does "Repent" mean in the King James Bible?

Accepted Answer

In the KJV, "Repent" means "feel sorry." The physical turning. Shuv was a direction word -- you were walking away from God, and repentance meant you physically turned around and walked back. Metanoia meant your entire mind was renovated. Neither word was primarily about feeling bad. Both were about radical, total reorientation of life toward God.

Question 2

Why did the word "Repent" disappear from modern English?

Accepted Answer

Hebrew shuv ('turn around/return') and Greek metanoia ('change of mind/fundamental reorientation') were reduced to 'feel sorry for what you did.' Repentance became an emotion rather than a direction change. The word was at peak usage around 1611 and declined by still used but distorted (~1800).

Question 3

What modern word replaced "Repent"?

Accepted Answer

"Repent" was replaced by: "feel sorry" (though this emotional response only; shuv was a physical turning -- reversing the direction of your entire life); "regret" (though this backward-looking; repentance was forward-looking -- turning toward god, not just mourning the past); "apologize" (though this social nicety; metanoia was a total transformation of how you think and see reality).

What Does “Repent” Mean in the Bible?

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