Acts 2:38

2:38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized ¹  in the name of Jesus Christ ²  for ³  the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ⁴ 

Acts 3:19

3:19 Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out,

Acts 11:18

11:18 When they heard this, ⁵  they ceased their objections ⁶  and praised ⁷  God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance ⁸  that leads to life even to the Gentiles.” ⁹ 

Acts 17:30

17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked ¹⁰  such times of ignorance, ¹¹  he now commands all people ¹²  everywhere to repent, ¹³ 

Acts 20:21

20:21 testifying ¹⁴  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ¹⁵ 

Jeremiah 31:19-20

31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.

After we came to our senses ¹⁶  we beat our breasts in sorrow. ¹⁷ 

We are ashamed and humiliated

because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ ¹⁸ 

31:20 Indeed, the people of Israel are my dear children.

They are the children I take delight in. ¹⁹ 

For even though I must often rebuke them,

I still remember them with fondness.

So I am deeply moved with pity for them ²⁰ 

and will surely have compassion on them.

I, the Lord, affirm it! ²¹ 

Ezekiel 18:30-32

18:30 “Therefore I will judge each person according to his conduct, ²²  O house of Israel, declares the sovereign Lord. Repent ²³  and turn from all your wickedness; then it will not be an obstacle leading to iniquity. ²⁴  18:31 Throw away all your sins you have committed and fashion yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! ²⁵  Why should you die, O house of Israel? 18:32 For I take no delight in the death of anyone, ²⁶  declares the sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

Matthew 3:2

3:2 “Repent, ²⁷  for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 4:17

4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach this message: ²⁸  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Matthew 9:13

9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ ²⁹  For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Matthew 21:30-32

21:30 The father ³⁰  went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ³¹  ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” ³²  Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, ³³  tax collectors ³⁴  and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God! 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although ³⁵  you saw this, you did not later change your minds ³⁶  and believe him.

Mark 6:12

6:12 So ³⁷  they went out and preached that all should repent.

Luke 13:3

13:3 No, I tell you! But unless you repent, ³⁸  you will all perish as well! ³⁹ 

Luke 13:5

13:5 No, I tell you! But unless you repent ⁴⁰  you will all perish as well!” ⁴¹ 

Luke 15:7

15:7 I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner ⁴²  who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people ⁴³  who have no need to repent. ⁴⁴ 

Luke 15:10

15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels ⁴⁵  over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 24:46-47

24:46 and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ ⁴⁶  would suffer ⁴⁷  and would rise from the dead on the third day, 24:47 and repentance ⁴⁸  for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ⁴⁹  in his name to all nations, ⁵⁰  beginning from Jerusalem. ⁵¹ 

Romans 2:4

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ⁵²  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:2

2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ⁵³  against those who practice such things.

Colossians 1:10

1:10 so that you may live ⁵⁴  worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects ⁵⁵  – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

Colossians 1:2

1:2 to the saints, the faithful ⁵⁶  brothers and sisters ⁵⁷  in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to you ⁵⁸  from God our Father! ⁵⁹ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁶⁰  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁶¹ 

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ⁶²  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁶³ 

Revelation 2:5

2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state ⁶⁴  you have fallen and repent! Do ⁶⁵  the deeds you did at the first; ⁶⁶  if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place – that is, if you do not repent. ⁶⁷ 

Revelation 2:21

2:21 I ⁶⁸  have given her time to repent, but ⁶⁹  she is not willing to repent of her sexual immorality.

Revelation 3:3

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, ⁷⁰  and obey it, ⁷¹  and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never ⁷²  know at what hour I will come against ⁷³  you.

Revelation 16:11

16:11 They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their sufferings ⁷⁴  and because of their sores, ⁷⁵  but nevertheless ⁷⁶  they still refused to repent ⁷⁷  of their deeds.

[2:38]  ¹ tn The verb is a third person imperative, but the common translation “let each of you be baptized” obscures the imperative force in English, since it sounds more like a permissive (“each of you may be baptized”) to the average English reader.

[2:38]  ² tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:38]  ³ tn There is debate over the meaning of εἰς in the prepositional phrase εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὑμῶν (eis afesin twn Jamartiwn Jumwn, “for/because of/with reference to the forgiveness of your sins”). Although a causal sense has been argued, it is difficult to maintain here. ExSyn 369-71 discusses at least four other ways of dealing with the passage: (1) The baptism referred to here is physical only, and εἰς has the meaning of “for” or “unto.” Such a view suggests that salvation is based on works – an idea that runs counter to the theology of Acts, namely: (a) repentance often precedes baptism (cf. Acts 3:19; 26:20), and (b) salvation is entirely a gift of God, not procured via water baptism (Acts 10:43 [cf. v. 47]; 13:38-39, 48; 15:11; 16:30-31; 20:21; 26:18); (2) The baptism referred to here is spiritual only. Although such a view fits well with the theology of Acts, it does not fit well with the obvious meaning of “baptism” in Acts – especially in this text (cf. 2:41); (3) The text should be repunctuated in light of the shift from second person plural to third person singular back to second person plural again. The idea then would be, “Repent for/with reference to your sins, and let each one of you be baptized…” Such a view is an acceptable way of handling εἰς, but its subtlety and awkwardness count against it; (4) Finally, it is possible that to a first-century Jewish audience (as well as to Peter), the idea of baptism might incorporate both the spiritual reality and the physical symbol. That Peter connects both closely in his thinking is clear from other passages such as Acts 10:47 and 11:15-16. If this interpretation is correct, then Acts 2:38 is saying very little about the specific theological relationship between the symbol and the reality, only that historically they were viewed together. One must look in other places for a theological analysis. For further discussion see R. N. Longenecker, “Acts,” EBC 9:283-85; B. Witherington, Acts, 154-55; F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 129-30; BDAG 290 s.v. εἰς 4.f.

[2:38]  ⁴ tn Here the genitive τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος (tou Jagiou pneumato") is a genitive of apposition; the gift consists of the Holy Spirit.

[11:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “these things.”

[11:18]  ⁶ tn Or “became silent,” but this would create an apparent contradiction with the subsequent action of praising God. The point, in context, is that they ceased objecting to what Peter had done.

[11:18]  ⁷ tn Or “glorified.”

[11:18]  ⁸ sn Here the summary phrase for responding to the gospel is the repentance that leads to life. Note how the presence of life is tied to the presence of the Spirit (cf. John 4:7-42; 7:37-39).

[11:18]  ⁹ sn In the Greek text the phrase even to the Gentiles is in an emphatic position.

[17:30]  ¹⁰ tn Or “has deliberately paid no attention to.”

[17:30]  ¹¹ tn Or “times when people did not know.”

[17:30]  ¹² tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).

[17:30]  ¹³ sn He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.

[20:21]  ¹⁴ tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ¹⁵ tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[31:19]  ¹⁶ tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)

[31:19]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”

[31:19]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.

[31:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “Is Ephraim a dear son to me or a child of delight?” For the substitution of Israel for Ephraim and the plural pronouns for the singular see the note on v. 18. According to BDB 210 s.v. הֲ 1.c the question is rhetorical having the force of an impassioned affirmation. See 1 Sam 2:27; Job 41:9 (41:1 HT) for parallel usage.

[31:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “my stomach churns for him.” The parallelism shows that this refers to pity or compassion.

[31:20]  ²¹ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[18:30]  ²² tn Heb “ways.”

[18:30]  ²³ tn The verbs and persons in this verse are plural whereas the individual has been the subject of the chapter.

[18:30]  ²⁴ tn Or “leading to punishment.”

[18:31]  ²⁵ sn In Ezek 11:19, 36:26 the new heart and new spirit are promised as future blessings.

[18:32]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the death of the one dying.”

[3:2]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and saying, ‘Repent.’” The participle λέγων (legwn) at the beginning of v. 2 is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[4:17]  ²⁸ tn Grk “and to say.”

[9:13]  ²⁹ sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).

[21:30]  ³⁰ tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:30]  ³¹ tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated. Here the referent (“this boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[21:31]  ³² tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western mss (D it). But the reading is so hard as to be nearly impossible. One can only suspect some tampering with the text, extreme carelessness on the part of the scribe, or possibly a recognition of the importance of not shaming one’s parent in public. (Any of these reasons is not improbable with this texttype, and with codex D in particular.) The other two major variants are more difficult to assess. Essentially, the responses make sense (the son who does his father’s will is the one who changes his mind after saying “no”): (2) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. But here, the first son is called the one who does his father’s will (unlike the Western reading). This is the reading found in (א) C L W (Z) 0102 0281 ˹ 33 Ï and several versional witnesses. (3) The first son says “yes” but does not go, and the second son says “no” but later has a change of heart. This is the reading found in B Θ Ë¹³ 700 and several versional witnesses. Both of these latter two readings make good sense and have significantly better textual support than the first reading. The real question, then, is this: Is the first son or the second the obedient one? If one were to argue simply from the parabolic logic, the second son would be seen as the obedient one (hence, the third reading). The first son would represent the Pharisees (or Jews) who claim to obey God, but do not (cf. Matt 23:3). This accords well with the parable of the prodigal son (in which the oldest son represents the unbelieving Jews). Further, the chronological sequence of the second son being obedient fits well with the real scene: Gentiles and tax collectors and prostitutes were not, collectively, God’s chosen people, but they did repent and come to God, while the Jewish leaders claimed to be obedient to God but did nothing. At the same time, the external evidence is weaker for this reading (though stronger than the first reading), not as widespread, and certainly suspect because of how neatly it fits. One suspects scribal manipulation at this point. Thus the second reading looks to be superior to the other two on both external and transcriptional grounds. But what about intrinsic evidence? One can surmise that Jesus didn’t always give predictable responses. In this instance, he may well have painted a picture in which the Pharisees saw themselves as the first son, only to stun them with his application (v. 32).

[21:31]  ³³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[21:31]  ³⁴ sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[21:32]  ³⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:32]  ³⁶ sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.

[6:12]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[13:3]  ³⁸ sn Jesus was stressing that all stand at risk of death, if they do not repent and receive life.

[13:3]  ³⁹ tn Or “you will all likewise perish,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that they would perish by the same means as the Galileans. Jesus’ point is that apart from repentance all will perish.

[13:5]  ⁴⁰ sn Jesus’ point repeats v. 3. The circumstances make no difference. All must deal with the reality of what death means.

[13:5]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “similarly.”

[15:7]  ⁴² sn There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. The pursuit of the sinner is a priority in spite of the presence of others who are doing well (see also Luke 5:32; 19:10). The theme of repentance, a major Lukan theme, is again emphasized.

[15:7]  ⁴³ tn Here δικαίοις (dikaioi") is an adjective functioning substantivally and has been translated “righteous people.”

[15:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “who do not need to repent”; Grk “who do not have need of repentance.”

[15:10]  ⁴⁵ sn The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.

[24:46]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[24:46]  ⁴⁷ tn Three Greek infinitives are the key to this summary: (1) to suffer, (2) to rise, and (3) to be preached. The Christ (Messiah) would be slain, would be raised, and a message about repentance would go out into all the world as a result. All of this was recorded in the scripture. The remark shows the continuity between Jesus’ ministry, the scripture, and what disciples would be doing as they declared the Lord risen.

[24:47]  ⁴⁸ sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.

[24:47]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “preached,” “announced.”

[24:47]  ⁵⁰ sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta eqnh) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.

[24:47]  ⁵¹ sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.

[2:4]  ⁵² tn Grk “being unaware.”

[2:2]  ⁵³ tn Or “based on truth.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁴ tn The infinitive περιπατῆσαι (peripathsai, “to walk, to live, to live one’s life”) is best taken as an infinitive of purpose related to “praying” (προσευχόμενοι, proseucomenoi) and “asking” (αἰτούμενοι, aitoumenoi) in v. 9 and is thus translated as “that you may live.”

[1:10]  ⁵⁵ tn BDAG 129 s.v. ἀρεσκεία states that ἀρεσκείαν (areskeian) refers to a “desire to please εἰς πᾶσαν ἀ. to please (the Lord) in all respects Col 1:10.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “and faithful.” The construction in Greek (as well as Paul’s style) suggests that the saints are identical to the faithful; hence, the καί (kai) is best left untranslated (cf. Eph 1:1). See ExSyn 281-82.

[1:2]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited).

[1:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “Grace to you and peace.”

[1:2]  ⁵⁹ tc Most witnesses, including some important ones (א A C F G I [P] 075 Ï it bo), read “and the Lord Jesus Christ” at the end of this verse, no doubt to conform the wording to the typical Pauline salutation. However, excellent and early witnesses (B D K L Ψ 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 al sa) lack this phrase. Since the omission is inexplicable as arising from the longer reading (otherwise, these mss would surely have deleted the phrase in the rest of the corpus Paulinum), it is surely authentic.

[2:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:1]  ⁶² tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

[2:1]  ⁶³ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

[2:5]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “from where,” but status is in view rather than physical position. On this term BDAG 838 s.v. πόθεν 1 states, “from what place? from where?…In imagery μνημόνευε πόθεν πέπτωκες remember from what (state) you have fallen Rv 2:5.”

[2:5]  ⁶⁵ tn Grk “and do” (a continuation of the previous sentence in the Greek text). For stylistic reasons in English a new sentence was started here in the translation. The repeated mention of repenting at the end of the verse suggests that the intervening material (“do the deeds you did at first”) specifies how the repentance is to be demonstrated.

[2:5]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “you did formerly.”

[2:5]  ⁶⁷ tn Although the final clause is somewhat awkward, it is typical of the style of Revelation.

[2:21]  ⁶⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and contemporary English style.

[2:21]  ⁶⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to bring out the contrast present in this woman’s obstinate refusal to repent.

[3:3]  ⁷⁰ tn The expression πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας (pw" eilhfa" kai hkousa") probably refers to the initial instruction in the Christian life they had received and been taught; this included doctrine and ethical teaching.

[3:3]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “keep it,” in the sense of obeying what they had initially been taught.

[3:3]  ⁷² tn The negation here is with οὐ μή (ou mh, the strongest possible form of negation in Koine Greek).

[3:3]  ⁷³ tn Or “come on.”

[16:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “pains” (the same term in Greek [πόνος, ponos] as the last word in v. 11, here translated “sufferings” because it is plural). BDAG 852 s.v. 2 states, “ἐκ τοῦ π. in pain…Rv 16:10; pl. (Gen 41:51; Jos., C. Ap. 2, 146; Test. Jud. 18:4) ἐκ τῶν π. …because of their sufferings vs. 11.”

[16:11]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “ulcerated sores” (see 16:2).

[16:11]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “and they did not repent.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but nevertheless” to express the contrast here.

[16:11]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “they did not repent” The addition of “still refused” reflects the hardness of people’s hearts in the context.