μεταμέλλομαι

μεταμέλλομαι — metaméllomai

μεταμέλομαι; imperfect μετεμελόμην; passive, 1 aorist μετεμελήθην; 1 future μεταμεληθήσομαι; (from μέλομαι, middle of μέλω); from Thucydides down; the Sept. for נִחַם; a deponent passive; properly, it is a care to one afterward (see μετά, III. 2), i. e. it repents one; to repent oneself (in R. V. uniformly with this reflexive rendering (except 2Co 7:8, where regret)): Mat 21:29; Mat 21:32; Mat 27:3; 2Co 7:8; Heb 7:21 from Psa 109:4. [SYNONYMS: μεταμέλομαι, μετανοέω: The distinctions so often laid down between these words, to the effect that the former expresses a merely emotional change the latter a change of choice, the former has reference to particulars the latter to the entire life, the former signifies nothing but regret even though amounting to remorse, the latter that reversal of moral purpose known as repentance — seem hardly to be sustained by usage. But that μετανοέω is the fuller and nobler term, expressive of moral action and issues, is indicated not only by its derivation, but by the greater frequency of its use, by the fact that it is often employed in the imperative (μεταμέλομαι never), and by its construction with ἀοπ, ἐκ (cf. ἡ εἰς Θεόν μετάνοια, Act 20:21). Cf. Trench, N. T. Synonyms, § lxix.; especially Gataker, Adv. Post. xxix.]