KJV: For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.
YLT: for John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him, and the tax-gatherers and the harlots did believe him, and ye, having seen, repented not at last -- to believe him.
Darby: For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but ye when ye saw it repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.
ASV: For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.
| ἦλθεν | Came |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἔρχομαι Sense: to come. |
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| Ἰωάννης | John |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: Ἰωάννης Sense: John the Baptist was the son of Zacharias and Elisabeth, the forerunner of Christ. |
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| ἐν | in [the] |
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Parse: Preposition Root: ἐν Sense: in, by, with etc. |
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| ὁδῷ | way |
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Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular Root: ὁδός Sense: properly. |
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| δικαιοσύνης | of righteousness |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: δικαιοσύνη Sense: in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God. |
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| ἐπιστεύσατε | you did believe |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural Root: πιστεύω Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. |
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| οἱ | - |
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Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| δὲ | however |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: δέ Sense: but, moreover, and, etc. |
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| τελῶναι | the tax collectors |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: τελώνης Sense: a renter or farmer of taxes. |
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| πόρναι | prostitutes |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Plural Root: πόρνη Sense: a woman who sells her body for sexual uses. |
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| ἐπίστευσαν | believed |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural Root: πιστεύω Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. |
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| ἰδόντες | having seen |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural Root: εἶδον Sense: to see with the eyes. |
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| οὐδὲ | not even |
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Parse: Adverb Root: οὐδέ Sense: but not, neither, nor, not even. |
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| μετεμελήθητε | did repent |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 2nd Person Plural Root: μεταμέλομαι Sense: it is a care to one afterwards. |
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| ὕστερον | afterward |
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Parse: Adverb Root: ὕστερος Sense: latter, later, coming after, the second. |
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| τοῦ | - |
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Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| πιστεῦσαι | to believe |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active Root: πιστεύω Sense: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. |
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Greek Commentary for Matthew 21:32
In the path of righteousness. Compare the two ways in Matthew 7:13, Matthew 7:14 and “the way of God” (Matthew 22:16). [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 21:32
This is a different word from that in Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; μετανοεῖτε , Repent ye. Though it is fairly claimed that the word here implies all that is implied in the other word, the New Testament writers evidently recognize a distinction, since the noun which corresponds to the verb in this passage ( μεταμέλεια ) is not used at all in the New Testament, and the verb itself only five times; and, in every case except the two in this passage (see Matthew 21:32), with a meaning quite foreign to repentance in the ordinary gospel sense. Thus it is used of Judas, when he brought back the thirty pieces (Matthew 27:3); of Paul's not regretting his letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 7:8); and of God (Hebrews 7:21). On the other hand, μετανοέω , repent, used by John and Jesus in their summons to repentance (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17), occurs thirty-four times, and the noun μετάνοια , repentance (Matthew 3:8, Matthew 3:11), twenty-four times, and in every case with reference to that change of heart and life wrought by the Spirit of God, to which remission of sins and salvation are promised. It is not impossible, therefore, that the word in this passage may have been intended to carry a different shade of meaning, now lost to us. Μεταμέλομαι , as its etymology indicates ( μετά , after, and μέλω , to be an object of care), implies an after-care, as contrasted with the change of mind denoted by μετάνοια . Not sorrow for moral obliquity and sin against God, but annoyance at the consequences of an act or course of acts, and chagrin at not having known better. “It may be simply what our fathers were wont to call hadiwist (had-I-wist, or known better, I should have acted otherwise)” (Trench). Μεταμέλεια refers chiefly to single acts; μετάνοια denotes the repentance which affects the whole life. Hence the latter is often found in the imperative: Repent ye (Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19); the former never. Paul's recognition of the distinction (2 Corinthians 7:10) is noteworthy. “Godly sorrow worketh repentance ( μετάνοιαν ) unto salvation,” a salvation or repentance “which bringeth no regret on thinking of it afterwards” ( ἀμεταμέλητον )There is no occasion for one ever to think better of either his repentance or the salvation in which it issued. [source]
So many old manuscripts, though the Vatican manuscript (B) has the order of the two sons reversed. Logically the “I, sir” But the one who actually did the will of the father is the one who repented and went This word really means “repent,” to be sorry afterwards, and must be sharply distinguished from the word μετανοια metanoeō used 34 times in the N.T. as in Matthew 3:2 and μεταμελομαι metanoia used 24 times as in Matthew 3:8. The verb μετανοιαν metamelomai occurs in the N.T. only five times (Matthew 21:29, Matthew 21:32; Matthew 27:3; 2 Corinthians 7:8; Hebrews 7:21 from Psalm 109:4). Paul distinguishes sharply between mere sorrow and the act “repentance” which he calls μετανοιαν metanoian (2 Corinthians 7:9). In the case of Judas (Matthew 27:3) it was mere remorse. Here the boy got sorry for his stubborn refusal to obey his father and went and obeyed. Godly sorrow leads to repentance (metanoian), but mere sorrow is not repentance. [source]
This may signify the purpose of his translation, but probably refers to the result. He was translated so that he did not see death. Comp. Matthew 21:32; Acts 7:19; Romans 7:3. [source]