Matthew 3:2

Bible in Basic English (1941)

Saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin; for the kingdom of heaven is near.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ λέγων, Μετανοεῖτε: ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Transliteration

And legōn, Metanoeite: ēngiken gar the basileia of the ouranōn.

Grammar Details

• *legōn*: present active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - saying
• *Metanoeite*: present active imperative, 2nd plural - repent/change your mind
• *ēngiken*: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular - has come near/approached
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *basileia*: nominative, feminine, singular - kingdom
• *ouranōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - of heavens

Word Meanings

• *Metanoeite*: repent/change your mind/turn away from sin
• *ēngiken*: has come near/has approached/is at hand
• *basileia*: kingdom/reign/rule

Referenced Verses

• Matt 4:17 : 17 From that time Jesus went about preaching and saying, Let your hearts be turned from sin, for the kingdom of heaven is near.
• Matt 6:10 : 10 Let your kingdom come. Let your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
• Matt 10:7 : 7 And, on your way, say, The kingdom of heaven is near.
• Mark 1:15 : 15 And saying, The time has come, and the kingdom of God is near: let your hearts be turned from sin and have faith in the good news.
• Dan 2:44 : 44 And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will put up a kingdom which will never come to destruction, and its power will never be given into the hands of another people, and all these kingdoms will be broken and overcome by it, but it will keep its place for ever.
• Acts 11:18 : 18 And hearing these things they said nothing more, but gave glory to God, saying, Then to the Gentiles as to us has God given a change of heart, so that they may have life.
• Acts 17:30 : 30 Those times when men had no knowledge were overlooked by God; but now he gives orders to all men in every place to undergo a change of heart:
• Acts 20:21 : 21 Preaching to Jews and to Greeks the need for a turning of the heart to God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Acts 26:20 : 20 But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart.
• 2 Cor 7:10 : 10 For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.
• 2 Tim 2:25 : 25 Gently guiding those who go against the teaching; if by chance God may give them a change of heart and true knowledge,
• Heb 6:1 : 1 For this reason let us go on from the first things about Christ to full growth; not building again that on which it is based, that is, the turning of the heart from dead works, and faith in God,
• 2 Pet 3:9 : 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his word, as he seems to some, but he is waiting in mercy for you, not desiring the destruction of any, but that all may be turned from their evil ways.
• Rev 2:5 : 5 So keep in mind where you were at first, and be changed in heart and do the first works; or I will come to you, and will take away your light from its place, if your hearts are not changed.
• Rev 2:21 : 21 And I gave her time for a change of heart, but she has no mind to give up her unclean ways.
• Luke 13:3 : 3 I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to the same end.
• Luke 13:5 : 5 I say to you, It is not so: but if your hearts are not changed, you will all come to an end in the same way.
• Luke 15:7 : 7 I say to you that even so there will be more joy in heaven when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing, than for ninety-nine good men, who have no need of a change of heart.
• Luke 15:10 : 10 Even so, I say to you, There is joy among the angels of God, when one sinner is turned away from his wrongdoing.
• Luke 24:47 : 47 And that teaching about a change of heart and forgiveness of sins is to be given to Jerusalem first and to all nations in his name.
• Acts 2:38 : 38 And Peter said, Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given to you.
• Acts 3:19 : 19 So then, let your hearts be changed and be turned to God, so that your sins may be completely taken away, and times of blessing may come from the Lord;
• Mark 1:4 : 4 John came, and gave baptism in the waste land, preaching baptism as a sign of forgiveness of sin for those whose hearts were changed.
• Ezek 33:11 : 11 Say to them, By my life, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the evil-doer; it is more pleasing to me if he is turned from his way and has life: be turned, be turned from your evil ways; why are you looking for death, O children of Israel?
• 1 Kgs 8:47 : 47 And if they take thought, in the land where they are prisoners, and are turned again to you, crying out in prayer to you in that land, and saying, We are sinners, we have done wrong, we have done evil;
• Job 42:6 : 6 For this cause I give witness that what I said is false, and in sorrow I take my seat in the dust.
• Matt 5:10 : 10 Happy are those who are attacked on account of righteousness: for the kingdom of heaven will be theirs.
• Matt 5:19-20 : 19 Whoever then goes against the smallest of these laws, teaching men to do the same, will be named least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who keeps the laws, teaching others to keep them, will be named great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, If your righteousness is not greater than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never go into the kingdom of heaven.
• Mark 6:12 : 12 And they went out, preaching the need for a change of heart in men.
• Luke 6:20 : 20 And turning his eyes to his disciples he said, Happy are you who are poor: for the kingdom of God is yours.
• Matt 12:41 : 41 The men of Nineveh will come up in the day of judging and give their decision against this generation: because they were turned from their sins at the preaching of Jonah; and now a greater than Jonah is here.
• Matt 13:11 : 11 And he said to them in answer, To you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
• Matt 13:24 : 24 And he gave them another story, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who put good seed in his field:
• Matt 13:31 : 31 He put another story before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his field:
• Matt 13:33 : 33 Another story he gave to them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and put in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
• Matt 13:44-45 : 44 The kingdom of heaven is like a secret store of wealth in a field, which a man came across and put back again; and in his joy he goes and gives all he has, to get that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader searching for beautiful jewels.
• Matt 13:47 : 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net, which was put into the sea and took in every sort of fish:
• Matt 13:52 : 52 And he said to them, For this reason every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house, who gives out from his store things new and old.
• Matt 18:1-4 : 1 In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2 And he took a little child, and put him in the middle of them, 3 And said, Truly, I say to you, If you do not have a change of heart and become like little children, you will not go into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever, then, will make himself as low as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
• Matt 18:23 : 23 For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king, who went over his accounts with his servants.
• Matt 20:1 : 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, who went out early in the morning to get workers into his vine-garden.
• Matt 21:29-32 : 29 And he said in answer, I will not: but later, changing his decision, he went. 30 And he came to the second and said the same. And he made answer and said, I go, sir: and went not. 31 Which of the two did his father's pleasure? They say, The first. Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, that tax-farmers and loose women are going into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you had no faith in him, but the tax-farmers and the loose women had faith in him: and you, when you saw it, did not even have regret for your sins, so as to have faith in him.
• Matt 22:2 : 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a feast when his son was married,
• Matt 23:13 : 13 But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back.
• Matt 25:1 : 1 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, the friends of the bride, who took their lights, and went out with the purpose of meeting the husband.
• Matt 25:14 : 14 For it is as when a man, about to take a journey, got his servants together, and gave them his property.
• Luke 9:2 : 2 And he sent them out to be preachers of the kingdom of God, and to make well those who were ill.
• Luke 10:9-9 : 9 And make well those in it who are ill and say to them, The kingdom of God is near to you. 10 But if you go into a town where they will not have you, go out into the streets of it and say, 11 Even the dust of your town, which is on our feet, we put off as a witness against you; but be certain of this, that the kingdom of God is near.
• Luke 11:20 : 20 But if I, by the finger of God, send out evil spirits, then the kingdom of God has overtaken you.
• Matt 11:11-12 : 11 Truly I say to you, Among the sons of women there has not been a greater than John the Baptist: but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of heaven is forcing its way in, and men of force take it.
• Matt 11:20 : 20 Then he went on to say hard things to the towns where most of his works of power were done, because they had not been turned from their sins.
• Matt 6:33 : 33 But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition.
• Matt 5:3 : 3 Happy are the poor in spirit: for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
• Ezek 18:30-32 : 30 For this cause I will be your judge, O children of Israel, judging every man by his ways, says the Lord. Come back and be turned from all your sins; so that they may not be the cause of your falling into evil. 31 Put away all your evil-doing in which you have done sin; and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit: why are you desiring death, O children of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him on whom death comes, says the Lord: be turned back then, and have life.
• John 3:3-5 : 3 Jesus said to him, Truly, I say to you, Without a new birth no man is able to see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus said to him, How is it possible for a man to be given birth when he is old? Is he able to go into his mother's body a second time and come to birth again? 5 Jesus said in answer, Truly, I say to you, If a man's birth is not from water and from the Spirit, it is not possible for him to go into the kingdom of God.
• Luke 16:30 : 30 And he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, their hearts would be changed.
• Luke 21:31 : 31 In the same way, when you see these things taking place you may be certain that the kingdom of God is near.
• Col 1:13 : 13 Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;